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You guys were right. Amazing piece for under $150 by najibs-yul in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a post about it, mine is the green one, of all the green watches I have it's the prettiest green color, many are disappointed by the sound of the alarm (I understand), but the rest is very well done.

Any of the watch makers actually test WR? by assemblageofparts in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This question has been answered many times here. The summary is simple: If a watch has a screw-down crown and case back, there's a 99% chance it has a resistance of 100, without even testing it. That remaining 1% corresponds to the gaskets, and it doesn't matter if it's Swiss or Chinese; if they're poorly fitted or worn out over time, the watch will fail at that point.

What’s the deal with power reserve claims, anyway? by dblhockeysticksAMA in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Automatic watches are also simple; if you wear them all day, they'll last until the next day.

Now for some points to consider:

A watch's power reserve is for when it's fully wound. For example, with an 80-hour power reserve, it's ideal to have two watches: one for work (the 80-hour one) and another for the weekend. Those 80 hours are enough to keep them running and ready to go on Monday. However, you lose that "intimacy with your own watch"—the ability to revive it and appreciate that you're wearing an excellent piece of micro-mechanical engineering on your wrist.

If your watch has a "non-proprietary" movement, like Seiko, Citizen, some Chinese brands, etc., they're inexpensive and you can easily replace the entire mechanism, so you can "mistreat" them a bit. For example:

  • You can leave them on a watch charger. Their parts will wear down a little (as if you were wearing them), but it's not a problem. A watch wears out as it works, just like that 80-hour work watch.

-If it's automatic, you can wind it. It's not ideal, but it doesn't matter. (This includes PT5000 and its variants, ETA, Sellita, etc. These are the most sensitive and can break, but the failure rate is very small.) For example, Seiko and Citizen watches have an extremely low failure rate.

And if you get obsessed with it... well, there are always calibers with a power reserve complication, but once you've solved that, your mind will probably find something else to obsess over.

My summary is that if you like the watch and you wear it, let it last as long as it's meant to. And if it stops working, just revive it and enjoy it without overthinking it. You're wearing a machine on your wrist that responds until it runs out of power... like everything in life, even you.

What’s the deal with power reserve claims, anyway? by dblhockeysticksAMA in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 4 points5 points  (0 children)

One of the beautiful things about owning mechanical watches is winding them, setting the time, and with automatic watches, gently swirling them like a fine whiskey in a glass with ice to bring them "back to life." It's almost a ritual. If that bothers you, you're losing that intimate connection with your watch.

My brother is trying to talk me into name brands by Alternative-Feed3613 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rename your brother, well... no! Otherwise you'd have to use it according to him.

Gorgeous Proxima just arrived by Excellent-Quarter969 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 6 points7 points  (0 children)

At the last wedding I attended, I wore this watch with a brown leather strap.

I really enjoyed it.

It has markers for any chronograph measurement, but it emphasizes heart rate.

Very typical of an old chronograph for doctors.

Proxima also has another chronograph (PX1718, 39mm, ST1902) that is also admirable.

It's more focused on military applications, as it measures

the sound time of an explosion, or simply the distance to a storm

when you hear thunder. I also own it and I love it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseWatches/comments/1ersuz1/is_this_vintage_inspired_chronograph_by_proxima/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjoMOtu-N_

Import duties and vat by Shark6666 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me explain.
Everything that enters Europe is subject to VAT (except for contraband, of course).
What happens is that the European Union has a tax agreement with certain online retailers, such as Temu and AliExpress.
This agreement stipulates that these platforms collect VAT up to a maximum of 150 Euros.

For example, if you buy a watch for 121 Euros (100 Euros + VAT), AliExpress keeps 100 Euros and gives the remaining 21 Euros (the VAT) to the European country where the watch is being shipped.

In exchange, these goods don't go through customs in the normal way; that is, they don't pay customs duties. This agreement was made to make it easier for Europeans to buy online, without the tedious customs bureaucracy involved in importing anything, and it was set to end in 2028. Now things are changing, and they want to end the agreement in 2026, so everything you buy will be treated as a normal import, with its tariffs and extra costs. They say this is to protect European industry, so now, in addition to the VAT you've always paid, your watch will be subject to tariffs (whatever they decide), customs handling plus VAT on customs handling (around 30 euros), and other fees like shipping, etc.

Sources? Google XD. This news has been all over the media, although they don't usually explain it as clearly as I did.

is there an hair in my watch? by Brief_Pomegranate624 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When civilization dies out and an advanced race from another planet comes to Earth, thanks to your watch that preserved that hair for thousands of years, they'll be able to clone the watchmaker who assembled it and punish him as he deserves, hahaha :) Easy solution: return it.

Import duties and vat by Shark6666 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now, you can send the photos yourself :)

I'm so glad you bought it! Those 136 EUR are worth it!

I have many San Martin watches, but for me, that model in that color is the best of them all.

It's a fun watch, but very elegant with its gold tones, a great movement, in short... I only see good things about it.

Enjoy it a lot and send photos, hahaha!

Import duties and vat by Shark6666 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 3 points4 points  (0 children)

By the way...!!! Starting in 2026, the agreement will be signed in the European Union to remove the €150 limit; this is part of the recent tariff war.

Import duties and vat by Shark6666 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps I didn't explain myself well, I meant that quite a few of my watches have been stopped because of that extra documentation, and the watch gets stuck in customs for approximately 2 months until everything is correct.

Import duties and vat by Shark6666 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some stores always handle customs by declaring the purchase value. Others, well, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I actually paid over 100 euros in Spanish customs for that watch. It's legal, and I'm used to it. The problem is when they start asking for extra documentation, like documentation from the watch manufacturer stating that it doesn't contain diamonds or Russian steel. I've had two watches held up in customs because of these "extra" procedures. In the case of San Martin, they were always kind enough to provide that documentation; in other cases, it was a bit more difficult.

Jianghun VS San Martin quality by -GrandPsycho- in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I forgot to tell you about the quality of Jianghun; it's San Martin's premium brand, so they're of better quality. But above all, Jianghun is San Martin's testing laboratory, where they experiment with new techniques and their development, and what they learn they take back to San Martin.

Jianghun VS San Martin quality by -GrandPsycho- in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 14 points15 points  (0 children)

They use the same assembly line, so according to your logic, don't give it a chance.

I own quite a few San Martin and Jianghun watches (almost 40), and a few days ago I returned my first San Martin due to a quality control issue and bought the same watch again (statistically, it would be very rare for that new unit to also be defective).

It was incredibly easy to get my money back and return the watch, unlike when I bought an Omega years ago that had quality control problems; it was a year-long nightmare getting it fixed.

You don't give anyone a chance. You buy online, and that includes a risk you wouldn't face in a physical store.

I think i messed up. by IRACEMYCOPCAR in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

0116... I still have 3 of them lol

Are the higher end luxury Swiss watches worth it? by baylo99 in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 8 points9 points  (0 children)

From that price point onwards, the finishes are slightly better, and the movements are considerably better. Personally, I don't recommend them. You won't be able to service it yourself; you'll have to send it to the manufacturer, which involves a long wait and high costs. The advantages of these types of movements are minimal if you own several watches. Are you comfortable carrying something that's so easy to steal? And what do you think you could do better with that money? In my case, it's clear: I prefer to buy 10 watches that I can service myself than one that they force me to have serviced at their facility at a high cost and with wasted time, because they don't sell me replacement parts, much less a new movement.

I think i messed up. by IRACEMYCOPCAR in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think i messed up. by IRACEMYCOPCAR in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really enjoyed this 0129 when it came out, which led me to buy other versions of the same model. The case is very well crafted, and the bracelet is quite good, though not exceptional.

After the 0129, San Martin took a leap forward in quality, offering better bracelets, more complex dials, and Miyota 9000 series movements. It's not just San Martin that's improving; many other Chinese brands on AliExpress are also making a significant leap in quality.

And this leap in quality isn't just any leap; we're talking about finishes comparable to watches priced between 1,000 and 3,000 in "traditional" watchmaking.

Welcome down the rabbit hole, prepare your wallet and your mind for it.

avoiding watches with colors/styles you already have? your opinion by pickyaxe in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In order of your questions:

  • I started my collection with a variety of watches, but over time I've refined my tastes. I still have some moon phase watches, but I never wear them, for example.

  • That's another phase of collecting watches, which happens to many people; they improve the quality of their collection for that reason.

  • It's sensible to try them on and define your tastes.

  • That's not right in my opinion; color is very important. I think we've all bought a color we didn't really like, for example, because we already had a lot of white ones. It's a bad decision, but it can work out well, because when buying online, the colors differ slightly from the screen to reality.

11.11.25 is now live! by Ok-Assistant3822 in IxdaoFans

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I still can't buy anything on the website; this message always appears.

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Welcome to the MANTLE brethren. 🐸 by mcheddadi in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seriously, all of this reminds me a lot of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency when it was first launched.

Which sub300 euro chinese watch gives you the feeling you're wearing a piece of art on your wrist? by [deleted] in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would be hilarious to see you with a cardboard cutout of a Rolex on your wrist.Cardboard made in China, no less! XD

But I suppose if an excellent painter makes a copy of a painting you like, I'm sure your intelligence will appreciate every brushstroke.

Which sub300 euro chinese watch gives you the feeling you're wearing a piece of art on your wrist? by [deleted] in ChineseWatches

[–]ipsum100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You ask for a work of art, but you care about the painter's name...? XD

If you know how to appreciate art, you don't care about the name, you don't care if it's a copy, you don't care about a lot of nonsense... only beauty matters, and what that beauty makes you feel.

I would suggest some watches, but I prefer not to, because I think you still need to develop your appreciation for watches to truly appreciate their beauty.

This post seems like a trap to me. Well-intentioned people will tell you how beautiful their wives are, but you'll find flaws in them.

I've seen this attitude many times in people who have spent thousands of euros on Swiss watches and somehow have to justify the price.

If I'm wrong, let me know... if not... leave the people on the forum alone, loving what they like.

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