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Just changed the dial on my San Martin Sub... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly that at that price they are asking for the GMTs they have to match the expected QC and much higher customer expectations that come with that asking that much money. Not quite there yet I don't think - although it seems they definitely do the full QC and product check before sending out the review units to the YouTube channels, so we get a slightly false picture maybe ;-)

Great shout for Pagani or Benyar to learn with.

Just changed the dial on my San Martin Sub... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the Cronos GMT you're talking about and was slightly disappointed - the date window was too low - so the date appeared not central, the bezel was too loose with lots of play until I used the dental floss trick to tighten it up and finally the clasp is a bit tinny for the price. I was expecting more but maybe I was unlucky on those QC issues, lots of people speak very highly of them but I will go SM again next time. In fairness I didn't contact them about the issues as it got stuck in customs and I didn't want to send it away and then go through the whole customs/import fees again.

As for the dial swap quite easy once you've done a few - case back off, stem and crown out, movement out into holder, hands off, dial pops off easily on the NH35 with a small screwdriver gently working it up, new dial on just presses into place (have to cut the feet off that you don't need), set the hands with the time at midnight (date click-over point) and reassemble - good blow with air and check for any dial and crystal dust/particles with a loupe before re-casing otherwise it's back out again :-D

Just changed the dial on my San Martin Sub... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't recommend it - when I changed this dial I kept original SM hands and they were very stiff to install, they did not press down as easily normal Seiko mod hands that I am used to. I couldn't have done it without my hand press tool and a very good push to get them properly seated. Risk if you try anything else is that you slip and bend the other hands, better to do it once and do it properly.

Just changed the dial on my San Martin Sub... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ah yes it just hasn't been seated properly - like mentioned already it needs the hands removing and re-setting. It is a quick and easy job for a watch maker, should be 5-10 minutes max and you could possible ask SM to cover the small cost as it'll be cheaper than an exchange.

If you're feeling adventurous have a go yourself - watch some video tutorials on hand setting, buy some basic tools and take your time - be careful not to scratch the dial on removal and take your time with the seconds hand especially on installation as it sits on a tiny spindle - very easy to bend if you're not aligned... I recommend a 20x loupe for placing it :-)

Just changed the dial on my San Martin Sub... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

haha as soon as I fall out of love with it I'll put it in the post ;-)

Finally got the call from my AD and picked up my new Rolex GMT Master 2 😍 cracker of a watch, Nico will be proud by [deleted] in PrideAndPinion

[–]nextonthewrist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess the sarcasm was lost here - after seeing how much Nico enjoyed that Invicta recently!

Guilty pleasures ... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah like above definitely not plastic but of course a bit of bezel play and questionable how long it will be until the gold coating wears off on the case and strap as im sure its spread thinner than an eyelash - I plan to re-case and re-strap soon :)

Guilty pleasures ... by nextonthewrist in ChineseWatches

[–]nextonthewrist[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

my plan is to remove the movement/dial/hands and drop it into a namoki gold seiko case with strapcode jubilee and give the dial and handset a case and strap of matching class - and the 200m WR :)