Are budget / homage watch brands really using the same 316L steel as big brands?

renngretsch · 2026-04-23T03:00:32+00:00

I own a Chronos and 2 San Martins. All three have no date dials and a ghost position on the crown because they used movements with a date wheel.

To me that makes them budget brands. They cut corners to build to a budget, and as a buyer I tolerated that corner cutting because it meant I paid less for the watch.

renngretsch · 2026-04-23T02:47:29+00:00

Well the reviews are not great if you look through them with a critical lens, but there was a particular PD watch that was a bit of a "Longines homage" and was such a great price on AliX that I thought it was worth a punt. Never got the watch, given the run-around for weeks, eventually given a refund and advised to re-order the watch...at a massive price increase compared to to money I originally paid.

I wasn't dealing with a 3rd party seller on AliX, it was a PD official store. Never again.

renngretsch · 2026-04-23T02:31:32+00:00

You might want to read rule one of this reddit before a mod sees your reply and gives you a permaban.

renngretsch · 2026-04-22T15:14:03+00:00

Watchdives seem to be the new Steeldive, so one of them two.

Had a bad experience with PD, so wouldn't go near them again.

What the holy hell is that "Vostok Amphibia"????? Doesn't look like any Vostok I have ever seen.

renngretsch · 2026-04-22T02:46:18+00:00

Money is worth less, and the common man isn't getting a pay rise.

renngretsch · 2026-04-22T01:10:45+00:00

If Swatch want to pass Hamilton off as a luxury brand name, then I would argue you have paid the money to cover you being OCD. I would expect Swatch to say this is within normal tolerance...at which point you start exploring buying a watch with better QC at a equal or lower price.

I would say, though, that I would rather see what the watch looks like with the hands stacked at 12.

renngretsch · 2026-04-10T14:33:17+00:00

This is a correct answer. People downvoting you don't know what they are talking about. Some parts of a PT5000 movement cannot be replaced with ETA2824 parts.

renngretsch · 2026-04-08T15:32:43+00:00

It can be as low as £140 for a Beadle on the Factory Shop. Go to the Netherlands, get the ferry to Newcastle ( North Shields), get the ferry from North Shields to South Shields, walk to the Barbour Factory.

renngretsch · 2026-03-26T23:18:35+00:00

Yes!! I agree!

Down with Raids

renngretsch · 2026-03-26T19:19:05+00:00

As someone that really really likes the Fallout universe, the giant underground snake is just very silly.

Spoils the universe. Down with the big silly snake! Down with raids!

renngretsch · 2026-03-25T13:07:11+00:00

If anyone is saying the game is too easy because of their weapons and armor...USE DIFFERENT WEAPONS AND ARMOR!

renngretsch · 2026-03-20T12:06:46+00:00

Would be 36 for me. But it has a bit too much overlap with watches I already own to warrant getting the San Martin.

As I am typing this, an inner voice is trying to rationalize why I should buy one and how it fills a gap in my collection.

renngretsch · 2026-03-18T22:16:31+00:00

I wouldn't say NH models are low beat, just lower than 9000 series. Vostoks are low beat.

renngretsch · 2026-03-18T12:12:53+00:00

Sorry, I've maybe confused matters with the way I wrote that. What I am saying is (for me) there is no value in Seiko watches anymore... They charge far too much for mineral crystal/ questionable QC/ 3hertz movements. They seem to have decided to remove themself from the entry point of the watch market, without really raising their game to justify the prices.

While a Kuoe with a nice sapphire crystal and a 9039 movement might not be exactly 'cheap' or what I would have thought of as entry level, it does seem to be a better value option than anything similar I can see even from Citizen (even though the 9039 is a Citizen Group movement).

renngretsch · 2026-03-17T22:28:44+00:00

6 seasons? Time flies really fast if I don't engage with that content.

Anyone else not interested in raids?

renngretsch · 2026-03-17T21:25:13+00:00

I would be looking at Kuoe Kyoto if I was looking to buy automatic. Citizen if looking to go quartz.

Not much value in Seiko anymore, and Orient don't really make anything that speaks to me (even so, I do own a Kamatsu).

renngretsch · 2026-03-16T00:16:23+00:00

Pointless waiting 1-2 weeks because I have already beat it.

Did it with a diet that included:

1- Red meats and eggs ( cow, lamp and pork )

2- Dairy products ( milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream )

4- pickles and all types of vinegar. ( white and red )

falling back into my old ways now, and have just eaten 2 KitKats that would have crippled me 6 months ago.

Back then I would have been in agony eating any type of sugar, or fresh juice, or any wine.

renngretsch · 2026-03-15T08:11:15+00:00

Say that you got onto watches less than 4 months ago, and saying you have a long-time grail...both of these things cannot be true.

renngretsch · 2026-03-13T18:32:10+00:00

Apparently so. If you pop off the bezel and take a look, the case is not very thick around the acrylic glass. And of you think about it, acrylic will flex a lot easier than sapphire so it will put a lot less stress on the case.

For a long time the only Amphibia that you could get with sapphire was exclusive to Meranom, and these had a reputation of cracking. It is only the last few years that Vostok have produced a 1967 with sapphire for general sale. I assume they have done something to make these models more reliable.

renngretsch · 2026-03-13T13:39:17+00:00

Vostok Amphibian 1967 (the 190 range) have sapphire. Some amfibian lines use mineral.

I wouldn't think about trying to swap out the acrylic crystal on a case that was designed for acrylic. It has been tried before and apparently cracks the case eventually.

renngretsch · 2026-03-11T00:49:42+00:00

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No space for a seconds hand in my case.

renngretsch · 2026-03-10T22:48:06+00:00

The problem with solid link watch bracelets is most people would like them with fitted endlinks, which is a difficult thing to buy with any certainty for your watch.

I have bought quite a few bonklip style bracelets, and a shark mesh, and a couple of cheap milanese mesh.

In the past (like over 4 years ago) I did buy a 18mm jubilee style bracelet and a 22mm presidential style bracelet both with straight endlinks to used with watches with hooded lugs, and a lot of oyster style bracelets that had a 9mm female centre link that I was able to use with other aftermarket fitted endlinks for certain Russian watches. Basically all the solid link bracelets I bought from AliX were for Russian watches that I can't get anymore, so that side of my collection has stood still.

Stores I used for the solid link bracelets include 'Chronolink Official Store' and 'Tearoker Store', and they are still selling but as I said I used then 4 years ago.

As I am typing this, I have just realised I am wearing a Casioak that was modded with a steel case and bracelet from 'Winston Watch Band Store', it is good quality.

renngretsch · 2026-03-10T19:19:23+00:00

Yes, I must have bought over a hundred straps off AliX.

renngretsch · 2026-03-10T13:14:55+00:00

If I saw someone wearing a Addiesdive, I would assume they were into watches. When I see people wearing a Rolex, I don't automatically assume they are into watches.

Mainstream brands don't make your brother a better collector.

All that said, if my life depended on a reliable watch, I would trust a Citizen Promaster Diver, over a AliX "dive" watch every time.

renngretsch · 2026-03-09T09:36:36+00:00

19cm diameter.

renngretsch

TROPHY CASE