Don't be fooled by the Tongji movement - it is actually a better version with polished stripes and better construction. Based on an old Enicar design, so it is a pretty good movement if well assembled. Price should be a bit lower though.
I just bought an Addiesdive that is somewhat similar to that one. It came on a bracelet and has the NH35 movement. I paid less than half. A complete no brainer!
Hi Ivan. Good to see you but bad to see that watch, ha ha. You are right. The watch isn't much to talk about. However, I love the dial design (the indicies & minute hand design matches perfectly.) and the layout is very pleasing to the eyes.... I guess that is about it. (oh, yes. the dome crystal. that is also good looking). Thanks Ivan and hope to see you soon and hope that you can bring out something "super fantastic". Good day.
I don’t mind it aside from the fact that they misspelled manual - though perhaps they are trying to sell it to the Spanish market. I know people have complained in the past when San Martin have utilized screw down crowns with hand wind movements, because if you wind it all the way up, you won’t be able to screw it down.
Maybe this watch markings are for the French market ? Or to mimic some French watchmaking tradition. Next Merkur thing could be "phase de Lune" or "petite seconde " (moonphase or small second) ! Or even "répétition minute" in a pure "haute horlogerie" fashion! Who knows ?
I think if you have so little money to spend I'd be getting a Casio MRW200H then you won't get disappointed with the experience only an ultra cheap chinese mechanical can give.
Hey there, I love your contents and reviews however I beg to differ on your assessment on this watch, u are really really uninformed, do let me share some knowledge on merkurs watches 1. Movement, yes it is a tongjie movement, but that dosent mean that it is not a good movement. The tongjie movement was created in the 1970s this movement was heavily inspired (or copied) from the Enicar Ar1010 movement. The tongjie movement may be cheaply available but it is by no means a bad movement. Well regulated tongjie has an accuracy +-10 seconds. Now merkur's particular tongjie movement is actually a refined tongjie with blues screws and Geneva wave finishing not to mention it is specially assembly by merkurs team. They did a couple of changes and refinement so that the stability and winding of the movement is smoother then original tongjie. 2. The case is 316l stainless steel with an all brushed finishing. Yes this is nothing to shout about but it is of high quality in watch standard. Notice the case has a Step design on the outer bezel area, this shows merkur uses it's own watch cases and not just slap on any generic case unlike other brands. The cases feels solid and is well CNC machined 3. The crystal as u said looks fantastic and it's thick and solid. 4. Mayb the inner bezel needs some refinement, but I give them points here for trying. 5. Strap. Well I don't judge straps as I have many stars my self. Overall I give this a solid 7 out of 10. Please do more research about tongjie movements and understand is importance in Chinese watch making. We should not judge things based on it's price solely. Also the reason why merkur has chosen to use a tongjie movement and took the effort to refined it, it is because to stay true to their Chinese heritage. I personally give extra credit to this. Open up the back cover look at the movement inside. Of course you can't compare it to an expensive well decorated Patek movement. But at least u should appreciate the effort that merkur has put in.
Thanks for your comment - but I am really not sure why you are accusing me of being "really, really uninformed". I've reviewed several pieces with Tongji movements over the years. Yes, cheap does not automatically mean bad, but these are certainly among the worst movements I have come across in my time, if not the worst. I don't necessarily disagree with the 5 points you have made there, but you have not said anything that actually contradicts anything that I have said myself, have you? Perhaps you should watch all the videos I have made on watches with Tongji movements before making the wrong conclusion that I am "uninformed".
@@PerthWAtch this is a refined tongji. much testing has been done to ensure the stability of this movement. the other tongji that you have tested are those rough around the edges, badly assembled tongji. furthermore as i have stated tongji is heavily based on the Enicar movement. Enicar was a well respected watch producer back then. that's why I feel that you are uninformed. Since u are Chinese, i not sure if u are able to communicate in mandarin, you should talk to the founder of merkur to understand more. anyone can just buy an NH35 and used in their watches, But to research and take time to refine a so called "shitty" movement, well i have mad respect for that.
I ask again - what did I say in the video which you disagree with? You're saying this is a "refined Tongji" movement... if that is true, then it is simply appalling that Merkur did not do anything to promote this at all on their listing. Which means it likely is not, and is simply an ebauche and cheap Tongji. You haven't felt this watch I have in hand - I can tell you it feels extremely badly made (as I said in the video). I am not going to open the watch, I do not have time for that, and I certainly do not find it useful to talk to company owners - you are likely going to get highly biased information. Much better to talk to third parties and independent consumers. It doesn't matter how much blued screws and decorating you put on a movement - if it does not perform and has poor specs, it is still going to be a poor movement. It also doesn't matter what movement it is based on. This point is simply not relevant. You could make a movement "based on" a Patek calibre, and do it very poorly.
@@PerthWAtch I guess you are just one of those guys that look down on mainland Chinese because u grew up in Australia or western country. Just too embarrassed to be associated with Chinese from China. What a shame.
@@PerthWAtch I guess you are one of those Chinese who grew up in Australia or western country who is too embarrassed to be associated with mainland China. You probably feel that things out of China are of low quality and only westerners are able to produce good products. What a shame that u totally forgot your ancestors heritage and culture. What a shame that you do not know how to appreciate the struggle that that our forefathers has faced. I feel so sorry for u.
Incredible looking piece! Just wanted to comment a big thank you personally for being one of the OG watch channels that has inspired me to start my own channel! Appreciate your humbleness and straight approach to reviewing watches, big props man and best of luck, thanks for staying humble and true to yourself through all these years!
Not bad Ivan, looks good... probably don't trust the movement. Would it help me find a wife in Asia somewhere though? Would it increase my street cred?
