Hi mate! Pinning this comment. I thought I was going mad for a minute claiming sapphire, but then I remembered that I originally found this watch on AliExpress for more money, and it is advertised there by Guanqin as having sapphire. As noted, the descriptions at Gearbest are often horrible. They get the lug width of this one wrong as well! Cheers!!
I think it is possible to make a watch with sapphire crystal for that price. Sapphire crystal retails for $6.00 pp for a pack of 20. NH36 $35.00 pp retail. For a manufacturing company wholesale prices will be much cheaper.
My new favourite watch channel! Love how you cover random bargain watches like this. For us real men who aren't after the super high end watches or the basic known brands they are great to watch!
Hey Mate! Thanks for another comment! Means a lot coming from a content creator and big channel. I need to check out some style tips from you. Clearly! Cheers, Jody @ Just One More Watch.
Oof, you can get an NH36 in this for $62, but Seiko can't be bothered to update the SKX with a 4R36... disgraceful. This watch looks fantastic for the price; I'm almost tempted to pull the trigger on one!
That’s true man! But you can regulate the 72s6 very well! I just did mine ( -2 sec a day).. it took me 4 days to get the right time but it’s well worth it :) And also you can’t get the brand heritage from this manufacturer.
IDK what the hell they are doing, they cant seem to make a budget 40-42mm diver with a 4 clock crown with hacking and hand winding. Seiko is the only company to sell $900 dive watches without even a sapphire crystal.
J D I agree about the hacking and handwinding! Why are they still using the 7s26 in the SKX?! However, apparently the use of Hardlex over sapphire has less to do with cost and more because Seiko are such purists: Hardlex is arguably better than sapphire under water as it doesn’t shatter so easily (sapphire is harder but more brittle) and I guess Seiko also design their divers for professional divers who do manual work under water. But of course how many of us are going to be using one whilst fixing an oil rig or salvaging a wreck? Not many of us! I too would much prefer a sapphire crystal on any watch I own.
$62 makes it cheaper than an Invicta pro diver, which was, to my knowledge, the cheapest way into an NH35A, so this is really cool. And this has sapphire. Perportedly, anyway. Compelling; if I had room in my collection for another dress watch, this might be something I'd look into. I do love affordable dress watches; something about them makes me feel like an up and coming businessman who may not have money yet, but you know they have ambition. Maybe I'm reading too much into that, haha.
When you did the Cadisen I looked over their site, ran across that one and ordered it in black. I love it, think I'll get the silver as well. Not to gush too much, but it's crazy good, even before you factor in the price. Thanks for opening my eyes, collection is starting to take on a decidedly eastern flair.
Just One More Watch save Brazil congratulations every day that passes your channel grows like I love the guanqin model I get a little sad by the resistance of 3 ATM could I take a shower or wash the car without water in the clock would like to know if it is possible? Have you ever tried it on the water?
Mate, you are starting to cost me money with all these great reviews on such affordable watches! I just ordered this one because it looks good, has my favorite go to movement in any watch that isn't Swiss, and it's only $62 dollars!!! Thanks a lot mate! ;-)
Just received mine, just about 40€ using some GB points, and is actually better than I was expecting, the only down is the clasp on the bracelet. Great review and thanks a lot for this review, I would never bought it if I never saw your video and it feels a lot more "premium" than it's price tag, a real bargain. By the way great watch channel, my favourite, totally "snobless"!
The Longines Heritage Diver has the same type of bezel with 12 sides, so it's not just the logo that looks like a Longines. The watch look nice in any case. The lug-to-lug size could have been smaller though.
I hope you would use a diamond selector to testify their claim of using sapphire glass. My experience with many Chinese watches is they often lie about it.
This is the reason I stopped going on gearbest and aliexpress. I would always find something interesting like this and I would buy it. A year goes by and the next thing you know, I have 14 watches that I bought out of curiosity. They are way to tempting at those low prices. The one watch that I do wear from time to time is an automatic FNGEEN watch that looks a lot like an OMEGA Aqua Terra(which is one of my favorite watches of all time). It looks great and only cost me a few bucks. No complaints here. By the way, that Cadisen looks like a Longines Hydro Conquest but all well. Happy bargain hunting.
OldSport, just curious, is this the FNGEEN to which you are referring -- goo.gl/d2S4B9 ? Has a nice dial, but from the photos, I get the impression it might be a bit thick on the wrist. How's it performing for you, and am I right that it wears big (or at the very least, thick)?
Yeah that's it. It does wear a bit thick but it looks good since I have a big wrist. I have mine on a black leather strap and it looks great. The size of the dial is 40mm.
Seiko NH36, Flat sapphire, sunburst silver dial, roman numberals at 12 and batons at the rest, framed, day/date window, signed crown, high polish case.... this really sounds like I'm describing the old Cadisen 1032, which we all know you spoke very highly of - just with the 12-sided case and a leather strap. Can't help wondering how the two compare in your mind.
I have had mine for years. It’s still ticking away like a champion, it still looks great and has had about 15 strap changes because it just looks great on anything. I currently shanghai’d a strap from my Times Waterbury to put on this. Brown leather on a black dial watch ✨chef’s kiss✨
From reading various listings about this watch, I think the 12 sided bezel might be Tungsten, and not stainless steel. Many of the AliExpress listings mention "Tungsten Steel" for this model (Chenglish for Tungsten Carbide). In the video, the bezel does seem to look darker than the rest of the case. Someone on WatchUSeek suggested it looked like a Longines model, but I have not been able to find one like it.
“A particularly old and tired cow.” I’m glad I wasn’t drinking anything at that point or I would have sprayed my tablet! I know this is an old video, but I’ve been thinking of getting a dressier watch and have always liked the looks of this one, though I’m leaning towards the black dial.
I stumbled across one of these being sold off on Amazon so I treated myself. True the strap isn't fantastic but, as I have a slightly over eight inch wrist, I knew I would likely have to change it anyway. So watch purchased and a nice light brown suede leather strap from Barton and it looks amazing, easily £200 to £250 if it was a "named" brand. Thanks Jody!
I received my black version of the watch yesterday. It is absolutely stunning. The 12 facets on the " mini bazel " accompanied by high quality polish gives it diamond like light reflection with hand movement. The movement runs 10s plus per day which is outstanding. I had option of day in Chinese and English. I decided to keep on Chinese language for fun snd educated my self how to recognize them. I wished the second hand was a bit longer.
Looks a great watch for the money, have booked marked for the future. Great to see someone reviewing watches from the Chinese watch community. I bought a Rider Automatic from GT&FQ watches for my birthday. It has a Seagull ST1780 movement. I got it in a sale for $99 and put a new strap on, now priced at $140, but still a great watch for the money! Might be a watch that would interest you?
I ordered one of these in black and one in white after watching this RU-vid review, and they just arrived the other day. Both colorways of the watch look great, although I prefer the black version. The twelve-sided case is distinctive and handsome. I'm wearing the black one today. Thanks for the review!
I got this watch today picking it up for 49$ USD on the flash sale from GearBest. Overall I am pretty happy with the watch but one gripe: it comes with a 21 jewel Miyota movement (8205?) instead of the Seiko nh36.
Also there is a flash promotion on GearBest today (october 25) where it’s 12$ usd off (15$ cad) - this watch is only 37$ usd. Incredible value for this watch even with Miyota 8205 instead of Seiko NH36
Old and tired cow, huh? Lol that made me laugh. Beautiful piece. Thank you for braving the Chinese market to bring us these gems. Definitely steering me to some nice pieces.
I'm in love with my Casio Royale. Haven't had a Casio for 30 years and only recently got a 90s Timex digital. Once one lets go of the snobbery, one can really appreciate what one has.
I got one of these mostly based on your recommendation, so far I'm averaging about -1 second a day which is unbelievable! Put a Haveston Green NATO on it to replace the disappointing standard strap and I feel like I have a real winner with this thing. Thanks again!
just received this watch today 12 of october 2018. not a seiko nh36a movement but a myota movement inside. do not know which myota movement is in the watch. maybe they got wise & found it too costly to power it with a seiko. so dont be fooled
I just wanted to praise your presentation, by far the most polished of all the reviewers I have watched (excuse the pun) to date and that’s a lot. No hysterics, shouting, umming and erring or flash intros, but a really interesting well informed and detailed review ,regardless of the brand,model etc. So good I’ve bought a couple. Ps and I don’t even like Jocks since the last rugby fiasco. Best regards regardless
I bought the same model and received it today. NH36A. Very beautiful and solid, like it very much. I have only three "small" complaints and another bigger one. First, crown is too small and a bit stiff, true hard to operate with finger nails. Second, bezel is slightly decentered by 1 or 2 mm. Third, the strap is awful and replaced with nato. And a small dust spec between 6 and 5. By my biggest complaint are the lug holes: very badly drilled and I'm not sure how can this affect the watch at long time.
Great review. I just picked up one of these for 17 quid, delivered to the door. Mines the black dial version and having seen your vid I probably should have picked the silver dial with hindsight. Worth it for the movement alone - I'll see how it goes but I can see another skx project looming in the near future...
Hey Jody The closest case inspiration I found is the Corum Admiral's Cup. So if it is between a 60$ and 3000$ watch, my budget will allow for the 60. Atractive watch. Ticks all the right boxes. Slainte
Got mine today with the black dial. You were right about the strap. Put it on a zuludiver black.and red bond NATO. Looks like a million bucks. Thank you for the great review and keep up the great work.
I bought one of these about 3 minutes after I finished this video when it came out. I have loved it ever since. The watch looks good and I actually got mine for $58 on Gearbest.
Hey Jody! Amazing videos, thx for the quality content. If you don't mind another rabbit hole to get into, i can highly recommend soviet era russian mechanical watches. I know you enjoy a russian diver, but vintage mechanical soviet dress watches are also amazing. For people who don't really want an expensive dress piece, i think Poljot De Lux (23J) should be one to consider. Yeah i know it's easy for me from Hungary which is an ex soviet block country where you can get a vintage soviet watch serviced for a few bucks, but I would be surprised if it posed any challenge to any decent watch service anywhere around the world, they were built to last and built with a low maintenance cost in mind. All these soviet era vintage mechanicals are usually super robust, even the dress watches. I know you own some Vostoks, so just for a good Bambino/Quanxin/Cadisen alternative, let me recommend the Poljot De Lux 23J watch at under 90USD. A cracking little watch, just the perfect dimensions for a vintage dress piece, and incredible amount of personality for so little money with a unique Bauhaus look. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-MENS-BIG-RUSSIAN-MECHANICAL-POLJOT-DE-LUXE-WATCH-23-JEWELS/124158323208?hash=item1ce869aa08:g:Q60AAOSwWPtemwwh Cheers, Csaba
Have you tried an ultrasonic cleaner to get out that little bit of trapped dirt? I got one recently and it does wonders, it even came with a watch cradle so the watch doesn't sit in the water.
Nice review however I will hold off until I hear your thoughts and re-evaluation after 3, 6 and 12 months from now. Good opportunity for future watch update reviews of your Chinese brands selections.
I have a very nice Guanqin quartz chronograph, and I don't know the model or name of this watch, but I'm ordering this beauty NOW! They make beautiful watches
I got swayed by the black and gold dialed version. I just ordered a bunch of them for €32 Euros each. It is almost as if you buy the NH36, you get the watch for free. The resessed ring where you get dirt is where mine has its gold inlay. This ring gives the edge of the Saphire an opaque gold glow, very nice. Also very nice are the different sized hour markers and subtle sun burst. Less preferable are the white lumed areas in the hands, the grinding marks in the ridges at the edge of the case and the crown sticking a bit proud of the case . Also very curious is the heavily AR coated see through back, With the coating on the outside no less, prone to scratching up.
I just noticed what you mean about the ring. The bezel inlay doesn't fit that well so at certain places there is this void between bezel an inlay. I find this kind of worrying, since the crystal seems to be fitted in the inlay, not in the bezel itself.
these prices make it feel like the other brands are ripping everyone off....saphire crystal and a solid japanese movement would cost a small fortune if this were another brand.
I bought one and it took about 10 days to get to me which ain't bad for China. I was thuroughly surprised how tidy the watch was. I think the lume is abysmal, but the strap isn't totally horrendous (better than Seiko I'd say) the butterfly is okay, I'm curious to see how it will hold up. I love the day in Chinese and use it like that for fun lol. Sapphire is holding up well and the watch has left my wrist for no more than a day in the last 3 weeks. 😂
Thought I viewed this vid, accidently just left it on the list. After binging on every vid I am now going back and losing my procrastination and commenting.I enjoy this channel to no end!This watch is now added to the buy list. As always, Thank you Jody! Slainteafter posting, my original comment popped up. My tech skills are just plain laughable.
I think you were saying that you have not seen another 12 sided watch, and that this design may be original. I thought so too untilI saw the Concord Mariner. 12 sides and the company has been around since 1908.
I just bought this watch but it did cost me $79 Australian. It is a lovely watch. I hope it keeps better time than the Tevise submariner copy. I love your channel.
I have hunted on Aliexpress, this watch seems to come in TWO formats. The one with Chinese characters for the day complication are advertised as having sapphire crystal, while the ones with English letters have hardlex! Disappointing, as I would have loved the silver dial one with a sapphire crystal
Looks AMAZING for the price, and a Seiko movement!! I'll be ordering one for sure, the strap even looks great!!!!! I love the display case-back as well...
Jody, you seem to have made a difference - and not only to my watch collection. Received my black version of this watch after well over a month in transit and guess what... they've got rid of that ridiculous long code number on the watch back - the one you highlighted. The watch itself seems to be keeping pretty good time - loosing around 15 seconds in its first day on my wrist. Needless to say the strap is very plasticy and in dire need of replacement so a dressy British made Darlena item will soon replace it. This however is no criticism as I expect to replace all straps on Chinese made watches - even if they legitimately come from brands such as Rotary. I rather like the quality of Darlina soft leather straps at around £10-15. Anyway, your excellent reviews have once again guided me well and this is as you indicated, a very attractive watch that belies its crazy £16 price tag from the Chinese Ebay supplier I used. It would still be outstanding value at Gearbest's price and stands head an shoulders above most of their offerings in terms of quality and value and that's not to demean their other watches. So if you've read this far and are thinking of buying this particular Guanqin, go for it - it's a really pleasing watch that just needs an appropriate strap.
I bought one of these and it is beautiful. It worked beautifully for a couple weeks until I let it completely unwind. When I started it again, I was unable to reset the day and date. It just didn't work. I complained to Gearbest. After several exchanges on their support Web page, they agreed to send me a replacement and I could just keep the broken one. The replacement arrived about three weeks later. It was beautiful, too. When I attempted to set it for the first time out of the box, the winding stem fell out out the watch, along with some small metal shards. I could push it back in, but it did not work to set the time, day or date. It just spun. So I had another round with Gearbest. The eventual result was that they agreed to refund me: $30 US, which was about half of what I paid for the watch. This, they said, was because they had already replaced the watch once. I pointed out that they replaced my broken watch with another broken watch, but this argument did not prevail. So now I have two watches that don't work and half of my money back. I won't be dealing with Gearbest again.
thank you for this review. i ordered through the link provided and really dig the watch! the dial is clean and yet the light plays off it very nicely. i actually like the lumed hands. the deployment clasp is a bit fidly but otherwise this Guanqin can't be faulted at the price and represents excellent value.
5:44 Genuine Leather is a marketing term. It's meant to reassure the buyer that it is not imitation. However in practical terms it means it's the cheapest leather possible and should probably come with an expiration date. :D
I buy white/silver dial in this moment. Nice watch. I WANTED TO SEE ALSO THE BLACK. THE SHOP WHERE I PURCHASED THE WATCH HAD ONLY HAD THE WHITE DIAL. I HAVE PAID ONLY 49EURO. In your opinion the best is the white dial?
I'm a little late to the party :) just picked up the Guanqin gj16034 , Guanqin 'nomos lambda' and the Cadisen C1009, cant believe how nice they look and feel for the price.....You've taking me down the rabbit hole Jody :) I wonder do you still own your Chinese specials ?
I've just ordered one, just to find out it does not actually have a sapphire crystal. Gearbest claims “Dial Window Material Type: Hardlex”. Also, they don't specify the movement model or origin anywhere in their page. Let's hope it is at least a reliable one.
Got mine today nice watch except it has a Miyota movement and not a Seiko if thats been change maybe the glass was changed from “Sapphire” as well. A bit of a let down.
This one looks like the SARB 065 (cocktail) or the Tissot Visodate. I ordered this one too after seeing your awesome review. Thanks for that! Gr from Holland
Jody, great find, and great video. You're a real asset to the watch community. I love the Guanqin's looks and value proposition. One question, though, given the 49.5 mm lug-to-lug length. Sounds awfully long. From how it looks on your 7" wrist, I'm thinking it wouldn't sit well on a 6.5" wrist. Hate to ask this kind of very personalized question, but you're the only point of reference I've got on this one: any thoughts on whether it's just too long for a 6.5" wrist?
Not my cup of tea, but can't deny you raise some valid points about the value proposition of this Guanquin. And always applaud the budget/quality sensibility that you bring to this and your other videos. I'm already sold on mechanical watches, but I almost envy the new watch owner who gets into our glorious obsession via this Guanquin,. This is indeed an enviable "gateway" watch.
Wow beautiful looking piece. Glad I found this video. I'll need a low budget, high quality dress watch eventually. I trust your opinion and analysis on watches, even if they're on the low end, which is my side of the disposable income spectrum. Thank you sir.
I love silver dials. I wish Seiko would do a version of the SARB033/035 with a silver sunburst dial like that. Where do you order your hand sets from? Thanks. Cheers.
"Genuine Leather" is a clever phrase and industry name for the title they have to put on products that aren't "Leather". Yes it contains leather... but much in the same way compressed plywood is "Genuine Wood."
"Genuine Leather" is the lowest grade of leather. Remove immediately. Look for "Top Grain Leather", which is a higher grade. Huge difference, and not much more money. I'd recommend Richie straps on Amazon (no affiliation) for around $17 US. Also includes quick release pins. Top grain + quick release are the only straps I buy.
Bugs..well we have them in the garden here, in summer 😉 not now...anyway....we have.... Euro... and I need to say I spent 60 € just for a sapphire glass for my Orient Ray last year. Plus 20 € for the watchmaker.(1 Euro = 1,2 US-Dollar) Here you get a watch for less than that with sapphier glass 👍 and a Seiko movement 👍 and on top of it . It's good looking. 👍 THIS looks like a good deal. Thank you for showing. 😊
Great review as usual, and I particularly love the t-shirt. It’s a very stealthy Star Trek engage with a Star Trek logo in place of the a. Non trekkers would never notice it. I never thought of buying a Chinese watch before I started watching your videos, but being somewhat under funded, and loving watches, the fact that they have some great Japanese movements makes me wonder why not try one. They seem to look quite nice and with a good movement in them it just makes sense. I just need to ask if an American watchmaker would be able to repair these with no problems? My wife is an eternal skeptic. 🤨
I have been looking at this watch for a while and bought it today for $40 (US). Black Friday deal. I only hope I get the Seiko movement with it. I have read it is hit or miss. Some come with and some come with out. I guess for that money, either movement will be fine.
Slightly off topic but I was wondering if you have any genuine military issue watches? I have acquired a 1990 Royal Navy issue CWC G10 watch and I absolutely love it. Its got an acrylic crystal like the Vostok but is a great watch and a good daily beater! They are still pretty cheap to buy second hand around £60+ on eBay, I know you scots love a bargain! Maybe you will review one in the future. Love the channel and your refreshingly unpretentious look at watches.
Great review as usual ! I received my new alpha sea master ($ 110.00 ) blue wave dial from eBay yesterday l this is a clone of the omega seamster ( identical ) & I have to say that I am absolutely impressed with this alpha ! I was wondering if you could do a review on this alpha sea master . I think your reviews are the best ones on RU-vid ! Thanks Dan ...
I just got mine in the mail - the black one. The second page on the manual says "all movements are using the Guanqin movement". i look at the back of the watch and it says Nh36a haha... but i am pleased so far. the sapphire/nh36a justifies the purchase, and i could care less even if the flinstones made this watch. Its nice, it works, its cheap. its a Winner!
Jody love the old retro style reviews...your channel has definitely graphed up since the early days. Bte, what happened to this lower price point watch hunts Jody...maybe in 2022 we may get to see more bargain basement winners around the sub $60 price range.
On eBay there is a listing for these watched for 23 usd (can't confirm the movement, it's not mentioned in the description). Also something I found while looking for these is the guanqin gq20022 with some very interesting complications to say the least (it's also has an omega speedmaster vibe with the 3 complications on the left side)
Quick update - the Guanqin has arrived quicker than expected from Gearbest to the UK and I'm mightily impressed so far. That dang butterfly clasp took a bit of persuading to open up but the leather strap is pretty supple if not gorgeous so it feels like it'll wear in nicely. And that movement is remarkable! The overall quality is very good and the watch looks better in real life than perhaps the video suggests, all in all a very classy and understated watch which will be a nice daily office piece
Which one is better? the Guanqin GJ16034 with "saphire" and the doubt about getting Seiko nh36 or myota 8215 movement ? or the Cadisen 1020 with seiko nh36 for sure and a normal mineral glass? im from italy and at the moment i can buy the guanqin fon 46€ and the cadisen for 40€ what would u recomend?
Hey, I am late to the partayyy and this watch is good looking. At the case back numbers, I think the one with the 7Dxxxx is from Seiko themselves using back the same reference numbers from back in the day of their vintage watches. 7 being the year and D for December
They do seem to be punching above their price point. I've seen one that looks like a Nomos Lambda and I'm severely tempted even though it's plate size for me.
