@@joelcohen4353 it’s an open secret that most of the exterior parts of Swiss watches are made in china probably in the same giant factories as make Ali express watches.
Plus now you can buy the components of just about any watch you want to build yourself on places like Ali Express. It's going to be my next hobby. Videos on UA-cam will help with the build and offer links to components! I'm hoping I get the hang of it so I can give watches I've assembled as gifts to my friends.
I bought the Steel Dive 1970 (green) on your recommendation during the mid year sale, Jody. It was my first Ali Express and automatic watch. I LOVE it and already considering buying the blue version. So you most definitely have my thanks, sir!
Since you like Steeldive (I have a 1970 as well), you should check out the SD1953. I have the gray dial version and it's one of the nicest watches I own and it sells for less than $60
I also bought a green sd1970 about a month ago largely based on this channel’s review, it was also my first mechanical watch and so far I’m loving it. Steeldive has a few other models I’ve found since that interest me, but it’s very likely I’ll slip in another color 1970 as well. Thank you Jody for your great reviews good sir😎👍👌
I’m mainly a Casio collector but I do have several Ali’s too (including that Pagani) and I love them. I get bored easily and like to wear a different watch every day. This allows me the fun of collecting and I don’t worry about wearing them out and about. If someone what’s to mug for one of my watches, not only will I hand it over without much bother but I’ll throw in a case and a micro fibre cloth too! 😂
Great job! If they put a smile on your face that’s all that matters. Not everyone is fortunate enough to buy 1 or 2 very expensive watches. The movement on that Lognini (or whatever it’s called - Wildorf was onto something w short brand names!) is incredible. You could have fun walk up to a friend holding the watch bottoms up and say ‘I finally bought a PP!’
Nice collection. I'm way deeper in the Aliexpress watch rabbit hole... I must have 45 for a total of about $7,000. I love them all and wouldn't trade them. Guess who I blame for this?
@ Yes but I prefer having 45 different watches! As an engineer, I’m not interested by the Rolex proposition. Little to no gain in terms of reliability and accuracy for 50x the price. It just makes no sense!
@@rioriggs3568 try Steinhart or Sinn. I have watches from Casio up to Rolex, Breitling and Patek but I find myself grabbing my Steinhart titanium or Sinn U1 the most
Ten fun watches for the price of one middle of the road sw200 powered ¨Swiss¨ made watch, money well spent I think 👍 Although you need a Baltany 1921, that's a beautiful watch.
I have Rolex and Omega and all the big watch brands but as time has gone by (and money for me isn’t an object), my next 3 watches are going to be 2 citizen divers one standard and one chronograph and a PCAT. I had this revelation as I was begging my dealer for a Submariner to compliment my GMT Master II and I have 3 citizens, one is 26 years old. The other 2 are 19 years old - caliber 2100’s - no more expensive stuff from companies like Rolex that hate their customers. The Eco Drive will last forever and that’s all I want now. I do have the Sd1953 and it’s awesome!
Bud, we can see your profile picture. You don’t own any Rolexes, or omegas, stop pretending so you can give your opinion from watch internet videos. You’re a dork, and shut up.
There are SO many great watches out there! I've got watches in the well over £2000 price range, but my fave that I wear the most, and also my most accurate is the Seagull 1963 Chrono! Accurate to an amazing 1 second every 4 days, and under £200! It's really not all about the money! I honestly think that something like a Rolex Sub is a £2K watch with a £6K logo!
Love that you dont give a shit what anyone thinks. Just how it should be. I dont have the money for expensive watches and find Ali is fantastic for building a great varied collection. Have the SD1970 and Seestern in blue. My only San Nartin is the BB58 homage and I love it.
When I got home from work today, I found the Rdunae Willard homage waiting outside my apartment door. I know you said you’d never try a Rdunae, but it’s really, really good. I love my Steeldive Willard, but some things have always felt slightly “off” about it. The Rdunae just sits more nicely on my wrist. It’s a more accurate replica too (and also more accurate than anything Seiko makes these days). It has a beautiful aluminum bezel with lovely bezel action. It has 19mm lugs like the original did. It comes on a rubber “chocolate bar” strap. It even has the “lock” etching on the crown. All these great little details. Also, it doesn’t say “Rdunae” on the dial. It just has a little applied logo. I bought it to do a dial swap to a Seiko dial and sand the indices down to a brushed look for 99% accuracy, but I’m just going to wear it as is until some more money comes to me somehow.
Jody, you are the reason my wife gifted me a 40mm 1963 as an engagement present and, also, the reason why I bought that Baltany chrono, which is by far my favourite chrono in my small collection (I love the newer version, the V2, with the subdial hands painted in white for improved legibility 👌🏻)
Bought the 1970 and Alaska project based off of your recommendation and I love them. Definitely eyeing several San martins for my next Ali watch. Love this style of video.
Lovely representative view of what you can get. I have 1 Proxima, 1 Seestern, 1 Escapement Time, 1 Baltany, and 3 San Martins. Now I’ve had a lot more than that on my wrist that haven’t stayed around, but my experience with Ali has been overwhelmingly good and I will be getting the Baltany 1921 in the near future to satisfy my dress watch needs. Cheers!
Some look cool but paying what it would cost you a Seiko or Citizen for something like that, not a practical decision. For the cheaper ones, a Vostok or Casio…
Lol, good one. I'm gonna say it. Steeldive watches are BETTER than Seiko 5s. Arguably as-good or better than Prospex, albeit without the brand recognition or caché of being original. 😱 Yup, I said it! Sapphire, screw-down crown, solid bracelets, as-good or better QC than the 5s. Arguably on par with Prospex. For the same money as the 5, Steeldive is a better deal. But at actually 1/3 to 1/4 the price, Steeldive is CRAZY INSANE value! Price vs Prospex is even more insane. Regarding the Prospex 6R movements, well, I don't have personal experience so I can't say. But it seems a whole lotta people are really unhappy with their accuracy and consistency, and would gladly trade that bigger reserve for the accuracy and consistency of the 4R movements. If memory serves, even Jody had problems with his new Alpinist GMT. A lotta hot air there to say that the SD1970 is the biggest no-brainer mechanical watch choice available.
I also don't like the 'buy one good watch for the price of all these' argument. I love a bit of variety in my collection, and with these you don't have to worry about a few scratches or 'but my invenstment!' type thoughts either! I have the SD1970 and a Seestern 62MAS homage, both are superb for the money. Thanks Jody!
I do have a Seagull I got as a gift from my wife and I love it. I’ve been keeping an eye on St. martin models for a while. They have some very interesting stuff.
I bought two Steel Dive 1970 for me and a friend, one green and one black. I swapped the internals, I have the black dial with the green bezel and he has the green dial with black bezel.
Nice collection. I started in October 2023. I've watched a few of your and some other videos on YT. I now have 12 courtesy of AliX and two Timex Q Chronograph pandas. One is a reverse panda and one being a white dial Snoopy. I also have a TAG Carrera CV2010-3. I agree with you that it's not about how much the watch costs, but just what you get from owning and wearing it. Keep up the good work.
The Steeldive SD1970 has got to be THE best value proposition in the diver category. Certainly in the automatic sub-genre. The Casio Duro of course being an overall challenger, and certainly the budget king in the quartz sub-genre. Not feeling the Lobinni, but do love how pretty the movement is. No to Cadisen. The others are cool. But no moonphase or aventurine? Eeshhh, Pagani... I mean, it's a nice watch if it wasn't red-accented, but their QC, and the name just conjures cheap vibes for me. Ya gotta have an Addiesdive with the "sand/snow/wave" dial.
Nice collection. You said several times you are very happy with the watches in that box and that is really the only thing that matters. I enjoyed seeing them and listening to you say what you liked about each of them. Might be a San Martin in my future. Unless this upstart brand, Erebus, keeps hogging my watch budget 😉.
I found you during the pandemic Jody, everything I know about watches, and collecting, I’ve learned from you. I love your AliExpress watch box, and agree with you about the value of the watches. I have several now and enjoy the uniqueness of each, more than I would enjoy just one expensive watch. Keep sharing your knowledge and growing collection. Thanks
I bought a SD1970 in Black on Bracelet a year ago based on your review Jody. What a belting watch for less than £60. No chapter ring or bezel alignment issues at all. IMO the quality is better than my SKX..👍👍👍
I absolutely love AliExpress watches. I've got a number of watch boxes to prove it. I always love to see other people's collections compared to mine. Out of all your watches, I don't own one of them. That's what's so great about this hobby.
Nice collection there👍🏻 i think that having affordable but still quality watches is great and something im just new to this year. Gives me the freedom to own more watches and to live life without worrying about scratching them😁
Thanks for this. So many haters out there on alix watches. Watch collecting should be fun and certainly plenty of fun to be had with alix watches! Thats what I think anyway.
💯It does seem that the days of rampant blatant watch snobbery are numbered. Teddy B is getting hated on by seemingly everyone. I'm not fond of people hating on Teddy, but it doesn't serve him well to do so many episodes with "Mr. Wonderful". There's someone that deserves being bagged on. I could be wrong but it seems that Nico's popularity is falling off. Companies like San Martin and Baltany have got to be re-writing the rules! The watches I have from them are truly impressive even vs watches 5x their price. What you can now get for $50 is impressive! For $125, pretty hard to believe. And for $225+, actually sometimes literally stunning. Of my many many watches all across the price and style spectrum, my gf's favorite is my Sugess Moonphase with aventurine dial. I think you can buy it for around $140. Nope, you don't need to spend anywhere near Rolex money to score some major bangers! Ali is a great asset to the watch community!
@DonaldJoeKennedy I still like Teddy. Didnt realise there was hate for him. Seems like a nice guy and makes good videos imo. I actually quite like his banter with mr wonderful. And yeh I really enjoy my sm, baltany and sugess.
@mk84142: Teddy and other "reviewers" who also own watch retail businesses (like Nico) are being criticized for pumping aspirational brands like the crown (if I say the R brand, my post gets deleted) and the Greek letter brand (if I say the Om_g_ brand, my post gets deleted), and blamed for the parabolic rise, and now collapse, of that market. There's validity in such claims, but ultimately people have to use common sense. A quick personal story: my gf's family was in town in 2022 and I was wearing my Explorer 2 that I bought somewhere around 1999 for I think $3,300ish. It was immediately noticed and street-appraised by her nephew. I couldn't believe what he said. I got home and realized I could get around 8 grand for it! Ridiculous! My first thought was to take that profit. But then no. I love that watch and its been through a lot with me. I will never sell it. However, knowing what it was now worth, I felt kind of dirty about it. A watch I love actually made me feel bad because of what the company that made it has transformed into. I never wear it now because to me the crown now represents conspicuous consumption and shallowness. Tragic. Plus, I don't wanna get attacked on the street because of my watch. Thankfully Aliexpress and Bulova and Citizen really scratch my watch itch! And if Jody would drop his Ascent price to $300 shipped to the USA, I'd be all over a purple fumé!
Nice collection. You can't beat Steeldive 1970 for bang-for-the Buck! I have a Pagani Design Daytona homage that looks nice and keeps accurate time. I want to buy the Pagani Design PD1671V2 BB58 (homage of Tutor Black Bay).
Hi Jody, I loved your review of the Red Pagani Moon Swatch so much I bought one for myself, the bracelet was a bit of a pincher, so I ditched that and put it on a silicone color matched band. I loved this design so much I bought it in blue. Love them both! Thanks and keep up the Ali Express reviews. I've bought 6 watches during their sales and only ditched 1.
I like the Cadisen. I think San Martin are rising well over the "Ali special" category these days. The Sea-Gul is a classic...... not sure about the rest. The answer to "why buy the real thing, when you could get it at 10th price" is easy. A) you buy the OG because it's authentic with genuine Horology. However, many of us can't or won't pay the (sometimes) big money..... so Ali express to the rescue.... and to have an Ali only, I love that idea..
Really you cannot beat the value of these ali watches, some from my own collection I would like to recommend for the channel : Hroudland Diver (Omega Seamaster 300 1960s homage) , Militado ML05 (vietnam war era field watch homage with a VH31 movement , Militado ML04 (IWC Pilot chronograph Homage) and a Type B Flieger with a vh31 (sterile dial , listing says "44mm Fashion Men's Pilot Watch". Big thanks for getting me into these watches Jody with the steel dive 1970 a few years back , was looking at the new solar powered Baltany chronograph for my next order. 👍
It's hard to roast you when I own half of those watches myself. Like you, I think there is a ton of value on Ali for watches. Sure they are always original, but it's nice to have the option to try a style without forking out over $1K in many cases. I've learned a lot about what works for me by buying (and sometimes selling these watches). I have in a few cases gone on to buy the original Swiss watch, but only after having the knowledge that I was going to love the watch.
I have 3 of the PD Speedmaster copies and love them. I don't have the one watch by one brand rule. I have that exact watch on a red Barton strap and it looks so unique.
Ten interesting budget watches for the price on one premium brand watch? Sounds good to me! I have a Steeldive 1970 in green coz of you fella. I have a Pagini “Design” Pepsi GMT Automatic instead of a Quartz Speedmaster (I wish they did a mechanical version - pricier sure, but I think many of us would pay for it!), and a Surgess rather than a Sea-Gull 1963. I haven’t seen a San Martin that I either love or that isn’t duplicated in what I already have, plus they are a chunk pricier! The Baltany and Seestern could both be on my wish list soon. I’m intrigued by the Star wheel and would like a dress watch so will look to see what other styles Pierre Paulin and Cadisen have. The Lobinni and the Merkur don’t quite do it for me but we can all love different things can’t we! Thanks for another great video and I’d love to see how this collection changes year on year!
I like all of them, I have 5 San Martins myself, much more than my expensive pieces by far, and you're not breaking the bank .Great choices, my friend Jody. Great content as always... until next time..
It’s a nice selection of some of Ali’s best, imagine what that box would cost if they were branded models !! Have yet to add a San Martin to my collection but have a couple in my cart !
i picked up a san martin sn0054 white dial a few months ago and it's been my most worn watch. outstanding value for money, finishing and build quality.
Don't listen to all the negative comments Jody i for one appreciate the variety of Aliexpress, micro-brand, big brand and luxury content that you offer. Unfortunately any Chinese product is an anathema to some and will elicit bluntly negative and viral comments. Others are frankly watch snobbery - all, including my own, are individuals opinions only. Thank you for the fun video.
Nice subcollection Jody!! Coming from not the biggest homage fan, but it’s really nice. And the t shirt as well, I’ve already pointed it out some time ago, but I can’t ignore seeing someone in Australia wearing our beloved Ecce Homo in Spain, it’s just fantastic 😂
I love a good Ali-homage, my first one was the SD1970 and I was so impressed with it that I bought the yellow dial SD1934 (smooth bezel datejust) soon after. Hoping to buy a couple more in the next sale really tempted by the Pagani Speedmaster but mainly the Seestern 62mas.. Both watches like the Willard where I'll never own the original but I can get a little taste of the aesthetic for around £100.
The Pagani and the Cadison are the only ones that aren't to my taste. I own a couple of the others - the 1963 and the Steeldive "Willard" like watch. I like the Steeldive, but the best Captain Willard homage is the Rdunae R2 Turtle. The dimensions and proportions are more similar to the original.
Already have the first four, probably on your recommendation Jody. Like the San Martin, sea stern and the skinny thing…. Can I make a case for more when I’m sitting on a collection of over 120? Well maybe just one more ha ha !
Not the models or maybe variants I would have gone for myself, but that is part of the point of AliExpress. There are so many to choose from, just about anyone should be able to find something they like. Great video
Your collection is good Jody. Nice watches. The problem I would have and have had in the past is how do I wear a cheap microbrand whilst my luxury watches sit in the vault at home. So I sold my cheapies and now I just wear my favourite higher end 6 pieces.
Thanks for sharing Jody. Love the T-shirt of the shameful fresco restoration of the EcceHomo of Borja. The Willard climate is quite the temptation but must be sterile dial. Warm regards from Madrid
What do I think? I think if you keep showing us any more cool AliExpress models let alone good well-priced Casios and G-Shocks that Mrs JOMW is going to have to start a support group UA-cam channel for the spouses who tolerate us.😂
Silver Cadisen looks bold. I have Seagull 1963 and another watch, SM 57' with ST19 as well, Panda face with steel bezel. What could I say. Watching your channel for years. I have fun as same as you :). Cheers!
I have more from Ali. Probably need to off load some of them, I blame you for this. You should do a video on the collections subscribers have built up based on your advice !
Fab vid Sir🎉 I’m on #6 since I found Ali as here in the States & especially in Sf ca? Everyone here is sadly brand & image conscious as Invicta was the only one I stuck with. Glad I found ya👍🙌
Thanks for another great video Jody! I own a Red Star 1963 (love it), an Addiesdive automatic dune (enjoy wearing it despite the sharp bracelet and lug ends), and a Boderry Admiral GMT. The last is the only one I regret purchasing. I've confirmed that I don't really like two-tone Pepsi bezels, and the pinkish-red color on that particular bezel is a bit ugh. Good specs for the money, but the quality is just OK. Getting into assembling my own customized watches using AliEx and eBay parts, so unless something particularly exciting comes along, I probably won't be purchasing more whole watches from AliEx in the near future.
I have the Steeldive 1970 in blue, a Seestern Doxa-ish sub 300t, a Sugess S438 chronograph and power reserve with the ST1906 movement, an Addiesdive H6 1000m, another Addiesdive AD2030 in brown, a Berny AM158M with BGW9 full lume dial and Saphire sandwich, and, a Mini Focus bullhead just for fun. All of those from AliExpress and most of them on advice from You. Your box has a couple that have been living in my cart waiting for the right time. I think next is gonna be either a Baltany explorer in that sweet caramel brown or the solar Chrono, not sure yet. The SD1953 in grey has been winking at me too, along with the Thorn SHY036 in blue and the CIGA Design Z011 or the Z Series. At this time I have 14 watches in my cart just waiting to be chosen, lol.....
Nice video mate. Can't go too wrong building a budget collection these days, the components and quality have come a long way. One of each brand is a great policy. Not worth spending more than $80-150 on knockoffs. Certainly wouldn't want 10 Paganins. That military cromo is my favourite and magnificent, original design too.
I rate your box an 8 out of 10. I have loved and collected some of the of the odd-balls on ali and will not part with them any time soon. I like the idea of an ali express box video. Great video with a great line up of watches
I own the Tiffany blue version of that Sub 600T homage, and I gotta say, that Seestern watch is just way too good for the price it's offered for. The quality of every single individual component is top-tier, and as far as my 40+ year old eyes can see, the finishing is basically perfect. I'm hard pressed to think of a single watch on earth that costs less, but still has a stainless steel case, stainless steel bracelet, all-milled clasp, sapphire crystal, ceramic insert, tested water resistance, bright & long-lasting lume, and an NH movement that's actually regulated to 0spd before it ships. Literally nothing is sub-par.
I absolutely love the baltany, the seastern and the San Martin. Would happily add them to my collection withkut hesitation although, i think my wife may have something to say about that 😂😂😂
Jody, I've only recently taken a plunge into Ali, and I've bought the Pagani Air King homage. It was about GBP 50, and is frankly incredible for that: NH35, sapphire, screw-down crown, 200m. Even the bracelet is OK. It's a great GADA watch and about GBP 7,500 cheaper than the real thing. I'll be buying more, either a Thorn Black Bay or your model of San Martin. All great fun, thanks.
I've got 3/10 of those in my collection, the Seastern (same colour), Baltany (same strap) and the Pagani (bought for my teenage son). Also have a San Martin GMT and a few others. Love some AliExpress watches.
The Cadisen Aqua diver (homage to the Helm Komodo) should be in that box too! Bought the black dial first and got the white dial version last week. At sale they´re around 70 bucks.
I love those San Martins. My only problem is that I have the first one, the teal and blue one, and I can't justify buying the same case in one of every colour, no matter how much I want to!
I got through phases where I buy a few Ali watches just to add some variety to the watch box but I always end up selling them all. They don't give me an sense of pride in ownership. Good thing is when you buy them heavily discounted on sales you can usually sell them on eBay for pretty much what you paid. I even make a little profit on some of them. They only Ali watches I ever keep for any length of time are San Martin's. One of my favourite watches in the collection right now is the coke bezel , gilt hands bb58 GMT homage. Perfect little watch.
Hi Jody, A very interesting video, I have 3 of those watches ( recommended by you ) in my collection. the one watch I would not touch is the Star watch. Keep up the good work.
Jody I know you sell a lot of watches so what do you think is the best way to do it? My collection is starting to get a little large and I need to thin some of it out.
Some great pieces in your box. I own several Steeldives, a Pagani, a couple of Seesterns, and a San Martin, and agree with your thoughts on each. Cheers Jody!
I bought the Baltany after so many recommendations but to be honest I kind of forgot about it quite quickly. When I tried to get it back into my regular rotation I noticed either the numbers or chrono sub dials are slightly off (i.e. 5 and 7 are not then same distance from the sub dial). After seeing this it was put in the to be sold pile and I picked up the S2032 and love it. While the Steeldive was my first watch and got me hooked it's now to be sold as it pushed me into buying an actual Willard and I love my Seiko (got it direct from Japan and it all lines up). Can't argue with the San Martin nor the Seagull 1963. I have a Proxima and IX&DAO in my collection and they both get a lot of wrist time. Definitely thinking of picking up a Merkur as I've seen a few I like and still need to replace my Seestern that Air France lost over the summer. Wish I had the wrist to pick up an Aquatico as I like a couple of their models.
My Ali watch sub-collection consists of a pagani Paul Newman Daytona homage, a San Martin 36mm Tudor Ranger homage, a Heimdallr SKX bullet dial, Militado ML05 38mm Hamilton homage & a Militado D12 dirty dozen homage. The San Martin is by far the best watch, the standard of finishing is superb. I don't have a GMT in my collection yet, so I may pick up a fauxtina San Martin like yours or perhaps the lovely Aventurine dial one. 🙂
Two, three decades ago, I used to dive a lot. Belonged to a club. I can never remember ever wearing any watch. Pressure runs low (gauge), time to go up. Because of the a medical issue haven’t dived 15 years. As a part time collector, should I be concerned about dive watch specs I never ever cared about ?
I vote we take the likes of both Baltany, and San Martin out of the "Ali Express" watch category. That opens up 2 more spots for you! At this point, their catalogs are really edging into Micro Brand Territory. Fantastic watches, both of them. I've had a couple Pagani's and just kinda feel "icky" wearing them. Seesterns always look nice to me.
With CNC machining and ready availability of third-party movements, it's truly a golden age for budget watchmaking. You almost can't go wrong.
@@joelcohen4353 it’s an open secret that most of the exterior parts of Swiss watches are made in china probably in the same giant factories as make Ali express watches.
You will occasionally get burned by QC but from what I've heard that issue remains even in swiss luxury brands.
At least 7 of those he has gone wrong.
Plus now you can buy the components of just about any watch you want to build yourself on places like Ali Express. It's going to be my next hobby. Videos on UA-cam will help with the build and offer links to components! I'm hoping I get the hang of it so I can give watches I've assembled as gifts to my friends.
@@DC-uf6ve Pls, be more especific
I bought the Steel Dive 1970 (green) on your recommendation during the mid year sale, Jody. It was my first Ali Express and automatic watch. I LOVE it and already considering buying the blue version. So you most definitely have my thanks, sir!
Since you like Steeldive (I have a 1970 as well), you should check out the SD1953. I have the gray dial version and it's one of the nicest watches I own and it sells for less than $60
@@ThePirateCasey I’ll have to check that out. Thanks for the recommendation!
I have the Steeldive 1970 blue and its very cool. Go for it!
I also bought a green sd1970 about a month ago largely based on this channel’s review, it was also my first mechanical watch and so far I’m loving it. Steeldive has a few other models I’ve found since that interest me, but it’s very likely I’ll slip in another color 1970 as well. Thank you Jody for your great reviews good sir😎👍👌
@@ThePirateCasey that one’s on my radar and will probably be my next. Beautiful piece with gray dial imo😎
Just 10 more watch!
I’m mainly a Casio collector but I do have several Ali’s too (including that Pagani) and I love them.
I get bored easily and like to wear a different watch every day. This allows me the fun of collecting and I don’t worry about wearing them out and about. If someone what’s to mug for one of my watches, not only will I hand it over without much bother but I’ll throw in a case and a micro fibre cloth too! 😂
Great job! If they put a smile on your face that’s all that matters. Not everyone is fortunate enough to buy 1 or 2 very expensive watches. The movement on that Lognini (or whatever it’s called - Wildorf was onto something w short brand names!) is incredible. You could have fun walk up to a friend holding the watch bottoms up and say ‘I finally bought a PP!’
Well said!
Nice collection. I'm way deeper in the Aliexpress watch rabbit hole... I must have 45 for a total of about $7,000. I love them all and wouldn't trade them. Guess who I blame for this?
What's your most expensive watch? 45 at average $155 each, there must be very expensive ones?
7k is getting close to Submariner money
@ Yes but I prefer having 45 different watches! As an engineer, I’m not interested by the Rolex proposition. Little to no gain in terms of reliability and accuracy for 50x the price. It just makes no sense!
@@rioriggs3568 try Steinhart or Sinn. I have watches from Casio up to Rolex, Breitling and Patek but I find myself grabbing my Steinhart titanium or Sinn U1 the most
Ten fun watches for the price of one middle of the road sw200 powered ¨Swiss¨ made watch, money well spent I think 👍 Although you need a Baltany 1921, that's a beautiful watch.
and if you really want the sw200… $300 can get you a san martin with one inside and better finishing on the outside 🫣
I have Rolex and Omega and all the big watch brands but as time has gone by (and money for me isn’t an object), my next 3 watches are going to be 2 citizen divers one standard and one chronograph and a PCAT. I had this revelation as I was begging my dealer for a Submariner to compliment my GMT Master II and I have 3 citizens, one is 26 years old. The other 2 are 19 years old - caliber 2100’s - no more expensive stuff from companies like Rolex that hate their customers. The Eco Drive will last forever and that’s all I want now. I do have the Sd1953 and it’s awesome!
Rolex are Prigs. 100% David.
Bud, we can see your profile picture. You don’t own any Rolexes, or omegas, stop pretending so you can give your opinion from watch internet videos. You’re a dork, and shut up.
There are SO many great watches out there! I've got watches in the well over £2000 price range, but my fave that I wear the most, and also my most accurate is the Seagull 1963 Chrono! Accurate to an amazing 1 second every 4 days, and under £200! It's really not all about the money! I honestly think that something like a Rolex Sub is a £2K watch with a £6K logo!
I love that you are wearing a T-shirt with the botched painting restoration on an AliExpress video!
Love that you dont give a shit what anyone thinks. Just how it should be. I dont have the money for expensive watches and find Ali is fantastic for building a great varied collection. Have the SD1970 and Seestern in blue. My only San Nartin is the BB58 homage and I love it.
Oh, he gives a shit.
7:49 the second hand casually gaining time 😂
When I got home from work today, I found the Rdunae Willard homage waiting outside my apartment door. I know you said you’d never try a Rdunae, but it’s really, really good. I love my Steeldive Willard, but some things have always felt slightly “off” about it. The Rdunae just sits more nicely on my wrist. It’s a more accurate replica too (and also more accurate than anything Seiko makes these days). It has a beautiful aluminum bezel with lovely bezel action. It has 19mm lugs like the original did. It comes on a rubber “chocolate bar” strap. It even has the “lock” etching on the crown. All these great little details. Also, it doesn’t say “Rdunae” on the dial. It just has a little applied logo. I bought it to do a dial swap to a Seiko dial and sand the indices down to a brushed look for 99% accuracy, but I’m just going to wear it as is until some more money comes to me somehow.
Jody, you are the reason my wife gifted me a 40mm 1963 as an engagement present and, also, the reason why I bought that Baltany chrono, which is by far my favourite chrono in my small collection (I love the newer version, the V2, with the subdial hands painted in white for improved legibility 👌🏻)
Unbelievable value. Love the doxa homage 👌 thanks for sharing
I also have that exact watch and its absolutely terrific. One of the best purchases I've made.
I have the Seestern on a black and orange rubber strap and I wear it constantly. Gets lots of beach use and it loves it.
Bought the 1970 and Alaska project based off of your recommendation and I love them. Definitely eyeing several San martins for my next Ali watch. Love this style of video.
Say what you will about Pagani, but that Speedmaster clone is wicked.
I also love their Daytona homage and their Datejust homage.
I agree
That is a Swatch clone
@@victorutomo7244 That's better than the original
Watchdives does a better one.
Lovely representative view of what you can get. I have 1 Proxima, 1 Seestern, 1 Escapement Time, 1 Baltany, and 3 San Martins. Now I’ve had a lot more than that on my wrist that haven’t stayed around, but my experience with Ali has been overwhelmingly good and I will be getting the Baltany 1921 in the near future to satisfy my dress watch needs. Cheers!
Some look cool but paying what it would cost you a Seiko or Citizen for something like that, not a practical decision. For the cheaper ones, a Vostok or Casio…
I paid 180 when released for the seestern, and id buy it 3 times over for that price!!! It's fantastic!!!
The Steeldive takes their Seiko inspiration seriously. They even got the bezel wonky.
🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍
Mine is spot on TBF. I paid less than £60 for it a year ago...👍👍👍
Mine is perfectly aligned
The bezel on mine is perfect. And I got it for U$ 46.38 in one of those Ali Sales. Couldn't be happier.
Lol, good one. I'm gonna say it. Steeldive watches are BETTER than Seiko 5s. Arguably as-good or better than Prospex, albeit without the brand recognition or caché of being original. 😱 Yup, I said it!
Sapphire, screw-down crown, solid bracelets, as-good or better QC than the 5s. Arguably on par with Prospex. For the same money as the 5, Steeldive is a better deal. But at actually 1/3 to 1/4 the price, Steeldive is CRAZY INSANE value! Price vs Prospex is even more insane.
Regarding the Prospex 6R movements, well, I don't have personal experience so I can't say. But it seems a whole lotta people are really unhappy with their accuracy and consistency, and would gladly trade that bigger reserve for the accuracy and consistency of the 4R movements. If memory serves, even Jody had problems with his new Alpinist GMT.
A lotta hot air there to say that the SD1970 is the biggest no-brainer mechanical watch choice available.
I also don't like the 'buy one good watch for the price of all these' argument. I love a bit of variety in my collection, and with these you don't have to worry about a few scratches or 'but my invenstment!' type thoughts either! I have the SD1970 and a Seestern 62MAS homage, both are superb for the money. Thanks Jody!
Agree. Flip that argument and say he has 10 good watches for the price of X's one 😅!
I bought the Pagani because of you, what a great little watch. One correction, the bezel insert is sapphire not ceramic.
Hi there. Did you get it with a steel bracelet? I have heard the middle links are very sharp.
@@WH250398 Yes it is.
I do have a Seagull I got as a gift from my wife and I love it. I’ve been keeping an eye on St. martin models for a while. They have some very interesting stuff.
I bought two Steel Dive 1970 for me and a friend, one green and one black. I swapped the internals, I have the black dial with the green bezel and he has the green dial with black bezel.
Nice collection. I started in October 2023. I've watched a few of your and some other videos on YT. I now have 12 courtesy of AliX and two Timex Q Chronograph pandas. One is a reverse panda and one being a white dial Snoopy. I also have a TAG Carrera CV2010-3. I agree with you that it's not about how much the watch costs, but just what you get from owning and wearing it. Keep up the good work.
The Steeldive SD1970 has got to be THE best value proposition in the diver category. Certainly in the automatic sub-genre. The Casio Duro of course being an overall challenger, and certainly the budget king in the quartz sub-genre.
Not feeling the Lobinni, but do love how pretty the movement is. No to Cadisen. The others are cool. But no moonphase or aventurine? Eeshhh, Pagani... I mean, it's a nice watch if it wasn't red-accented, but their QC, and the name just conjures cheap vibes for me. Ya gotta have an Addiesdive with the "sand/snow/wave" dial.
Nice collection. You said several times you are very happy with the watches in that box and that is really the only thing that matters. I enjoyed seeing them and listening to you say what you liked about each of them. Might be a San Martin in my future. Unless this upstart brand, Erebus, keeps hogging my watch budget 😉.
I found you during the pandemic Jody, everything I know about watches, and collecting, I’ve learned from you. I love your AliExpress watch box, and agree with you about the value of the watches. I have several now and enjoy the uniqueness of each, more than I would enjoy just one expensive watch. Keep sharing your knowledge and growing collection. Thanks
2 Paganis, 1 Baltany, 1 Addisdive , 1 San Martin and a Tactical Frog form my Aliexpress collection…so far.
I bought a SD1970 in Black on Bracelet a year ago based on your review Jody. What a belting watch for less than £60. No chapter ring or bezel alignment issues at all. IMO the quality is better than my SKX..👍👍👍
I absolutely love AliExpress watches. I've got a number of watch boxes to prove it. I always love to see other people's collections compared to mine. Out of all your watches, I don't own one of them. That's what's so great about this hobby.
My Ali watches sit proud next to my Swiss and Japanese watches. Love my San martin sn059 and Tactical frog FX v4.
Nice collection there👍🏻 i think that having affordable but still quality watches is great and something im just new to this year. Gives me the freedom to own more watches and to live life without worrying about scratching them😁
Thanks for this. So many haters out there on alix watches. Watch collecting should be fun and certainly plenty of fun to be had with alix watches! Thats what I think anyway.
💯It does seem that the days of rampant blatant watch snobbery are numbered. Teddy B is getting hated on by seemingly everyone. I'm not fond of people hating on Teddy, but it doesn't serve him well to do so many episodes with "Mr. Wonderful". There's someone that deserves being bagged on. I could be wrong but it seems that Nico's popularity is falling off. Companies like San Martin and Baltany have got to be re-writing the rules! The watches I have from them are truly impressive even vs watches 5x their price. What you can now get for $50 is impressive! For $125, pretty hard to believe. And for $225+, actually sometimes literally stunning. Of my many many watches all across the price and style spectrum, my gf's favorite is my Sugess Moonphase with aventurine dial. I think you can buy it for around $140.
Nope, you don't need to spend anywhere near Rolex money to score some major bangers! Ali is a great asset to the watch community!
@DonaldJoeKennedy I still like Teddy. Didnt realise there was hate for him. Seems like a nice guy and makes good videos imo. I actually quite like his banter with mr wonderful. And yeh I really enjoy my sm, baltany and sugess.
@mk84142: Teddy and other "reviewers" who also own watch retail businesses (like Nico) are being criticized for pumping aspirational brands like the crown (if I say the R brand, my post gets deleted) and the Greek letter brand (if I say the Om_g_ brand, my post gets deleted), and blamed for the parabolic rise, and now collapse, of that market. There's validity in such claims, but ultimately people have to use common sense.
A quick personal story: my gf's family was in town in 2022 and I was wearing my Explorer 2 that I bought somewhere around 1999 for I think $3,300ish. It was immediately noticed and street-appraised by her nephew. I couldn't believe what he said. I got home and realized I could get around 8 grand for it! Ridiculous! My first thought was to take that profit. But then no. I love that watch and its been through a lot with me. I will never sell it. However, knowing what it was now worth, I felt kind of dirty about it. A watch I love actually made me feel bad because of what the company that made it has transformed into. I never wear it now because to me the crown now represents conspicuous consumption and shallowness. Tragic. Plus, I don't wanna get attacked on the street because of my watch.
Thankfully Aliexpress and Bulova and Citizen really scratch my watch itch! And if Jody would drop his Ascent price to $300 shipped to the USA, I'd be all over a purple fumé!
Nice collection. You can't beat Steeldive 1970 for bang-for-the Buck! I have a Pagani Design Daytona homage that looks nice and keeps accurate time. I want to buy the Pagani Design PD1671V2 BB58 (homage of Tutor Black Bay).
The t-shirt is in adequation with the subject ahah
Hi Jody, I loved your review of the Red Pagani Moon Swatch so much I bought one for myself, the bracelet was a bit of a pincher, so I ditched that and put it on a silicone color matched band. I loved this design so much I bought it in blue. Love them both! Thanks and keep up the Ali Express reviews. I've bought 6 watches during their sales and only ditched 1.
I bought the Seestern this year in aquamarine/teal and put it on a matching isofrane-lookalike strap. Fab summer watch, quality is great
I like the Cadisen. I think San Martin are rising well over the "Ali special" category these days. The Sea-Gul is a classic...... not sure about the rest.
The answer to "why buy the real thing, when you could get it at 10th price" is easy. A) you buy the OG because it's authentic with genuine Horology. However, many of us can't or won't pay the (sometimes) big money..... so Ali express to the rescue.... and to have an Ali only, I love that idea..
Really you cannot beat the value of these ali watches, some from my own collection I would like to recommend for the channel : Hroudland Diver (Omega Seamaster 300 1960s homage) , Militado ML05 (vietnam war era field watch homage with a VH31 movement , Militado ML04 (IWC Pilot chronograph Homage) and a Type B Flieger with a vh31 (sterile dial , listing says "44mm Fashion Men's Pilot Watch".
Big thanks for getting me into these watches Jody with the steel dive 1970 a few years back , was looking at the new solar powered Baltany chronograph for my next order. 👍
It's hard to roast you when I own half of those watches myself. Like you, I think there is a ton of value on Ali for watches. Sure they are always original, but it's nice to have the option to try a style without forking out over $1K in many cases. I've learned a lot about what works for me by buying (and sometimes selling these watches). I have in a few cases gone on to buy the original Swiss watch, but only after having the knowledge that I was going to love the watch.
Really good point I think!
I have 3 of the PD Speedmaster copies and love them. I don't have the one watch by one brand rule. I have that exact watch on a red Barton strap and it looks so unique.
Ten interesting budget watches for the price on one premium brand watch? Sounds good to me! I have a Steeldive 1970 in green coz of you fella. I have a Pagini “Design” Pepsi GMT Automatic instead of a Quartz Speedmaster (I wish they did a mechanical version - pricier sure, but I think many of us would pay for it!), and a Surgess rather than a Sea-Gull 1963. I haven’t seen a San Martin that I either love or that isn’t duplicated in what I already have, plus they are a chunk pricier! The Baltany and Seestern could both be on my wish list soon. I’m intrigued by the Star wheel and would like a dress watch so will look to see what other styles Pierre Paulin and Cadisen have. The Lobinni and the Merkur don’t quite do it for me but we can all love different things can’t we! Thanks for another great video and I’d love to see how this collection changes year on year!
I like all of them, I have 5 San Martins myself, much more than my expensive pieces by far, and you're not breaking the bank .Great choices, my friend Jody. Great content as always... until next time..
It’s a nice selection of some of Ali’s best, imagine what that box would cost if they were branded models !! Have yet to add a San Martin to my collection but have a couple in my cart !
I highly recommend any bronze watch from San Martin. Yes any. They become more beautiful the more you wear them.
i picked up a san martin sn0054 white dial a few months ago and it's been my most worn watch. outstanding value for money, finishing and build quality.
I have the Baltany and you're right, the crystal is fantastic! From some angles it looks like there's nothing there. A cracking piece 👍
Don't listen to all the negative comments Jody i for one appreciate the variety of Aliexpress, micro-brand, big brand and luxury content that you offer.
Unfortunately any Chinese product is an anathema to some and will elicit bluntly negative and viral comments. Others are frankly watch snobbery - all, including my own, are individuals opinions only.
Thank you for the fun video.
Nice subcollection Jody!! Coming from not the biggest homage fan, but it’s really nice.
And the t shirt as well, I’ve already pointed it out some time ago, but I can’t ignore seeing someone in Australia wearing our beloved Ecce Homo in Spain, it’s just fantastic 😂
I followed the Red Star link. Thanks Jody, my watch collection just went from average to outrageous. That movement is mind blowing. For 150 quid😂
I love a good Ali-homage, my first one was the SD1970 and I was so impressed with it that I bought the yellow dial SD1934 (smooth bezel datejust) soon after. Hoping to buy a couple more in the next sale really tempted by the Pagani Speedmaster but mainly the Seestern 62mas.. Both watches like the Willard where I'll never own the original but I can get a little taste of the aesthetic for around £100.
The Pagani and the Cadison are the only ones that aren't to my taste. I own a couple of the others - the 1963 and the Steeldive "Willard" like watch. I like the Steeldive, but the best Captain Willard homage is the Rdunae R2 Turtle. The dimensions and proportions are more similar to the original.
Already have the first four, probably on your recommendation Jody. Like the San Martin, sea stern and the skinny thing…. Can I make a case for more when I’m sitting on a collection of over 120? Well maybe just one more ha ha !
Not the models or maybe variants I would have gone for myself, but that is part of the point of AliExpress. There are so many to choose from, just about anyone should be able to find something they like. Great video
I remember your first video on the Cadisen. Got me hooked on GearBest back in the day!
My fist Ali watch was the SD1970, LOL. Good collection Jody.
I am still looking for that 70s style jump hour watch… when mechanical watches imitated digital watches.
Your collection is good Jody. Nice watches. The problem I would have and have had in the past is how do I wear a cheap microbrand whilst my luxury watches sit in the vault at home. So I sold my cheapies and now I just wear my favourite higher end 6 pieces.
Love my Steeldive Captain Willard! The best "value for money" watch you can buy for sure!
Thanks for sharing Jody. Love the T-shirt of the shameful fresco restoration of the EcceHomo of Borja. The Willard climate is quite the temptation but must be sterile dial. Warm regards from Madrid
What do I think? I think if you keep showing us any more cool AliExpress models let alone good well-priced Casios and G-Shocks that Mrs JOMW is going to have to start a support group UA-cam channel for the spouses who tolerate us.😂
I bought the 1970 last year because of you. It is such a good looking watch and functions perfectly.
Silver Cadisen looks bold. I have Seagull 1963 and another watch, SM 57' with ST19 as well, Panda face with steel bezel. What could I say. Watching your channel for years. I have fun as same as you :). Cheers!
I have more from Ali. Probably need to off load some of them, I blame you for this. You should do a video on the collections subscribers have built up based on your advice !
Really wish some of these stores would give an option for a display back. I like seeing the movement no matter how cheap
Fab vid Sir🎉 I’m on #6 since I found Ali as here in the States & especially in Sf ca? Everyone here is sadly brand & image conscious as Invicta was the only one I stuck with.
Glad I found ya👍🙌
Thanks for another great video Jody! I own a Red Star 1963 (love it), an Addiesdive automatic dune (enjoy wearing it despite the sharp bracelet and lug ends), and a Boderry Admiral GMT. The last is the only one I regret purchasing. I've confirmed that I don't really like two-tone Pepsi bezels, and the pinkish-red color on that particular bezel is a bit ugh. Good specs for the money, but the quality is just OK. Getting into assembling my own customized watches using AliEx and eBay parts, so unless something particularly exciting comes along, I probably won't be purchasing more whole watches from AliEx in the near future.
I have the Steeldive 1970 in blue, a Seestern Doxa-ish sub 300t, a Sugess S438 chronograph and power reserve with the ST1906 movement, an Addiesdive H6 1000m, another Addiesdive AD2030 in brown, a Berny AM158M with BGW9 full lume dial and Saphire sandwich, and, a Mini Focus bullhead just for fun. All of those from AliExpress and most of them on advice from You. Your box has a couple that have been living in my cart waiting for the right time. I think next is gonna be either a Baltany explorer in that sweet caramel brown or the solar Chrono, not sure yet. The SD1953 in grey has been winking at me too, along with the Thorn SHY036 in blue and the CIGA Design Z011 or the Z Series. At this time I have 14 watches in my cart just waiting to be chosen, lol.....
Great collection - love yours, love mine (the Willard is absolutely killer - though I wish the colors other than black were better)
Nice video mate. Can't go too wrong building a budget collection these days, the components and quality have come a long way. One of each brand is a great policy. Not worth spending more than $80-150 on knockoffs. Certainly wouldn't want 10 Paganins. That military cromo is my favourite and magnificent, original design too.
I rate your box an 8 out of 10. I have loved and collected some of the of the odd-balls on ali and will not part with them any time soon. I like the idea of an ali express box video. Great video with a great line up of watches
Don’t need any watches on AliExpress, but do they offer the Ecce Homo fresco shirt you’re wearing? That is fantastic!
I own the Tiffany blue version of that Sub 600T homage, and I gotta say, that Seestern watch is just way too good for the price it's offered for. The quality of every single individual component is top-tier, and as far as my 40+ year old eyes can see, the finishing is basically perfect. I'm hard pressed to think of a single watch on earth that costs less, but still has a stainless steel case, stainless steel bracelet, all-milled clasp, sapphire crystal, ceramic insert, tested water resistance, bright & long-lasting lume, and an NH movement that's actually regulated to 0spd before it ships. Literally nothing is sub-par.
I absolutely love the baltany, the seastern and the San Martin. Would happily add them to my collection withkut hesitation although, i think my wife may have something to say about that 😂😂😂
Cracking collection. The only meh is the Lobinni. The rest lovely. Definitely tempted to get a 1970 and the Pagani and the Seestern. Thanks Jody.
Jody, I've only recently taken a plunge into Ali, and I've bought the Pagani Air King homage. It was about GBP 50, and is frankly incredible for that: NH35, sapphire, screw-down crown, 200m. Even the bracelet is OK. It's a great GADA watch and about GBP 7,500 cheaper than the real thing. I'll be buying more, either a Thorn Black Bay or your model of San Martin. All great fun, thanks.
I've got 3/10 of those in my collection, the Seastern (same colour), Baltany (same strap) and the Pagani (bought for my teenage son). Also have a San Martin GMT and a few others. Love some AliExpress watches.
The Cadisen Aqua diver (homage to the Helm Komodo) should be in that box too! Bought the black dial first and got the white dial version last week. At sale they´re around 70 bucks.
That Balcony Chronograph is gorgeous. I wish they had it in ST19. I am such a snob.
I love those San Martins. My only problem is that I have the first one, the teal and blue one, and I can't justify buying the same case in one of every colour, no matter how much I want to!
I got through phases where I buy a few Ali watches just to add some variety to the watch box but I always end up selling them all. They don't give me an sense of pride in ownership. Good thing is when you buy them heavily discounted on sales you can usually sell them on eBay for pretty much what you paid. I even make a little profit on some of them. They only Ali watches I ever keep for any length of time are San Martin's. One of my favourite watches in the collection right now is the coke bezel , gilt hands bb58 GMT homage. Perfect little watch.
I love collection videos!! This ali one is pretty cool!
The Pagani Design model I also have ! It is a fantastic watch for few money and it has screw down so it is real water proof 😊
What I like is the box! A few watches are really lookers
I like the Cadisen, the Sea-Gull.. But the best, most robust and manly offering super value no doubt is the Steeldive Willard.. Thanks Jody
Hi Jody, A very interesting video, I have 3 of those watches ( recommended by you ) in my collection. the one watch I would not touch is the Star watch. Keep up the good work.
Jody I know you sell a lot of watches so what do you think is the best way to do it? My collection is starting to get a little large and I need to thin some of it out.
That Pagani looks very nice, might be my next. Well pleased with my ice blue "Daytona" from them.
You got me to buy a Yelang 42mm pilot watch. The t100 is pretty good on this watch.
Some great pieces in your box. I own several Steeldives, a Pagani, a couple of Seesterns, and a San Martin, and agree with your thoughts on each. Cheers Jody!
Good collection! Thanks for sharing that. I saw one or two in your group that would look good in my collection too!
I bought the Baltany after so many recommendations but to be honest I kind of forgot about it quite quickly. When I tried to get it back into my regular rotation I noticed either the numbers or chrono sub dials are slightly off (i.e. 5 and 7 are not then same distance from the sub dial). After seeing this it was put in the to be sold pile and I picked up the S2032 and love it. While the Steeldive was my first watch and got me hooked it's now to be sold as it pushed me into buying an actual Willard and I love my Seiko (got it direct from Japan and it all lines up). Can't argue with the San Martin nor the Seagull 1963. I have a Proxima and IX&DAO in my collection and they both get a lot of wrist time. Definitely thinking of picking up a Merkur as I've seen a few I like and still need to replace my Seestern that Air France lost over the summer. Wish I had the wrist to pick up an Aquatico as I like a couple of their models.
My Ali watch sub-collection consists of a pagani Paul Newman Daytona homage, a San Martin 36mm Tudor Ranger homage, a Heimdallr SKX bullet dial, Militado ML05 38mm Hamilton homage & a Militado D12 dirty dozen homage. The San Martin is by far the best watch, the standard of finishing is superb. I don't have a GMT in my collection yet, so I may pick up a fauxtina San Martin like yours or perhaps the lovely Aventurine dial one. 🙂
Two, three decades ago, I used to dive a lot. Belonged to a club. I can never remember ever wearing any watch. Pressure runs low (gauge), time to go up. Because of the a medical issue haven’t dived 15 years. As a part time collector, should I be concerned about dive watch specs I never ever cared about ?
Your AliExpress collection is worth more than my whole collection all together... 😁
I vote we take the likes of both Baltany, and San Martin out of the "Ali Express" watch category. That opens up 2 more spots for you! At this point, their catalogs are really edging into Micro Brand Territory. Fantastic watches, both of them.
I've had a couple Pagani's and just kinda feel "icky" wearing them. Seesterns always look nice to me.
luv that you still have the cadisen, it was my 1st aliexpress watch based on your channel...!
*adds four watches to the "watches to buy" list* Thank/f*** you!