Love seeing the sub this active!
Feels like we've seen more wrist shots today than we normally get in a week.
Great to see the brand finally getting the love it deserves.
Stumbled on these browsing AliExpress. Looking for something inexpensive to abuse during woodworking and yard chores so my G-Shock doesn't take all the hits.
At $25, is this a no-brainer, or is there a better ultra-budget beater in this range? If anyone owns one, I'd love to hear your experience.
One of my first reviews on Reddit so be nice please. I am not a professional at this, I just really love this watch and wanted to share with everyone.
Why I Bought This Watch
I work in manufacturing and split my time between the shop floor, active construction sites, and office meetings. I needed a true daily beater that could take a continuous beating on site without looking out of place in a professional setting, and I feel like this watch delivers that balance really well. The SD1975 is an absolute tank that keeps on ticking.
Bracelet & Finishing
Finishing seems good—not the single best AliExpress bracelet I’ve ever had, but way better than what I’ve read about. Mine came with no sharp edges. The 5-link engineer bracelet seems to be a big improvement over the 3-link.
Having screw-in pins and 6 spring bar micro adjustments at this price point is a big win.
I had planned on switching to a rubber strap right away, but I love the bracelet so much I’ve just kept it on so far.
Fit & Size
It’s definitely a watch with a presence. I have an 8.5" wrist and feel like it fits really well, but I think it would also be fine on a smaller wrist because of how compact the lug-to-lug is.
Very comfortable to wear. I thought it would feel heavy, but I don’t really notice it because of how compact it is on the wrist.
Design
I love the teal dial—it really catches the light well, and the pop of orange on the dial and hands is great.
Movement
With most watches at this price point switching over to the Miyota 8215, I think Steeldive’s decision to stay with the Seiko NH35 is commendable.
Small Complaint
The bezel is the weakest point of the watch. It’s not terrible, but it can be hard to turn because of the shroud and it’s not super crisp. But again, at this price point I’m really nitpicking.
Verdict For $116 on sale, this is outstanding value and build quality. Dollar for dollar, this might genuinely be the best value watch I’ve gotten off AliExpress yet.
I have a 8.5” wrist and trying to find X-Large rubber or leather straps is always frustrating. Anyone have a go to shop they get x-large bands from?
Or even if you have a link to a specific X-large band I would appreciate it.
I have a 8.5” wrist and trying to find X-Large rubber or leather straps on Ali-X is always frustrating. Anyone have a go to shop they get x-large bands from?
Or even if you have a link to a specific X-large band I would appreciate it.
Let's be completely honest: the aggressive hate directed at affordable, legal Chinese homage watches isn't about protecting "horological integrity"—it’s pure financial cope. It is a desperate attempt by luxury buyers to justify why they spent $5,000 to $10,000 on a brand name when a $200 Chinese microbrand offers 90% of the same physical hardware specs (sapphire crystal, solid steel, reliable automatic movements).
The "design integrity" argument falls completely apart the second you look at Swiss history. Watch design has always been entirely derivative:
AP dropped the Royal Oak in '72.
Patek Philippe made the Nautilus in '76.
Rolex made the Oysterquartz in '77.
Vacheron Constantin** made the 222 in '77.
Tissot made the Seastar/PRX in '78.
The Swiss "Holy Trinity" shamelessly homaged a design trend to save themselves from the quartz crisis. Furthermore, by the logic of the anti-homage crowd, basically every dive watch on earth today is a "fake" because they've all been copying the layout of the 1953 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner for the last 70 years.
There is a massive structural difference between an illegal counterfeit (which steals trademarks and lies about what it is) and a legal homage. If a Chinese brand like San Martin or Specht & Söhne offers incredible specs using existing case geometry, that isn't a "shitter"—it's just a great value proposition that exposes how inflated luxury Swiss margins actually are.
If you need to gatekeep jewelry and call legal watches "fake" just to feel secure about your bank account, the problem isn't the Chinese watch. It's your own fragile ego.
I know everyone is probably sick of the Walmart Casio clearance finds, but after going to 3 different Walmarts today, feel like I got a good one.
Just got these both at Walmart for about $25 each on clearance . Extremely happy with the find.
AQS820W-1AV and AEQ110W-3A2V
Relatively new to watch collecting, but I recently picked up this Seagull 6177 and I’m absolutely in love with it. Out of everything I’ve acquired so far, this one is easily my favorite.
With a 8.5” wrist, finding watches that feel proportional can be a challenge, but I feel like this one fits me perfectly. Good wrist presence without feeling like a brick.
Overall, for the money, Seagull really knocked it out of the park with this one. Would recommend for anyone with a large wrist looking for their next watch.
I just got the Addie’s Dive 2030 and while I like the watch I’m not sure it looks good on my giant wrist. Options would you wear this?
Edit: Agree it’s way too high on my wrist in the picture. I hadn’t adjusted the bracelet incase of a return, so it slid forward.
Coming back to NYC in June with my wife for the first time in about 15 years and would love a quick sanity check / any “you’re already right there, go here instead” recommendations from people who know the current food scene better than I do.
For context: I actually used to live in NYC for about 10 years, but it’s been a long time and I know the food landscape changes constantly. So this trip is kind of a mix of revisiting old nostalgia and trying newer spots I’ve seen recommended a lot.
Also yes… I know this is very Manhattan-heavy. We’ve got Broadway shows, sightseeing, and a packed schedule, so optimizing geographically won over trying to cram in every borough this trip. I fully accept that this is not the “ultimate NYC food itinerary”
A few notes:
We’re big food people but not really tasting menu/fine dining people
More interested in iconic, delicious, fun, or uniquely NYC
Trying to balance food with actually seeing the city
Wife doesn’t love super spicy food or Seafood, even though I like both.
I’m especially interested in whether anything here is overrated, redundant, or if there’s something clearly better nearby
Current food lineup:
Saturday:
Cachapas y Mas
Gallaghers Steakhouse (mainly doing this because the lunch special fit perfectly between arrival and our Broadway show schedule)
Junior’s cheesecake
Sunday:
Hani’s Bakery
Liberty Bagels
Los Tacos No. 1
I Sodi
Monday:
Tompkins Square Bagels
Thai Villa
Probably quick Midtown pizza before Broadway
Maybe Beast & Butterflies after show
Tuesday:
Dominique Ansel
Eileen’s Special Cheesecake
Mei Lai Wah
Fried Dumpling
Mama’s TOO!
L’Industrie
Dead Rabbit late night
Wednesday:
Ess-a-Bagel
Quality Bistro
Appreciate any thoughts. I’ve already spent an unreasonable amount of time planning this trip.
Anyone been to Joey Roses lately? It use to be a pretty decent sandwich especially for the price. But haven’t heard much about it lately.
