Should We Complain When An $80 Watch Has Faults?

Do we have the right to complain when an $80 watch has issues....This is a tough one because I feel the issues that came with this watch should be avoided during the manufacturing process but then the watch is only $80 so why should we expect more? I think individually we have to decide if this is good enough.
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I Like Watches

[@mstevens113]

The clasp is better than on the original seiko! I don't get the issue with split pins, they are easy to work with and there's no risk of them working loose, to me they are probably the option with the fewest negatives. My only issue with this one is the steroid pumped cyclops.

[@Hrethgir]

Magnification is too strong for sure. This looks like it would be a good base for modding though.

[@nedflanders3769]

QC issues…. And still better than Seiko! 😅

[@AvidUTuber]

Hell.. better than some low-end swiss watches too

[@philclancaster]

I'm really happy with my £70 Tandoorio NH34 GMT despite problems. The case is a SKX013 clone, which I really like. 2 days after getting it the rubber strap broke so I got a good quality sail cloth with butterfly clasp, after a couple of weeks the ceramic bezel insert fell off so it took the bezel apparent fixed the insert correctly. While doing that I removed the unidirectional click spring as it was just horrible and made it friction only. It was a bit of hassle but now I really like the watch and as a bonus it's very well regulated at +1 to +2 seconds a day.

[@edwardsjohnpaul]

The complaints seem appropriate, it is built to a budget, but these things still need to be acknowledged. What's more important to me: it's a uni-directional dive bezel, when it should be a bi-directional GMT bezel. I hate the cyclops. The green on the dial indices, then gold numbers on the bezel, then silver hands, with the orange dial... so it's not for me.

[@watchalot919]

Even at $80 it's still better than the original. I hate that Cyclops though

[@williamb8764]

As it should be, considering they didn’t put money on the table to design the watch or the movement

[@watchalot919]

@@williamb8764 The movement, no, but the design is quite different to anything Seiko make. I have always enjoyed some of Seiko's designs, but there is no excuse for their poor spec and QC. I recently sold my Alpinist, which was an £800 watch that was worth about £300 in reality

[@casteltheghettomonk4392]

This is why I bought the seestern sub 600t V3 , same color scheme

[@AlexanderB.]

I've got the exact same watch but I ordered it a year ago, in September 2023 for twice as much € 156! 🙄 But mine neither the misaligned bezel nor the stuck bracelets links. The clasp by the way is better than what Seiko gives you.

[@3rdpig]

For $80 I wouldn't cry too hard about that. But I hate a cyclops of any strength and so far I've never successfully removed one. Also, your affiliate link doesn't work for me.

[@Pasta1nc]

I use a large, flat-tipped channel lock linesman pliers. I heat it with a pencil torch, then grip and twist it off. If it's sapphire and you protect the watch with tape/cloth, it works great. I went through much trial and error before this method. I dunno if it's the best, but it works for my Seikos.

[@MokChweeSeah-v9v]

For $80, the quality finish of the watch is already outstanding & it is a NH34 movement. We should not be too critical unless you are paying $8000 for a Rolex. Great review ❤

[@stephenschroeder6567]

I am absolutely not into the diver/GMT style of watch so this would not be a purchase for me at any price. That said, it looks good - the dial - and the specs are very decent so for that price I'd say it has great value and would make it an easy buy for anyone that was thirsting after the models it is emulating without the prohibitive pricing that comes with them. As others have spoken to, if it functions as intended for that kind of money, one should be able to overlook any minor issues/problems. You get what you pay for. If a perfectly aligned bezel for example is a deal breaker then another brand is happy to sell you one that does align - just don't expect to pay $80 for it. ;-) Have a great week everyone!

[@benjamr68]

When you consider that the original SKXs had woeful jingly jubilee bracelets, with hollow links and end-links awful adjustment, misaligned dial and the terrible 7S26 (much worse than NH36 (or NH34)).

[@darylhickman7793]

I junked the strap and replaced it with an orange silicone one that cost £19 from Amazon. The alignment on mine is fine, guess I got lucky!

[@tuzu1758]

They hired an ex-Seiko bezel man.

[@LymanPhillips]

LOL!

[@ashleybowman440]

As with all Ali Express watch buys you just hope you get a good one where the bezel lines up and other stuff is OK. I’ve had quite a few watches from Ali and only really had one that I had an issue with and that was with the Seiko mechaquartz movement positioning in the case but freeing the chronograph buttons sorted it out. You can’t grumble when a certain ‘itch’ is scratched so cheaply!

[@au18ert]

It's either a good watch at whatever price and this ain't. Stop making excuses..

[@thebricktop429]

yes, yes we should just because western watches have ridiculous prices in comparison, 80$ is NOT throwaway money

[@SingleTrackMined]

I like split pins better than screws. I've never had a split pin work itself out and they are easy to work with. Alignment is easily fixed. Beautiful watch. No, I don't think we have a right to complain about a watch of this quality at this price. Cheers!

[@karlsenula9495]

To me complaining and returning a sub $100 watch largely depends on 1) your income and 2) what the failing is: hands not lining up or hitting the markers or clasp is flimsy or links don't articulate well .. don't return (just get a new cheap bracelet), hands fall off or movement won't work yeah then return it.

[@kobusvanrensburg4092]

If it's functionality is affected, then absolutely complain. If not, then shut up and put up. 😬

[@lutzmehrtens3117]

I'm sick of the way the term "homage" is abused to justify cheap copies. And your post shows clearly where the differences are. After all, it's these subtleties that we value so much in the originals, because we don't just want to buy a device to measure time.

[@DFlemming]

That watch design rings a bell !!!

[@PharaohMan007]

For an $80 watch, it seems quite good. I'd get rid of that rubbing bracelet and put an orange or black nato on it. I swear you lined up that bezel when you said it was to the right, but maybe it was the camera angle.

[@ComicConBooBoo]

im sending back all my steeldives. some where good but some have issues

[@Robban.D.Jonsson.]

Anything less than missing the movement isn't below expectations.

[@coldude2559]

I bought one, same issue with the end links...but for the price...well

[@billgrisenthwaite3874]

I don't think it,s bad for the money ,I could live without the magnifier though .You have to be realistic when buying watches at this price level, maybe swap the bracelet for a half decent rubber/silicon strap

[@LymanPhillips]

Agreed. Put it on a nice strap and you've still got a winner for about $100.

[@Box_13]

A great deal is a wonderful salve for many flaws that may irritate.

[@Miguel_GM]

For the price you can't complain. Also, I'm sure that if you buy one you might "get lucky" and get a perfect bezel alignment.

[@owenlaprath4135]

OY! If Oi makes a bounty and de diamond aint got a nice string, Oi tosses de string and have me boatswain mount it on a gold chain! Yer a mush head for complainin about a bracelet, when ya hav a real GEM! HARRRR!

[@newyerusalem1]

Can not find the page for purchasing?

[@Chris.Strange]

Design faults - no. Manufacturing faults - yes. Inaccurate description on AliExpress fault - it depends on what store you bought it from.

[@gregcarterfineart]

Sick value, simply can't beat these things.

[@oguzhanakdogan9787]

I think all these Aliexpress brands spoilt all of us. Now we expect more for 80$ 😂

[@MosheFeder]

I do really like the orange sunburst, so I could see picking this up on sale.

[@scubaru100]

The link isn't working for me here in the US

[@julianb1474]

Steeldive's Monsters, and Willards are excellent IMO. This one is pretty good but also pretty expensive for a Steeldive. Your link must be for Europe does not ship to Canada and the price here is USD $ 200 approx. I'm seeing this more lately from Aliexpress.

[@gorillasinthewrist]

Cadisen do a decent one for £50.

[@GunGuy258]

Nothing wrong with split pins. Steeldives Cyclops are usually over magnified. If that had Seiko name on it, people would be bragging and making excuses for Seiko.

[@ThePirateCasey]

The link does not work, can you tell me another way to find this one?

[@ilikewatches]

Try this one s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EHmIQq5

[@ThePirateCasey]

@@ilikewatches I'm sorry, this link doesn't work either. I tried opening it on my phone, my pc, in a private window, and on a vpn lol

[@gabelov]

Good and honnest review. Thank you.

[@Happyfacehotwheels]

I checked out the description, and I see you are selling this $80 watch for $150 on eBay...🤯

[@ilikewatches]

Yup, agree not sure what I was thinking there clearly a mistake and now adjusted the price to £65

[@birdshenanigans8506]

​@@ilikewatches😅😂

[@lucianobueno6967]

I miss the applied idexes...

[@monologic4806]

Not a bad looking watch. With my weak vision I normally like a cyclops but that one is ridiculous even for me. For the price 👍

[@newyerusalem1]

I can't locate the watch on ali express.

[@williamsipe1151]

I bought a signum Cuda and the end links stick like that.

[@alexsavutube]

I have that original Seiko and I'm selling it, it's disappointing. The clasp on the original is way worse than this, the bezel is bidirectional but is friction, not click, and is unpleasant to use. To be honest, for a GMT I will go for a San Martin or a good Pepsi homage. On this one, the legibility is horrible. I'd rather have the 24-hour display on the bezel only so I'm not even tempted to look at the numbers on the rehaut. The $500 original has the same plain polish as this on the case, no brushing, no chamfering. The original also looks cheap so if you like the design go for a homage. PS they should lose the Cyclops and get a 3d logo and are better than the original

[@johnjones928]

It's not perfect but for $80 it's acceptable in light of it being 90% of what the 6 times more expensive original is. As a personal rule of thumb prices that close favors waiting and saving up for the OG, but Seiko's price hikes and quality slippage equates to paying $80 for a piece pretending to be a $250 watch being sold for almost $500. Do yourself a favor and buy the San Martin or Cronos homage, they completely embarrass the OG for the price Seiko SHOULD be asking.

[@HeadRusch1]

Compare this to the $299 Seiko 5 version of this watch and see which fares better. Answer: This one. In literally every way.

[@ajvoice6290]

I think with these cheap Chinese AliExpress watches you are more likely than not to get the odd issue. I was a bit grumpy when my $50 Addiesdive Quartz GMT stopped working very quickly as the hands got jammed. Cost nearly that to send it back...

[@GunGuy258]

Never had an issue with any of my 10

[@MagnusLevau]

That magnification 🫣😶‍🌫️

[@Spectrecontrol]

Good valaue

[@professorofficer9609]

You sure this is not a Cadisen? I have my reasons to be suspicious. ... My personal opinion -----> I do not like it. Although I 'm a SKX fan. I prefer the Tandorio flavours.

[@cromwellg60]

Noob here. Wouldn't this be an SRPD / GMT homage rather than an SKX?

[@ilikewatches]

Yes, although the SRPD is also an SKX homage to some degree so I went with 1 degree of separation instead of complicating this but I think I did also mention it homaging the more recent Seiko watches.

[@stusims6567]

I think it’s a great little watch for a great price! I love that dial, and I’ve been looking for an orange dial. ❤❤❤

[@cromwellg60]

@@ilikewatches Sorry, I wasn't meaning to be pedantic, just got into watches and im still learning here!

[@TelephoneNinja]

But why would you even want to purchase a watch like this? It's cheap, but it's not something you really NEED these days, and for something you might WANT, if the money is an issue, wouldn't you rather wait and buy something simply nicer in quality etc? I'm not saying a big name brand, but a decent ~$185 San Martin would run circles around that watch (and most 2-3x more expensive Seikos and such). This... is something you'll throw in a bin after a week.

[@e28forever30]

A bit exaggerated, not? You could easily wear this daily for years. Seiko movements, solid case, screw down crown, sapphire crystal. What is “disposable“ about that?

[@TelephoneNinja]

​@@e28forever30 but why would you want to wear for years a watch from the absolute bottom of the aliexpress search results? $80 is the lousy territory when it comes to automatic watches and if you ever had anything even remotely nice on your wrist, you wouldn't even look its way. $80 is like 40% of something actually nice on ali - I'd rather save some more and get something nicer, or better get a genuine g-shock a nice t-shirt instead of this.

[@DocWat280]

NO.

[@erikknudsen2971]

One would think, given that yet, again, we are discussing another blatant copy or rip off another established company's work, a good product would be produced with near minimal defects or issues. These companies (most Aliexpress factory brands) are not spending any money on the design and development of the watch...thus you'd think that a fair amount of resources could be allocated toward QC. Of course, I am alluding to faults that prevent the watch from being worn or operating correctly. If the brushing is not nice, or the lume is not especially bright, that is not a fault in my book. For the most part, I agree with others in that for < $100, what does one expect? At this price point (and considering zero originality), I think it is safe to say 'you get what you paid for' and a detailed critique is likely not really constructive or warranted.

[@anthonydevono8833]

All part of the Ali lottery my Cyclops is the same on my sd 1954 it is what it is

[@simonchow6894]

Never liked steeldives. Both the name and their finishing

[@HORIZONTIMEPASSIONEOROLOGI]

I like this more than the original Seiko.. it's better made..

[@mattewj1268]

That is phenomenally cheap.

[@scottlewis2372]

Seems like a bargain. Your link is broken for me.

[@doobeedoo2]

I don't think $80 is nothing. You can find plenty of very accurate watches for that price.

[@doobeedoo2]

I don't get this video. There are plenty of Invictas, Casios, Armitrons, Timexes and so on for that price, and many of them work for a long time--like, a decade

[@e28forever30]

An Invicta isn’t better than this. Poor lume, mineral glass, no ceramic bezel. No comparison.

[@doobeedoo2]

@@e28forever30 More important: do they continue to function as time keepers? You can manage with mineral glass and acrylic; aluminum bezels can be nice; lume isn't important to everyone. But it is important that the hands don't fall off and that the watch keeps telling reasonably accurate time and is reasonably comfortable. I don't give a crap about Invicta; that's probably a criminal org. But I'm just saying, watch has to be comfortable and tell the time with reasonable accuracy over time.

[@e28forever30]

@@doobeedoo2 Don’t buy automatic if you want accuracy. Longevity, accuracy, get yourself a GW-5000 G-Shock and be done.

[@doobeedoo2]

@@e28forever30 for myself, I need a diverse group of 30 watches, automatic & quartz; I was just making a theoretical pt to be argumentative

[@toddfleury7324]

Screw down crown?

[@ilikewatches]

Yup

[@Happyfacehotwheels]

I like it. The bracelet is an easy fix, and I would just replace the bezel insert with a normal divers bezel. Then I would have a divers watch but with a fourth hand.🤔

[@leonkaragiann7552]

Of course yes. The price is €133 the name of Chinese company is Steeldive that means problems. Anyway if you’re sucker don’t demand

[@e28forever30]

Steeldives are pretty good for the money. And they are regulated, something Seiko often forgets…

[@dorudragoescu1311]

Those cyclops are just impossible. 80 dollars or 80 cents, those cyclops are absolute crap. Just like on SD1953. Don't lie yourselves.

[@CCPwillfall01]

Why would you want an homage of an already cheap watch?

[@user-hj5lw6jp9j]

For 80 dollars men is wonderfull.💯👍

[@dorudragoescu1311]

It's just crap. I'd rather save the 80 fcking bucks for a better watch.

[@cougarbatterie]

Who cares how much it costs, who cares if it's well made or not. Like I said before, it's NOT a Seiko. A friend asks you: Oh, what is that watch you're wearing. You: Oh, it's an addiesdive! Friend: 🤔???!!!! You then walk away with your tail between your legs.

[@TelephoneNinja]

Except - no one cares

[@broughy23]

If you're bothered by someone else's opinion, it sounds like a personal issue.

[@cougarbatterie]

@@broughy23Yeah Right! Rolex is charging 15000 bucks and up for a watch just because it stamped on it the crown logo "Rolex". It's to flex, get it! That's the power of a brand. Pretending that you don't care about the opinions of others is so immature and unrealistic. Tik tok, Instagram is riddled with billions of people that want to show off a positive and successful image of themselves. And you sir, are one in a billion exception to the rule. I encourage you to go to work tomorrow or go walking tonight naked and not care about what others think about you!

[@cougarbatterie]

@@TelephoneNinja If you don't care, why are you commenting and how come you read my comment!!!

[@TelephoneNinja]

@@cougarbatterie you don't understand - no one cares about your watch. Whether it is seiko, san martin or an omega - people don't care about watches anymore.

[@tobytayles1]

Ok moaning Myrtle if that had Seiko on the dial they would want 400-500 it’s way better than the original skx the best feature of mine is the lume that’s it

[@JohnDudley-l7x]

Great watch for the price ! So if you are a cry baby go somewhere else !