Steinhart VS San Martin | In-Depth Review & Comparison

[@TheTrueSolesurvivor]

I think that the san martin has unbeatable quality. The lugs, the sels, the bracelet as a whole, it´s just insane how amazing they designed and mashined that thing.

[@quarters-eye8922]

One observation: These two watches cater to different themes. The Steinhart is going for that Vintage look, while the San Martin is more or less, a modern Rolex Homage. I would suggest a comparison between two of the same themed watches. Perhaps even do two separate reviews. One review comparing a San Martin vintage inspired watch, and a separate review with a modern Diver.

[@quality_times]

that’s a great idea, thanks for the input!

[@007Chancellor]

Having owned both, (I sold the SM), I can tell you that the Steinhart is a VASTLY superior watch. The San Martin is okay...butlike most Chinese junk, it wears rather quickly. That loose bezel action you like so much only gets sloppier. The Steinhart is phenomenal.

[@DFlemming]

Steinhart case and bracelet is made in China junk land as you say.

[@brianmurphy8154]

I have both of these and they are both great...two totally different looks that each brand is trying to go after...Having 3 Steinharts and 3 SM's....it's safe to say I enjoy both brands, however getting into a Swiss made at the price point Steinhart does, for me elevates them just a bit more...

[@jaysterling26]

Agreed. I own 1 of each brand. Can I add the branding ( San Martin are still all over the place..) plus for some reason I feel I could take my Steinhart to a watchmaker in the future without apologising? Could the SM be rejected for service ( ?) , or more likely be classed as ' uneconomical ' for the owner to keep replacing the movement ( let alone other needs) every 5-7 years?

[@MarkM58]

I own both brands. Both are fantastic values for the money. I own the Steinhart Ocean One, Ceramic with black dial and bezel. For San Martin, I own several, but the closest for comparison sake is the Two Tone Water Ghost ceramic bezel. Both watches have impeccable finishing, but I would have to ding the SM for being a little sharp on the edges of the bracelet. The SM has the SEIKO NH35A movement that beats at 21,600 bph and the Steinhart has the ETA 2824-2 elaboré high-beat movement which beats at 28,800 bph and has a smoother sweep. Both movements have been around since Moby Dick was a minnow and both are great workhorse movements. For comfort of wear, I give it to the SM. It feels lighter and has more of curved case and downturned lugs that fit the contour of your wrist. The Steinhart is almost flat. All in all, both are excellent watches. It is hard to beat the SM for bang for the buck. BUT Steinhart is an excellent SWISS MADE watch. Is it worth double the cost? probably. But that is a personal decision. Both of my watches are in my rotation and I like them both.

[@MyCvid]

Finally, someone has put this comparison together. Bravo! Based on your review the San Martin would be the winner. A Sellita movement is available on the San Martin (for more money), but still comes in at a lower price than the Steinhart. From your review you rated the build quality higher on SM, better bezel, and better clasp. Those that want to spend more for the Steinhart name, well, I get that also. Isn’t that a big part of the watch collection mythology? Is the Steinhart worth twice the price of the San Martin? Is the Rolex sub “worth” 60 times the price of the San Martin? Each collector has to make that call for themselves!

[@randyreynolds1045]

The quality and movements in the Steinhart is much better. Also Steinhart treats their employees very well. They are a great company in many ways. All Steinhart are very accurate!

[@carlooooooo]

How many full time employees have steinhart? 5? 10?

[@juweikwen4030]

I have one steinhart diver powered by ETA 2892-A2, 42mm, ceramic bezel & swiss made which less than USD $520. In total, I have 5* Swiss made diver watches including SW200-1, ETA 2824, ETA 7750 and ETA 2893 (date+day). All them work fine. I think Swiss made + Swiss basic movement are still solid in terms of performance & accuracy.

[@MarkoMarkovina]

I bought ocean one 39 and it was ok, bezel was stiff as hell but ok... than I bought ocean 42 and was disappointed... both had realy poor lume and ocean 42 was not regulated well, had some sharp edges, bezel felt like crap and winding was everything but pleasure...felt like something is breaking inside. Than I bought Ironwatch milsub and San Martin sn019g and both are perfect watches. Far better than Steinhart... well regulated, crown action perfect, bezel action great, lume amazing...but people wil pay and ignore everythinh cause it says swiss made at the dial...

[@jazzman5598]

My Steinhart Ocean 39 Vintage GMT running an ETA 2893-2. My favorite watch and a great daily as well as 300 M diver to boot!

[@paulusvberkel1448]

Agree. I like both watches and I own both watches. The build quality of the SanMartin is really top!!

[@1SaG]

12:00 Not a defense of Steinhart, but almost all my 39mm Steinhart-bezels were pretty hard to turn out of the box. And all of them needed a little to quite a bit of break-in time but then would turn smoothly. Only exception was my Vintage Pepsi GMT Pussy Galore homage which was super smooth from day one. Their 42 O1s have much lighter action out of the box, BTW. 6:50 Totally agree on the OVM's crystal. I've owned my 39-version for nearly 2 years now, and that crystal is probably the reason why I wear other watches (with flat crystals) more. Unless you're in bright sunlight or holding the watch under a bright light-source (like a spot) it really does look "milky" to me. Especially noticeable when outside under an overcast sky. I'm pretty sure it's the crystal, since my O39 Ceramic Green with its flat glass doesn't have that issue. And I don't quite get why they went with this sort of domed sapphire - a slightly raised boxed crystal would've been more in keeping with the MilSub theme and a flat crystal would give better legibility. Plus: That dome changes the shape of the whole watch and makes it seem a bit bulkier than it actually is. Another niggle I have is that the hands on the OVM are slightly too large for the watch. The seconds hand almost touches the rehaut while the minute-hand goes too far into the minute track on the dial. Basically, the seconds-hand should be reaching into the first third of the minute markers while the minute-hand should end just short of those markers. It's not a huge deal but I did own both the 42 and 39 versions of the OVM at one point and, side by side, this is pretty noticeable because the 42's hands are proportioned more correctly. It's almost as if they re-used the 42's handset and slapped it on the 39mm version. Interestingly enough, my 39mm Ocean One Ceramic Green's handset fits its dial perfectly.

[@quarters-eye8922]

San Martin 👍👍👍

[@TypeSly]

Very good review with nice shots of both watches as well! The only thing that confused me a bit was on a few of your points, where you clearly preferred one and did not even like the other, it was separated by only one point?! Thanks for the upload and in-depth comparison though! 👍

[@quality_times]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, it's hard to stay objective when it comes to watches!

[@hootonhoot]

Having a little of both, I connect more with Steinhart- usually worth $200 more than SM.

[@LauraKnotek]

I prefer Steinhart for the vintage aesthetic. The domed crystal, lume that resembles old radium, and vintage looking dial are what appeals to me. I also prefer the Swiss movement for its accuracy compared to the Japanese movement.

[@happycamper0017]

Nice video, I wish you had compared SM sub homage to another Steinhart sub homage; or SM vintage to Steinhart vintage. However your video confirmed that the fit and finish, bezel, and bracelet of SM is just as good as a Swiss entry level watch. I don't think the x factor of Steinhart should be a 10, but it deserve more points for higher specification 300 mm vs SM 200 mm.

[@quality_times]

thank you for your kind words! Unfortunately these were the two models that I had at home at the time. Might not be the perfect comparison, but I might do another one in the future :)

[@Lotus.F]

For branding and movement definitely the Steinhart but I wouldn't pick this particular one though, personal choice.

[@petervernelen6784]

Thanks for the video, I'm on the fence for a San Martin SN019G for a while now however its retailed for $350 now which is still a good bit of cash for an AliExpress homage, let's see if there will be some kind of black Friday deal on it ?

[@Me-pz5by]

I like more modern style than retro, so San Martin for me 🙂

[@hgabi00]

You can get San Martins with the Selita SW200 but in this case it is not cheaper than the Steinhart, or there is the PT5000 movement, which is an eta / selita copy and the price is between the seiko and then selita movement.

[@SlimWhittman]

Nice presentation. Clearly either of these would be a winner. I'm not convinced the Steinhart is worth that much more money than the San Martin but I do prefer a crystal without the cyclops. I have ordered both to ease my curiosity. I'm quite hooked on watches unfortunately.

[@grahamyoung622]

You have a 'sickness', Stephen.....it's not your fault!!! The only cure for this is for you to run out of $$ (after selling your home). This 'comparison' of two completely different watches is a bit odd, IMHO. I love the San Martin, it looks way better than the Steinhart (except for the hidoeus cyclops..which you can remove). The Steinhard looks O.K. for a 'vintage' style piece, except for the AWFUL hour hand.

[@MarkM58]

It is a disease! We need Watches Anonymous! I own 90 watches, 28 of which are G-Shocks! LOL

[@patricj951]

I have as well San Martin and Steinhart watches. The San Martin is the same as in this video but entire blue dial. One of my two Steinharts is Ocean one blue 39 ceramic, which is the closest to compare to the San Martin. Both are great watches for the price. My personal impression is that Steinhart actually feels better. The edges of San Martin bezel are sharp and unpleasant to touch. But that's the only negative thing I can think of. While the finish of San Martin is very good I feel the Steinhart actually is a step up. But that's just my personal perception. I definitely consider to get both another San Martin and Steinhart. By the way: my other Steinhart is Adventurer classic 39. And it has probably the same domed crystal as the model in the video. I agree about the reflections who are difficult to avoid. At least it could be less domed because it's the most domed crystal I have seen on a watch.

[@spasev]

Steinhart got points for the brand and X factor? Cmon, the brand is virtually unknown outside of the watch community just like San Martin. If it was seiko, Rolex or omega I would say 10 but sm and steinhart are close to 3 both, maybe 4. San Martin is a better watch overall and the price difference makes it twice better in my opinion.

[@Dondaddyh]

I think you would like the San Martin vintage Sub homage Of the Rolex 6200, personally once I got my Self the Steinhart, I no longer wear any of my many San Martin watches.

[@willmarshall4685]

Does the Steinhart have a printed dial?

[@quality_times]

yes, the entire dial is printed.

[@als1440]

I would love to see a comparison of the steinhart vs san martain submariner.

[@georgeliquor2931]

Steinhart for me, Swiss movement, and the lugs and crown protectors on the San Martin are too bulky for my taste, the San Martin is incredible value though

[@johnholkham2420]

Need a vice like grip to turn my 39 Steinhart bezel, my San Martin BB bezel is a joy much better quality

[@tarekalsharif4014]

That is informative thanks.. Wish it was other homage steinhart.. However I don't like the lume pip, but surely great home we can fit the movement into the sanmartin design... Keep the same videos comparison

[@snacklofter]

THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!!! - THANK YOU! 👍👍👍

[@PINKFL0YD-s2h]

You should have put the v3 with the PT 5000 against it. I have one and it's excellent. Mine has a glide lock clasp also. I can't stand faux patina but love the Milsub hands. I prefer the v3 overall though.

[@watchalot919]

I have owned several watches from both manufacturers. Steinhart use a better movement, whilst the SM fishing is just as good. Unfortunately steinhart cases weather too flat. The problem with SM is poor branding.

[@ragnarone5409]

San Martin offers milsub variants also (case SN006 and case SN004)

[@whosthere9666]

Sugess makes a even better sub homage for the money of the SM.

[@snacklofter]

Hi! Could you compare that Steinhart with the new *San Martin Vintage Milsubmariner Dive Watch SN006* please? Thank you. snack.

[@Dronetothetop]

Can’t beat SW movement but my pick would be neither one.

[@darrenfry4695]

Steinhart is way better than San martin

[@nosceteipsum997]

The movement is a very distinguishing feature between the two brands, and therefore this is not really a like-for-like comparison IMHO. The quality of finishing of the SM is not in dispute- but this is only half the story!

[@georgeliquor2931]

Also i love lightly domed saphire

[@ramspencer5492]

Would have been better to review similar models.

[@quality_times]

true. but these were the two models that I had.

[@DavidV4444]

There’s no way the Chinese brand beats the Steinhart.

[@Mark-sd7fc]

That watch is $400 on Steinharts website right now!!

[@quality_times]

Keep in mind that Steinhart only sells their 42mm Model on their Website. The 39mm is only available at Gnomonwatches.

[@Mark-sd7fc]

@@quality_times what size is the one you reviewed here?

[@quality_times]

@@Mark-sd7fc that was the 39mm 👍🏻

[@black79montecarlo123]

San Martin makes nice pieces, but Steinhart stomps them.

[@michaellangmdl]

So you have the Steinhart the win even though the San Martin is the better watch? Just because you prefer the style of the San Martin? Why not do an apples to apples comparison then?

[@quality_times]

The watches are very similar in terms of build quality and finishing. The Steinhart does have a better movement though.

[@jaapster1273]

The Steinhart case is almost unwearable due to the short and straight lugs. Wearing it is a nightmare for this type of watch. I do not understand why people are buying Steinhart. Its all looks, no wearabillity.

[@trevor6483]

Hey thanks but the movement is in my my mind 70% of watch and the seiko pieve is not in the same league

[@spasev]

In the finishing department the San Martin blows the steinhart out of the water

[@renebense]

Good balanced review/opinion video. Thanks for making it. One question remains and may be you know the answer. San Martin is using the SW200 as well in the more expensive offerings. But never is there Swiss made on the dial, or even the mentioning of the movement inside. Do you know why?

[@MarkoMarkovina]

Cause watches itself is made in China. Steinhart has all parts swiss made but it is only assembled in Germany... Dan Martin is really underrated, they feel more premium than Stainhart but that ocean military is absolutely gorgeous

[@souniert]

You’re not even comparing the same watches and that truly doesn’t work for the price comparison! Jean cost comparison I’m going to compare a Rolex submariner to a Seico.

[@JoaoMarcos-wi9ci]

aqui vemos que nem sempre o que é caro é melhor, o San Martin ao meu ver ganhou.

[@johnrichards2812]

this really isn't a true comparison. should have used steinhart ocean one true submariner homage, this the the steinhart vintage military version which is very different than a true submariner homage. so it's sort of apples to oranges.

[@oscarquinteto5431]

I think is fear Desicion. On does Two watches

[@thesilverpittie9632]

Kinda funny your reason for a 10 on the Steinhart movement completely undermines your 7 for the price. Hard to compare something with totally different movements. Like comparing a nice steak in a plastic container to ground beef in the same plastic container.

[@iwonarotaru4451]

🥰

[@curatedpixels]

stupid point system you got there bud. price is x2 points so did sm get 4.5 x 2? someone missed math class...

[@quality_times]

nope, it’s rather simple actually. So 9x2 = 18. you’ll notice that I have 10 Categories but the total amount of points is 120.

[@jimbobjimbob8925]

Not a great review. Too subjective.