@@ilikewatches Happy to pay more for their original designs tbh. Picked up the Aventurine GMT and it's a beaut. Co-worker mistook it for a Zelos from a distance!
Lovely shots Gary. They sent me the root beer one to review and I’m super impressed with it. Liked the feeler gauge on the end links too. Keep up the good work
@@ilikewatches just shows the level SM are going to . Soon the naysayers will not be able to complain . Their original designs are getting much more attractive.
It truly is a toss up for me also. If I had to though, the more traditional Red and Blue for me. Thanks for the great review and those Macro Shots. Wow…
If I had to choose it would have to the red dial with the chinese markers on the bezel ,the pepsi bezel one looks a little bit to generic for me. But the finishing leaves a bit to be desired at 1:31 the lower edge of the minute hand looks very rough .
I bet you’ve been waiting months to spot an imperfection on a San Martin 😂 yup if you zoom in 50x you’ll see the odd imperfection…impossible to see it with the naked eye but under macro it isn’t great on this occasion.
@ilikewatches Well, it's difficult not to spot this on the macro shots and it drew my attention because reviewers have been singing praises about SM quality. Plus, let's bear in mind that it is one of only 300 made and possibly one of better finished copies as it's been selected to be sent to a reviewer.
You should try and convince them to bring back the GS style bracelet they use to make. Would probably suit their watches a bit more, for the extra premium feel and look.
The dial on the Chinese New Year watch is absolutely stunning! Although… I’ve just bought the GS GMT look-a-like with the sand dune dial, so naturally they’ve released something even more stunning.. the same watch but with an aventurine dial, and my God it looks beautiful! You might have to do another “don’t buy this.. buy THIS!” video! Don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but it really is something else! With this one, much as I like it, I really don’t like BOR bracelets.. just not my thing. But the watch itself is very nice indeed.
I have the light blue version of the same watch and I must say it's one of the most comfortable watches I have ever owned. The quality is superb as well. I'd like to see more original designs from San Marin and hopefully a new, more mature and less childish logo.
that dragon one is really beautiful imho (although i hate the confusing second hand counterbalance). Though i would be sacrificing the bezel functionality.
I'd love to see an NH35, 200m diver version of the SN0116-G5 with the same red bezel and gold indices and hands, but with an Ivory White textured dial. Red and White would be amazing. It would give us a slightly more affordable, and differentiated Year of the Dragon watch for those of us who have no use for a GMT complication.
I said on another channel that the red 'dragon' watch looked awesome and with your macro shots it really looks special but the Chinese characters around the bezel sadly puts me off. Great review again Gary. Edit: Wow the table at the end is a really nice touch as that shows some serious effort. Kudos!
Two beautiful watches, I would have to say the year of the dragon one looks better even though the bezel is useless, nice they put the 24 hour markings on the dial 👍. So far, having bought the original blue dial sn0116, I haven't seen a colourway that I prefer.....yet! That case/bracelet is so comfortable, it is the only watch that I have never felt the urge to swap out the bracelet on. Keep up the good work Gary 😁
Both great looking watches. I haven't got room in my collection for another gmt as I have my heart set on an alpinist gmt or a sealander gmt. If they want to come out with a green dial, bronze, 3 hand sports watch that would tick a few boxes though 😊
Already out stock for Year of Dragon watch☹️. Correction 子( zi) shall be 24hr mark on the bezel and 午( wu ) shall be the 12hr mark. 辰 (chen) only corresdont to Dragon chinese zodiac.
I loved the 'Dragon' so much I ordered it. I've just received notification that it's gone through Chinese customs on it's way to me. I've never personally seen the appeal in the Pepsi (although I do have a Pepsi Duro) or any of the split bezel colour schemes come to that.
I like the Special during the day but not the lumed characters on the bezel. The red on red GMT helps it blend in for the 99.9% of the time I wouldn't use it.
Seiko has to be taking notice of what San Martin is producing and selling at these price points. I imagine the Seiko folks having strong words with their China factory managers.
The limited edition is interesting, the rich red colour is very "Chinese" which I don't mean in a negative way. I absolutely don't reject the watcg. Yet I can't see myself wearing this watch.
i can confirm those characters are from Sexagenary Cycle. they are used to represent a lot of things (such as Chinese zodiac), and also, time. 子 丑 寅 卯 辰 巳 午 未 申 酉 戌 亥
I ordered one but cancelled it as year of the dragon just has no relevance to my life... If they retrospectively did one for year of the tiger then I'd definitely have one
I can never actually see your lume degradation tests because of the “recommendation” cards TH-cam throws up at the end of your videos blocks the view of the watches. As for which one I would pick, I am at the point where novelty wins over practicality. So, it’s an easy pick for the Dragon.
I tried to buy this watch. Never have bought a San Martin or used their store. But the $40 coupon would not work, saying I had used it before. So, tried Alliexpress customer service, and usual run around with clearing cache, clearing basket, etc. No help. Tried to contact San Martin, and they are off from Feb. 3 to 13 for the New year and not answering customer service! Unbelievable. So, not buying from them ever. What garbage service. They took 11 days off! Too bad. Looks like a nice watch. But I wanted it before my vacation in early March.
You can now order watches using coupons as normal. In addition, in China, the Lunar New Year is a very grand festival for the Chinese people. Everyone will take a long vacation, and then gather with family and friends during this time to greet each other and wish each other happiness in the new year. Safety. Therefore, there are no customer service staff working during this period. Please respect different cultural differences, thank you for your understanding.
Seriously - ditch the legibility tests 🤣. Only thing about your reviews that makes me cringe 🤣 It’s not something I’ve ever thought I needed from a watch review 🤷🏻♂️
YEAR OF THE DRAGON OOOHHH BUT LAST YEAR IT WAS 50 YEARS SINCE ENTER THE DRAGON WITH BRUCE LEE WAS MADE . BUT I KNOW IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WRIST WATCHES I AM JUST TRYING TO TELL BRUCE WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME . DID YOU GET IT AHEAD OF HIS TIME OOOHHH
I have one of those 'beads of rice' bracelets and it IS comfortable compared to some others that I have. I prefer a(well done) Milanese, thought, over most others
With the quality San Martin give at the prices they are, I really hope they do more original designs
I think they will, especially if they continue to sell well
As long as you don't mind the price increase, because they would finally spend their money on design RnD
@@ilikewatches Happy to pay more for their original designs tbh. Picked up the Aventurine GMT and it's a beaut. Co-worker mistook it for a Zelos from a distance!
@@ilikewatches your wrist size ?
Look good from distance but the finishing on the hands looks very rough on the dragon one.
I do wish the bezel on the dragon one was darker, for it to be a smoother transition to the dial
Yes its just off in tone enough to be annoying instead of complimentary.
I think they missed the opportunity to make the whole Dragon series with different models.
Lovely shots Gary. They sent me the root beer one to review and I’m super impressed with it.
Liked the feeler gauge on the end links too.
Keep up the good work
Thanks Mike! Did you notice my GS has the biggest end link gaps!
@@ilikewatches just shows the level SM are going to . Soon the naysayers will not be able to complain . Their original designs are getting much more attractive.
For sure
I was born in the year of the dragon, so I really like the special edition.
It truly is a toss up for me also. If I had to though, the more traditional Red and Blue for me. Thanks for the great review and those Macro Shots. Wow…
These are beautiful. I'm hoping someone makes a GMT similar to these, but with numerals on the dial.
Pepsi version with enemel black/blue dial and ceramic bezel would be a total hit. 😊
The idea of the green lumed marker is brilliant. If you need to use bezel to time something it stands out
Absolutely the all red one.. too beautiful too unique 😀
If I had to choose it would have to the red dial with the chinese markers on the bezel ,the pepsi bezel one looks a little bit to generic for me. But the finishing leaves a bit to be desired at 1:31 the lower edge of the minute hand looks very rough .
I really love the bezel insert on the red one! Also the dial and matching date wheel. This is a very nice-looking watch.
Mine year of the dragon is stuck at customs. Very annoying, hope I will receive it soon 🤞🏻
LOVE the detail on the red dial. It is amazing.
The detail on the bezel displays just how far san Martin has come and the thought that is being put in to their product.
Macro shots at 1:40 mark reveal a huge scuff / machining imperfection on the minute hand. Is this the legendary San Martin quality?
I bet you’ve been waiting months to spot an imperfection on a San Martin 😂 yup if you zoom in 50x you’ll see the odd imperfection…impossible to see it with the naked eye but under macro it isn’t great on this occasion.
@ilikewatches Well, it's difficult not to spot this on the macro shots and it drew my attention because reviewers have been singing praises about SM quality. Plus, let's bear in mind that it is one of only 300 made and possibly one of better finished copies as it's been selected to be sent to a reviewer.
You should try and convince them to bring back the GS style bracelet they use to make. Would probably suit their watches a bit more, for the extra premium feel and look.
that minute hand ... @1:38 and the GMT hand @1:29 ... that's a bit too much!
not the best ive seen from them thats for sure but without the macro lense you cant see it thankfully
Guys, we need the Star Gate watch with gate alien signs on the bezel.
The dial on the Chinese New Year watch is absolutely stunning! Although… I’ve just bought the GS GMT look-a-like with the sand dune dial, so naturally they’ve released something even more stunning.. the same watch but with an aventurine dial, and my God it looks beautiful! You might have to do another “don’t buy this.. buy THIS!” video! Don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but it really is something else! With this one, much as I like it, I really don’t like BOR bracelets.. just not my thing. But the watch itself is very nice indeed.
I have the light blue version of the same watch and I must say it's one of the most comfortable watches I have ever owned. The quality is superb as well. I'd like to see more original designs from San Marin and hopefully a new, more mature and less childish logo.
That dial looks great on film. Love the Chinese characters on the bezel.
Is it just me or does that gold minute hand look rough on the edge, at the 1:54 mark?
I preordered the red YOD one... Can't wait for it to arrive!
Both great offerings. But, the version of the pepsi with the brown and black bezel is really calling to me.
For me red one for the win,though Ball Marvelight is the winner for Year of the Dragon watch contest so far.
that dragon one is really beautiful imho (although i hate the confusing second hand counterbalance).
Though i would be sacrificing the bezel functionality.
I'd love to see an NH35, 200m diver version of the SN0116-G5 with the same red bezel and gold indices and hands, but with an Ivory White textured dial. Red and White would be amazing. It would give us a slightly more affordable, and differentiated Year of the Dragon watch for those of us who have no use for a GMT complication.
my Dragon is in transit 😁
I said on another channel that the red 'dragon' watch looked awesome and with your macro shots it really looks special but the Chinese characters around the bezel sadly puts me off. Great review again Gary.
Edit: Wow the table at the end is a really nice touch as that shows some serious effort. Kudos!
Thanks!
Two beautiful watches, I would have to say the year of the dragon one looks better even though the bezel is useless, nice they put the 24 hour markings on the dial 👍. So far, having bought the original blue dial sn0116, I haven't seen a colourway that I prefer.....yet! That case/bracelet is so comfortable, it is the only watch that I have never felt the urge to swap out the bracelet on. Keep up the good work Gary 😁
The red one looks amazing
It's just stunning, if I wasn't saving for Vegas it would be getting bought.
Now that’s a real Chinese watch 🎉
Only thing I would change is the bracelet, put the bracelet of the SN036 on and it would be 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Both great looking watches. I haven't got room in my collection for another gmt as I have my heart set on an alpinist gmt or a sealander gmt. If they want to come out with a green dial, bronze, 3 hand sports watch that would tick a few boxes though 😊
Already out stock for Year of Dragon watch☹️.
Correction 子( zi) shall be 24hr mark on the bezel and 午( wu ) shall be the 12hr mark.
辰 (chen) only corresdont to Dragon chinese zodiac.
Yup and I think that’s what I wrote on the screen
There is still a small amount of stock, it will be sold out soon, please order as soon as possible
I loved the 'Dragon' so much I ordered it. I've just received notification that it's gone through Chinese customs on it's way to me.
I've never personally seen the appeal in the Pepsi (although I do have a Pepsi Duro) or any of the split bezel colour schemes come to that.
That is awesome!
I thought release was for the 24th of February. But is coming early. Yay! My is on the way, too.
@@kinhviman I wasn't expecting it to be released until then either. It's nice when something happens sooner than expected.
@@seanhickling7340I received my today! Just in time for the Lunar New Year!
At 1:37, is it an illusion, or is that hand messed up?
The red one obviously is a collection piece and not a daily wear piece.
And a very nice collection item, it is.
Beautiful on both of them!
The red one is gorgeous
Amazing looking watch. Pity I've already ordered a Red Erebus watch 😅
That minute hand, though. That was bad.
YEAR OF THE DRAGON (1985) is a great 80s movie!
I like the Special during the day but not the lumed characters on the bezel. The red on red GMT helps it blend in for the 99.9% of the time I wouldn't use it.
I like the 2 watches they are beautiful.💯👍
Seiko has to be taking notice of what San Martin is producing and selling at these price points. I imagine the Seiko folks having strong words with their China factory managers.
Shame they made them GMTs pretty much a pointless complication, good review as always. Cheers
Easy, none. Get the new SM root beer instead 🍻🍻
Well or easier one, all three new models 🤣
What a fun looking watch
By the way, you are not allowed to say pepsi, it is patented by Rolex or maybe by Pepsico group itself 🧐😂
lol, i'm living on the edge these days!
@@ilikewatches yeah gotta love the risky life 😂
The limited edition is interesting, the rich red colour is very "Chinese" which I don't mean in a negative way. I absolutely don't reject the watcg. Yet I can't see myself wearing this watch.
San Martin needs to fix a lumed bezel on the coke gmt
Beautiful looking watch Gary will it be a giveaway :)
That limited edition one reminds me of a dodgy Chinese restaurant .... Looks enticing, but you regret it the next day
i like the Chinese bezel , really unusual .
But its San Martin , so they are quality watches .
may pull the trigger on this one .
Their root beer GMT looks great too!
The dragon is beautiful......but the possible -that-it-says-cheese-biscuit-venereal-disease bezel insert doesn't do it for me.
i can confirm those characters are from Sexagenary Cycle. they are used to represent a lot of things (such as Chinese zodiac), and also, time.
子 丑 寅 卯 辰 巳 午 未 申 酉 戌 亥
I ordered one but cancelled it as year of the dragon just has no relevance to my life... If they retrospectively did one for year of the tiger then I'd definitely have one
I can never actually see your lume degradation tests because of the “recommendation” cards TH-cam throws up at the end of your videos blocks the view of the watches. As for which one I would pick, I am at the point where novelty wins over practicality. So, it’s an easy pick for the Dragon.
I wish they'd make a pvd or dlc case version
Actually... The colored letter is 7am
As always, it's the HONKING logo that repels me....
I tried to buy this watch. Never have bought a San Martin or used their store. But the $40 coupon would not work, saying I had used it before. So, tried Alliexpress customer service, and usual run around with clearing cache, clearing basket, etc. No help. Tried to contact San Martin, and they are off from Feb. 3 to 13 for the New year and not answering customer service! Unbelievable. So, not buying from them ever. What garbage service. They took 11 days off! Too bad. Looks like a nice watch. But I wanted it before my vacation in early March.
You can now order watches using coupons as normal. In addition, in China, the Lunar New Year is a very grand festival for the Chinese people. Everyone will take a long vacation, and then gather with family and friends during this time to greet each other and wish each other happiness in the new year. Safety. Therefore, there are no customer service staff working during this period. Please respect different cultural differences, thank you for your understanding.
thats a nice watch
Looks like the Red dial version commemorates the Tiananmen Square massacre... Do like the Pepsi dial version.
the back of my merkur shows the great wall of china
Anyone else having problems using the discount code?
You need to 'click' the offer in the listing where is says 'Coupon & Discount', rather than enter it at checkout, had me wound up!
🐉
Seriously - ditch the legibility tests 🤣. Only thing about your reviews that makes me cringe 🤣
It’s not something I’ve ever thought I needed from a watch review 🤷🏻♂️
YEAR OF THE DRAGON OOOHHH BUT LAST YEAR IT WAS 50 YEARS SINCE ENTER THE DRAGON WITH BRUCE LEE WAS MADE . BUT I KNOW IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WRIST WATCHES I AM JUST TRYING TO TELL BRUCE WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME . DID YOU GET IT AHEAD OF HIS TIME OOOHHH
I would love to see the dragon dial with the blue/red GMT bezel insert.
Not for me look to many gmt watches floating around all jumping on the bandwagon
I have one of those 'beads of rice' bracelets and it IS comfortable compared to some others that I have. I prefer a(well done) Milanese, thought, over most others
Just stop FFS - 3 watches this month now! Squarely blaming you and that Scottish/Aussie fella.
The minute hand on the red one is pitted and looks vintage . . . Nah. Wouldn't accept it, even if you threw it at me.
I keep wanting to buy a SM. Then I see that large nasty logo and quickly look away.
Very BAD BAD Quality Control ! The Hands looks so bad ! Like a 30$ Watch !
That minute hand, though. That was bad.