Quote:
Originally Posted by Bornwith2hands
Hey Boston4, seems the Seiko owner is speaking through your voice  . I'd like to move beyond brands that have already earned a legendary status and yes, it's a Seiko movement but not a Seiko movement that's present in either of the three Seikos I own. Sadly, the 4R36 doesn't work anymore; it conked within a couple of years. The VD63 quartzes, however; are keeping time since 2016 and 2018 like clockwork!
Well, it all boils down to I looking for a Seiko movement to try my luck again but it should not come within a Seiko exterior. The Ratio Skysurfer fits the bill. |
Ha. I have owned Seikos but don't own any at the moment. Each of the other ones I listed are solid choices, though. NH38A will be reliable but not very accurate. The problem with a lot of these "startup" watch companies is that they're just cash grabs marking up a cheap product.
Here's a 40mm case that looks awful similar to the Ratio is using. It's $49 and If you bought 1000, I'm guessing it's closer to $20:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2255...756629512%21sh
Here's a NH38A movement for $27 in bulk:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...shopping&seo=1
Add a few bucks for a custom dial and hands, and you've got a watch for well under $100 assembled in China by a contractor. Sell it for $190 or $200 and you're looking at 70% margins. You don't do any production, you don't really have any overhead, and your main expenses are marketing and advertising (read: "reviews" in watch blogs).
There are microbrands that make really thoughtfully designed watches with good, well-regulated movements (see: Ming, Halios, Farer). There are also "microbrands" that are basically dropshipping companies. My gut says that this is the latter.