# Ultra cheap Chinese mechanicals..Steel Bagelsport & Soki....much better than expected



## goodwolfe (Nov 7, 2010)

As an experiment I wanted to see how cheap I could find a Chinese mechanical that not only looked ok (to actually wear in public), but also provided acceptable accuracy...well, I was shocked to first find Steel Bagelsport, I now have two Daytona homages both were just under $30 bucks each on Ebay but then I also found Soki (on the advice of a friend) and purchased four of them ( 1 skeleton, 1 Submariner homage, and 2 others), all were between $11 and $14 on ebay, btw, including shipping. First, to my surprise, all six watches look pretty good (considering price) and are not only still working but all are very accurate for super cheap Chinese autos......no one will believe this for sure (as I wouldn't either), but the $11.67 Soki skeleton is dead on...less than a minute off after almost three weeks on my wrist without being reset.......I admit, it is a silly thing to get excited about , but I can't help but be amazed....now sure, it could stop or fall apart tomorrow...but for a month now, it looks good and maintains incredible accuracy for any automatic, much less a $11 Chinese mechanical....beyond this, what I find fascinating, is that all four cheap Soki watches are keeping very good time...I was counting on a hit or miss functioning at that price point and even expected at least one to be DOA.....and to the untrained eye or and/or those who know little about watches, the Bagelsport could easily be mistaken for a much more expensive watch, certainly a lot more than the $30 it cost......I had heard mention somewhere of Steel Bagelsport, but not of Soki....I am just wondering, did I stumble onto a great find for the money, or did I just get lucky...four times!.....anyone else have good experiences with Soki or other ultra cheap Chinese mechanicals?


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## Pawl_Buster (Mar 12, 2007)

I grabbed a Soki sub with coke bezel a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised.

I haven't done an exhaustive test of the accuracy but when I do check it, the time is always within +/- 10 seconds per day...some times it's + and some times it's -.
Not really surprised at the accuracy because China perfected this 'standard' movement by forcing all the watch factories to produce it and some of the factories worked a little harder to make theirs better.

The bracelet is what you would expect for the price but it is quite wearable when adjusted for your wrist.

I also picked up a skeleton with the same movement but he autowinder didn't seem like it was capable of keeping the movement wound so I removed it and have kept it going by hand winding it each day.


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## Afka (Sep 23, 2011)

Last week I got three watches - Bagelsport Milgauss and Explo II hommages plus SOKI sub. 
And I have to say that I'm very satisfied. The general formula is simple as you know:

*Customer Satisfaction = Customer Perceptions - Customer Expectations*

My expectations were low of course for a $30 or $15 (incl shipping) watches. The result is very good - all 3 watches are keeping time as any other 5-10 times more expensive watch. Especially I like Bagelsport Milgauss, wearing it right now in my office.

Of course there are weak points too. Wrestling with bracelet took an hour (I have very small wrist). But all 3 watches are abslolutely OK and I plan to buy some watches more from this category.


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## Triton9 (Sep 30, 2011)

That is why DG2813 is my prefer movement for customise or mod project. They are cheap, easily replace and can be man handle. They are actually copy from the proven, robust miyota 8215 movement first then mOdify by the Chinese with hacking and also improve in accuracy. So the movement actually can hack, hand wind and auto wind. All my DG2813 keep within -/+7 seconds. Most accurate one is only -1 second per day.

I believe if they are send for COSC, they will survive the test and get certify but that will bring the price of the watch up and defeat the purpose.

In my opinion, I believeDG2813 is the best movement.


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## IanC (Jul 3, 2010)

You guys are forgetting the pics


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## Reno (Sep 23, 2008)

I'm pretty happy with my two _Bagelsport_ as well

Explo II
BAGELSPORT "EXPLO II" HOMAGE

Milgauss
BAGELSPORT "MILGAUSS" HOMAGE

I'm wearing the later today, actually :-!


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## redcow (Dec 14, 2011)

I've also had a number of very inexpensive Chinese automatics that I bought in markets in Phnom Penh and Saigon. I also found that the watches were remarkably reliable and accurate. However, the big problem was the cases which, here in the tropics, usually started flaking their plating and showing the base metal after a few months, rendering them unwearable. None of the watches were Stainless Steel. I would be curious as to the case/back material of the Bagelsport (incredible name, hold the cream cheese!). Thanks


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## jbbutts (Feb 13, 2012)

I love my Bagelsport Pepsi, and my Soki sub isn't bad either. Both keep great time; however, the Bagelsport is much better in terms of casing.


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## aron (Feb 26, 2009)

Could someone point me to the seller of the bagelsport watches? Haven't had any luck finding one on eBay.


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## Triton9 (Sep 30, 2011)

aron said:


> Could someone point me to the seller of the bagelsport watches? Haven't had any luck finding one on eBay.


Look for ebay seller dengjun2010.


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## Reno (Sep 23, 2008)

redcow said:


> I've also had a number of very inexpensive Chinese automatics that I bought in markets in Phnom Penh and Saigon. I also found that the watches were remarkably reliable and accurate. However, the big problem was the cases which, here in the tropics, usually started flaking their plating and showing the base metal after a few months, rendering them unwearable. None of the watches were Stainless Steel. I would be curious as to the case/back material of the Bagelsport (incredible name, hold the cream cheese!). Thanks


The Bagels are (stainless ?) steel for sure&#8230; so are the bracelets |>

At that price point, that's definitely impressive :think:


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## alfonsodeguzman (Apr 16, 2012)

Grateful if you can please post the link to the Steel Bagelsport Daytona. I saw it once, did not mark it, and now can't find it anymore.


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## Triton9 (Sep 30, 2011)

alfonsodeguzman said:


> Grateful if you can please post the link to the Steel Bagelsport Daytona. I saw it once, did not mark it, and now can't find it anymore.


Its multi function and not real chronograph. Hope you do know that before you hit the buy button.... Check with my post #10.


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## jbbutts (Feb 13, 2012)

Forgot to mention....besides the quality of the Bagel's outer shell, it also hacks and hand winds ....for those of you that find that stuff important!!


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## Afka (Sep 23, 2011)

aron said:


> Could someone point me to the seller of the bagelsport watches? Haven't had any luck finding one on eBay.


Try eBay search Casual Automatic Mechanical Stainless Steel Unisex Wrist Watch


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## Seele (Jan 9, 2010)

My Bagelsport "Milgauss" black dial is working quite well, even though there is a bit of smudging on the dial at one corner of the "3" hour marker; back then the brand was a step below MQJ but it seems to have improved somewhat. Still they are built to a price and at an earlier post I mentioned that they all use very thin springbars, and fitted in such a way that they are bent acutely in the middle. I was not comfortable with the idea, so I took just more than an hour modifying the end links so that they are now held with 1.78 double-flange springbars without bending; to me it's a worthy effort.

Another thing I noticed about my example is that, when the crown is unscrewed completely it does not hand-wind very well; possibly a case of tolerance. That said it is still a nice-looking everyday beater.


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## kwando303 (Feb 17, 2012)

what are the size of these mech? anything < 44mm is small for my wrist.


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## alfonsodeguzman (Apr 16, 2012)

Triton9 said:


> Its multi function and not real chronograph. Hope you do know that before you hit the buy button.... Check with my post #10.


Thanks for the advice. I'm wearing a Kronen & Sohne (KS) that says on its face Chronometer (not), Automatic (not), and Swiss Made (not), costing $23.99 (free shipping) and faster by less than one minute (every 24 hours) than my Seiko Solar -- I will be careful. Have seen neither the Bagelsport site nor your #10, though.


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## Citizen V (Jun 29, 2011)

kwando303 said:


> what are the size of these mech? anything < 44mm is small for my wrist.


Which one? But I think most are smaller than that.


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## goodwolfe (Nov 7, 2010)

here is a Daytona Steel Bagelsport:

NEW LUXURY Black Dial S/STEEL AUTOMATIC MECHANICAL MENS WRIST WATCH GIFT | eBay


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## Texan (Mar 1, 2012)

And here is Weierman Daytona hommage for USD 26.77 shipped:
Discount China Wholesale EIERMAN 8002 Men's Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic Core Watch (Black) [twb36b]- US$26.77 - Picktocart.com


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## goodwolfe (Nov 7, 2010)

The Soki's I have are probably 42 or 43mm, but the Bagelsport Daytona homages are 40mm....I typically prefer a larger watch myself, say 43mm or more (I'm 6'2", 230 lbs), but I think the Bagelsport actually looks fine on my arm........


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## serdal23 (May 15, 2011)

They all look very beautiful, and the accuracy is very impressive!

Thanks a lot for the fotos and info.

Very Best Regards . . .

Capt. Serdal


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## N&S (Jan 13, 2012)

Does anyone know if it is possible to find an ultra cheap Submariner homage in blue and "gold", if such a thing even exists. I remember browsing around here some time ago and seeing a watch exactly like that, but I don't remember in which thread is was or what the watch was called. Nor do I know if it was ultra cheap or not :think:


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## Reno (Sep 23, 2008)

N&S said:


> Does anyone know if it is possible to find an ultra cheap Submariner homage in blue and "gold", if such a thing even exists. I remember browsing around here some time ago and seeing a watch exactly like that, but I don't remember in which thread is was or what the watch was called. Nor do I know if it was ultra cheap or not :think:


How do you like this one :










HEINRICHSSOHN (Bicolor SUB homage)

Available here : eBay | AUTOMATIC SPORT DATE STEEL MEN DIVE WATCH 40MM


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## N&S (Jan 13, 2012)

Reno said:


> How do you like this one :
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, thanks a lot. It's exactly what I was looking for!


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## IanC (Jul 3, 2010)

Whoah, blue and gold looks a lot nicer than i thought it would be.


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## webgyrl (May 25, 2012)

Afka said:


> Of course there are weak points too. Wrestling with bracelet took an hour (I have very small wrist). But all 3 watches are abslolutely OK and I plan to buy some watches more from this category.


Afka, I have just received a SOKI watch that I purchased on eBay and for the life of me I can't figure out how to adjust it. I think this watch might just bee too huge for me. I thought it was a woman's watch but it's not. Can you take some of the links out and if so, how? It took me 30 mins to tug the back open only to realize, it's just far too big for my wrist.







If anyone can enlighten me as to how to adjust this sucker, I'd be grateful!
Thanks!


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## stovey (Apr 22, 2012)

Does the other side of the bracelet happen to look like this? Or is it different?


-- edit -- picture removed - on closer look, they can't be the same


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## Enlight2k (May 16, 2012)

I have 2 Soki watches one is mechanical the other is quartz.


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## stovey (Apr 22, 2012)

$14.24? Wait, what? Okay.










It arrived today, and first impressions are mixed. It worked for about a half hour out of the box, till the minute hand collided with the hour hand around 4:22 pm and the two stuck there. I pulled the movement out and decided the hour hand was bent upwards a bit, so tried to correct that by undoing the bend. It has run the almost 5 hours since then without interruption, but as you can see in the picture, I didn't manage to get the hands aligned correctly yet. I'm waiting to see whether it runs through the night and flips the date wheel before going in and messing with it again.

Operation is very stiff and uncooperative, from the unidirectional bezel that sounds and feels like a pepper grinder, to the stem which takes an awful lot of force to pull out to the hand-setting position and about the same amount of force to push in to the point where it can be screwed down. Everything gives the impression it's going to break when moved. I don't expect a long productive life out of the watch, but am always willing to be surprised.

What to make of the fact that the bracelet fit my 7.5" wrist without adjustment? Somebody with a larger wrist is probably just out of luck. The bracelet feels cheap, but OF COURSE it would. Who has a right to complain at this price point? And it doesn't pull my hair.

It does allow hand winding. There is some lume on the hands and in the single dot at the top of the bezel. There seems to be no lume on the dial.

I'll say more when I've worn it a few days -- if it lasts that long. :-d It does look better than it has a right to, in my opinion.

edit - I just realized *this* bracelet, and not the one I was looking at earlier, might match what "webgyrl" was asking about.

re-edit: a few days later, R.I.P.


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## Perdendosi (May 10, 2012)

What awesome looking watches (for the price). I'm looking for GMT watches. My wife travels all over the world, especially in the summer, and I think it'd be cool if we both had watches that told the other what time it is -- the "home" timezone for my wife and her "traveling" timezone on mine.

I think I'll try the Steel Bagelsport for me, but has anyone seen a cheap Chinese that would work for my wife? She's not opposed to wearing larger watches, but the limit is probably 37mm. I'd really like to get her a medium women's sized watch -- 32-35mm.

There's a quartz VSA that I can get for $150, but it's black faced and very close to what she has already, and I don't know if she'd like it enough for me to spend that sort of money on it (she's already gotten a weight bench, DVD player, universal remote for her home gym, and two seasons of Downton Abbey for her birthday and she's not much of a "gift getter", so spending $150 for a watch is probably too much). 
Anyway, I'm rambling. It can be quartz, but I'd like it to not be digital. And not a "dual time" watch with two separate watch faces, like this one: http://www.worldofwatches.com/detai...campaign=watches&utm_content=GLAMROCK-GR72403

Though it could have a small second dial/hand for the GMT time.

Has anyone seen anything like that for, say $75 or less?

Thanks,
Kyle K.


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## CheapThrills (May 16, 2012)

Has anyone tried these Fineat's?
LUXURY Automatic Mechanical Wrist Watch Mens Date BLUE | eBay

26$. Seller has also some 10$ quartz watches available.

edit:

or this for 18$ Automatic Self Winding Mechanical Wrist Watch Mens Date | eBay


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## fliegher (Feb 24, 2012)

stovey said:


> I pulled the movement out and decided the hour hand was bent upwards a bit, so tried to correct that by undoing the bend.


did you get movement pix or know what is inside?
I am thinking of getting one for my 8 year old.
I also want one to harvest the pips for relume project.


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## boulthamjohnny (Nov 8, 2012)

I have a Feida which is the same as the white Soki except it has a Sun/Moon indicator at 6 o'clock, even has the same Breitling second hand! Very reliable and accurate.

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## chris.ph (Nov 20, 2012)

just got this one for ten pounds, it was supposed to be a massive fifteen quid but the straps werent put on and i had to do it when i complained they refunded a fiver lol


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## Pawl_Buster (Mar 12, 2007)

chris.ph said:


> just got this one for ten pounds, it was supposed to be a massive fifteen quid but the straps werent put on and i had to do it when i complained they refunded a fiver lol


Nice!

What is the little red hand for ... PR?
No seconds hand???


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## chris.ph (Nov 20, 2012)

its a working second hand sub dial


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## Les Wright (Jul 10, 2012)

I haven't had such good luck with my Soki subs, which are now both croaked, but I do have four Soki skeletons that work fine. I only wear one, a nice slim hand-wind, as I find the other three a little to big and "feminine" for my taste. I'll probably give them away.

Bagel has been a much better bet for me. I really like the Subs and Day-Date best of all. I HAVE gotten a couple of duds, and I have murdered a couple in my own efforts to regulate or fix hands or whatnot, but on average, the collection of working pieces gives me a lot of pleasure for an average of under $50 per working piece (i.e., taking into account the cost of the non-working or broken ones).

You do get what you pay for, though. Double the money for any Alpha, and the watch is still affordable but almost always bug free. I own ten, and apart from one warranty fix on a Paul Newman (quickly done), and a replacement movement in a Day-Date due to my bungling, they are serving me well.

I don't think I will bother with Soki or the really cheap mushrooms anymore. Spending extra for somewhat better QC and real SS cases is really worth it.

Les


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## jopex (Jul 27, 2012)

CheapThrills said:


> Has anyone tried these Fineat's?
> LUXURY Automatic Mechanical Wrist Watch Mens Date BLUE | eBay
> 
> 26$. Seller has also some 10$ quartz watches available.
> ...


I have that Fineat AT 2500 homage. Watch is crap. Plating falling off, dust and chrome chips on the dial, bracelet on pair with Vostok, etc. But it's bloody gorgeous.


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## Luisão (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi All,

I have a Jaragar, and I am awaiting the arrival of another (for 23 days!o|). I was pleased and positively surprised with the first, so I decided to risk buying a second Jaragar.

For the price they cost, I think it is well worth buying these cheap watches, well flashy and of great accuracy, which I never thought possible!:-s

As for Bagelsport, not know them personally as I did not have any, for now, but by the positive comments I have read here, I was willing to buy one!:think:


















Cheers,
Luís M


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## proodscot (Feb 21, 2009)

IanC said:


> You guys are forgetting the pics


Do they do white faced dress watches?

Like this?









Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## fliegher (Feb 24, 2012)

Anyone willing to pop the back and get good movement pics, model ID of the movement would be nice too.


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## jopex (Jul 27, 2012)

fliegher said:


> Anyone willing to pop the back and get good movement pics, model ID of the movement would be nice too.


Here are some shots of the Fineat AT homage movement:


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## Thrax (Oct 6, 2012)

_Wrong thread. Derp._


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## fliegher (Feb 24, 2012)

Great pix, thanks
Did you happen to take some with the balance exposed?
Can anyone ID this movement so i can do some research.


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## jopex (Jul 27, 2012)

fliegher said:


> Great pix, thanks
> Did you happen to take some with the balance exposed?
> Can anyone ID this movement so i can do some research.


These are all I have, sorry.


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## fliegher (Feb 24, 2012)

jopex said:


> These are all I have, sorry.


No worries, thanks. If anyone can ID that movement though.
I ended up ordering a few Sokis for my boys as first watches.
For $15 they might end up with really great watches after I go through and regulate them.
Do theses Sokis have lume on the hands?


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## urbanpicasso (Jan 12, 2008)

Where can these movements be purchased? Or do you know who manufactures it?


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## chris.ph (Nov 20, 2012)

i would buy a few soki watches for $15 and just cannibalize them for the movement if you dont need to many


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## roubledhomb (Sep 13, 2012)

fliegher said:


> Great pix, thanks
> Did you happen to take some with the balance exposed?
> Can anyone ID this movement so i can do some research.


well, I bet it is just the standard tongji movement with a modern and properly working autowind module. See the thread https://www.watchuseek.com/f72/looking-_working_-self-winding-tongji-779611.html, for example. Basically it is the same movement which you can find in almost any cheap watch with 3 (or 4, as small second hand may be added) hands and a calendar window. The point is the autowind module. Wasting time on a research is futile since it is the usual movement. Instead go and check the sellers' pages which have pictures of the back (glass back shows the movement). It is easy to identify it then grab it -- the cases may vary, the movement not so much. See e.g. this one: DayBird Auto Mechanical Steel Wrist Watch with Date Display - Free Shipping - DealExtreme --- movement (and case) identical to the Fineat hommage above.


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## fliegher (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks Roubledhomb, that is great, hopefully big enough that a kid can work on it since the order is in.


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## whatmeworry (Jul 31, 2009)

proodscot said:


> Do they do white faced dress watches?
> 
> Like this?
> 
> ...


I have that one. It's a little rough around the edges if you look too closely but I rather like it. Plus I regulated it to within a second a day.


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## gradley (Feb 2, 2015)

Have bought a few cheap Chinese auto mechanical watches to fiddle with, mainly Kronen and Sohne, and have a few Soki and Steel Bagelsports on their way.
I found two of the K&S watches to have very poor power storage by relying on the auto winder, but I have had good results after adding a little oil around the base of the autowinder after reading a few threads about Chinese mechanical watches being poorly oiled from the factory. ( A K&S bar skeleton watch was fine) 
The K&S watches now run fine, the dials are well finished, but the cases have the typical "chromed" look rather than the solid stainless steel look of quality watches.
The movements in the K&S are very well finished and attractive.
After following a few threads here, I purchased a few Steel Bagelsports due to the recommendations of better quality cases and solid links on the bands. 
Looking forward to seeing the difference between the $15 Soki and $35 Bagelsport.


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## FMB42 (Jan 7, 2015)

Welcome to the forums gradley! I've had a Soki W86 diver style for several weeks now. So far I'm surprised at how well it runs, looks, and wears for the < $16 price. It's running just under 3 minutes fast per week at this point. I know that's a bit much even for an ultra affordable mechanical/auto, but I'm going to let it settle in for 3-4 months before I attempt to adjust it, if possible (haven't had the back off yet for a look see). Anyway, looking forward to your Soki vs Steel Bagelsport observations.


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## Theoretical Physician (Jul 9, 2014)

If you don't mind my asking, gradley, where did you manage to find a Bagelsport in 2015? I've been looking for one for a while and I thought I missed the boat...


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## smartwinner (Jan 30, 2015)

Never hear about Bagelsport, sorry!! But I really think so, Some Chinese watch are in good quality and inexpensive


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## hkbob (Mar 11, 2015)

I got a $12 dollar Chinese micro-brand mechanical watch years ago.
I was very happy with everything.
Then after about 2 years, it died - no sputtering, no fits & starts, no sign of anything wrong, just died - as if it was built with a 2-year self-destruct.
Took it to have a look, was told it's cheaper to buy another one than to fix it.
Now I stick to big-brand movements only.

anyone else with a similar experience ?


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## idvsego (Jul 11, 2014)

gradley said:


> Have bought a few cheap Chinese auto mechanical watches to fiddle with, mainly Kronen and Sohne, and have a few Soki and Steel Bagelsports on their way.
> I found two of the K&S watches to have very poor power storage by relying on the auto winder, but I have had good results after adding a little oil around the base of the autowinder after reading a few threads about Chinese mechanical watches being poorly oiled from the factory. ( A K&S bar skeleton watch was fine)
> The K&S watches now run fine, the dials are well finished, but the cases have the typical "chromed" look rather than the solid stainless steel look of quality watches.
> The movements in the K&S are very well finished and attractive.
> ...


Bagelsport? Nice. We're did you manage to find one of those?


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## Jay McQueen (Mar 11, 2015)

Edit.


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