# AK Homme Watches



## rich5665

Has anyone had any experience with an AK Homme Watch?


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## DSLAM

Never heard of them.


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## Chascomm

rich5665 said:


> Has anyone had any experience with an AK Homme Watch?


No experience to offer, but check out the related thread:

https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=343017


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## Stone Hill

They are not bad looking.


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## rich5665

No they're not. Price isn't bad either. I may have to purchase one after I place an order for a Semdu. Of course I'm still working on a Parnis, a Sea-Gull and an Alpha. So many watches, so little money :-(


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## Spac3_nerd

I bought an AK Homme watch a few months ago. It was nice to look at, it was more accurate than I predicted. The problem with it is that the movement is not shock resistant, I dropped mine on the wood flooring in my house, and it stopped working.
The thing about Chinese watches is that they are nice to look at, but may not be durable enough for every day use.Also the water resistance is crap on most of them.


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## Chascomm

Spac3_nerd said:


> I bought an AK Homme watch a few months ago. It was nice to look at, it was more accurate than I predicted. The problem with it is that the movement is not shock resistant, I dropped mine on the wood flooring in my house, and it stopped working.
> The thing about Chinese watches is that they are nice to look at, but may not be durable enough for every day use.Also the water resistance is crap on most of them.


I think you will find that any mechanical watch dropped on a hard surface will sustain damage. That goes for Russian, Japanese and Swiss. They all have 'shockproofing', just like the AK Homme does (there are no Chinese mech movements made without), but that will only protect the balance pivots up to a point.


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## Reecek

I have this model:








and have only had it for just over a month, it keeps very good time, only ran down once and needed to reset the time, the *only problem* is that it is a 39mm and even wearing my reading glasses it's very hard to read the date, the gap between the days is too small and the accuracy fails here and easily get an incorrect reading. Overall though I am very happy with it, and quite hefty weight considering it's size also very quiet!!:-!


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## skywatch

I have an AK (Alias Kim or AK Homme) manual wind skeleton that my housemate gave me when he got a replacement from the seller, due to uneven dial placement. These basically cost the price of shipping from Hong Kong, as you can win the Ebay bid at $.99 and be the only bidder. The supply seems infinite. I must say the seller's service was beyond reproach (free replacement watch for an aesthetic problem, no request to return the first watch) and the watch keeps decent time unadjusted (-40s/24h, stable.)

Having said that, everything about these watches are the cheapest of the cheap. I personally like to play in this bottom tier to teach myself how to regulate movements, and I hope to learn how to lube and clean these disposables before I wreck a nice Seagull or something. One of these years maybe I'll even tear a few apart to appreciate some of the insights that Lysander has offered us here. So, these are ultra cheap and fun to play with, but don't expect a collectable watch.

Here's a picture of the AK along with a $7 "Jaragar" automatic. Note the off-center dials on the Jaragar. Perhaps you'll see the funny little orange paint-dots (we call them bindis :roll on the AK that might have been attempts at looking like jewels on the copper-colored "gold" plate. Neither of these watches appear to have any lubrication on their movements, despite keeping pretty good time. Remember these are just toys, and rather disposable ones at that. But for $10-20, they offer a good chance to learn about mechanical movements.


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## DazMiguel

i have heard of this watch before - theres been much history about these chinese made watches - and sadly the truth speaks for itself once you see what others as well as i have dscovered.

in 2008 - an ebay seller called "Sheffler and Sohne" brought out watches - stated as german watches however the item location was in hong kong - i decided to buy 2 and check them out they arrived in an odd contained with cheap instructions in attemped english and no warranty - i had to get the warranty in actual writing becasue of the simple reason "how does this company know what manufacture date my was when shipped to me to qualify for the 12 months period"

that company soon was terminated or mysteriously desappeared from ebay due to lisitng factors location and warranty - return issues.
I must say winding lasts about 12 hours before needing to be shaken or worn again.

part 2 - last year another company formed in hong kong and listed themselves through ebay as the seller ''schaffer watches''. funny name similar..
same deal on the listing - location stated as Australia however was really in hong kong. They also listed their price in GBP which is ludicrous - if its located in oz, it should AUS currency?

This time this company changed a few details on their terms and cond which were almost identical as the same as the first company i mentioned - different brand names now however some early models were the same! !
except the charge time dropped to 6-8 hours. cheaper parts and terms and conditions changed from 12 month warranty to 180 days
this time i decided to buy another two watches - one was faulty - another works well but doesnt keep the time as accurately.

I know this seems long but im getting to the point..

Another ebay seller ezwatch is selling the same watch as schaffer watches... same looking watch - same terms and conditions these two - even less time - yet they all have this in common - "we do not combine shipping as they are sent direct form the factory - only some discount of 0.05 gbp for purchses of ten or more...

do you see a pattern here??

the addresses were exactly the same in hong kong - differerent names but same apartment block, same high risetower - ALL THE SAME.
i even googled the address of these and other ebay listers of these watches.. same white residential apartments - so why charge 30pounds for shipping fees when other ebay sellers who sell basic watches charge as low as 8aus?

This brings me to AK homme watches...
look at ak homme and another brand IK - the IK skeleton watch with the black bezel that says tachymeter is the same as the shaffer watch - skeleton automatic watch - and the price is different...address maybe the same do your research to see if your AK watch is or was a former brand!

the suppliers of these watches change the labels.. in a year when one of them gets shut down - youll notice your ak homme which maybe faulty, (hey it may work perfectly), be an old brand which has been found by ebay and closed down.. 
i know of at least 12 ebay sellers which are reproducing cheap chinese automatic watches under different labels year after year unoticed.. 
firstly if you are visiting ebay - notice the following.
ask their location - and not just hong kong - most power sellers and big ebay sellers have to provide their details - some list as location hong kong , hong kong, everywhere..
red flag.
also ask WHAT DOES THE 1 YEAR warranty mean? is it local one?? international one? who do they know whom theyve sent a watch to if theres no warranty paper work?
if its not stated check..

i have details on investigations from china police and from the australian government about fraudlent transactions on items like these so called automatic watches.
they cleverly re appear as another company the moment their found out.
currently there are a few ebay watch sellers whom have 5 identities and are selling the same kind of watch incase they get investigated - then they use the other existing ones. so fourth and so fourth.

currently ezwatches or ezwatch and schaffer watches are the same dealer...
im soon finding out about AK homme as theyre relatively new however if you trace the source and go deeper...
i wouldnt be surpised that your ak homme in a year will be a new label...if not already

oh and if you still decide to go ahead with a purchase - you probably do not care that if yours is faulty, youll most likely never get a replacement. or a refund.
stick to the tried and true unless inexpensive or affordable is what youre looking for.
there is more than meets the eye..

2 examples these - are two listings from differetn sellers same watch!!
Men's Mechanical Automatic Stainless Steel Watch I187bk (eBay item 120617061591 end time 03-Dec-10 01:56:47 AEDST) : Jewellery

A-21 NEW SCHAFFER FULL AUTOMATIC SKELETON WATCH BLACK (eBay item 270658745670 end time 07-Nov-10 09:33:04 AEDST) : Jewellery Watches

feel free to email or respond or if you have any questions.. - just beware and do your homework!!


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## DazMiguel

sorry for the spelling mistakes - i hope you understand this mammoth reply...
AK homme will soon be the same as another label soon (if not already)- and could be cheaper could be expensive..


if youd like to do your own research look at the following

scheffler and sohne - proper spelling.
schaffer watches

from sellers ezwatches - ezwatch, egift, all ebay sellers...

read up on it.


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## Pawl_Buster

DazMiguel said:


> sorry for the spelling mistakes - i hope you understand this mammoth reply...
> AK homme will soon be the same as another label soon (if not already)- and could be cheaper could be expensive..
> 
> if youd like to do your own research look at the following
> 
> scheffler and sohne - proper spelling.
> schaffer watches
> 
> from sellers ezwatches - ezwatch, egift, all ebay sellers...
> 
> read up on it.


Good detective work 

This is why they are called 'mushroom' brands; they pop up over night and are soon gone


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## lateasusual

I looked at your links. I've seen this watch on eBay before and the dial layout makes no sense. The Roman numerals in addition to the Arabic numbers? The seconds dial with no second hand? "Zoom" is your friend when looking at eBay watches. You won't believe some of the stuff out there that people buy. Doesn't seem to matter that the only thing functioning are the hour and minute hands. I don't imagine that the subdials work given the price of the watch. Just for looks, likely.


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## DazMiguel

I know what you mean... I think its the skeleton visual of the face that gives it its look. 
Just to let you know i have bought 30 different watches form various ebay sellers of these automatic watches. Im currently compiling a report on which are decent for the dollar value but moreso which are not at all. This watch is superlight. It power reserve (the schaffer one i purchased) is about 3-5 hours. The stainless steel is so light its almost tin like and gives away the watches appeal in reality.
This watch however - is useless in its smaller dials as they have no function. The tachymetre bezel doesnt rotate at all.

JUST FOR LAUGH ON SMALLER DIALS LOOK AT THIS a schaffer watch i had purchased - A-39 SCHAFFER MECHANICAL TOURBILLION AUTOMATIC WATCH W (eBay item 270659152029 end time 08-Nov-10 08:39:30 AEDST) : Jewellery Watches

notice the date at 12 - it says 32?? There is only 31 days in a month at most... right?? ha ha..
So i bought this one and asked the guy from this watch business " why do you say in your terms and conditions that these items are checked before shipping for perfect condition when you dont even know that the while watch itself doesnt work on a correct platform of 12 months 30 days in some months 31 in others etc etc...."!

funnily enough i didnt get a respnse but they soon chaged their picture to the same watch but with a 26 on it... however becasue they had multi listed this watch along like the hundreds of others they forgot to chaged ALL the pictures..

This watch and its dials actually work, but i have no idea what happens when the date goes past 32...its actually stops at 40 !
SO technically these are checked? before shipping... this watch shouldnt even be considered a WATCH - it doesnt keep time...
Perfect grounds for false advertisement - misleading the buyer - oh we could go on here.more legs to stand on than a centipede...

SO the smaller dials do work however theyre so badly put together - if you have a look at the number one reson for bad feed back by buyers are for - A - ''watch broke on the first day first week or when i received it''. 90 percent of the time these arent followed up as the shipping for one watch to hong kong via ems could be 20-50 dollars and just to send one or two to be fixed and then to pay for them to be sent back - by the time you calculate it - youve spent 80aud on a watch you won on ebay for 1GBP, with a shipping charge of 15-25GBP. 
It a farce!
stay tuned i have many wonderful stories on these cheap brands. they act as a virus on the world wide web of business. They spread and rip people off and by the time theyve done their 10-20000 dollars in sales. theyll close up and open again.


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## Pawl_Buster

The date display is normal for 'big date' watches. You will find many Swiss watches that also do this. It is simply because the mechanism is simpler and less expensive to manufacture than on the flips from '31' to'01'
It isn't a design flaw or a malfunction.

The other issues of low reserve, non functional sub dials and bad time keeping are legitimate complaints though.

You should really, really stop buying these things since they bother you so much :-d


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## goranf

DazMiguel said:


> The tachymetre bezel doesnt rotate at all.


Should it really rotate, at all? :wink:


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## DazMiguel

I sort of fell into watch collecting. Many years ago i was given one and didnt really think much of it yet i kept it locked away - only to find it was quite a valuable timepiece. So i have since added to the small collection yet im only a novice who has been given some antiques for some reason. Now theyre kept in lock up. I really appreciate all aspects of watches and their history since reading about them and getting my insurasnce and evaluations on them.

Design flaw or malfunction? Youre right.. its a misleading , false write up of a description that states otherwise. 

I havent 'needed' to buy anymore of these inexpensive things as my reports are pretty much completed. I did notice there are a few stand outs in a few from the many i had purchased. I guess luck played a part back then too when i only won it for a few pounds - (not like the unfortunate ones who had paid the 80-160 pounds for them). 

Cherrs for your insight.


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## Chascomm

goranf said:


> Should it really rotate, at all? :wink:


You're right of course. A tachymetre should not rotate. Really it should by used in the context of a chronograph, but where used with a continuous sweep hand, it serves merely as a passive seconds-to-units reference.


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## DazMiguel

before you consider buying one AK if you do heres an example for you. here is an example of an AK watch currently on the market... note its price.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mens-AK-Homme-White-Automatic-Mechanical-Wrist-Watch_W0QQitemZ270648325123QQcategoryZ31387QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4834611073121263712
Now take a look at schaffer watch - same watch different label . Again note the price.

A-39 SCHAFFER MECHANICAL TOURBILLION AUTOMATIC WATCH W (eBay item 270660049662 end time 10-Nov-10 08:33:19 AEDST) : Jewellery Watches
now yould you buy one at 55 dollars or win one on a bid of 1 GBP?!
 ha ha.. how funny is it?


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## Chascomm

DazMiguel said:


> before you consider buying one AK if you do heres an example for you. here is an example of an AK watch currently on the market... note its price.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mens-AK-Homme-White-Automatic-Mechanical-Wrist-Watch_W0QQitemZ270648325123QQcategoryZ31387QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4834611073121263712
> Now take a look at schaffer watch - same watch different label . Again note the price.
> 
> A-39 SCHAFFER MECHANICAL TOURBILLION AUTOMATIC WATCH W (eBay item 270660049662 end time 10-Nov-10 08:33:19 AEDST) : Jewellery Watches
> now yould you buy one at 55 dollars or win one on a bid of 1 GBP?!
> ha ha.. how funny is it?


It goes to show that at this end of the market, one does not buy the brand, one buys the design i.e. the mushroom brand may source their watches from a variety of off-the-shelf OEM assemblers, whereas there may be certain designs that all come from one source. If it's good for one brand it should be good for another. Under these circumstances, a brand is not an attibute, but it may be a detriment if the name sounds silly or the logo looks naff. I know I'd rather have a 'Schaffer' than an 'AK Homme' or a 'Winner' or a 'Flent', all other aspects of the watch being identical.


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## Seele

Chascomm said:


> It goes to show that at this end of the market, one does not buy the brand, one buys the design i.e. the mushroom brand may source their watches from a variety of off-the-shelf OEM assemblers, whereas there may be certain designs that all come from one source. If it's good for one brand it should be good for another. Under these circumstances, a brand is not an attibute, but it may be a detriment if the name sounds silly or the logo looks naff. I know I'd rather have a 'Schaffer' than an 'AK Homme' or a 'Winner' or a 'Flent', all other aspects of the watch being identical.


Chascomm,

I guess I would not even use the word "design", but rather "styling": unlike design, styling does not care much about the functionality, but focuses on appearance alone. So you get watches with non-functioning subdials (printed on the dial), bogus markings (such as verbatim copy of Rolex or Omega), pointless functions (duplicate second hands), pretend finishing (textured sticker on a plain rotor) etc.

This reminds me of the car Homer Simpson "designed" for his brother, the difference is that the "features" on these watches are dishonest.


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## Castorquick

DazMiguel said:


> sorry for the spelling mistakes - i hope you understand this mammoth reply...
> AK homme will soon be the same as another label soon (if not already)- and could be cheaper could be expensive..
> 
> if youd like to do your own research look at the following
> 
> scheffler and sohne - proper spelling.
> schaffer watches
> 
> from sellers ezwatches - ezwatch, egift, all ebay sellers...
> 
> read up on it.


Good day,

Could you please tell me what you now think of AK Homme watches, after having posted this in 2010?
It seems that the brand name does still exist!?
Actually, I'm asking because I'm asking because I'm considering buying of these AK Homme watches, but I'm looking for some advice.

Thanks very much


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## IanC

Most AK Homme watches are like $10 on ebay, so don't expect much in quality...


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## russr1123

I had considered buying a skeleton AK Homme watch, but I was concerned about how long it would last.


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## IanC

Hmm well at that price, if it lasts for half a year and dies, its not much of a loss.

Ive got a flent (similar quality) and its been running for about a year now. No major issues except a faulty power reserve, but thats not much of a big deal since i rotate my watches.


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