avalosc 0 Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) A lot has been expressed about the inconsistencies of Parnis watches in these as well as other forums. “It’s either a hit or miss.” I would like to offer my review of four Parnis Rolex homage watches (really five). I like to go a bit more in depth in explaining any inconsistencies I have found between the watches due to the various sellers who assemble these watches. The watches being reviewed are the Submariner(the other one is my beater watch), GMT Master II, Explorer I, and, Datejust II. (I hope to add the Explorer II in the near future, but not just yet) Having all five watches with me is great because I can do a fairly good comparison. Both in terms of quality control as well highlight the differences between the various sellers. This last point is pretty important because I believe having all these different assemblers lead to inconsistency in quality. Let's begin with the Submariner's. The third shot is of the two Submariners I own. On the left is an older watch, on the right, a much newer one I got. The major differences I have noticed, are in the dials. The left Submariner has a “maxi dial,” the right one has a regular dial (see picture 2) (I have also returned another Submariner watch because the marking on the dial were tiny). The size difference in the markers is not that noticeable, but to anyone obsessed with these small details, they make it seem much larger. Likewise, the date wheels seem different (due to cyclops no doubt). The numbers on the date wheel on the left watch have nicer, larger numbers. The next difference I want to highlight is the bezel. The grooves are different in both of the watches. The watch on the right has significantly deeper grooves (which I find really nice because the bezel is easier to turn). The bezel clicks feel different and sound different as well. The watch on the right has a smoother turn and a deep sounding clicking noise. The left watch is a bit harder to turn and sounds really sharp. As with the other Parnis Rolex homage watches, you will never know which bracelet clasp you will get. It will either be a standard clasp as in the Datejust II , a fliplock clasp shown in the Submariner and GMT, or a fliplock clasp with the glidelock extension system, Explorer I. (All bracelets that come with the watches have polished center links, I obviously took the polish off). Let’s move on to the next watch, the GMT Master II. The body is the same as the Submariner. The dial has the “maxi markers” and the cyclops magnification is excellent. The only "con" is the bezel grooves are not as deep. Personally, I prefer deeper grooves. Plus it would be closer to the actual thing. The next watch is the Explorer I. Beautiful dial (dark charcoal, so no, not really black, and yes that bothers me), fantastic bracelet (glidelock extension), my only problem with this watch is the case. It’s the thickest out of all 4 watches and thus make the proportions feel a bit odd. The difference in the cases is only about a millimeter in a half, but that millimeter in a half is enough to throw the proportions off (I took the polish off on the lugs).The case features a double case back. I have no idea why, perhaps to shield the movement from water, magnetic fields, etc. I just don't know. Anyway, taking off one of the backs slims the watch down, thus making the proportions not feel as odd. Finally, we arrive at the Datejust II. The dial is not black but like the Explorer I, it's something close to a light dark charcoal. My biggest quip with this watch is the magnification on the cyclops, its something closer to 1.5 (I plan on changing the crystal eventually). Either way, I have no idea why we (the consumer) are getting a bad magnification when the other replicas offer 2.5 magnification. This seems like an easy detail to correct, and not necessarily more expensive. Under certain lighting, this watch just radiates, it's a great choice for a dress watch. It also feels slimmer, so as a dress/flexible watch, it works really well. I should point out that some of the wrist shots make the watches look enormous. Truth be told, the size 40mm feels perfect for my 6.75" wrists. As a designer, I really appreciate what Rolex has been doing with the scale on their watches, introducing the maxi case and maxi dials looks good. It's a natural evolution in design without resorting to having dinner-plates on our wrists. Unless of course you are going for that look. Overall, all watches I have received thus have been rather sporadic in their timekeeping. I will publish results in the near future. It is probably wise to give them more time to "break" in. What I can say is the old Submariner I have keeps time within +5 sec per day (I have owned this watch for 6 months). So, not bad for the price. I play tennis in my beater Submariner and that usually bumps up the time to about +- 15 sec per day, so also, not bad. With cheaper watches we can expect a lower quality control, this is a given. What I however am trying to argue, is different assemblers source different parts. This is apparent in the dials, the crystals (most likely the date magnification window), the bezels, the bracelets, and the crowns (the Submariner’s have different crowns). So the question becomes, who to buy from? In my opinion, it seems wiser to buy off ebay since the sellers have smaller lots, and the pictures of their products are up to date. So what you see, is what you get. I hope to update this post, add more information, etc. So it is a work in progress. I'm including a flickr set with the images referenced above and more wrist shots as well. (Yes the pictures aren't great, I will update in the near future). UPDATE: I have added a lumeshot to the flickr set. As you can see the lume is decent on the Submariner and GMT II Master, and very poor on the Explorer I and Datejust II. (The watches were left in sunlight for an hour). Overall, the lume is still pretty poor in relation to other watches. So don't count on it if you need it in the dark. UPDATE 2: I have been conducting accuracy tests on the watches, but it seems like I will need more time. Sometimes, one watch runs within +10 sec per day, and other times it runs at +30 sec per day (this is with the watch laying on a table mind you). So yeah, that is very scary. Therefore, I do believe they need some more breaking in before I publish said results. UPDATE 3: The simple solution thus far has been to regulate the watches. They are all now running with +-5 sec per day. Some wrist shots. I have since switched out the bezel on the beat up submariner and now it looks like this, Changed the date magnifier on the Datejust II www.flickr.com/photos/43377392@N06/sets/72157631215447388/ Edited December 19, 2012 by avalosc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Member X 91 Posted August 24, 2012 www.flickr.com/photos/43377392@N06/sets/72157631215447388 Great review and pictures, thank you I've got a couple of older sterile GMT homages that I believe are Parnis, and they are great quality! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyKrush 16 Posted September 2, 2012 Nice review and a good first post! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGPS 0 Posted September 2, 2012 Great read of a very well review! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baxter 6 Posted September 2, 2012 Top review and images !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avalosc 0 Posted September 2, 2012 Thanks guys! I am currently running an accuracy test on the watches. The results have thus far been surprising. I'll update as soon as my tests are concluded. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyKrush 16 Posted September 2, 2012 What the what? A new member that's actually reviewing watches and not asking us to rate an unknown dealer... nice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avalosc 0 Posted September 2, 2012 I just remembered the other day that I did not include the names. The Submariner and GMT were from Parnishop.com (excellent shipping and communication) The Datejust II was from Dajiwatch (good communication, I returned another watch I bought from them), The Explorer I and The beater Submariner were from an Ebay seller. I'll add this to the original post and write it a bit more eloquently. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evoturbo 0 Posted October 28, 2012 parnishop.com is a thief. buy a watch on the web parnishop.com photos and sent me a different one. do not return the money and will not change the clock. are swindlers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Member X 91 Posted October 29, 2012 I am sorry to hear that. What did you order? What did you get sent? Do you have pictures? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avalosc 0 Posted October 31, 2012 parnishop.com is a thief. buy a watch on the web parnishop.com photos and sent me a different one. do not return the money and will not change the clock. are swindlers So sorry to hear that man. I've had good communication the two times I ordered from them. I asked a couple of questions because they mislabeled something and they even offered to send me a rep instead of a sterile watch for the same price. The only return I've made was with dajiwatch. Good communication with them, I actually had to label pictures because their English wasn't so good. They got the point I was trying to make either way. I wasn't able to get tracking on the watch and to be honest was not sure if they got the return, they however very promptly gave me a bigger refund. When I first ordered the watches I wasn't too aware of the sellers. Next time you buy something make sure its from sellers with a good reputation in these boards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hnic 1 Posted October 31, 2012 great first post thanks for posting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HouRangRvr 0 Posted December 6, 2013 Great post! It was the first one I read after joining a few weeks ago. Do you have any suggestions on where I could go in the forum to find more information on modding or assembling Sub homage watches? I've been browsing, and still have more reading to do, but figured maybe this is a better question to ask than "Where is the cheapest Rolex rep available ?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike70sk 0 Posted May 7, 2014 (edited) What do you guys think of sterile dial ?, i think some company's over do it with logos, but i find the sterile dials a little bland. i been debating on if i should get a parnis datejust and explorer 1, or buy the reps with 21j, in terms of durability, parnis are legal to make so the working conditions are qc should be better then reps. I'm leaning towards the reps as the sterile dial seems bland. what you guys think ? Edited May 7, 2014 by mike70sk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
avalosc 0 Posted May 13, 2014 What do you guys think of sterile dial ?, i think some company's over do it with logos, but i find the sterile dials a little bland. i been debating on if i should get a parnis datejust and explorer 1, or buy the reps with 21j, in terms of durability, parnis are legal to make so the working conditions are qc should be better then reps. I'm leaning towards the reps as the sterile dial seems bland. what you guys think ? To be honest, I'm so over them. I have mainly used those watches to tinker with them and learn, or have given them away. Just get replicas. The biggest difference is the feeling. With sterile dials no one even cares. With dials stamped with logos, people seem to always ask and look. Not always of course. But its a particular feeling. As always, dress the part though. Still have an explorer if you are interested. For you, dirt cheap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AsianParts 0 Posted April 6, 2016 Hi, Thanks for all these info. I personnaly own 2 sterile GMT from Parnis (1 with orange GMT hand and 1 with bleu hand + black / blue insert bezel). Both are working fine with their DG / Asian 2813 (hacking) movement around +/- 15 sec/day. I agree for the band ... its impossible to know the band you will received when ordering! Now some complains : - the ceramic insert bezel on one GMT was missing some white painting - the back of the watch is very very hard to unscrew (I love checking movement one new watches I receive). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites