The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

I present to you my Swatch, which I received as a gift as a volunteer at the 2024 Olympic Games. I was a basketball volunteer in Lille, helping the athletes.
Before that, I didn't collect watches at all and only had an old Festina that I've had for over 20 years. Then I went to a Swatch store to buy a blue model, and that's when I discovered the MoonSwatch. That's really when I started collecting watches.

This model is quite exclusive: each volunteer has had one, so around 45,000 in total. You can sometimes find them on Vinted or Le Bon Coin, but this one is mine, full of memories of my 10 days of volunteering, seeing all the basketball players in the locker rooms at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium.

The watch is small, 33 mm, with no stop-seconds on the quartz. The strap is integrated; it's an almost disposable watch, and honestly, I've almost never worn it, except for the volunteer appreciation event at the town hall.

You may or may not like the design; personally, I'm not a fan, but I'll soon introduce you to the blue chronograph model, which I love.
It has an NFC chip for paying with Visa, but it only works with a few banks.

I keep this watch with all my bags and clothing, as a precious souvenir of this unique experience of volunteering at the Olympics.

A quick note: a model is for sale, with a different design than the volunteers', but at €90, I find it really too expensive for the quality.

The SWATCH watch for volunteers at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

I got this watch from my grandfather, and I didn't know it.

A LIP from the 2000s-2010s, quartz with a reverso system that reveals a compass.

The original rubber strap is very comfortable to wear. The dial is small at 25mm, but on a 40mm case, it doesn't feel too small, and the watch has a certain bulky feel, which I really like.

The watch is water-resistant (there is a gasket), but I don't know to what extent. The indexes on the bezel are superb, and its look is striking.

I should add that we're talking about a watch between €50 and €100, but for me, it's filled with emotion and nostalgia and has an important place in my collection.

Its only flaw is the alignment of the second hand with the indexes (like almost all quartz watches).

My grandfather's lip

Sorry, I cheated, the Pindu brand isn't listed, but I admit this watch is worth a look. It's a chinoiserie, yes, a copy/inspiration from the famous Jacob & CO roulette wheel. Here we're talking about a watch that ranges between €230 and €280 on AliExpress.

The watch features an NH 35 caliber, which I love. It has two hands, hour/minute hands, and a functional roulette wheel around the dial. A launcher allows the roulette wheel to spin very quickly, and the ball starts spinning. A must-wear item at the casino.

The strap is surprisingly high-quality, made of faux crocodile leather, and the clasp is all in gold PVD, like the case.

Note that it's large, 46mm in diameter, 16mm thick, and has a 22mm lug width.

Jacob and Co roulette from Ali Express

Here's an OMNIS EON, which features the wandering hour complication. Like the ERA, I love this case shape, and I wanted a wandering hour. I love fun mechanisms on watches, as well as original complications.

I really like the entire disc mechanism as well as its jet turbine-shaped oscillating weight.

The lum is also great, but the minute markers (beginning/middle/end) are missing a fixed point, making it difficult to read the time in the dark.

Setting the time is a real pleasure every time.

On the downside, reading the time is difficult, not because of the wandering hour, but because the minute marker scale is imprecise, very imprecise.
The Omnis rubber strap (curved and without a quick release) is cheap. The Myota Series 8. I'm not a fan of this caliber, but it gets the job done.

I really like this watch; it's a real icebreaker, whether the person in front of me likes watches or not.

An accessible wandering hour

I saw this watch in a store when I wanted to buy the blue watch for the 2024 Olympics (I'll come back to this later).
I saw this watch and the wow effect!
I hesitated between the black and the brown one and I settled on this Saturn.

I didn't know much about the watch world until a year ago, and since then, I've been collecting!

I loved the shape and the strap. The subdial with the planet Saturn on the small seconds dial at 6 o'clock, I love it.

The only criticism is the plastic, it's cheap, and the crown... every time I have to handle it, I'm afraid of breaking it.

THE watch that started my watch collection

As a fan of space and especially meteorites, I wanted a dial made of this material. I'm a knife fan and already own one of this material.

I opted for the Omnis for its price, under 500, even 450 with a 10% discount.

The dial is hypnotic for me. It's a real pleasure every day to check the time, see the dial, lower your wrist when you've forgotten to read the time, it's fantastic :)
The indexes are well placed and very beautiful in my opinion. AND the shape of the shiny stainless steel case, I love it.

That said, I have a few criticisms. The rubber strap is a bit curved, with no quick release... in truth, the quality of the strap is cheap and a pain to take off and put on. I've had the Luna since then, and the strap is already better quality.
The movement, for a meteorite watch, I would have preferred a Myota Series 9 rather than a Series 8.
The date window, AHHHH but why? I love dates, but here, it really spoils the dial, and what's more, cut raw and without a frame at the ghichet, ..., no really, it's ugly.
The oscillating weight is stained black, or with oil residue, a shame.
The packaging, OK, we're not buying a box, but I didn't like the box, a mini plastic tactical suitcase.
Take the Boderry, for example, plastic but shaped like a ship's container, it's cool.
The lume of the hands is different from that of the indexes, a detail but a shame.

Finally, for me, the BLACK POINT of this watch is that there is no certificate of origin of the meteorite... unforgivable for me. I got the information about the origin later on the phone, but it's really a shame. If we're going to make a meteorite, we need to know its origin.



A piece of space on the wrist

You'll find countless articles and videos about this Seagull 1963, a reissue of the first watch for the Chinese Army. A reissue of the first watch for the Chinese Air Force after World War II.

An automatic chronograph, hand-wound, column-wheel movement, originally derived from the VENUS Cal175. Add a 40mm diameter, sapphire crystal, and a bit of lum... Find me one in Europe for €113 (purchase price in 2024)? The answer is simple: it doesn't exist, and no European watch can come close.

I don't have enough experience with its maintenance; we'll see then.

Also note that the watch comes on a brown leather strap with quick release and a black and khaki green NATO strap, but I put it on a sage green rubber strap for summer, which I think suits it well.

The chronograph's mechanism, with the minute hand jumping from minute to minute, is brilliant, and I never tire of turning it over to see the caliber. It's INCREDIBLE.

At this price! UNBEATABLE

This is my second automatic watch purchased online. I didn't know much about it, but I knew Seiko by reputation. I wanted an automatic watch with a blue dial and a steel bracelet, and I came across this little Seiko, purchased for just under €120 (today, summer 2025, it's closer to €180/200).

The watch is small with a 37mm dial, but I find it fits even on my large wrist of almost 20cm. So, adjusting the bracelet was easy; no links had to be removed!

I find it really elegant, and the lume is perfect. I love the date and day, black writing from Monday to Friday, blue for Saturday, and red for Sunday. I love it. You can choose between English and Japanese. The finishing is really good (except for the bracelet, which looks a bit cheap).

The glass is fragile; I have a small scratch, even though I take care of it. The caliber itself... it drifts quite a bit, between 20 and 30 seconds per day. And there is no stop second on this 7S26 caliber. Furthermore, there is no manual winding, only automatic. It's one of my rare watches that I leave on the winder.

First Seiko

I bought this watch after a year of consideration. I passed by the Hic et Nunc boutique in Tarascon (13) in the summer of 2024 and spoke with the watchmaker, who is the only in-store Sturmanskie dealer in France.
This summer of 2025, I fell in love with this 42mm Gagarin.
I loved its cream-colored indexes and its background, which varied between black and charcoal gray (see Khaki). I love its Cyrillic inscriptions, and having lived in Russia, specifically in Kaluga, the story of Yuri Gagarin speaks to me deeply. I wanted to start my space watch collection with the first watch to leave Earth.

I'm very disappointed with the original strap. In terms of comfort and aesthetics, I'll change it for a black or brown patinated leather strap. I'll see.

I also love the engraved case back and the screw attachment on the four corners at the lugs.



My first watch having been in space

A quartz watch. Three hands. Plastic.
A watch I'm never afraid to wear.
As a side note: When I bought a box to store my early collection, I bought this watch to reach the amount so I wouldn't have to pay shipping. Less than €20. And I think it's pretty.
Like an Opinel that costs €10. I'm not afraid of damaging it. Of wearing it. Of losing it. Of having it stolen.
It's light. I think it's pretty. And I really enjoy wearing it.

The strap is inexpensive and incredibly comfortable against the skin.

The Opinel of the watch.

I've been collecting watches for less than a year, and the PRX is my first Swiss-made mechanical watch (I also have a few quartz Swatches).
I literally fell in love with the PRX and wanted to wait a few weeks or months before buying it, then the Goldorak version arrived. Nostalgia, when you hold us!
I searched for nostalgic adjectives, and it wasn't there.

Beyond the Goldorak aspect, which I'm putting aside, I fell in love with the PRX because of its geometric barrel shape with the round bezel that seems to go through the barrel.

Furthermore, I really like the links on this bracelet.

Basically, a sporty chic watch (as they say :) ) with a steel bracelet and blue dial, which is exactly what I wanted.

Delighted with the reliability and precision of this Powermatic 80. Nothing to complain about.

The Goldorak elements are just perfect in my opinion, not too much, not too little. The packaging is magical too!!! The only downside, I find the luminol... really insufficient, both on the hands and indexes, but also on the Goldorak itself.
Last point, as much as I like the strap, I'm not a fan of this clasp. It's pretty in my opinion, but in terms of wearing comfort, it's not extraordinary.

Overall, I love this watch. I already liked the PRX, but with this touch of GOLDORAK nostalgia, I'm a fan.

My first automatic Swiss watch

This magnificent watch is full of history. Indeed, during the first manned space flight on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin wore this Sturmanskie on his wrist, making it the first watch to accompany a human being in space.

Being passionate about space and watchmaking, this watch is one of the must-haves in a collection.

To talk a little more about the watch, its case is very small. I would say a 36 to be confirmed but it looks magnificent

Forever the first

La marque&nbsp;Serica a &eacute;t&eacute; cr&eacute;&eacute;e en 2019 par J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget et 3 amis &agrave; Paris, en France. Le nom Serica vient d'une r&eacute;gion perdue au bout de l'Extr&ecirc;me-Orient que les Grecs et les Romains avaient baptis&eacute;e ainsi. Ce lieu fait &eacute;cho &agrave; la gen&egrave;se de la marque, qui vise &agrave; concevoir des montres m&eacute;caniques de qualit&eacute; au style n&eacute;or&eacute;tro, pr&ecirc;tes &agrave; vous suivre aux confins du monde.
La gamme comprend des montres telles que la <a title="Page Serica 4512" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, la <a title="Page Serica 5303" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> et la <a title="Page Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. L'une des particularit&eacute;s de cette marque est que son nom n'appara&icirc;t nulle part sur le cadran, afin de pousser le passionn&eacute; &agrave; acheter un design, des finitions et des proportions, et pas seulement un nom. En juillet 2023, Serica a lanc&eacute; la Serica 5303 COSC une version chronom&egrave;tre certifi&eacute;e par le Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres.
Leur avant-dernier mod&egrave;le est la <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfant sur les bases de la 1&egrave;re r&eacute;f&eacute;rence de la marque, la Serica 4512. Cette 6190 &eacute;pouse les codes stylistiques de la marque, des anses lyres, un choix de cadrans diff&eacute;rents et la possibilit&eacute; de choisir la position de la couronne &agrave; 3 heures ou en mode "Destro" &agrave; 9 heures. Cette Serica 6190 est &eacute;quip&eacute; du calibre Soprod M100 certifi&eacute; COSC (Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres) &agrave; l'intar des productions actuelles des autres mod&egrave;les 5303 et 8315.&nbsp;
Depuis le 21 novembre 2024, Serica propose une nouvelle collection tr&egrave;s audacieuse...&nbsp;Une montre habill&eacute;e sortant des sentiers battus nomm&eacute;e "Parade" sous la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence 1174. Ces 4 chiffres, comme toutes les autres r&eacute;f&eacute;rences Serica, propose une symbolique issue du nombre d'or ou divines proportions dont le ratio entre la longeur et la largeur sont de 1,174... Une nouveaut&eacute; propos&eacute;e en pr&eacute;-commande &agrave; 1,490 &euro; pour une livraison pr&eacute;vue en Mars 2025...
<h2>Quel est le prix d'une montre Serica ?</h2>
Les prix des montres Serica &eacute;voluent et diff&eacute;rent selon les mod&egrave;les. La plupart co&ucirc;tent entre 990 &euro; et 1,890 &euro; selon les mod&egrave;les et finitions. Le mod&egrave;le GMT de la marque, Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre co&ucirc;te 1,890 &euro; tandis que le dernier mod&egrave;le lanc&eacute; par Serica, la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">6190</a> est propos&eacute;e &agrave; 990 &euro;.
Serica est ind&eacute;pendante et produit environ 5,000 montres par an, tous mod&egrave;les confondus. Serica fait partie du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_francaises">Top 10 des marques de montres fran&ccedil;aises les plus populaires</a>, ainsi que du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_micro_marques_de_montres">Classement des meilleures micro-marques de montres</a>. Pour choisir le mod&egrave;le Serica qui vous correspond le mieux,&nbsp;les avis clients Dialicious sont une ressource essentielle pour &eacute;valuer les diff&eacute;rents mod&egrave;les &agrave; travers l'exp&eacute;rience r&eacute;elle des clients
(Mise &agrave; jour Novembre 2024)

The brand Serica was created in 2019 by J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget and 3 friends in Paris, France. The name Serica comes from a lost region at the end of the Far East that the Greeks and Romans named it like this. This place echoes the genesis of the brand, which aims to design quality mechanical watches in a neo-retro style, ready to follow you to the ends of the world.
The range includes watches such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. One of the particularities of this brand is that its name does not appear anywhere on the dial, in order to encourage the enthusiast to buy a design, finishes and proportions, and not just a name. In July 2023, Serica launched the Serica 5303 COSC, a chronometer version certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfing on the bases of the brand's first reference, the Serica 4512. This 6190 follows the stylistic codes of the brand, lyre lugs, a choice of different dials and the possibility of choosing the position of the crown at 3 o'clock or at &ldquo;Destro&rdquo; mode at 9 o&rsquo;clock. This Serica 6190 is powered with the Soprod M100 caliber COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Certification) certified, like the current productions of the other 5303 and 8315 models.&nbsp;
Since November 21, 2024, Serica has been offering a very daring new collection... A dress watch off the beaten track called &ldquo;Parade&rdquo; under the reference 1174. These 4 figures, like all other Serica references, offer a symbolism derived from the golden number or divine proportions whose ratio between length and width is 1.174... A novelty offered for pre-order at &euro; 1,490 for one delivery planned for March 2025...
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does a Serica watch cost?</h2>
The prices of Serica watches change and differ depending on the model. Most cost between &euro; 990 and &euro; 1,890 depending on the models and finishes. The brand's GMT model, Serica 8315 GMT Chronometer costs &euro; 1,890 while the latest model launched by Serica, the reference&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">6190</a> is offered to &euro; 990.
Serica is independent and produces around 5,000 watches per year, all models combined. Serica is part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://preprod.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_french_watch_brands">Top 10 most popular French watch brands</a>, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_micro_watch_brands">ranking the best micro watch brands</a>. To choose the Serica model that best suits you, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190 reviews</a> or <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315 reviews</a> are an #1 resource for evaluating different models through real customer experience.
(Updated December 2025)

Sturmanskie Gagarin Heritage Owner Review : Readable, humble and exotic

My first watch having been in space

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Sturmanskie Gagarin Heritage Owner Review : Readable, humble and exotic

My first watch having been in space

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Sturmanskie?

YOU ARE :

Other reviews published by Godo84

Swatch

Lip

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Customize your Sturmanskie with our selection of accessories:

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