The New Quartz Crisis: How Chinese Brands Are Disrupting The Industry.

Can the "Made in China" label do to Seiko and Citizen what the Quartz Crisis did to the Swiss? In the 1970s, the Japanese Quartz Revolution nearly destroyed the Swiss mechanical watch industry by offering superior accuracy at a fraction of the cost. Today, we are seeing a massive shift in the market again—but this time, the disruption is coming from the East.
​With brands like San Martin, Baltany, Pagani Design, and Steeldive offering luxury-level finishing, sapphire crystals, and even tourbillons for the price of a basic Seiko 5, the "value proposition" of Japanese entry-level watches is being challenged like never before.

In this video, we dive into:
• ​The Parallel: How today's Chinese "Spec-Monsters" mimic the 1970s Japanese strategy.
• The huge innovations adopted by Chinese Watch manufacturers
• ​The Movement War: Why the Seiko NH35 is both the engine of Chinese success and a threat to Japan’s dominance.
The Brand Barrier: Can Chinese manufacturers overcome the "prestige" gap that Japan eventually conquered?
• ​Finishing & Quality: Comparing the finishing of a $65 Steeldive vs. a $500 Seiko or Citizen.
• ​The Future for the channel: Do I accept an AliExpress affiliation offer?
​Is it time to stop calling them "homages" and start calling them "the new standard"? Let’s discuss.

Join the Conversation:
​Are you still buying Japanese entry-level watches, or have you switched to Chinese brands for the better specs? Let me know in the comments below! 👇
​#Watches #Horology #QuartzCrisis #Seiko #SanMartin #ChineseWatches #Baltany #WatchCollecting #Citizen #Steeldive #aliexpress

00:00 The Trigger
03:01 Chinese Quality
04:53 Price
05:37 Variety
06:47 Innovation
08:49 My Proposal