WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner

Another Ginault review...

7K views 50 replies 29 participants last post by  Avo 
#1 · (Edited)
Before I start I just want to lay this out there:
I was not going to buy this watch. I have been looking for a decent 16610 homage for quite some time. So I decided to pick one up. If I had to find a case, movement and other components separately they would have cost me more than what I paid for this watch.

TO BE CLEAR:
I am in no way interested in getting into any debate about any claims made by Ginault. I am only showing you what this watch looks like and fulfilling my obligation to them to get the discount. Please do not make comments about their Made in America claims as that horse has been beat to death and we will not resolve anything here. This is just an honest review of a homage watch.

I placed my order and this watch was shipped priority mail and they wasted no time shipping it to me. It was well packaged and comes in an attractive presentation box with warranty paper and another paper showing accuracy of your watch.





The watch has plastic film on almost every surface when it arrives and you must peal it off to see the dial.


The watch feels nice in hand and does feel of a nice quality. The bezel is a bit stiff until it has been turned a few rotations. It has solid clicks and the clicks sound good. They are not tinny and it feels solid when turning.

The bracelet looks just like the Rolex glidelock bracelet. It does not have the same feel. There is a bit more play between the links and the metal used has a slightly different feel. The glidelock lock clasp is well put together and has very little slop. If you have handled one from Parnis and then the Ginault you will see that the Ginault is superior in every way. Ginault vs the Rolex and there is no contest Rolex wins hands down. But the Rolex bracelet is $2000 and the Ginault is included with the watch at the $580 price. The Ginault bracelet adjusts very easily and the bracelet does not feel flimsy at all.



Rolex bracelet



Side by side


The watch it's self if a beautiful watch. The case is to be a 1:1 with the Rolex and as far as I can tell they have done that. The fit and finish are excellent and I don't see any issues with the case. Some homage watches have trouble with fit and finish this one does not. It is a very high quality case and the polished and brushed surfaces are superb.


There are some light machine marks on the case. They are very difficult to see but they are there. I had a very hard time photographing them but I did get a shot that shows them. They do not detract from the watch. They are very hard to see.


All the info on the case back can be found on the dial. It does not detract from the overall watch.



The dial has a very nice gloss finish. As for the text on the dial either you are into that sort of thing or you are not. It bugged me when I first saw it in the advertisement but it does not bug me when seeing the watch in my hand.

I like sword hands but I'd prefer Mercedes. That said there is nothing wrong with the hands on this watch. I can see no imperfections on them. They have a high quality finish. Also the lume is not visible on the edges of the hands like it can be on other watches. Speaking of lume the lume on this watch is pretty nice. It glows very strong just after it is charged. It glows evenly over all the indicators and hands.

The crystal is a beautiful domed sapphire. It has a very nice polished edge similar to the Tudor Blackbay. It is very attractive.














The crown is signed and operates very nice. There is no grit and no issues with the threads engaging.


I do not keep track of how many seconds my watches are off per day. I have quite a large number of watches so I could not care less if they are off a few seconds here or there because when I pick up a watch I wind it and set the time and go. I say this because I have not checked the accuracy of this watch.

The movement: it does what it should and the watch keeps time. The seconds hand sweeps and does not shudder. I removed the case back a took a photograph of the movement.



I bought this watch because I wanted a high quality homage of this model of watch. I read a few reviews and it seemed to fit the bill. When I received the watch I was not disappointed.

I do not want this thread to turn into a debate of where parts were sourced. This is only a review of the watch from a quality and ascetic point of view.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
See less See more
30
#7 · (Edited)
Bracelet feels heavier than the Parnis but not the Rolex. And for anyone interested in the comparison to Tisell, the Parnis and Tisell bracelet feel the same to me. The Ginault is a way nicer bracelet than those two. The Rolex just feels more robust. I think that the bracelet is very well done on the Ginault. I have watches I have paid more for than the Ginault where the bracelet isn't as nice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
Straight to the point and appreciate the close up pics. Right on.
 
#16 ·
Randy, I realize that you are not a professional watchmaker, and haven't actually disassembled the movement, but in your opinion and experience as a watch modding hobbyist, how does the movement compare to the ETA 2824-2 Elabore?

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” -- Thomas H. Huxley

Follow me on Instagram - @lifetrekker_
 
  • Like
Reactions: dan_bsht
#30 ·
Actually bit off topic, but as I posted previous I would love to know the history of the Mercedes hands, but so far I have drawn a blank re the start, so if anyone can enlightened I would be really interested. It seems a lot of companies way back used these and similar hands as they supported the lume better than open circles. From my research nothing to do with Rolex at all, but curious where it all started, just to know.
Chris
 
#43 ·
I'm tempted but the absurd writing on the dial prevents it.
I'm amazed at how much people care about this. It seems like a very minor point to me. I like my Ginault as it is, and I my Makara Hawsksbill (which says simply "Makara" at the top of the dial and "300 M" at the bottom) as it is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mf1tym
#39 ·
@rbesass
Great review.
1. Is the lug top brushing uneven? It appears this way in some pictures. Others it does not. I.E.-does the brushing on the 1 o'clock lug look different than the 11 o'clock lug?

2. I realize this is on the back, but it makes me worry about my true concern. Corners of the lug area. Your picture.

Do the SEL fit loosely?
 
#40 ·
Great review. I appreciate the effort taken to achieve those crisp photos, especially of the movement itself.

Re: the case top brushing on the lugs - it is not uneven. It is purposefully done at an angle inward. The 4 o'clock lug and the 7 o'clock lug have brushing that, if the brush lines were extended, would intersect at approximately the midpoint of the first bracelet link on the 6 o'clock side. The 3 and 11 o'clock lugs are done in the same manner. It is a nice detail.

Re: the origin of "Mercedes" hands - My understanding is they were known as "skeleton" hands. The design (and the various permutations of the design such as cathedral hands) was developed to allow the old paint compounds used on hands as much surface area as possible for adhesion. The old paint compounds had poor adhesion and required a "frame" in order to stick. As paint compounds improved, sword type hands (and the various other varieties) became technically possible.

Rolex neither invented the hand style nor is it exclusive to the brand. Rolex just has better marketing (said as someone who admires the Rolex brand and their achievements).
 
#41 ·
Great review. I appreciate the effort taken to achieve those crisp photos, especially of the movement itself.

Re: the case top brushing on the lugs - it is not uneven. It is purposefully done at an angle inward. The 4 o'clock lug and the 7 o'clock lug have brushing that, if the brush lines were extended, would intersect at approximately the midpoint of the first bracelet link on the 6 o'clock side. The 3 and 11 o'clock lugs are done in the same manner. It is a nice detail.

Re: the origin of "Mercedes" hands - My understanding is they were known as "skeleton" hands. The design (and the various permutations of the design such as cathedral hands) was developed to allow the old paint compounds used on hands as much surface area as possible for adhesion. The old paint compounds had poor adhesion and required a "frame" in order to stick. As paint compounds improved, sword type hands (and the various other varieties) became technically possible.

Rolex neither invented the hand style nor is it exclusive to the brand. Rolex just has better marketing (said as someone who admires the Rolex brand and their achievements).
Do you have this watch?
Not talking about the angle of the brushing at all.
 
#47 ·
Earlier in the thread you compared the Ginault strap to the Tisell, is that the very latest incarnation of the Tisell? I ask because apparently the new Tisell straps are a lot better than the old ones. I have a Tisell from the last batch so I wondered about the Ginault strap in comparison as from the pics it looks identical to the new Tisell one. Nice review and whatever its faults it seems a really well made watch.
Chris
 
#51 ·
There is no AR.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top