I’m always looking for watches that offer a good bang for the buck — the fewer bucks, the better. Sure, I like to play in the sub-$2000 arena, but when I see a nice watch under $300, my heart rate quickens a bit, and when I see a nice one for under $100, I start mashing the “add to cart” button. That’s how I ended up with my assortment of Vostoks, HMTs, and Casio Royales. It is also how I found myself with not one but two Merkurs: the 304 Pilot and Fanzhi 70s Classic Cross-Line I am reviewing today. They are attractive mechanical watches that cost peanuts, and just like peanuts, it is impossible to stop at just one.
Merkur is a Chinese factory brand that turns out a variety of watches under the Merkur, Pierre Paulin, FOD, Red Army, Fanzhi, and Seizenn labels. Many are Rolex/Seiko homages and variants on the 1963 Chinese Air Force Watch, but an increasing number are of their own design. It was the latter that pulled me in. When I placed my pre-order last May, the 304 was just a basic rendering with a spec sheet, and it cost $69, including a free strap. I hadn’t even received the first watch when I ordered the 70s Classic in August, this time springing a whole $79. Both arrived in November.
I have to tell you now that while Merkur’s website is easy to navigate and order from, it can also be a baffling word salad. The specs are all there, and you get the gist of things, but you must also work through sentences like, “We retain 38mm dial design To achieve the gold ratio between the dial, the movement between the movement and the case, make the visual comfort.” Clearly, they could benefit from the services of a good translator and copy editor, but look, you all are smart people. I’m sure you can figure it out.
Both the Merkur 304 and the 70s Classic share the same case. It is 38mm wide, 45mm long, and 12.5mm thick to the top of the K1 lens. The upper surface features circular brushing while the rest is polished. The modest proportions, tall crystal, and slim, arching mid-case give the watches a proper vintage look. I would have preferred acrylic to mineral as the former is both more aesthetically pleasing and period-correct, but c’est la vie, it is not a deal-breaker. The watches’ polished and signed crowns are push-pull and sealed to 50m, sufficient for daily wear and likely far more water resistant than an actual 1970s survivor.
I’ve found that 38mm is ideal on my 6.75″ wrist, and the Merkurs look right at home here. Buttoned cuffs are no problem at all. Not that I’ve worn them since I started working from home, but it’s nice to know that I could if I wanted to, particularly with the sharp-looking 70s Classic.
Fanzhi 70s Classic Cross-Line
The vintage vibe is strong with this one. Applied gold bar markers on a silver dial, gold handset, and the reticle decoration remind me of several 1970s watch designs, but most specifically certain Shanghai and Dongfeng models. A red-tipped second hand provides a pleasant dab of color. You can select silver markers, a rose dial, or other variations in layout and coloring.
I have long appreciated the value that Chinese manufacturers bring to the watchmaking world (yes, even some nudge-nudge-wink-wink “Swiss” watches), but I have a particular fondness for those that proudly embrace their Chinese origin. I love that both the Fanzhi brand name and “Made in China” text are printed in traditional hanzi characters. Indeed, the calligraphy logo may very well be the hook that convinced me to buy the watch. I likely would have passed it by were it written in Romanized letters. And yes, I realize how silly that is, considering that many of the older watches I just referenced used Romanized text. Still, it works for me.
Flipping it over, you will find the case back is engraved with the logo and what I presume are the usual specs. Truth be told, I put no effort into translating them. Inside is a hand-winding Fanzhi M01D movement about which I know nothing. The Merkur site says it is “self-developed” and that they make the movement, but also that its parts “are inspected by the Fanzhi MTS movement team.” Frankly, the emphasis on inspection makes me wonder if “made” might mean “assembled,” but that is neither here nor there.
Merkur’s photos show a decorated movement, but given that the watch has a solid case back, that will be a treat likely reserved for your watchmaker. What is immediately apparent is the beat rate. The second hand does not have the sweep we expect from modern mechanicals but rather the visible tick of a vintage watch. I’d wager it is moving at 18k bph, which was standard for most mechanical watches 50 years ago. More hints to the movement’s origin lie in Merkur’s warning not to engage in “strenuous exercise” with the watch. I’m taking that as a sign that any shock protection is rudimentary at best. All told, I’d wager this is a newly manufactured unit based on 50s-60s era architecture, and I’m perfectly good with that. It suits both its style and price. Besides, I find that kind of anachronism charming.
Merkur offers the Classic with an expanding steel bracelet. I wasn’t a fan of those bracelets the first time they were popular, so I skipped it in favor of a two-piece nylon strap with a signed buckle, steel keepers, and quick-release pins. I figured if it were the usual scratchy nylon weave, I’d ditch it for a proper leather strap, but to my surprise, the fabric is supple, quite comfortable, and isn’t a bad fit for me. Three months later, it’s still on the watch. I’ll probably switch it to leather at some point, but I’m in no rush. I love it just the way it is.
304 Pilot
The Merkur 304 Pilot is a new take on a vintage military pilot’s watch. Now, when I think of a Chinese Air Force watch, it’s the Seagull 1963 chronograph with the Venus 175 / Seagull ST19 inside. You can get a version of that on the Merkur site, but this one is very different. It’s a three-hander with a small seconds and an overtly military look. I don’t know if it was based on a particular model, but it does have the general bearing of a 1940s Dirty Dozen field watch.
Merkur lists the 304 as sharing the Fanzhi’s M01D movement. Clearly it isn’t identical since this one has small seconds instead of central seconds, but let’s call it near enough. It also shared the case, crystal, crown, and case back, so I’ll skip all those and get right to the dial. It’s matte black with large, oil yellow lumed numbers and small seconds at 6 o’clock. Where you would expect a brand name or logo, they have stamped “304.” This is not only the model’s name but also the government project designation for the aforementioned 1963 Air Force watch. I dig the nod to the past, and the blunt stamping makes it seem all the more authentic. It’s a fabulous little detail.
Turn your attention to the subdial, and you will find a tiny red star, and the Chinese text that Google tells me is “Aviation.” You will also find my one real gripe about the watch. You see, the handset is a very dark green that nearly disappears against the black surface. This color looks perfectly cool on the lume-filled poire-squelette hands, even if it does obscure the length of their tips, but the subdial needle is almost invisible in all but the brightest daylight. It would have worked better if they painted it with the same yellow lume they used elsewhere — and why not? They already lumed the sub-dial’s markers. It is a puzzling oversight.
That said, I was impressed by the lume’s quality. I know SuperLuminova is not the only game in town, but I’m justifiably skeptical of any lume that goes unidentified. This may be no-name stuff, but it holds a glow for a decent amount of time. Not too shabby for such a cheap watch.
The Merkur 304’s strap is identical to that of the 70s Classic, so for a bit of variety, I switched it for the brand’s 20mm Retro Watchband. It is nylon with a gray roller buckle, quick-release pins, and leather keepers. It is available on the site for $24.99 and was offered as a gift with the 304 pre-order. This nylon strap features “Chinese People’s Volunteer Army” and “Korean War Pilots” heat-stamped onto its surface. An American, I’ll admit it feels a little weird to be wearing something that commemorates the other side of one of our armed conflicts, and yet, the strap does look pretty cool on this watch, if only from a distance.
On close inspection, the gray coating on that buckle is pretty poor. It doesn’t even coat the whole frame, so you can see bare sections under the roller. This probably won’t matter much in the long run, as the roller’s friction would rub it off anyway, just as the tang is already is doing where it strikes the roller. One has to wonder why they bothered at all. If you really like the military strap, you could always swap the roller buckle for the perfectly good brushed and signed buckle that came with the standard strap. Still, it seems a shame since the military strap’s heavy nylon is far less comfortable than the tan fabric. As it was a freebie with purchase, I’m happy to play with the Retro band, but I’d hesitate to pay $25 for it.
So, the Merkur 304 is not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. Remember, the watch is less than $100. Like the 70s Classic, I loved wearing the 304, weird buckle, quirky second hand, and all. Both of these watches have a truly appealing look that captures a retro vibe closely tied to aspects of Chinese history. Merkur calls it “guochao,” a trend in China that embraces Chinese culture and reflects a sense of national pride in its products. Even though I am not Chinese, I like the concept. I have little interest in buying Chinese watches that mimic popular Swiss or Japanese designs but would happily buy more watches that project a distinctively Chinese aesthetic as these do. Lucky for me, I can.
The Merkur 304 Pilot is sold out at the moment but they have a growing collection of similar watches on their site, including five versions on the 70s Classic, a dressy small seconds, a dive style inspired by a vintage Shanghai, and a more modern take on the 304 called the Military 70s with enamel dials, a contemporary color palette, and a refreshingly visible second hand. Not one of them is more than $119. While you’re at it, you may want to browse the rest of Merkur’s eclectic catalog, like their range of chronographs and tourbillons.
For cheap thrills and a healthy dose of guochao, I heartily recommend these Merkurs. Check them out for yourself at MerkurWatch.com.
