I added two Jinmao (Golden Anchor) brand Sub homages to my collection. They were manufactured by Qingdao Watch Factory, one of China’s oldest. Although vintage examples exist (and the seller said these ones were made in the 1990s), I suspect they might have been assembled more recently.



I have read in old forum threads that the Jinmao is bigger and heavier than the Rolex, and it’s not surprising to me as it does feel heavy on the wrist. Some have commented that the screw-down crown looks too small for the watch, and I’m inclined to agree. The clicking bezel is different from other examples I’ve seen. It moves quite stiffly.

There’s no text on the back. Other ones have some, including “MADE IN Hong Kong”.



As expected, there’s a 25-jewel Golden Anchor automatic tongji inside.





The second one piqued my curiosity because I hadn’t seen a two-tone Jinmao Sub homage before. Also it has both day and date.



In the seller’s pictures I couldn’t see the text at the bottom of the dial: “JAPAN MOVT”. The stutter when I tried to set the time revealed that there isn’t a tongji inside. This one appears to be the same size, but the screw-down crown looks better-proportioned to me. The clicking bezel moves more easily than the other.

This back isn’t plain.



The movement: