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Somewhere in this picture is a $7000 Rolex Explorer. The rest are near-identical dirt-cheap clones from AliExpress, the Chinese equivalent of Amazon. Can you spot the real one? Now, these other watches… they aren’t quite fakes. If you zoom in, you’ll see none of them have the word Rolex written on the dial. Yet, they’re clearly cashing in on the Rolex design, given the obvious similarities.

These rebranded copies are often called ‘homage’ watches. While some see these as no better than counterfeit, others see them as a way to wear a design that would otherwise be locked behind an extreme paywall. Unsurprisingly, these are almost always best sellers for the brands that make them, to the extent that some brands only produce these clones with few or no original designs.

I’ve always been curious, though. Out of all these cheap homage brands, which is closest to the real thing? Who did the best job of ‘copying,’ if you will?

To find out, I spent a small fortune on ten of the most popular Rolex Explorer lookalikes on AliExpress. We bought seven, and the remaining three were provided at my request for this post. They start at $50 and peak at just $250.

Our writer, Chris, also kindly loaned us his genuine Rolex Explorer as a reference point. I chose one model per brand, whichever was closest to this specific Rolex. Given that the design is virtually the same, this test should be a semi-fair way to determine which brands are the best or at least the best value at a given price, as well as which are most similar to the Rolex. The only thing I can’t really test is QC.

I’ll rank all the contenders out of ten, one being awful and ten being class-leading. It’s just a bit of fun and not the most scientific, but it will keep this post from being too long.

So, who are the contenders? Let’s go through them, and I’ll talk branding, pricing, and packaging while we’re at it. Branding will be a little subjective, so let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Branding & Packaging (& Price)

The cheapest on the list is usually the Benyar BY-5177M. This one cost me just over £50 including import fees to the UK, or around $60 USD. For the price, the magnetic box is fairly good. The brand name isn’t completely dreadful, but the shield logo really is. 4.5/10.

Next is the Bliger, at just a hair more than the Benyar. This arrived in a plastic bag. I’m not kidding, a plastic bag with this weird plastic shell surrounding the case. Never seen that one before! While the brand name is perhaps a little worse, and the typeface is extremely vanilla, it at least foregoes the hideous shield logo of the last one. 3.5/10

For the same cost, you can usually get the Pagani Design Explorer clone. Pagani Design is one of the more well-known homage brands that have been around for many years, and the Italian-sounding name is more palatable. The branding and box are serviceable, though the typeface and icon aren’t the best. 6/10.

Next is Terami, which cost me just over £70, including all fees. Interestingly, this one shipped in a ‘Lige’ branded bag, so I’m assuming this is a Lige sub-brand. While the icon looks like a Silicon Valley startup, the brand name is one of the more Western-sounding options here, and the box is serviceable, too. 6.5/10

Close behind is Phylida, at around £80 all-in. The box is barebones at best, and the brand name is not only ugly but also tricky to pronounce. Is it “fy-lee-da” “fil-ee-da” or “fil-eye-da”? The typeface isn’t the worst. Thankfully, you can buy this watch with an empty ‘sterile’ dial if you want to, which boosts the score a touch. 5/10.

After that, we jump up to Addiesdive at the £110 mark. Branding has always been the worst part of this well-known homage brand, which boasts some really overpowered watches in its collection. Sadly, their Explorer clone features the same hideous aquatic icon as most of their older models, and the bizarre brand name screams Chinese knock-off. Hey, the box is at least durable 3.5/10.

Then, we have a group of three in the £150 to £200 range. The first is from Cronos. My main issue with this one is that the word is similar to ‘chrono’, but lacks the ‘h’, which leaves it looking a little odd. The silver logo is one of the best applied, though, and the padded container even ships with some decent accessories. It’s better than most of the others. 7/10.

At about £170, Baltany offers what I think is the winner in this category. The watch arrived in a surprisingly stylish and functional leather watch roll, and the branding is one of the few you could easily mistake for being a Western brand. The name is decent enough. The font boasts some individuality but remains tasteful. They’ve also got a lineup of other good watches, some of which I’ve covered before. As far as AliExpress branding goes, this is a 9/10.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have...Octopus Kraken? Yes, for the same amount of money as the Baltany, you can get a watch that will have you and others chuckling every time you think of it. The name is wild, but I have to say, I kinda like the icon. The packaging is also one of the best here, as you’d expect for the price. You may also notice this is smaller than the other watches. That’s because they only make a 36mm version, but it’s widely praised online to the extent that I had to pick one up, even if it’s not a perfect comparison. For branding and packaging, though 4.5/10.

Then, we’re left with the most expensive watch here, the San Martin. This brand has pushed the envelope over the last few years with some crazy case finishing and dials for low prices. Their leatherette cylindrical packaging is well known at this point. The logo isn’t to everyone’s taste, though the name San Martin is among the better ones on this list. 7/10.

Case & Finishing

So, those are the brands...and their “brand-ing”. Let’s get into the finer details, beginning with the watch cases and case finishing. This is where some of the AliExpress watches begin to fall out of contention. Now, the Rolex uses “Oystersteel” aka 904L stainless steel, a high-performance grade of steel typically only found on expensive watches. It gives a slightly better polish than the industry standard 316L stainless steel and has some other niche benefits.

As you can probably gather, none of our Chinese competitors are using this material. They’re all listed as 316L steel or just ‘stainless steel,’ even the most expensive San Martin. The Rolex has a high polish bezel with a vertically brushed upper and polished flanks. The transitions between each section are very sharp, and overall, it’s got a pretty sexy, slim profile. Now, many versions of the Rolex Explorer have been made over the years with slightly different proportions, and some of our clones may be cloning those versions instead, but the vast majority of the Rolex models retain this similar finishing style and a thin steel case. Chris’s unit obviously has a fair few scratches from years of usage.

As for which gets closest...well, it’s probably easier to start with those that didn’t get closest. The worst offenders are the Benyar, Bliger, and Phylida. All three of these have completely polished, rounded-off cases that make them look very cheap compared to the rest on the table. In fact, the Benyar and Bliger cases are so poorly finished I doubt they’re using steel at all.

The Benyar, in particular, is weirdly bulbous with a case that looks like it’s been plucked from a completely different watch. Benyar has been exposed for lying about case materials in the past, and if you look closer at the AliExpress listing, while it says stainless steel on some sections, the spec list has the case noted as ‘Alloy.’ While stainless steel is technically an alloy, when this word is used on AliExpress, it almost always means it’s an inferior material like Zinc alloy or chromed brass. The case even has a different hue from all the rest, so I’d be willing to bet this is not stainless steel.

While it’s quite thin, the Terami watch also has a non-standard finish, with brushed flanks rather than polished ones. It’s not nearly as bad as the previous three, just not super close to the Rolex look. The Pagani and Addiesdive are a step closer. They have the same finishing style as the Rolex, but they’re both noticeably thicker, especially the Pagani.

In this category, you do seem to get what you pay for. The four most expensive clones are comfortably in a tier of their own, with slim, well-finished cases; some of which look surprisingly close to the real thing. If I had to pick a winner, I’d say the Cronos just about edges it, with the most similar style of brushing to the Rolex.

Bracelets

While we’re here, we can also talk about the bracelets. The original Rolex doesn’t have a glide-lock, but does have a solid link bracelet with brushing on top, polishing on the sides and a silky smooth folding clasp. The typical adjustment holes line the inside of the clasp and require a tool to switch between, though there is an in-built extension system, permitting a 5mm extension to the bracelet that you can activate by hand. Additionally, the clasp has a shape that perfectly matches the rest of the bracelet.

When it comes to the AliExpress bracelets, the worst again is, unsurprisingly, the Benyar. It’s got hollow end links and a rudimentary clasp with no way of making small adjustments. As a result of the polished case finish, it also integrates dreadfully, looking as if it’s been pulled from a completely different timepiece.

The Bliger and Phylida also face the same bracelet integration issue. That on the Phylida has a polished central link, like the bracelets fitted to other Rolex designs, which mitigates this slightly, though you are again drifting slightly from the original look. That said, it’s not awful, and neither are most of them to be honest.

Several brands have done a decent job of replicating the Rolex bracelet and clasp. The closest to the Rolex are the Cronos and Octopus Kraken, which have it nailed down to the last detail. That said, arguably the best are those fitted to the lower-cost Terami and Bliger watches, which each have a copied glide lock-like system for finer and quicker adjustments than the real Rolex. The only trouble with the Bliger is that it doesn’t match that polished case, making the bracelet look like it was pulled from a different watch entirely.

Pagani Design almost pulled a blinder here, with a clasp similar to that on the Cronos and Octopus, for a fraction of the price, only to be let down by terrible screws. Like most of the options here, you remove links by withdrawing the screws. It’s normally a good system, though several of the Pagani links just spin in the holes and never come out. What’s worse is you can’t push them through from the other side, as for some reason, the opposite end is completely sealed. I had this problem with several links, meaning that one side is cartoonishly long, and I’ve had to shift the bracelet to a dodgy position deep within the clasp. QC seemed non-existent with this bracelet.

As for the others, they’re all serviceable but stray from the Rolex clasp design. The Phylida performed well but has a big polished central strip. Meanwhile, the San Martin, Baltany, and Addiesdive all have press-release clasps with visible micro-adjustment holes that leave them looking quite different. They’re less secure but arguably easier to use and adjust. The Addiesdive also has a diver-style foldover mechanism but features inferior push-pin links, which are trickier to deal with than screw links.

Crystals

I tested all of the crystals using my diamond selector tool. Surprisingly, all but one of the watches uses a sapphire crystal, the same as fitted to the Rolex. Any guesses which was the exception? Indeed, our friends over at Benyar are the only ones using what they call a ‘Hardlex’ crystal, which is likely a type of generic or hardened mineral glass, as Hardlex is a Seiko-specific designation.

While the rest all use sapphire, there are some differences between them. The Baltany, Addiesdive, and San Martin use a bubble-style crystal that’s curved at the edges; likely because they’re trying to imitate one of the older Explorer models, such as the 1016, which had a similarly curved crystal. Out of those three, the Addiesdive has the best anti-reflective coating, though the other two still have legibility that rivals the Rolex.

The Terami also has a raised crystal, though this time, it’s more of a full dome, which isn’t a style found on any Rolex Explorer watches, past or present (from what I can tell, at least). It does make the watch look substantially different from the others, giving a slight fish-eye look, and reflections are also prominent, given the nature of these domed crystals.

Out of the flat options, the Bliger and Phylida are the least legible. While I think some of this is definitely down to crystal clarity, some of it may also be down to the dial tones, which are both a touch lighter than the Rolex.

Funnily enough, legibility is one of the weaknesses of the Rolex, to the point where it only slots in alongside the last two.

While it’s hard to judge, I’d call this a three-way tie between Addiesdive, Cronos, and Octopus Kraken; each having very little glare and good readability at all angles.

Dial & Details

When viewed through a watchmaker’s loupe, or in your case, a macro lens, the details on the Rolex all look very sharp. The metallic markers and hands are particularly clean, with very few marks. There are also no blatant QC errors.

Surprisingly, considering the gulf in cost, you’d have to look extremely closely to notice any differences with these cheap clones.

The Benyar has the worst hands and geometric markers, with some of the rectangles and the triangle at 12 having been trimmed or painted incorrectly. Surprisingly, though, the numbered indexes are some of the cleanest here.

The Terami has much more respectable markers, but suffers from awkward font choices and a very low text placement, as well as a huge amount of empty dial space.

At a glance, the Phylida and Bliger dials look decent, but they each suffer from rough edges, minor errors, and inconsistent lume application, which show themselves when you look closer.

It’s a similar story with the Pagani, which looks quite shabby up close. The ‘6’ marker, in particular, has been scraped to the extent where you can see the error with the naked eye. While the lume application looks closer to Rolex than the last two, the markers are much too big for this dial size.

There’s a definite step up when we get to the Baltany. This lume application is much neater and more consistent, with no overflowing areas, though the faux-patina look won’t be for everyone. I’m not sure the faux-patina look suits the modern marker set. The hands are cleaner than the previous options and there are fewer errors, though the ‘9’ marker does feature some dints. The overall dial surface is also quite matte, with a slight brownish hue.

The Addiesdive has the glossiest dial of the bunch, and the effect is striking from a distance. Unfortunately, like with the Terami, there’s a lot of negative space on the dial, as the smaller-than-average markers are positioned very close to the edges. It tries to combine the modern marker set with the vintage crystal and layout, which I don’t think works quite as well as the San Martin. It’s fairly good under macro, though the ‘6’ does have some notable rough edges.

While the San Martin has a pastier, lower-contrast dial than most on this list, which I don’t love, the markers, font positioning, and proportions do give this a look very reminiscent of the vintage Rolex Explorer models. It’s clean and clear under the macro lens, with virtually no errors and nothing obvious to the naked eye. Unlike the Addiesdive, the faux-lume is matched on the hands and markers, and the effect isn’t nearly as strong as the Baltany.

As far as dials go, the same two are back at it again: the Cronos and the Octopus Kraken. These both have the styling and proportions sorted and look very close to the Rolex model we have here, even close up.

While the Cronos is impressive, the Octopus Kraken is nearly flawless under macro, to the extent that I struggle to differentiate it from the Rolex. The lume color on the Octopus is a touch closer to that on the Rolex. The font and text positioning are also most representative of the real thing. Both get well-deserved high scores, but the Octopus edges it despite being a clone of a smaller version of the watch.

Luminescence

When it comes to lume, I was wrong. In my Rolex unboxing video, I thought the low-light performance was awesome. Yet, it turns out some of these cheap Chinese clones have it beaten!

Now, of course, some of them suck. The Bliger, Terami, Pagani, Phylida, and, of course, the Benyar may as well have had no lume; they are all that useless in low-light. Each fades away rapidly.

Plum in the middle is the Baltany. Like some of the other options, it has green lume, rather than the blue stuff used on the real Rolex. It’s considerably better than the previous options but still falls short of the leading pack.

There’s then a jump up to the Addiesdive and San Martin, which shockingly are both on par with the Rolex from my brief testing. What’s even more impressive is that the other two watches are noticeably better, with the Cronos narrowly edging out the Octopus Kraken, boasting the brightest showing and best overall duration. It’s hard to be sure without specialist equipment, but all you need to know is these four clones are great performers.

Movement

Now, it’s tricky to rate the movements powering these watches, as some can be bought with a selection of movements, and accuracy can also vary from unit to unit. In short, here are the movements I’d pick for each model out of those currently available.

As you can see, many come with well-known movements from Seiko or Miyota inside, though there are a few that stand out:

The Benyar, Bliger, and Phylida all ship with Chinese movements by default. The Benyar has the G2666Z, a low-end movement heavily based on a mass-produced design from the 1970s. It’s usable but generally has worse accuracy and longevity than the others on the list. It’s also thicker than most automatics, which could explain the chunkiness of the Benyar.

The Bliger and Phylida models I have here are powered by what appear to be Chinese Miyota 8215 clones. The Mingzhu 2813 and the Seagull ST1612, respectively. The Mingzhu in the Bliger has a dreadful reliability record online, a reduced beat rate, and a rotor that somehow makes the Miyota seem quiet in comparison. Any of the other choices will be better.

The Seagull (listed on AliExpress as just ‘Chinese Movement) is slightly better and boasts hacking, unlike the real Miyota, so it’s a viable substitute and probably worth going for to save a few quid.

You’ll also see the PT5000 available as a higher-cost choice for some of these watches; the Octopus Kraken ships with this by default. This is a Hong Kong movement which, unlike the last few, is top-notch from my experience. It’s more reliable than the entry-level Seikos and Miyotas and is slightly more accurate on average. Crucially, it also brings a higher beat rate, giving a smoother second hand sweep akin to that of the Rolex.

You can also get higher beat-rate movements inside the San Martin; the Chinese Seagull ST2130, and the Swiss Sellita SW200. Why you’d care about a Swiss movement in a Chinese watch, I don’t know, so I’d either go with the Seagull or the lower beat rate Epson YN55 if you want to save some money. The latter is apparently a rebadged Orient F6722, which isn’t as smooth as the Seagull or Sellita, but is comparable and arguably a tad better than the Seiko movements in the other watches.

Of course, none of them come close to the Rolex caliber 3132 inside the real Explorer watch. This movement is COSC certified and a Rolex Superlative Chronometer, meaning it’s far more accurate than the others. It’s got a longer power reserve and is more shock absorbent, among other benefits. This movement alone sells for thousands on the used market!

Results

If we tot up the scores, here are the scores, as well as the final standings. Now, these are to be taken with a HUGE grain of salt. Some of these categories are obviously far more important than others, and the whole thing is just for a bit of fun, really. However, I do think the results are similar to where I would have placed them.

Of course, if you divide the scores by price, the order changes completely. However, I think that’s a much less reliable metric.

I mean, some of these, I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. The Benyar might be the cheapest, but it’s a complete joke, with dreadful performance in all but one category. You can’t say Benyar without Ben, but that’s where my endorsement ends!

The Phylida and Bliger are like a terrible twosome and could well be from the same factory as each other, given the similarities. They’re marginally better than the Benyar but still have numerous fatal flaws.

The Pagani and Terami look a little better, but in my opinion, are still worth skipping. The Terami is the more well-rounded choice but doesn’t look much like the Rolex, defeating the point of it.

If I were on a tight budget, I’d get this instead: the Addiesdive AD2023. This is a 36mm meca-quartz watch, which I only found later after making most of this article, as it never appeared in AliExpress search results. It’s basically the same as the incredibly popular AD2030 watch from a few months ago, just with an Explorer-style dial and a sapphire crystal. While it lacks the automatic movement of other similarly-priced options, it’s better in virtually every other way. It’s just a shame it only comes in 36mm! If you have a small to average arm, it’s the no-brainer cheap choice.

Out of the vintage-inspired options, I think the San Martin is the best. The design is more cohesive than the Addiesdive and Baltany, and it’s marginally the best built. That said, it’s also the most expensive. If you’re mainly focused on value, the Baltany and Addiesdive are potentially better choices, especially the 36mm version of the Baltany, which looks akin to the San Martin but for half the cost. I haven’t tried it, but it looks very promising, with a more fitting aesthetic, so I’ll also link it here.

I have to say, though, the Cronos and Octopus Kraken are head and shoulders above the rest on this list. I’d never tried either of these brands before, and neither had any involvement in this post; I bought both with my own money. These are the only two that get close to that Rolex-like look and feel. The Octopus Kraken, despite the ridiculous name, probably edges it in terms of ‘Rolex-likeness’, but both are very impressive for the money. Cronos has the edge on branding and also makes a 36mm clone if you want to avoid the mollusk at that smaller size. Additionally, the Cronos has a far smoother crown, which is very useful if you won’t wear the watch every day and may need to wind it up regularly.

I know there are many more expensive brands, sometimes Swiss brands, that make these homage-style watches. To me, I don’t see any reason to spend more than this on a clone watch. These get you 90% of the way at respectable prices. The more you spend, the more great, original watches you could otherwise get for that money.