£269 MVMT Arc VS £69 Cadisen from AliExpress – Cadisen Automatic Watch Review
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A lot of self-proclaimed watch gurus, including myself, have been sceptical about the manufacturing processes of fashion watch brands like MVMT for several years now. They are rammed down your throat by every ‘influencer’ under the sun and when I reviewed their quartz watches I was far from impressed. I honestly thought they were terrible considering the retail price.
Nevertheless, since I last covered them, they were acquired by the Swiss Movado group; whom produce a large range of other licensed fashion watch brands. MVMT have released a string of wristwatches since 2018 that do look a bit less generic, including their first automatic watch, named the Arc Automatic. It’s the model a certain YouTuber sold his soul to promote, claiming it was better than Rolex.
Admittedly, I have been somewhat curious about that particular model for a while, with the hope of giving them a second chance. However, I thought the price tag was really steep. In the UK the Arc currently retails for £269, which is pretty expensive for a ‘fashion watch’, so I never bothered picking one up.
Then, a few weeks ago, I was browsing Aliexpress as part of a blog post on our site and I saw something that looked pretty familiar. Right there in the search results was a MVMT Arc Automatic…or was it? Well, it certainly looked incredibly similar, right down to the hands and even featured the same automatic movement inside.
MVMT Arc Automatic (Left) vs Cadisen Automatic (Right)
So, that gave me an idea. Why not buy both watches and do a bit of a two in one? Firstly, we can see if this MVMT is any better than the garbage watches I previously reviewed. Secondly, we can work out whether you can save a whopping £200 and just go for this Cadisen instead.
Delivery
Let’s get into delivery first because there’s a couple of things you need to be aware of. Both of these watches are made in China. The Cadisen is shipped directly to you from China, through Aliexpress in this case, whilst the MVMT should come from their own distribution centre stock.
Somehow, the Cadisen arrived in under 2 weeks, which is really good for a Chinese product, whilst the MVMT took over a month to get here. Last time I reviewed the brand, I complimented the speedy delivery and customer service. Unfortunately, this time there came a point where I didn’t think it was even coming. There were no notifications about delayed delivery when we ordered the watch.
When we eventually received the watch, it still wasn’t marked as dispatched from their warehouse and the customer assistant was about as useful as an inflatable darts board. COVID isn’t a good enough excuse when a customer has spent £300 on a wristwatch and they feel like their order has been forgotten about.
Packaging
Nevertheless, I finally have them both here. The Cadisen arrived in a very basic, rectangular box, with an unusual snakeskin texture. It’s odd and could certainly do with a bit of extra padding, but is reasonable considering the cost. The MVMT arrived in better packaging, as you might expect, with a padded cube housing the watch within. This does provide increased protection and certainly looks nicer.
Regardless, you’re not here for the boxes, you’re here for the watches. I tell you what, the listing wasn’t lying, on the surface both of these watches look extremely similar. I got this white and grey colourway for each, to make it a fair comparison and at a glance they do look like the same watch.
Watch Dimensions
Let’s talk dimensions to start with. The Arc comes in with a 40mm width, 13.8mm thickness and a 42.2mm lug to lug. The Cadisen is 1mm wider, 1.5mm thinner and has a similar lug to lug length of just 43mm. With the supplied strap, the MVMT weighs in at a fraction below 60 grams, whilst the Cadisen sits at just over 75 grams.
MVMT Arc
Cadisen Automatic
Ultimately, on-wrist, both watches wear very comparably. Due to the lighter weight and slightly narrower width, the MVMT perhaps feels a tad smaller. However, the crown juts out slightly further than the Cadisen, which makes them feel even closer in size.
For average wrists, both of these are going to wear very nicely but neither are the thinnest watches around. Even though the MVMT is thicker on paper, part of that depth is made up by the strongly domed crystal, so in practical terms it feels just like the Cadisen.
MVMT Arc Depth
Cadisen Automatic Depth
Case Comparison
Not only are these watches very similarly sized, but visually, the cases look incredibly alike. Both have a bulbous structure, widening towards the top of the watch and the lugs are very comparable in terms of shape and size. The MVMT features a primarily brushed finish, with some alternating glossy rings, whilst its Chinese brother is housed in a completely chromed body. Despite the differing finishes, both watches are constructed of the same 316L stainless-steel, which is the industry standard material used in most modern wristwatches. While the finishing appears marginally better on the MVMT, the steel used in the Cadisen certainly feels denser and higher quality; likely contributing to the increased overall weight.
MVMT Arc Case
Cadisen Automatic Case
The crowns are similarly shaped and both feature emblazoned logos, though as I mentioned previously, that on the Arc protrudes more from the case. Personally, I prefer the tighter fit of that on the Cadisen as it looks slicker, though both crowns seem to function very well, with adequate grip on each.
The resemblances continue to the case rear; where both pieces feature a near-identical display case-back. Both wristwatches claim to provide an adequate 5ATM of water resistance, which is acceptable considering these are slightly dressier looking watches and likely aren’t going to see much aquatic action.
Stylistically, there are very few differences between the two cases. I probably prefer that of the Arc, as I’m generally a fan of brushed finishes but both of these still give a very comparable overall look.
Watch Movements
As you may have noticed when I showed the case rears, each of these watches are using what is fundamentally the same automatic movement within. The Cadisen features the standard Miyota 8215, whilst the Arc houses the 821A. The latter is functionally almost identical to the former, but features a decorated finish; including a scalloped texture across the support structure and a cut-out rotor instead of a solid half circle.
MVMT Arc (Left) Cadisen Automatic (Right)
That in the MVMT certainly does look more attractive but in terms of performance, you’ll still get the same approximate 42-hour power reserve and accuracy of -20 to +40 seconds per day. Both watches also feature the same number of jewels, at 21, along with identical hand-winding capability. The 821A in the Arc does have hacking, whilst the 8215 doesn’t if that’s important to you.
This set of fairly entry-level movement is incredibly popular with microbrands and while MVMT may have opted for the decorated version, the standard option in a watch retailing for ¼ of the price is much better value in my books. Most people out there simply won’t notice a difference, especially when on-wrist. It’s worth noting that the rotors on this mechanism are quite audible.
Watch Glass
One area where you might notice a difference is in the crystal. The MVMT has a piece of very strongly domed mineral glass, which instantly reminding me of that on the Orient Bambino. This will give some limited scratch resistance and I think it looks fantastic, but I’d still rather opt for that on the Cadisen. Indeed, the £69 watch is the one with the more premium sapphire crystal. I checked with the diamond selector and it gave a strong positive result, so I’m confident this is the real deal. This material gives you best in class scratch protection and is definitely my go-to when looking for wristwatches. In this case, the curvature is more subtle than that on the MVMT, but still provides a nice distortion at steep angles.
Dial Comparison
I bet the reason you clicked on this post is because of the dials though. They really dominate both of these watches and there’s no doubt about it…this pair belong in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones; because they are as close as it gets. Obviously, the logos are different, in this case the Cadisen is inked in black, whilst the MVMT text is silver. Outside of that though, you have an identical dial arrangement and colour. The automatic text is in the same position, the date windows are the same, the indices are indistinguishable from one another and even the hands are very similar; outside of the second hand which is a touch shorter on the Cadisen.
Both models are clearly going for that minimalist, Bauhaus-style look; which is probably the most versatile aesthetic you can go for. To be honest, given the sheer visible similarities, it wouldn’t surprise me if Cadisen have tried to directly reproduce the Arc design, as I think MVMT did release their watch first.
Nevertheless, I’d say the £69 Cadisen looks just as good as the £269 MVMT Arc Automatic, despite the huge price discrepancy. In fact, it even has a couple of extra bits that I like. Not only does this feature a curved dial, not found on the MVMT; but the lighter coloured pips around the perimeter are lumed. I’m unsure what the purpose of these is, as no other parts of the watch feature luminescence, but I guess more stuff is always appreciated.
I do think both watches look pretty darn good; this Arc, while nothing special, is clearly the best-looking MVMT available in my opinion. Most of their watches look boring and grim, whilst to be fair, this looks like it’s actually had some thought go into it. Then you have the Cadisen, which just looks the same for much less money.
Watch Straps
The surprises don’t end there. Arguably the worst part of the MVMT quartz watches I previously looked at was the straps. While I’d rather brands cut costs on straps, rather than the watches themselves, those ‘leather’ straps were among the worst I have ever encountered. I was hoping this new £269 MVMT would come fitted with something actually wearable, considering the huge jump in price. Unfortunately, that’s far from the case. This strap is almost as awful as those I previously looked at. The leather feels incredibly cheap and dry. Straight out of the box, the band was heavily warped and creased. I’m under no doubts that this will look pretty bad very quickly, but at least it features quick-release tabs so you can quickly chuck it out once it starts looking shabby.
MVMT Arc Watch Strap
MVMT Arc Watch Strap
You also get 20mm lugs on the Cadisen, but the news is better this time. While the band is a similar grey colour and is also constructed of ‘genuine’ leather, it’s immediately apparent that the quality is a step up. It’s far from the best strap in the world, but is much plusher, creases less easily and features a butterfly deployant clasp to keep it in good condition for longer. Sure, it doesn’t feature the quick release tabs, but altogether, it’s certainly the better strap of the two.
Cadisen Automatic Watch Strap
Cadisen Automatic Watch Strap
So, I’m thinking of keeping one of these watches…but which one will it be?
Well, I think with this one it’s fairly obvious.
I have to say, I don’t think this MVMT is a disaster by any stretch, it’s probably their best watch. It’s a half-decent piece that looks quite good but its fatal flaw is the price. In my opinion, this needs to be £100 cheaper for me to even consider recommending it. Even with the meme of the year discount code I think £230 is still really steep but at least this is somewhat of an improvement for the brand. Perhaps they are on the right trajectory?
That being said, this Cadisen really shows them up. These are fundamentally the same watch as one another, apart from the Cadisen has better glass, a better strap and is ¼ of the price. They’re even made in the same country, so why not truly ‘cut out the middle man’, save £200 and get one from a Chinese wholesaler instead? I’ll link the store I bought mine from below if you’re interested in picking one up.
Given the similarities, it’s clear to me that the extra £200 you’re paying for this MVMT has nothing to do with the quality of the watch and it’s likely just going into marketing or rich people’s pockets.