Not willing to sit >2 years on a waiting list, and not willing to spend what I can’t afford on a watch, I took advantage of the AliExpress June 2024 summer sale and got yet another homage to a much more expensive piece. After all, nobody (other than you) seriously cares about the watch you’re wearing!

The more interesting thing about the Cadisen “Aqua Diver” – which is a straight-up design copy of the Helm “Komodo” – is what is different between the two, and that’s more than just the price. Certainly, being a Chinese manufacturer, Cadisen’s offering is much less expensive, and to a degree the quality isn’t the same as the higher-priced microbrand of which this is a copy; however, this watch is also 3mm thinner (which is a lot), making it much less bulky, and it is also much more amenable to strap changes, as the lug holes are higher up the case, meaning there isn’t a noticeable ugly gap when using a strap (instead of the metal bracelet).

Otherwise, I don’t go diving deeper than 1m, so 100m water resistance is just fine, it allows for swimming. Other stats [that nobody really cares about either] include 40mm case diameter, 20mm lug width, 12.5mm thick, 46.5mm lug-to-lug. Brushed 316L stainless steel, sapphire crystal, Seiko NH35A movement. The bracelet is actually quite nice, solid links… but wow the clasp is terrible. There’s effectively zero adjustment! This is why I normally get a on-the-fly adjustable version. In this case, the terrible clasp was difficult to replace, due to how the Cadisen clasp attaches to the bracelet, I couldn’t use the adjustable clasp’s lower part. Fortunately, the Cadisen clasp’s lower part is milled stainless steel and works well with the adjustable clasp, so it all worked out in the end, but not without a bit of work.

The Xerox-copy of the dial, hands, and indices is the real attraction here, as the white/silver dial contrasts beautifully with the bright blue handset, bezel numbers, and hour markers. It’s very easy to read at a glance. The bezel is very “clicky” and sounds great. The little round date window at 6 o’clock is a nice touch. It’s the aesthetics, which is really what a summertime watch, and most watches, is all about.