Maranez Samui Steel

[WatchOut63]

Just received the Samui Steel in turquoise dial color today.
Props to Maranez and FedEx on shipping. HK to my door in MI in 2 days via FedEx. That's unheard of in my experience.

Background:

So I'm a fan of the Doxa design and have been for awhile now. I've been around in the hobby for the last 12 years or so. I could not bring myself to spend the money on a Doxa just yet. I was around during the Doxa controversial drama on various forums which I won't get into.
Bottom line, I found Maranez a while back and said what the hell, maybe this will scratch my Doxa itch for now and if I really like it, go ahead and purchase a Doxa in the future. It's a cheap way of seeing if you like the design, shape, fit, etc. prior to coughing up $1900 for a Doxa 300T Aquamarine.

The packaging:
Every single piece of the watch was protected with wrap and protective tape.



Inside the watch roll:



Contents:
* Leather Watch Roll
* The watch itself on BoR bracelet. Would fit a 9in wrist no problem. I'm 7.5 in. and had to take 3 links out and 1 micro adjustment in on the bracelet.
* (1) Rubber Strap
* (4) Spare spring bars
* (4) Spare screws for the bracelet
* (1) Micro adjust push pin tool


Specs from Maranez website:

Movement: Seiko NH35 automatic
Case diameter: 42mm excluding the crown - lug to lug 45mm - height 13.6mm
Case material: Brushed stainless steel
Bezel: Brushed stainless steel
Crown: Screw down steel crown 9mm
Crystal: Flat sapphire , inner AR coating
Dial: Different colors all with Super Luminova C3
Water-resistance: 300m/1000ft
Strap: 20mm steel bracelet tapering to 18mm at the clasp
Weight: 190g on bracelet


A few pictures:

[Panerai7]

So are we calling this Homage? Inspired by? Does this get a pass because the same Chinese factory that makes fakes didn’t print Doxa on the dial but Maranez instead?
Not judging, it’s your money and wrist, just curious

[HapaHapa]

I'd say it's a nicely made homage, and that watch wrap is a lot more useful than a tube.

The case and bezel insert aren't the same. Endlinks don't have any of the overhang on Doxa's bracelet. Hands are similar but shorter (I preferred the gen 1 hands). There's a $1500 difference in price. I don't think they are going too take any of Doxa's customers.

[WatchOut63]

So are we calling this Homage? Inspired by? Does this get a pass because the same Chinese factory that makes fakes didn’t print Doxa on the dial but Maranez instead?
Not judging, it’s your money and wrist, just curious

I'd all it an homage as I wouldn't purchase a blatant rip-off knowingly. Eric named off a number of differences, add the signed crown to the list, case back and perhaps more. The overall styling cue is definitely Doxa no denying that.

[Torrid]

Feelings aside of homages or copies, it does look very nicely made.

[HapaHapa]

I would never spend 2 grand on a ... (fill in a watch brand)

This is where I am. Unless lottery, I'm not spending a grand, probably not even $500, on buying another watch. The homages, Seiko/Citizen and micros are going to be my territory. It's just reality.

[WatchOut63]

I found myself in the less is more camp.
I have a smaller rotation of nicer watches and I wear them all.
I have to move my Willard as it’s just not nice enough and when I need a banger watch I just go with my 5610 gshock.
If I add something it will be another mid 2000 Rolex, but will probably just not buy anything as those are hard to come by the way I want them.

Reality is I’d much rather keep throwing my savings in the stock market, if everything wasn’t this damn expensive.
There is literally NOTHING cheap I’d like to own right now, except for maybe real estate in Italy and that something I don’t need.

I'll try and get some profile pics tomorrow for you and post here. Overall I'm impressed with the finish on the Maranez. The brushing on the upper case is very nicely done with a nice polished underside. The fit is very nice on my 7.5 in wrist wit the micro adjustments it snugs up nicely.
The Seiko NH35 movement is a cheap, hopefully proven reliable movement over time. Then again if it craps out in a few years I can pop in a new one for $50.
I never thought of Doxa as being a $2K watch, as much as I didn't think I'd be seeing Seiko Divers selling for $1200. Hope I can get out to an AD this summer and see some in person and maybe that will change my mindset. It's not the price as much as the name to price reasoning for me. Lord knows I spend enough money on other hobbies.

[HapaHapa]

I found myself in the less is more camp.
I have a smaller rotation of nicer watches and I wear them all.
I have to move my Willard as it’s just not nice enough and when I need a banger watch I just go with my 5610 gshock.
If I add something it will be another mid 2000 Rolex, but will probably just not buy anything as those are hard to come by the way I want them.

Reality is I’d much rather keep throwing my savings in the stock market, if everything wasn’t this damn expensive.
There is literally NOTHING cheap I’d like to own right now, except for maybe real estate in Italy and that something I don’t need.

Ha. Best way to predict a downturn is to ask me if I’ve added to my portfolio. I know. It will go back up.

[CarloDWC]

Here are a couple of pics of the sides and caseback. In my opinion the case is really nice, crown is large and smooth and bezel is smooth and easy to grasp and turn. For the money it is definitely excellent.

[snootydog]

Looks good Jim
I was thinking, the Doxa is such a unique looking watch that any homage to it is going to scream "Doxa", that can't be helped really. Like putting signal hands on any watch and it'll scream "Sinn" at you. The Samui is more like the older Doxa's having quite a thick case and I notice the sides are now polished unlike Carlo's which still has the brushed sides.

[deepcdvr]

I think that looks fantastic!

Like someone said above, these won’t take away any Doxa fanboys (of which I consider myself one of them)

Wear what the fk you like to wear; life is short

Congrats!

[CarloDWC]

Thanks Carlo. It’s not too tall.
I may try one second hand when it pops up (well, assuming I find someone willing to ship to HK lol)

EDIT: LOL the watches are all OOS. When even Chinese made ripoffs can’t stay in stock we know we’ve reached the top.

The only reason I had bought this was to do one of my projects. I did and was king of happy, I mean I really liked the looks and the feel, the case is really good quality and everything feels good and works smoothly. I never liked the Doxa dial and hands and so I never really cared for it otherwise.

The only reason I ended up reverting is that my wrist is a bit large and the watch felt a bit too small for me. That's all.

Here is my project...











I literally loved it, but after a wearing it a bit I decided it did not work for my wrist so...

[WatchOut63]

Here is my project...




I literally loved it, but after a wearing it a bit I decided it did not work for my wrist so...

Great looking Mod Carlo
I came across Namoki recently myself. Looks like he has a lot of quality offerings for all your modding needs.

[jimyritz]

I like that watch roll--- buy what you like-- for me, just not a homage guy...I wish the bezel markings were darker black but maybe that's my brain seeing the Doxa... Enjoy it.

[WatchOut63]

I would never spend 2 grand on a doxa and this may be some cheap fun that ultimately will not stick of course
Can I see a few side pics? I’m curious how tall it wears.
Thanks!

Not sure if you were looking for a profile pic on the wrist or if Carlo's pics sufficed. At any rate here's a weird shot down my arm so you can see how tall it is on my 7.5 in. wrist.

[WatchOut63]

I like that watch roll--- buy what you like-- for me, just not a homage guy...I wish the bezel markings were darker black but maybe that's my brain seeing the Doxa... Enjoy it.

Thanks Mike. As far as the bezel markings, I believe, (from comparison pics), the width of the engravings are smaller on the Maranez versus the Doxa thus appearing to not be as dark if that makes sense. The wider the marking the more paint you can fill it with. Let's say you were using a 1.0mm engraving bit on the Doxa, it would appear that Maranez used a 0.75mm tip for example. As far as the process goes, I have no idea if these are CNC cut or laser engraved.

[HapaHapa]

The 1200 I had felt very tall. I really like that mod, Carlo.