Are Pagani Design Watches Any Good?

You’ve probably heard of Pagani Design Watches if you have been on Aliexpress and have been looking for affordable watches.

They are one of the better recognised Chinese watch brands, but are they any good? The short answer is that they are pretty decent for their low price, especially if you like homages.

Who Are They?

Pagani Design are a Chinese watch company based in Guangzhou. They were formed in 2012 and have been selling watches on Aliexpress since 2013. Aliexpress is their main outlet and they mainly focus on homages of luxury watch brands.

Their watches probably skate a little close to the line of what is a homage and what is a direct copy and it is often joked “What did Pagani Design actually design?”

They also have nothing to do with the car company “Pagani” who I believe have actually tried to put a legal case in regards to using the name “Pagani”. However, it is very hard to find actual information on this and I am not going to speculate what may or may not have/will happen.

(You can read more about – Are Chinese Watches Any Good?)

What Is There Range Like?

Pagani Design has around 50 watches available, most of which are automatics with the rest being quartz options.

All of their watches are homages of the big luxury brands. The homages are pretty strong …If you had hazy eyes you would be forgiven for mistaking them for the real thing. However, all the watches do proudly show the Pagani Design logo on the dials so. 

A lot of the Chinese watch companies, especially the homage companies don’t make their own watches. It’s a bit unclear what is actually happening, but I believe they are all outsourcing the watch production from the same factory, and just having their different logo printed on the watches. This does mean you will find pretty much identical watches with different logos on it on Aliexpress.  

There is a lot of speculation around this. Some people think they are probably breaking a few copyrights, so they just pump out as many watches as possible under one brand name, and when the big Swiss companies try and clamp down on them, they just stop that brand name and then set up new company with a brand name and logo and go again. This cycle just keeps them one step ahead. This could happen, but we need to remember that Pagani Design has been around since 2012 and is growing each year, so I don’t think this is actually what is happening.

(You can read more about – Are Homage Watches Legal?)

Price

The prices of Pagani Design watches are certainly one of its big draws; most watches are under £100 and only a few go over this, and not by much.

They are very much the luxury look at the affordable price.

The big questions comes when you compare it to a watch of similar price. When you go to the high street you will be able to pick up a reliable watch for this price point. Certainly a Casio or Timex, You could also probably get a G shock and maybe a Seiko if you are lucky. You could also get a Russian Vostok and have change left over. These watches are all original designs and have proven quality and longevity. 

You can either pick this option or go with the Pagani Design and have the luxury look at a fraction of the cost.  The “look” being the main thing you would be getting.

Personally I bought the Pagani Design PD-1662, which from a far is basically looks like a very popualr luxury watch. One of these watches is £76 and the other is about £15,000. That is nearly a 200 times difference in and while the quality may not be equal, it isn’t that bad for what you paying.

(You can read more about – Are Aliexpress Watches Any Good?)

World Distribution

You will also find that a lot of the watches are available from outside of China. When ordering you can select where your watch comes from. This is usually a European country or the USA. This will affect the price.

It is usually a little more expensive to have stock from these countries, but you can often avoid import tax, and the delivery time will be much shorter, so you probably save in the long run.

(You can read more about – Is Buying A Watch From Aliexpress Legit?)

What You Get On Paper?

On paper the specs are pretty good. The materials used are all a good standard; you will have a sapphire crystal, lume, water proofing, and an automatic movement, often a decent one like the NH35 or the Miyota 8215.

You also get that luxury look that you get with many of the big Swiss brands.    

(You can read more about – Can Pagani Design Watches Be Considered As A Good Alternative To Luxury Brands?)

What Do You Actually Get?

You may get a watch that looks £15000, but it certainly feels more like a watch under £100 when you get it.

For what you are paying, the watches are good. However, it is pretty clear they are cheap watches and you can see where the corners have been cut to save costs.

Usually it is small quality control issues like bezels that are misaligned or just have too much back play, wonky Cyclopes’ or just a level of finishing that just isn’t perfect, such as the edges being a little sharp. You will also find the lume is pretty poor across the range.

The straps are okay. Certainly not perfect, mainly the clasp on the bracelets is what most people dislike, but I find my comfortable enough. Overall the watch just doesn’t have the same quality as other watches, but at such a low cost you can really overlook a lot of these little problems. 

For me the biggest issue is the movements. If you have a watch with the NH35 or Miyota, you should be fine. These are reliable enough and can be easily serviced or even replaced without any trouble. Watches with these movements should last a decent amount of time, really making them amazing for the price. The issue is with the chronographs and GMTS. It’s not exactly clear what these movements are and if they will stand the test of time.

(You can read more about – Are Pagani Design Watches Reliable?)

Personally my GMT just doesn’t feel that nice when interacting with the movement. The crown feels gritty when you wind it, especially when you are setting the GMT hand or date. I really do not think it will last very long and I am not sure how easy, or cheap it would be to repair. However at the minute it is running fine and can’t really complain about its performance.

The good thing is that it only cost £76, so even if it lasts only a year, it’s not a really a drastic loss. I have ended up with a watch that really gives me the feel of the luxury version and if it only lasts for a while, I’m happy enough with that.

If I am honest I don’t really like wearing my Pagani design out, I just feel someone is going to say “Nice watch, how did you afford that” and I will have to awkwardly explain that it’s not what they think it is, but it does really look like one.

I got this watch as I wanted a luxury GMT, but I haven’t got 15k to pay for one. This watch has in no way scratched that itch. It’s close though, but really all it has done is confirm that I really need to start saving. 

(You should read – Buying A Homage Of Your Grail Watch, Should You Do It?)

Customer Service

The watch comes with a one year warranty, but like a lot of these Chinese watch brands, the warranty card comes unsigned, so I’ve no idea how well that will work.

Most of the complaints you see on Aliexpress are about the build quality. I think people read the specs and see the pictures and are expecting a luxury watch at budget prices. If you are expecting a budget watch that sort of looks like its luxury, your expectations are probably more accurate and you shouldn’t have any reason to complain.

As for the customer service itself, it’s hard to tell exactly, but I think they are out there and are trying to help where they can. I haven’t had to use them myself, and most of the complaints I can find seem to be from people who are not aware that shipping from China takes a while. If you have had any interaction with them, be sure to drop me an email and let me know.

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Pagani Design Watches)

Notable Problems?

There are not really any problems with Pagani Design. They do exactly what you expect. They sell you a cheap watch, that isn’t bad for the price, but you have the added bonus of it looking like it is very expensive.

One issue I can see is that there seems to be a handful of store on Aliexpress. “The official store”, the “factory store”, the “unofficial official store” and the list goes on… I don’t know why this is the case, but it seems to be so. I just used the official store, which is the one started in 2013.

I am not sure if the other ones have been set up by Pagani Design themselves or they are just distributers. Either way these different stores can vary in price ever so slightly. I also assume the customer service you get will differ slightly too.

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Is It Worth It?

I think they are worth it but this relies on a few things.

You firstly must be happy to wear a homage that is pretty much a copy of watches that are currently available from big luxury brands.

Secondly, you need to remember how much you are paying. The cost is low and the standard of watch is …well it’s not low, but it’s not super high. I think what you pay for is actually pretty good. I am really happy with what I paid and what I got. I have zero complaints.

I do really like that it is a very close homage. I know that’s naughty, but it just looks good and I like to wear it knowing one day this will be replaced with the proper version.

If you are a bit low on cash or you just want to try out your grail watch, this is the perfect way to do it. Obviously when you examine it closely you know it’s not perfect, but it still give you a good idea of what you could have.   

(Why not read about another Aliexpress watch brand – Are San Martin Watches Any Good?)