San Martin SN0152G Review | Tissot PRX Homage

For me, San Martin are becoming one of the most interesting brands at this end of the market. The quality is there, they keep experimenting, and they’re listening to what we actually want.

Different dial treatments, different ways of putting things together. This bracelet? I haven’t seen one constructed quite like it. And I’ve handled a few.

The movement? A Miyota 9000-series. Yes, the premium Japanese calibre so many of you appreciate. And the price still looks sensible.

Are there compromises? Possibly. But we need to consider those alongside everything else we’re getting here. So, let’s talk about it.

Design

Now, design-wise, this is an interesting piece. I suspect plenty of us will see a bit of PRX here, although that broad, angular case and integrated bracelet belong to a much wider family of designs.

But credit where it’s due: the overall design is slightly unusual and I especially like this bracelet. I haven’t come across one constructed quite like this before. And I suspect somebody is already typing in the comments, “Actually, that’s the bracelet used by such-and-such a brand.” Please do. I’d like to know. I don’t pretend to have seen every watch or every bracelet out there. But we’ll examine this one properly later, and I’ll show you how it actually comes together.

Now, on paper, this isn’t a particularly large watch. My case measurement is just over 39 millimetres. But we’ve got a relatively narrow bezel, so the dial takes up a substantial amount of that space. Add the broad transition into the integrated bracelet, and it has more presence than that diameter might suggest.

On my wrist, I’d say it easily wears more like a 40 - 41mm. So, if 39 millimetres sounds a little small for you, don’t dismiss it just yet. We’ll get into the measurements and wearability properly a bit later so you will see for yourself.

Now There’s plenty to enjoy on the dial, too and I particularly like the faceted handset they’ve used here.

There’s no date, which I know will make quite a few of you happy. Personally, I’d still appreciate having one, but at least we’ve got a no-date movement to go with the no-date dial.

And that brings us to another example of San Martin listening. There’s a strong preference among many of you for premium Japanese movements, and they’ve delivered a Miyota 9000-series here.

We also get an exhibition caseback, with sapphire listed front and back. We’ll put the tester on both, of course, but that would make this a sapphire sandwich. And yes, I do like a sapphire sandwich. It has a certain ring to it.

And more usefully, it means we can actually see the movement. And this Miyota is a rather pleasant thing to look at. So, let’s turn it over and talk about what’s inside.

Dimensions

Now, dimensions. Across the case, I’m getting around 39.1 to 39.2 millimetres, so just over 39.

San Martin quote a lug-to-lug of 44 millimetres. But with this integrated bracelet, the more useful measurement is how tightly the whole thing can actually wrap around the wrist.

Here, I’m getting a minimum span of approximately 54.5 millimetres. The bracelet simply won’t articulate any tighter than that. So wrist width matters here: around 54 millimetres or more should give it room to sit properly, although wrist shape will affect the fit.

Removing links won’t reduce that minimum span. But for adjusting the bracelet’s length, we’ve got plenty of flexibility, because practically every link can be removed. Quite a useful feature.

At the case, the bracelet measures approximately 23.5 - 24 millimetres across, tapering down to around 18 at the clasp. That’s a substantial taper, which helps balance out those broad shoulders.

Case thickness is nicely managed at 10.2 - 10.3 millimetres, matching the published specification. And despite that relatively wide footprint, I find it comfortable and more planted on my wrist than the Tissot PRX. That rather square, integrated style can be particular about fit, but this one works well for me.

And finally, the weight on the stainless steel bracelet is about 140 grams. Naturally, that will come down a little once we remove links to size it.

Case

Turning to the case, we’ve got that familiar angular shape, but what I like here is how it works with the bracelet. The bracelet connects to the case in much the same way that its individual links connect to each other. It feels like something designed as a complete watch, and we’ll examine that construction more closely in the bracelet section shortly.

From above, the fixed stainless steel bezel frames the dial with a brushed upper surface and a highly polished bevel. The bezel sits above the broad, longitudinally brushed case top, with well defined crisp transitions between the different facets.

But at this price, I think the case and bracelet finishing punches well above its price point.

The case sides have longitudinal brushing too, bordered by polished chamfers along the upper and lower edges.

There are no conventional crown guards, although the crown sits tucked in about a millimetre or millimetre and a half into the case when screwed down. The crown is signed with the San Martin logo, nicely proportioned, and has this kinda gear-like shape to the knurling.

I like it. It’s easy to grip, the threads engage smoothly, and winding and time setting feel very smooth too. Part of that comes down to the crown and threading, and part of it is that Miyota movement inside.

Turning the watch over, we have a screw-on exhibition caseback with fairly simple finishing and the specifications marked around the perimeter.

And this time, I appreciate what they’ve included: the sapphire designation, 316L stainless steel, water resistance, and—thankfully—the model number.

When we’ve got several San Martins with largely blank casebacks, identifying which reference is which can become a bit of a guessing game. So having SN0152G written here is genuinely useful.

The declared water resistance is 10 ATM, or approximately 100 metres. For this style of everyday sports watch, 100 metres is perfectly practical, including for swimming. So there's plenty of everyday usefulness here.

Crystal

As for the crystal, we have a perfectly flat sapphire sitting ever so slightly proud of the fixed stainless steel bezel, with a simple bevel around the edge. The anti-reflective coating does a decent job too. Simple, effective execution.

And while we’ve got the diamond tester ready, we might as well check the exhibition caseback. As we can see, that’s sapphire too.

So yes, a proper sapphire sandwich. Thank you very much, San Martin.

Dial

Now, the dial. We’ve got this rather striking blue background with a dense pattern of little pyramids across the surface. There are lots of tiny facets catching the light, giving it quite a bit of depth and sparkle as we move the watch around.

On the perimeter, we have a smooth blue minute track with crisp, legible printed markings, giving the dial a clear border.

The well-defined applied hour markers are nicely faceted, with polished surfaces surrounding the luminous centres. There’s a broader, divided marker at twelve, and the applied San Martin logo sits just underneath it.

Overall, a very nice dial. But if I were to single out one particular element, it would be the handset. Slightly unusual, very elegant sword-style hands, with broad, angular surfaces. They’re really nicely sculpted, and I think visually they work very well with the hour markers.

Text is kept to a minimum: just “AUTOMATIC” above six. And, of course, no date window interrupting the pattern. As you probably know, I’d personally still prefer a date, but I can certainly appreciate the symmetry here.

As for the lume, we’ve got it on the hands and hour markers, and for this style of watch, there’s plenty.

We’re not talking dive-watch performance here, but as we can see in my usual 15-minute lume test, this is perfectly acceptable for an everyday watch with a slightly dressier character. No complaints.

Bracelet

Moving on to the integrated bracelet, and I’ve got to give San Martin credit for trying something interesting. I like the design, and the finishing is very good.

But this construction brings compromises. Some may be unavoidable; others, I think, could have been addressed. So let’s go through those compromises, bearing in mind that we’re getting something rather unusual here.

First, the link connections. San Martin supply a screwdriver matched to these tiny screws, which is welcome.

We remove the two screws securing the connection, then slide the link sideways. On my example, loosening them wasn’t enough—they needed to come completely out.

When removing a section of links, release the connections at both ends of that section before sliding it free. The fit is tight, so don’t force it apart with only one connection released. We could damage something.

A little patience is required, but once we understand the construction, sizing is manageable.

The first compromise is articulation. These links don’t fold as tightly as more conventional bracelets. There’s enough flexibility to sit comfortably once sized, without feeling like a complete bangle, but movement is definitely restricted.

Visually, though, it works very well and those crisp high polished chamfers along both sides continue the lines from the case. It all looks very cohesive.

Now the clasp is actually one of the better butterfly clasps I’ve handled. Fully milled, substantial and nicely machined, with closely fitted components and a positive tactical feel in operation.

Functionally, though, it has the familiar limitations: no on-the-fly adjustment. And interestingly San Martin haven’t spoiled us with any branding around the clasp, either.

But more importantly, there are no half-links.

Perhaps the links construction makes those challenging, but a couple of shorter sizing links would have been welcome.

So: restricted articulation, no on-the-fly adjustment, and no half-links. Worth knowing before buying, because this bracelet is such a central part of the watch.

But the appearance, finishing and solid construction are very convincing. It feels robust, the clasp operates nicely, and its substantial construction helps balance the watch on the wrist.

And I find it a very comfortable sports watch. As you can see here, on my about seven-inch wrist, it comes together rather nicely.

Verdict

And that brings us to the verdict.

We’ve covered the compromises, particularly around the bracelet. Those are things we need to understand before deciding whether this watch is for us.

But alongside them, we’re getting a really well-engineered, nicely crafted sapphire sandwich, with a premium Japanese movement and a very interesting design. All the hallmarks of San Martin’s build quality are here. And personally, I think it looks absolutely stunning.

During the sale, we’re looking at approximately $395 before tax, with my discount codes potentially bringing that down further.

Is that budget money? No, I agree. But we also need to look at what we’re getting for it.

And before somebody says, “Just buy a Seiko 5”—well, I love Seiko, but at the same price, that wouldn’t be my choice over this. And for a comparable overall package from the bigger brands, I’d expect to spend considerably more. So when we discuss San Martin’s rising prices, I think the quality and engineering need to be part of that conversation too.

And if there’s something that matches this package for the same money, please share it in the comments. I’d be very interested to see it.

From my perspective, this is definitely a recommendation, provided we go into it understanding those bracelet quirks. They kinda matter. But having worn it, I think there’s an awful lot here to enjoy. So that’s my take. What do you guys think? Do let us know in the comments.

Your support is always appreciated. Take care, and I’ll see you next time.

Movement

Inside, we have a movement from Miyota’s premium 9000 series: the 90S5, to be precise. This is a no-date calibre, which makes perfect sense in a no-date watch.

We’ve got 28,800 vibrations per hour, the same beat rate we find in plenty of entry- and mid-range Swiss calibres. Power reserve is approximately 42 hours, with hacking and hand-winding, of course. And in this example, everything feels very smooth to operate.

It’s also a rather pleasant movement to look at. There’s a decent amount of decorative finishing here, including that striped bridgework. And I’ve always liked those three screws around the rotor bearing. A small detail, perhaps, but quite an attractive one.

So an exhibition caseback is certainly welcome here—from me, anyway. If we’re getting a movement with something worth looking at, I appreciate being able to see it.

And yes, thank you, San Martin, for listening. A premium Japanese calibre is something plenty of you have been asking for, and that’s exactly what we’ve got.

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