Lately, there’s been a surge in what I’d call “AliExpress watch brands”—cheap timepieces mimicking Rolex Submariners or Patek Philippe Nautilus models, often with a random name slapped on. Most are low-quality, but I’ve come across a few that actually offer decent value for the price. One of those is Milifortic.
The brand
Milifortic is no stranger to homage watches—you’ll find models on their website that closely resemble Rolex Explorers, Ulysse Nardin, and other luxury timepieces. I won’t comment on their quality or whether homages are worth buying, but my focus is on their other offerings.
Beyond the homages, they have a few unique dress watches and military-style field watches. Some designs echo the classic Hamilton Murph, while others bring interesting variations. I chose to review a jump hour watch with a salmon dial because it stood out as the most unique, featuring an intriguing complication at a competitive price.
Overall, Milifortic produces fairly generic designs but offers impressive value for the price.
Packaging
The watch arrived in a well-designed travel case that offered excellent protection with soft padded interiors. It also included a warranty card and a strap-changing tool—an unexpected bonus at this price point. Overall, a pleasant surprise.
Design
If you set aside the dial for a moment, the Milifortic Vintage Jumping Hours RO77 is a fairly standard watch. It features a polished case, sloping bezel, and brushed finish—nothing particularly groundbreaking. Even the crown is unbranded, though it has sharp teeth and a well-polished surface. Overall, it feels like a collection of off-the-shelf industrial components.
The dial, however, is where things get interesting. It has a striking salmon hue with a parallel brushed finish running from 12 to 6 o’clock. The railroad-style minute track adds a classic touch, as does the snailed pattern on the small seconds subdial, which creates a concentric ring effect.
To balance the second subdial, they’ve added an engraved circle that houses the logo and a well-integrated aperture for the jumping hour display. The result is a clean and traditional jump-hour design with a bold, oversized minute hand that lacks a counterweight. Paired with the simple hour display and a blued seconds hand, the watch achieves a refined yet sporty look that works just as well with a T-shirt as it does with a suit.
Milifortic isn’t trying to push the boundaries of watch design. Instead, they focus on offering affordable mechanical timepieces with timeless aesthetics. In this case, they’ve managed to deliver a jump-hour complication—typically found in higher-end watches—at a very competitive price.
Quality
Quality & Value
When evaluating a watch’s quality, price is key—and at around $110, this watch offers remarkable value for a jump-hour complication and an automatic movement.
As mentioned in the design section, the case, bezel, and crown are standard, off-the-shelf components, commonly used by many brands. That’s expected at this price point, but the finishing is surprisingly good.
The dial, however, exceeds expectations. The color is spot-on, the brushed finish is well-executed, and the snailing and cutouts are cleanly done. The hour display is mostly well-centered in the aperture, though some slight misalignment appears at certain hours. A slightly larger aperture could have minimized this issue.
And then there’s the heat-blued seconds hand—an unexpected surprise at this price. While not the highest quality heat bluing, it’s impressive given that many brands at double or triple the price use paint to mimic the effect. Kudos to Milifortic for doing it the right way.
Printing on the dial is sharp, though the hour hand is a weak point—it looks like a flat, stamped metal piece. The polishing is decent, but a more refined hand would elevate the watch, as I mentioned in my Baltany review.
Strap & Buckle
The buckle is standard and unremarkable, but the strap is a disappointment—cheap, synthetic leather with an unpleasant smell and poor texture. That’s not a deal-breaker at this price, but I’d strongly recommend swapping it out immediately for a real leather strap, which instantly improves the watch.
Final Thoughts
Considering the price, Milifortic delivers well above expectations—particularly in terms of movement, complications, and dial execution. The heat-blued seconds hand is a standout feature at this level, and while some areas could be refined, this watch offers excellent value for the money.
Movement
The ST17 movement, produced by Sea-Gull—one of the largest mechanical movement manufacturers in the world—is based on the earlier ST16 design, which has been in production since 2001.
This movement introduces several upgrades, including the jumping hour complication found in this watch, as well as features like a big date display and even a power reserve indicator. These additions allow smaller microbrands to create more interesting and feature-rich watches without driving up costs significantly.
In terms of longevity and accuracy, the ST17 isn’t the most precise movement. With an average deviation of around 25 seconds per day, it performs similarly to some Seiko calibers. However, Sea-Gull movements have faced criticism for inconsistency, with occasional quality control issues. That said, reports suggest their reliability has improved in recent years.
Considering the price, the ST17 offers great value—especially with a complication like the jump hour, which is typically found in much more expensive watches.
Red more about the Seagull ST17.
On the wrist
With a 38mm case width and a total height of 11mm (including the crystal), this watch wears exceptionally well on the wrist. At just 9mm without the glass, it maintains a sleek profile that balances between dressy and sporty.
On my 17cm wrist, it feels just right—not too small, not too bulky. In my opinion, it’s a great all-around size that should work well for most wrist sizes.
Conclusion
It’s understandable to be cautious when it comes to AliExpress watches, but Milifortic is one brand I believe you can buy from with confidence. If you’re concerned about long-term movement reliability, that’s a different discussion—but based on recent improvements from Sea-Gull, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. And if this watch brings you enjoyment for even two to five years, I’d say it’s well worth the $110 price tag.
Milifortic delivers a simple, generic case and crown, an awful strap—but a beautifully executed salmon dial and one of the most charming complications: the jump hour. Given the overall quality for the price, this watch is absolutely worth considering.
Specifications of the RO77 Jump Hours
- Model: AE38R077 Jumping Hour Vintage Automatic
- Movement: Seagull ST17t Automatic
- Movement Functions: Jumping Hour, One Pointer, Small Seconds
- Case: 316L Stainless Steel, Brushed
- Bezel: Fixed bezel, Polishing
- Case Diameter: 38mm (including crown 41mm)
- Dial: Enameled Yellow / Straight Salmon
- Lug to Lug: 46mm
- Thickness: 9.0mm (including glass 11mm)
- Glass: Sapphire Crystal Glass, AR Coating
- Hands: Polished Minute Hands,Burn blue seconds hand
- Luminous: No
- Crown: Screw-in,316L Stainless Steel,Polishing
- Caseback: Screw-in, 316L Stainless Steel, Brushed
- Strap: Leather, Brown(yellow dial)/Black(salmon dial)
- Strap Width: 20mm
- Buckle: 316L Stainless Steel,With LOGO
- Waterproof: 100M(10ATM)
- Weight: About 66g
