Armitron Minnie Crystal Set: In Review

More often than not, we focus on watches that are aimed at folks with larger wrists. Of course, they’re not the only fans of watches, as we well know. In fact, my own daughters like watches as well. So, when we had a chance to review the Armitron Minnie Crystal Set, I knew I had some people who would be quite happy to help test it out.

What struck us about this watch

Frankly, it’s the fact that they said “You know what? Our watch bracelet is great, let’s make an actual bracelet out of the links!” Obviously, the clasp is different between the watch and the bracelet, but it’s a really solid look. Frankly, I’m surprised more brands haven’t played around with this idea. Sure, maybe you don’t want a 20mm-wide three-link banging around on your wrist, but slim it down some? I think it could be a good look. If you wanted to, you could stack these on one wrist (to give the appearance of a wrap-style bracelet), or as I had my daughters do, wear the watch on one wrist, and the bracelet on the other (or one daughter has one, and another has the other). Definitely some flexibility there.

How do you size it?

Sizing the Minnie Crystal Set is just like any other watch – you’ve got friction pins that you’ll pop out, remove links, and then put the pins back in to close it all up. This is true on both the watch and the bracelet. In fact, as near as I could tell, the links are identical – and interchangeable – so you could easily size one down to make the other one larger. Also, on the bracelet, you’ve got two sets of clasps, so you could remove one clasp to make for a quick size-down.

Wearing it

This is something my daughters were constantly vying for. As soon as they saw it, they were attracted to the sparkly crystals set around the main crystal, as well as the pinkish tones of the rose gold finish and the mother-of-pearl effect on the dial. Though it’s a rather small watch, picking out the time is decently easy to do, and the inclusion of the magnification cyclops over the date display means it’s something that’s actually legible for a 26mm diameter watch.

The specs

While it’s got some higher end looks from the finishes, this is definitely a watch that Armitron is known for – delivering champagne looks on a beer budget. Between the sparkle and the colors, you might be tempted to think it was a higher-end piece. However, the case and bracelet are stainless steel (not a precious metal), and those gems around the dial are crystals, not diamonds. And ticking away inside is a humble quartz movement, not a mechanical. We’re a-ok with that, because the watch delivers on it’s promise of higher-end looks at a reasonable price.

Who it’s for

In my house, it was quickly clear that this was something the girls were going to have. So, it’s a good option for younger watch lovers in your life, or frankly anyone who has a smaller wrist and wants something a bit more elegantly sized to wear. It’s also perfect for someone who maybe isn’t the most careful with what they’re wearing, as the steel will stand up to some banging around – and if it breaks, it won’t break the bank. If you’d like to get your own, it’s available now – in a variety of dial colors and case/bracelet finishes – for $95 directly from armitron.com