I’m not sure what it might be – but in terms of today’s post, we’ll say it’s defined as a cheap watch (take that however you want it). In this post, I’ve popped in pictures of various models that I’ve come across on the web. If you want to see a whole range (none more than $20 that I noticed), I’d suggest this Google search.
So, how did I come across these, you might ask? It’s not like I could find a company website – no, this is courtesy of one of my good friends, who sent it along after he ran across them.
From what I can tell, these are coming in from any variety of vendors straight (I’m guessing) from the factory in China. This is the only way to explain the low, low prices we’re seeing here. Yes, they do promise a stainless steel case, mineral crystals, and the like – and they may well have those. Just don’t be surprised if your skin turns green.
Most of these watches have dual registers driven by quartz movements; quite a number of them also tuck in a thermometer (in Celcius) and one of the smallest compasses I’ve seen. So you might say, “hey, cheap watch for when I go camping – perfect!” I’m going to opt for “not so much”. If you want a beater for the outdoors, get a G-Shock or Timex Expedition (or maybe even a Suunto), something that will hold up and remain accurate.
So, what are these watches good for? I can only think of a few scenarios – either you’ve got an unsuspecting kid you need a gift for, or you want to see a simultaneously pained and puzzled expression on the face of your watch-loving friends. So, yes – if you don’t have any better use for your $20 (like, say, supporting your favorite watch review site) then by all means, pick one of these up. There are some very high-quality watches coming out of China – but I don’t think that these are them.
