Hey. I normally wear a Bertucci DX3. It’s a great watch once you get a more comfortable band for it. It’s also like $50. That’s fine for me. However, I’ve got some youngsters in my life who’ve been admiring my watch. I’d like to get them all watches but I think it might be unwise to strap that kind of money to their wrists.
So I look over on Ali Express. I see a bunch of similarly styled watched for like $5. I might still look into different bands but that’s really cheap. I know Chinese manufacturing has come a long way and I’ve gotten some really nice knives on Ali Express. So how about these watches? Have you tried watches from Ali Express? What have been your experiences?
i have done that - ordered several under $10 aliexpress watches
send me links to what you are thinking of
possible shortcuts they may take:
all small dials are fake
buttons don’t do anything
face of watch is piece of paper
and you can see it isn;t flat
no waterproofing, not even an effort
-there may be gaps around the crown stem where you clearly see the inside
batteries may be old or dead
and/or battery consumption may be so high that it only lasts a few months even if new
minute and hour hand out of sync = min at 0:00 but hour hand is not exactly on an hour marker
backlight battery consumption may be so high that the watch resets
ALSO —digital watches may use the backlight button to change functions, so backlight is used way too much
cheesy plating
cardboard [almost] bands
that said, some of them are still worth it, to me
i get my kids digital calculator watches for about $1.11
Checking the time with a watch is so much easier (and subtle) than pulling your phone out.
That’s not even going into the convenience of timing/dive bezels and chronographs/stopwatches for quickly timing things (I challenge anyone to find many decent chefs that don’t wear a wristwatch), and the additional functions of even the most basic fitness watches. For any extended time in the outdoors a watch is IMO a complete necessity as phones can lose charge quickly and easily be damaged. Watches for the outdoors now integrate compasses, thermometers, barometers, etc. which can be extremely useful as well.
Plenty of things in life are “obsolete” when any aesthetic value is reduced to “self-decoration”. Kinda like how we don’t all go around wearing gray coveralls every day of our life in every situation. That doesn’t even get into the appreciation for design and engineering that many have for anything from G-Shocks to Jaeger Lecoultre.
Thanks for the info so far. Like I said, my usual watch is a DX3 Field Watch. I like my watches simple, uncomplicated, and easy to read. Since the kids are fascinated by my watch, I’m looking at similar styles. I’d imagine that means less that can go wrong. A total lack of waterproofing might be a problem though…
As far as being obsolete, that’s something people say about EDC flashlights too. Sure, your smart phone can do a zillion things. That doesn’t mean it’s the best, most practical, or most convenient choice for all of those things. Just as I carry a dedicated flashlight, I prefer having a standalone watch. Coincidentally, I wonder if the kids are fascinated because they don’t see analog watches in their daily lives. For the youngest, it’s probably the first analog watch she’s ever seen. Her only frame of reference is the large analog wall clock at home. Nothing like seeing a young mind blown by old technology….
It’s a small white watch held in the silicone strap. I have thin wrists (same as my wife and I had no problems wearing them myself.
One on each arm to be extra cool, erm, to carry them for the kids when they didn’t want to
The weirdest thing about it is the name but that’s standard with PRC stuff.
For that kind of money you cannot go wrong, just order what you like. Like most things, the low budget watch bracket is just that, the lowest quality. Doesn’t mean they are useless but there is just that much you can get for under 4 dollars.
In my experience with chinese watches, the dividing line is around the 30$ mark where you can see dramatic improvements in quality. As always YMMV.
Maybe if you have good eyesight.To see the time on any of the watches I have in the drawer I'd first need to get my reading glasses out of my pocket>put them on>look at the time>take the reading glasses off>put the glasses back in my pocket and then continue with what I was doing.
I owned a lot of fine watches over the years but don't miss them at all.
it isn;t hard to find a watch that is legible, large numbered, high contrast
timex makes a bunch of them
field watch, is one genre that features legibility
I haven’t worn a watch in B’harni knows how long, but have an old Casio and even older Texas Instruments watch… somewhere.
Always hated anything banging on my wrist, especially if resting my left arm on a desk or something.
Always liked the style of Seiko and Citizen watches. Simple and clean analog dials.
Problem is that watches always drift, even a fractional-minute per month. Cellphone times always reset/correct periodically. So I was always victim to the adage “A man with one watch knows what time it is; the man with two is never sure.”. Drove me buggy.
My 2 Casio watches set themselves every night (3 times, actually) from the WWV time signal. They can be up to a second off sometimes, but that’s plenty accurate for my wrist. Both solar, so I haven’t set the time or changed a battery for a couple of decades.
Which brings me back to the OP. When something like thisor this is available for $12, I just have a hard time going any lower. The Casio will very likely work for at least a year, and with a new band, probably a lot longer.
and I had no problems wearing them myself.
