Battle of the Five Dollar Watches: Round Two
Walter Shillington is an avid collector of mechanical watches. His reviews focus on inexpensive but often intriguing Chinese timepieces.
Walter B Shillington
Cheap Watches From Wish
Late last year, I made a series of purchases from Wish, focusing on watches that could be acquired and shipped for five dollars or less. The following review covers two men’s watches, a woman’s timepiece, and one that is aimed at the young girl who yearns for a touch of glamor. While these are basically 'throwaway' watches, three of them do provide good value for your money.
1. XINEW Calendar Watch
This watch arrived on schedule and was adequately packed. It weighs in at 40 grams (1.4 ounces) and comes equipped with a nicely designed black PU leather strap. The timepiece, including crown, spans 43mm and is 10.8mm thick. The caseback is composed of stainless steel.
Both the XINEW’s metal case and dial are painted black. I find the combination of an exceptionally chunky hour indicator and a diminutive minute hand to be an awkward styling choice, but the time can be easily determined. Reasonably effective luminous paint covers both indicators.
This timepiece features two fake subdials and a working ‘day of the month’ function. That’s cool. You don’t often find an analog date complication in the five-dollar watch category.
There was no evident sloppiness when adjusting the time and date, suggesting the movement is of decent quality.
The 22mm PU leather band goes well with this timepiece. It is thicker than the other faux leather straps included in this review and should last for several months.
While the strap will eventually require replacement, the XINEW provides good value for your dollar.
2. Dgjud 47Q Quartz Watch
This watch arrived adequately packed and—despite the Christmas rush—on time. It measures 44mm across and is 11mm thick. The metal case and caseback are silver in color. This timepiece weighs 39 grams (1.4 ounces).
The 47Q’s mediocre quality, PU leather strap is black with an attractive crocodile pattern. It’s width measures 20mm. If worn daily, this strap will provide up to two months of service.
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This timepiece’s dial features a white background with black lettering to assure readability. The orientation of hour indicators remains constant as they circle the dial. This concept is interesting but disconcerting because the five, six, and seven o’clock numbers are presented upside down.
I found the movement to be very stiff, and the crown’s protective ridges increased my difficulty in adjusting the time.
The Dgjud 47Q arrived with one section of its strap pulled away from the case. This probably occurred during packing, and either went unnoticed, or the shipper felt it wasn’t worth the effort to reattach the band. It’s not worth your effort either.
3. Gogoey Quartz Watch
What little girl could fail to love a Gogoey? Its huge, golden case is plastered with the finest of plastic diamonds and I counted over one hundred tiny beads housed within the outer dial. Shiny gold numbers highlight a dial which is almost certainly composed of mother-of-pearl. This timepiece screams sophistication and glamour.
Time is easily adjustable without noticeable sloppiness, and like all quartz timepieces, this watch is very accurate. It weighs 43 grams (1.54 ounces), measures 46mm across, and is 11.5mm thick. Band width is 20mm, and the caseback is composed of stainless steel.
The mediocre quality white PU leather band is Gogoey’s weak spot. If your little princess really loves this watch, you will eventually need to purchase a quality leather replacement strap.
4. Unbranded Women’s Flower Watch
This timepiece includes a shiny metal gold-colored case and silver caseback. It weighs in at 41 grams (1.44 ounces). The watch’s diameter measures 41.5mm, and it is 9.8mm thick. Bandwidth is 19mm.
Hands are gold-rimmed and covered with an ineffective coat of luminous paint. Time is easily adjustable without noticeable lag. I feel that its white dial, gold numbering, and pink flower design literally radiates cheerfulness.
A silicon strap is provided. It features a pattern that continues the dial’s flower motif. Although I really like this style, I should note that my female friends consider my taste in fashion accessories to be suspect. The strap is comfortable and should be tough enough to last the lifespan of this watch.
Overall Impression
With the exception of Dgjud’s 47Q, these watches offer decent quality for their price. Gogoey put credible effort into the design of their timepiece, and XINEW’s date feature is much appreciated. If I have to declare a winner, however, it would be the unbranded Flower Watch. It comes equipped with the only band capable of surviving the anticipated lifespan of these timepieces.
© 2017 Walter Shillington
