More Cheap Watch Madness

[PieIsAwesome]

Browsed the site and ordered a couple. Received one yesterday and it is too big for my girly wrist. Gave it to my brother, he likes it at least. The watch looks pretty nice.

 

[Perknose]

Just got my watch. It doesnt tick.

Close your eyes and stick out your tongue. Trust me on this.

It probably just needs a licking to keep on ticking.

 

[alfa147x]

Close your eyes and stick out your tongue. Trust me on this.

It probably just needs a licking to keep on ticking.

?
I'll report back on their RMA policy

 

[911paramedic]

I don't know who I'm going to get as my SS recipient this year, but they should start expecting a bag of watches.

 

[Perknose]

?
I'll report back on their RMA policy

They'll likely never even answer you. That's what happened to me the one time they didn't send anything. But I had payed with paypal and I went through their grievance process and they refunded my money.

Honestly, I think their margins are so small that they don't spend one cent on customer service. The good thing is, they probably also don't bother contesting paypal or your CC either.

Sorry your watch was DOA. You got the one I first highlighted in my OP, right? That's the one I'm still waiting for.

 

[alfa147x]

They'll likely never even answer you. That's what happened to me the one time they didn't send anything. But I had payed with paypal and I went through their grievance process and they refunded my money.

Honestly, I think their margins are so small that they don't spend one cent on customer service. The good thing is, they probably also don't bother contesting paypal or your CC either.

Sorry your watch was DOA. You got the one I first highlighted in my OP, right? That's the one I'm still waiting for.

yup that's the one

 

[Perknose]

Got my watch today from the OP. After alfa's sad "watch no ticky" experience, I was even less sunny about my chances of getting one that worked. These have mechanical movements (or so I thought), so there's a ton of tiny gears and levers and stems to go awry.

But it not only arrived in working condition, it came out of the bag keeping the exact right time, even set to EDT! It says "Japan Movt", which is a good enough sign as far as that can be believed. No mention of any jewels in the movement, which does mean the precision and therefore the accuracy will degrade over time -- but it made the long trip from China keeping correct time, so that's a decent start!

Looks: It looks great! If you liked the looks in its ad, you won't be disappointed by the watch itself. It looks FAR classier than any $5 watch has a right to!

I can tell right now that the shiny leather band, while of better quality than some I've seen in the past, really won't stand up to daily use over the long haul. But since the band is attached by old-fashioned roller pins to the watch case, it's replaceable. And I have some high quality spares left over from the Value America era rape of a high end watch site -- mulitiple $75 off $100 coupons, good for a Skaagen or two, other ~$100 brands, and whole bunch of spare watch bands.

Arrrggghhhh, matey! We were pirates, we were!

It has what appears to be luminous paint on the watch hands, and little dots of same on each 5 minute hash mark,a nice touch if they actually do show up in the dark.

Build: No instructions, and the three auxiliary chorno dials? I more than half suspect they don't do a damn thing. The three "button" controls? I also half suspect that the two outer ones control NOTHING! You push them in, nothing apparently changes or happens. But they look nice and don't feel excessively cheap in action, or non-action.

Same with the middle stem wind. Since it came displaying the "exact" correct time, I was actually fearful of messing with it. Call me superstitious. But, for the purposes of this review, I did, and I think I learned two important things:

1. It's action was pretty darn good (pulling the stem out to move the minute hand around), but not quite as silky smooth and linear in response as a higher quality watch would be.

2. While the watch certainly sounds mechanical in movement, with a slight metallic click to each notch of the second hand, albeit only heard if you put the watch up to your ear (so not that cheap), I can't figure out any way to WIND it, which may mean it has a quartz and battery movement.

Unlike my other $3.75 beauty that I've worn daily for the last several months, and which you just can't shut me up about, this watch is not a daily wear replacement, imho. I sense some fragility. Hey, I admit it, I was seduced by its pretty face. But when senseamp posted pics showing it to be a knock-off of his Tissot, I had to take the plunge splurge . . . five whole dollars worth!

I'm happy with what I got. I'll give it plenty of giggle-wear on "ocassions." .

"Say, nice watch, what is that?"

"Why, it's a genuine Shshd. Imported, you know. There are very few in the country. Tissot made one disturbingly similar, but a truly discerning eye could tell the difference. The Swiss can be so derivative at times.

I hear the late Shah of Iran owned several. But that could be just a rumor."

In conclusion, if you need that $5 for birth control or food for tonight's dinner, don't invest in it in this quirky but lovely timepiece. Poor, unfortunate alfa's came DOA. Mine came, not only working, but sporting the correct EDT time.

Differing karmic consequences? Who am I to say?

 

[ilogik]

My watch from the OP came in today, unfortunately the small hand from the small dial on the right side fell of. Otherwise this is a good looking watch for the price

 

[Evadman]

This thread amuses me so much that I am going to get one of those watches.

 

[nyker96]

And best of all, it's a genuine Shshd, Chinese Prison Labor Camp #17's mark of excellence in strap-on personal timekeeping units and plastic garden hose attachments since sometime late last year.

yep my uncle works there and he gives his 110% seal of approval to this fine time piece ;]

 

[Perknose]

Got my watch today from the OP.

[Blarg, gorp, hurg, bang] <---- Essentially me saying the watch was everything a tenuously hopeful American lad could hope the great Socialist/Capitalist paradise of China to bestow upon him, like a back alley blow job from a tranny, in exchange for a fiver.

Well, it's been nearly 3 months now, and nothing has fallen off or disintegrated on my Shshd, even the band. I actually ended up making it my daily wearer nearly 95% of the time, despite my misgivings about its long-term ability to survive. Long live the empirical method! :awe:

If I don't correct this fairly classy looking, would-be Tissot clone, it will stray from the true time by nearly a minute or so a month, whereas after nearly a year of ownership my $3.75 Swatch clone has stayed right on time. All I've ever had to do with that one was to correct for the end of DST.

But here's what is possibly the best part about my $5.41 purchase: Turns out it wants to bring at least one of its buddies over on its own dime!

I got an e-mail on Dec.19th saying I'd placed an order for this watch and they'd be shipping it soon (remember, I ordered and received it 3 months ago.) I was alarmed, but when subsequent checks of my paypal and CC accounts show no further charges, I looked up the order number they'd referenced on their site and it was the self-same one from several months ago.

I have tried to alert them to their mistake, but their customer service, as likely befits their high volume and super-slim margins, is virtually non-existent. They never respond, even when it has been in their own self-interest to.

So . . . I might be getting another one for free! This near-spritual ferengi experience is making a believer of me! :awe:

 

[ponyo]

This thread amuses me so much that I am going to get one of those watches.

:thumbsup: I just ordered one.

Perknose, you should ask for sales commission. You probably sold couple thousand watches for them based on this thread view alone. At minimum they should send you a free watch!

 

[nyker96]

I bought a cheap $15 belt 6 months ago it's name brand on sale, and this belt is already breaking up. I think it's lasted shorter than the old belt I grabbed from chinatown for 5. My conclusion is that low end brand names probably not worth it. might as well get a cheapo no name.

 

[magomago]

eh i've seen this thread around so long i'll bite when i get back. probably throwing away some money, but its worth a shot to see if something comes out that actually works in the long run.

 

[Perknose]

eh i've seen this thread around so long i'll bite when i get back. probably throwing away some money, but its worth a shot to see if something comes out that actually works in the long run.

:thumbsup: I just ordered one.

Perknose, you should ask for sales commission. You probably sold couple thousand watches for them based on this thread view alone. At minimum they should send you a free watch!

Guys, I retain serious doubts about the long-term reliability of this particular watch. If you look through this thread you'll see a couple of posters who ordered them who weren't at all satisfied with what they got.

If it's not just a lark and a giggle for you, and you're really banking on getting something you wish to rely on for your several buck outlay, then I'd suggest the $3.75 Swatch clone from my other thread as being simple and unpretentious but exhibiting amazing build quality, imho, for the price.

If it's still available, I remain mightily impressed by it all around, as apparently at least one other poster was as well. Maybe he can help you figure out the wsdeal shipping charges.

Buy anyway, if it's the Tissot clone you want, and it does have its own impressive charm, the price is now down to $4.60- $4.68 shipped on f*calprice.com. Such a deal!

The one I have for $4.60. (just substitute f*calprice.com, with an "o")

Even cooler colors if you're willing to part with a big 8 cents more! Pics are from the directly linkable wsdeal.com, but the watches are also available with free shipping at f*calprice for $4.68, just search by the same sku's:

YW363L

YW363x

YW363w

There are literally hundreds of different watches on that site. Go ahead, get jiggy with them, you know you want to!

To paraphrase a famous AT poster: Text. Watch. Enjoy.

 

[magomago]

sorry there capn' but i don't know how to use the site. I search for the same skus on focal price, but it never results anything.

i actually wouldn't mind buying some of the 20-30 dollar watches as they look really nice, but the hard part with pulling the trigger is you know NO CLUE whether or not there is improved construction in the watch; it could simply be marked up for all you know

 

[Perknose]

sorry there capn' but i don't know how to use the site. I search for the same skus on focal price, but it never results anything.

i actually wouldn't mind buying some of the 20-30 dollar watches as they look really nice, but the hard part with pulling the trigger is you know NO CLUE whether or not there is improved construction in the watch; it could simply be marked up for all you know

Ok, you can get to them this way: http://www.**********.com/YW933W Just substitute "f*calprice.com" (with an 'o' for the secondary asterisk), for each url, and use my post above to change the part after the last forward slash for each separate watch, and you should be good to go.

Just mho, but I wouldn't touch any of those 20-30 dollar watches with a ten foot pole. For 20-30 bucks, you can get a well built and guaranteed Timex, or a Citizen or Pulsar (for example) on sale. Those folks have brand equity to protect. Of course, any one of them could turn out to be an incredible deal. <shrug>

My whole slant here was curiousity on the low end, viz: "A watch for ~$5 or less shipped from China that even kinda looks good? Why, I declare myself eager to sample this surpassingly strange fruit of the barely congruent or logical international capitalist market, you betcha!"

It's kinda like the phenomenon of those wretched McRibb sandwiches. Even I was tempted into trying one once, more or less just because. :awe:

 

[beach2nd]

In for one of the Tissot knock offs. This should be fun!

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Going to order the Tissot clone. I love Tissot designs. damn.
I am going to order 3 just in case lol.

 

[SZLiao214]

Will Alky get his so one of these?

I'm pretty surprised how decent of a watch you can get for 5 bucks.

 

[speedy2]

lol. I work with my dad. We fix and sell watches. I should order one of these. Just so we can have a good laugh. We see so much crap come through our store. Usually a battery replacement costs more than what people paid for the watch. Which would be true for this watch as well. LOL We even guarantee our batteries.....longer than this watch will last I bet.

 

[Obsoleet]

Yeah, if you've been to China, there are tonnes of cheap knockoffs there. Really no reason to wear one.
This is what I wear now. $50 and looks real clean.

I'd like a knockoff of this watch, $50 seems a little high after seeing the decent looking watch in the OP for 5.

 

[masterxfob]

someone find me a nice replica of the cartier midsize tank

http://www.amazon.com/Cartier-Midsiz...pd_sbs_watch_1

 

[ThatsABigOne]

The charge has been made to my card. Now to wait for 2 weeks for watches to arrive. Can't wait.

 

[BladeVenom]

someone find me a nice replica of the cartier midsize tank

http://www.amazon.com/Cartier-Midsiz...pd_sbs_watch_1

My Seiko looks like a Cartier.

So if you see any others that look like Cartier's post them. Their website is so slow I can't stand it.