- 1/6/20
- 150
- 94
- 28
TL
R - Rating. Classic DHGate. Poor quality but a great value for what it is (Quartz). Would be a perfect “beater” but that it’s a dress watch. Hmmm.
Price: $18.76
Delivery Time: 20 days
One of the observations I had early on in my Rep journey was that I didn’t own a dress watch (gold on leather variety) and I simultaneously thought, why not see what one of these cheap quartz versions are all about? And for $18, I knew what I would more than likely receive. I wasn’t wrong.
A couple things about this watch
Is it a good date watch? Probably. It is likely going to get noticed…it has a shine without the added bling that could be somewhat impressive (with the right strap) at arms length.
One of the things I didn’t know that I would appreciate is how easy it is to wear. That’s more of a function of me never owning a dress watch, though. It’s very light (watches can be light…?) and quite thin allowing it to be a very comfortable wear. It’s very good as an alternative to a tool watch as a simple change of pace. I wear this in the 5 watch rotation and welcome the easy wear each time I put it on.
This watch also makes wearing it (no winding, no resetting the time to start the day) less complicated and low friction. I definitely didn’t appreciate this factor in making a buying decision, but it does add to its wearability and getting out the door quickly (not that we do that like we used to).
Overall, it’s a cheap DHGate version of a very attractive Gen that might be implemented poorly, but is, in fact, a pretty nice watch that is almost free to own.
On to the ratings:
Fit and Finish: 4, The watch is clearly cheap to hold and examine, but it does excel once on the wrist as a dress watch. It does what it is supposed to do easily and is definitely a step in formality up from my other watches. Strap replacement resulted in a mandatory 1 point deduction. It looks better than it feels.
Legibility: 7, Easy to read, sometimes I think it has stopped due to the ticklng of the seconds hand, but onward it goes. The dial has no lume so, like other dress watches, it has its limits. I do like this dial a lot, so it could be the only dress watch I care to own (for now, of course).
Comfort: 8, Light and thinner than I’m used to. Easy on/off and almost makes you forget you’re wearing a watch.
Wearability: 7, Slightly better than an average wear due to it’s size and light weight. The dial is a healthy 40mm so it has a lot of real estate, but wears small.
Value: 8, As I said previously, this watch is almost free, particularly if you own another strap that would fit. It’ll be the cheapest watch I own for a long time. I would give this watch away to someone if they liked it in person and feel like I made someone’s day.
Overall: 6.8
R - Rating. Classic DHGate. Poor quality but a great value for what it is (Quartz). Would be a perfect “beater” but that it’s a dress watch. Hmmm. Price: $18.76
Delivery Time: 20 days
One of the observations I had early on in my Rep journey was that I didn’t own a dress watch (gold on leather variety) and I simultaneously thought, why not see what one of these cheap quartz versions are all about? And for $18, I knew what I would more than likely receive. I wasn’t wrong.
A couple things about this watch
- The dial is designed similarly to the Gen, but instead of a date complications, it adds a small seconds hand. No competent Rolex owner would ever mistake this for anything but a Rep.
- The Gen dial always struck me as both interesting and very classy. It’s enjoyable to look at and clearly presents a dress watch orientation that is both classy and refined. As far as this Rep goes, much of the “look and feel” of the Gen dial has been preserved. It is in no way perfect, but it is enjoyable to look at and yields much of the same sense of satisfaction as does the Gen. In a word, it’s pretty.
- The strap is horrible. Enough said, I already replaced it with a slightly better strap. Don’t buy this and expect to get any real value from the strap. It is a 20mm and easily swapped out at least. If I owned one high end strap, it would be on this watch and very likely allow it to punch above its weight.
Is it a good date watch? Probably. It is likely going to get noticed…it has a shine without the added bling that could be somewhat impressive (with the right strap) at arms length.
One of the things I didn’t know that I would appreciate is how easy it is to wear. That’s more of a function of me never owning a dress watch, though. It’s very light (watches can be light…?) and quite thin allowing it to be a very comfortable wear. It’s very good as an alternative to a tool watch as a simple change of pace. I wear this in the 5 watch rotation and welcome the easy wear each time I put it on.
This watch also makes wearing it (no winding, no resetting the time to start the day) less complicated and low friction. I definitely didn’t appreciate this factor in making a buying decision, but it does add to its wearability and getting out the door quickly (not that we do that like we used to).
Overall, it’s a cheap DHGate version of a very attractive Gen that might be implemented poorly, but is, in fact, a pretty nice watch that is almost free to own.
On to the ratings:
Fit and Finish: 4, The watch is clearly cheap to hold and examine, but it does excel once on the wrist as a dress watch. It does what it is supposed to do easily and is definitely a step in formality up from my other watches. Strap replacement resulted in a mandatory 1 point deduction. It looks better than it feels.
Legibility: 7, Easy to read, sometimes I think it has stopped due to the ticklng of the seconds hand, but onward it goes. The dial has no lume so, like other dress watches, it has its limits. I do like this dial a lot, so it could be the only dress watch I care to own (for now, of course).
Comfort: 8, Light and thinner than I’m used to. Easy on/off and almost makes you forget you’re wearing a watch.
Wearability: 7, Slightly better than an average wear due to it’s size and light weight. The dial is a healthy 40mm so it has a lot of real estate, but wears small.
Value: 8, As I said previously, this watch is almost free, particularly if you own another strap that would fit. It’ll be the cheapest watch I own for a long time. I would give this watch away to someone if they liked it in person and feel like I made someone’s day.
Overall: 6.8
