Cheap Fashion Watches - The Pros and Cons Of Buying Them
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Fashion watches are a controversial topic among watch enthusiasts. Many condemn them as terrible value disposable pieces, with no place on this planet; whilst others have more mixed opinions.
Today I’m going to attempt to give an objective summary of the pros and cons of these fashion watches, with the help of my friend Sam, from The Casual Watch Reviewer.
PROS OF CHEAP FASHION WATCHES
Achieve The Luxury Look For Less
Many fashion watch brands try and imitate the aesthetics of popular watch brands, potentially with the aim to capitalise on the success of those proven designs. Realistically, without saving for years, most people aren’t likely to purchase a watch that’s worth thousands. If there’s a certain design you really like, buying a cheap homage fashion watch may be a genuine option.
Build A Large Collection Fast
If you’re buying fashion watches purely to match them with outfits, then generally you’ll be able to build a large collection for a low cost. Most fashion watches tend to be cheap, meaning you can easily buy multiple to match different outfits. Alternatively, the super-minimal design offered by many of these brands could mean that only a couple of watches are required. Those designs are extremely versatile and can easily be dressed up or down; saving you money, in a sense.
Gets Newbies Into Watches
In an age where your mobile phone or smartwatch can tell you the time with unmatched precision, these fashion watch brands are still able to hit a chord with the millennial generation. In many cases these cheap fashion watches act as the gateway into the world of watches. Currently, most traditional watch brands are failing in this regard; with poor utilisation of social media marketing being the primary cause. Without these fashion brands, the watch industry may be in more trouble.
First Time Mechanical Watches
Some cheap fashion watches are mechanical. While low-cost automatic pieces are available from renowned brands like Seiko, you can get hold of many for below the £30 threshold from Chinese retailers. If you haven’t tried any mechanical pieces before, these could be a good way to test them out; for near zero expense.
If You Want To Break Down And Work On Mechanical Movements
Cheap mechanical watches are perfect for those of you looking to learn more about watch movements. You can break these down as you please, for very little upfront outlay.
Puts Into Perspective The Mark-ups On Watches
The presence of fashion watches helps shine a light on some of the crazy mark-ups in the watch industry. Being able to easily visit websites like Alibaba and DHGate is useful in showcasing how much watch manufacturing truly costs and can prove useful to inquisitive consumers. You can instantly view how much it costs to buy watches of a certain specification directly from China.
CONS OF CHEAP FASHION WATCHES
Massive Mark-ups
While the watch industry is renowned for having large mark-ups, some cheap fashion watch brands in particular have mark-ups that beggar belief. Many are made for absurdly low cost in China, often for less than £5, and are then sold for nearly £200; the percentage mark-ups exceeding into the thousands. These watches have some of the most basic specifications available. Many brands achieve this with smart, targeted social media marketing campaigns; which convince inexperienced watch buyers that they are purchasing ‘luxury’ goods.
Terrible Re-sale Value
Due to the lack of heritage and poor-quality level of most fashion watches, you’ll struggle to get anything for them if you decide to try and flip them. I recently took a quick look at completed auctions for Daniel Wellington watches on ebay and even I was shocked. These watches were consistently selling for under £20 a piece, which is 10x less than the retail price on the Daniel Wellington website. With other watch brands, especially more premium watches, you’re likely to get far more back if you do decide to sell; some even gain value over time.
Poor Quality Materials
The majority of cheap fashion watches are made from the lowest quality materials available, in order to reduce costs and increase profits. Brands typically skimp on areas like the movement, glass and strap. Many of the fashion watches I have tested have begun to deteriorate very quickly; particularly the leather straps. Low quality genuine leather is normally used, which makes the strap look terrible after only a few wears. These watches are nothing more than disposable pieces, despite some of the huge mark-ups.
Better Alternatives Elsewhere
You can easily get a variety of far better watches for the price of most fashion watches (or even less). In my recent Daniel Wellington alternatives video, I showcased 10 better alternatives, which offer better quality at different price points; often from more respected brands. One of the watches I featured was the Casio LTP ‘Sapphire’. This watch looks like many of the current trendy fashion watches out there but features far better specifications, at a fraction of the price. This one has premium sapphire glass, a stainless-steel case and Japanese movement for around the £50 mark.
You can also get a selection of automatic watches at a similar price. The ever-popular Orient Bambino V3 is a great choice for budget-conscious watch shoppers.
Photo Credit - Watchkeeper.com - Orient Bambino V3
Aside from these, there are many, many other options out there.
Buyer’s Remorse
Once you become aware that there are far better options available from more reputable brands, the buyer’s remorse often tends to kick in. I know this first-hand, after having bought fashion watches in the past myself; but also, from my interactions on YouTube. The number of people that leave comments saying how they regret buying such watches is overwhelming. There isn’t much worse than feeling like you’ve been ripped off – especially when you know it’s been made for £3 in China.
Conclusion
So, would I recommend buying these? Really it depends on your situation, but for the most part, no. There are a ton of great low-cost options out there, from great brands like Timex and Casio, which tend to outperform most cheap fashion watches. That being said, there are some much better ‘fashion watches’ out there.