I'm going to say this ahead of time, I have an Invicta Automatic Diver watch, and I'm in love with the fn thing, and anyone that hates on it can take a long walk off a short pier.
If you've never owned an automatic, and you just want to learn if it's something you can live with and enjoy, a watch such as this might not be a bad way to go. Or if you want to learn how to work on a watch, this one could serve as a guinea pig.
@Ray Han Bravo, bravo. That is a beautiful and eloquent answer. Thankfully I'm not a dull liberal nor even a sharp liberal. A liberal would never post what I posted. Clearly I'm on the other side. And your comments further support our concerns. Basically, you're admitting that our stupid government and companies got sucked into the promise of Chinese labor, and you not only reaped the financial rewards of being paid for the work you did, but your companies also stole the technology from our stupid liberal led western companies who were and mostly still are totally naive to what China is doing at night when the factory doors are locked. You are completely right. And please understand, I didn't hand them any economical means of power any more than you created the coronavirus. I did not agree to any of that, and unfortunately I am not in a position of power. As you can see here, I have tried to warn people, and many of them got angry at me. They want to buy that $15 Amazon watch with the double tap date complication. Based on what you said, they're not too bright, supporting and handing over their money to China. You are right about tech and phones. My question was regarding the watch examples and the Rolex claim. It's not about keeping accurate time. That's not why Rolex is #1. Many other watches from many places have kept accurate time for a very long time. I also know that many wealthy Chinese go to HK to buy Rolexes, sometimes 5 at one time. They want to own and wear that brand that they can now afford. They don't want to wear the $15 Chimazon watch. In the watch world, it has a lot to do with heritage as you know, history, and past innovation as well as creativity and craftsmanship. Although the Chinese watches can be good. They keep time and have some models that are very nice and excellent quality, it will take time to develop heritage Seagull seems to have some heritage and therefore is appreciated by the watch community. As someone who lives in Asia, I know first hand that creativity and craftsmanship don't usually thrive in Asia. Those are 2 areas that will take more time to develop. A lot of what makes a brand great took place in the past over many decades. Chinese brands will also have to go the distance for some time before they're considered "Rolex" quality by the market or watch enthusiasts.
Ive had this watch since it was in retail stores in 2011. I wore it every single day for 5 years and it still runs perfect to this day, and ive never had to service it. Only issue ive had is the clasp on the bracelet
About 12 years ago I bought an IK Colouring skeleton automatic with three functional push button registers. It was under $20us. It wasn't too terrible. It was all stainless with a solid bracelet. Even had solid end links and milled clasp. I wore it a few times when I got it. Sadly, the crown was the only thing NOT stainless, and it turned brown. It also gained a couple minutes a day. But it did come in a spring loaded cardboard pillow box. It still worked when I threw it in the junk drawer.
I had a €10 automatic from AliExpress, FNGeen (??) deskdiver. It was like a $5 desk diver, but automatic. Very light small rotor, small crown, folded link bracelet, hollow end links, barely over 100 grams, all that goodness. It worked. Sold it with a profit to a guy looking to repair his fake Rolex. Classy dude. In that price range I'll just go quartz from now on. A €50-60 automatic from Pagani Design or Loreo is actually pretty friggin' impressive. Seiko movements, saphhire front and back, good construction. Some tolerance issues, not amazing power reserve, uninspired looks but at the same awesome looking.
"Look at this. It's worthless. Ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, bury it in the sand for a thousand years, it becomes priceless..."
In the 40-70$ range, you can consider a Guanqin, a Starking or a Cadisen. Not the best watches in the world, but quite good for the price and with no issues with the date wheel 😉
What's wrong with a little flick of the finger? A little user involvement in the process, you'll feel satisfied as you had a part in it. Dang are us humans that lazy? Flick it, flick it good.
The watches you mentioned have gotten good reviews as good value for money by many highly rated and reliable youtubers (Relative Time, Just One More Watch etc.). They are definitely worth checking out if you want a decent inexpensive watch.
How can anybody knowingly support China when there are other options. If you need a smartphone, and they're all from China, fine. But this Chinese watch junk? From a country that undermines the USA, withheld the DNA code of the coronavirus so researches were unable to help with fighting it. A country that welded doors shut and threw people into locked boxes to take them to quarantine. A country that is supported by CASH, that you and I send to it. You trust them? You buy this Chinese junk? Can you just stick with some Swiss pieces? Japanese made watches? Hong Kong? (and yes I know it's a part of China now technically) Americans every day say "I'd pay a little more if it were made in the USA". Well, ween yourself off this junk. These are cheap watches and are not worth your money. They are all throw away watches. Much as the TIMEX brand of years past was a throw away watch because of it's movement, these Chinese watches are throw away watches. It's better for the environment if you buy something that will last, it's better for natural resources, it's better for you wallet to spend money only once on a quality watch that will last. And, you're not going to offend anybody by buying a Swiss watch. Chinese? Come on man...
IMO the hardlex is most likely purchased under the table from a factory or re-purposed from a rejects bin. Seiko might say made in Japan but like every manufacturing company I've worked for it doesn't mean its entirely made in its country of origin. To get the made in trade mark most companies either just have to assemble it in its country of origin or farms out some of the parts for latter assembly cause only a percentage needs to be from its country of origin. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if it IS a Seiko movement it just lacks the latter polishing and stamping tooling for the "posh" bits.
I'm convinced as well that the watch comes out of a factory that produces Seiko watches and they just use the same stock to produce both '' no name '' and Seiko's. This is very typical of China. For example this is 100% the case for the clothing and sunglasses / glasses companies : multiple brands order from the same factory, which uses the same materials, and the retail price will vary from 1 to 20 or more. Sometimes the quality control can explain some of that price difference, sometimes the QC is 100% the same no matter the price ( that's for example the case with Ray ban ).
@@H0kram Yeah it totally explains the rough unfinished look of the internals. Its either an internal separate assembly line or their selling parts on the side to a Chinese manufacturer as they don't meet the quality control of the name brand company or just rough parts before polish and branding. I go for the latter because of the jankiness of the date complication. I ran into stuff like this allot when we were sourcing bolts and screws from China for the company I work for. It was messed up and shady AF so we like to avoid sourcing parts were SEA certs matter.
Bought a Chinese mechanical watch for about 20$ 10 years ago. The case unfortunately isn't made of steel so it became brown and slightly irritates my skin if I wear it for too long. But despite me bringing it through many hikes and even getting water in the movement it still workes and is pretty accurate. On the other hand I bought another one recently for 30$ and it broke after a few weeks, so its a hit or miss
To be fair, the date could have become misaligned because from the looks of it you didn't check whether the time was in the "danger zone" of adjusting the date. Doing so can break the automatic date change on the watch, or make it misaligned even
the price for an automatic hacking watch is incredibly affordable. i would worry about longevity. for my camping needs i would use that money and buy a casio f 91-w. i know its digital vs mechanical. but i'd have a great reliable watch and still have money left over for chicken nuggets :) i really enjoyed this episode. great work!
I bought a sub $30 automatic on Amazon a few years back for a formal event. Didn't have anything in my watch box to match my new suit, so I went with that option instead. It worked for the occasion and looked alright with its gray dial and polished stainless case. Didn't have any QC issues like you had, but the strap was horrendous. Thin and dug into my skin all night when I wore it....once.
Don't pretend to be all classy and ostentatious. The fact that you had time and ordered a cheapO on Amazon is indicative of your capacit It's funny to hear you complain about the strap. Lmao
I did the same thing about eight months ago and found several watches priced at $11.99 . I bought two, window backed, automatics. Not the greatest as far as pacing but after adjusting they are passable.
What a great name. I'm surprised it wasn't taken already a long time ago by another watchmaker. Amazing. Thank you Amazon for bringing us all the great things we need in our daily lives. Hopefully the coronavirus didn't cost extra to import.
@@M82RKY The time it takes to get to you is superior to the life span of the virus in such conditions. If you're reaaally extra worried because you're in contact with people with health issues, leave the package a couple extra days wherever it is. If it's on your doorstep, someone else will enjoy the watch and everyone will be happy :p
I have the one-dollar-more silver version of this with the metal band. The metal band is great. And the date works properly on mine. Also it seems accurate. And the movement should probably be a variation on the standard chinese watch movement. They've been making them for 50 years, so they're not as bad as you think.
I only decided to watch this as I bought an iK coloring watch about 10 years ago... what an abomination lol. It was huge, had an onion crown that was massive and could shred skin on contact and sounded like a cement mixer winding it. Essentially it was hilarious.
Decent size, date numbering decent size , lume , nice colouring on dial ,steel and gold colouring very nice, winding and hacking , good.open back , possible seiko glass on dial . Under 16 dollars .What is not to like . Okay the strap not too classy , but it has a signed buckle .And the date needs a double tap , but that maybe just your model. All in all , i give it 8 out 10 on my personal scale . Great video as usual.
It's impressive that it actually works...I definitely wouldn't wear it.... It's not my cup of tea esthetically...But it looks much better than it has any right to for an automatic at the price
Thanks for this review! I am in the market for an automatic. In the video, it looks very nice. However, it is hard to evaluate unless I have it right in my hand and look at it that way. the old axiom that you get what you pay for certainly applies here. It seems nice for the price. While I have several watches with leather bands, I have learned that these are problematic and do not last long. My Rolex Cellini (actually won this in a raffle at Jared Jewelers that was a children's home fundraiser) is a case in point-every time I change the leather band it costs about $250. Anyway, I think it is better to have a metal bracelet. I think I will get the basic Oyster Perpetual (pricey!) or another brand, but we will see if I settle for one that is a few hundred dollars. This review also points out some important things to look for. Thanks again!
tanjinpang the box said Folio but the back of the watch case said FMD, which is a Chinese brand that sells watches with dials that kind of looks like other brands but no branding on the dial itself
The case, crown, strap and buckle look just like a Forsining skeleton watch that I've had for the last few years. That was described as "steampunk" too. I wonder if it's the same company operating under a different name?
I have an issue with people who only review multi-thousand dollar watches, being retired with a very limited means, and you have definitely set a new low in pricing! However I can’t afford to just throw away money on something that I’ll throw away next week. I would love to know how it held up with usage. I am currently looking for a dark blue dial, and this one really pops! Let us know how it holds up to use.
19:11 Just a note, that is not termed the chapter ring unless there is a separate piece with markers that indicate seconds. Otherwise, it is called a rehaut.
Owned one of these for about 2 weeks now.. Keeps good time..and once you change the band..its great for 15$ I've managed to take a QUICK shower with it on..and no fogging at all Once you get past the little quirks it's worth the money... Comparing a 15$ watch to a 100$ one..is simply not fair..no matter what "points" they have I'd buy another one!!!
Please consider showing timegrapher results when reviewing automatic watches with unknown movements. It would be nice if your review told me anything about how the movement performs... how many seconds per day off, amplitude, etc. thanks!
Basic Question : How is the power reserve ? Most (if not all ) chinese automatic watches have only a power reserve of only 2-3 hours : meaning if you go to sleep the watch will not be running when you wake up and you'll need to set ip up again . It's ok if you own several watches but a deal breaker if it's your only watch.Let us know .Thanks
Better than I thought, but it is $15 and an unknown brand with questionable packaging/marketing. I was surprised with the hacking and potential hand winding capability.
I think hardlex is just a "synonym" for mineral crystal in Chinese watch vocabulary. It's used extensively in watch specs for example in AliExpress. But they shouldn't really use the term hardlex as it's a Seiko proprietary. The IK Colouring watch looks ok but one should preferably spend at least $50 and get a watch with Miyota 8000 series or Seiko NH35/6 movement and a sapphire crystal; for example Cadisen C1032.
I had one of there watches way back and used it almost daily until I bought a Seiko Alpinist and went all in to the hobby. Back then I had been using a pocket watch for a long time but wanted to go back to wearing a wrist watch and the thing was that I wanted a mechanical watch but at the time didn't have the knowledge I have now, and I was on a budget, therefor I bought that watch. My experience is that it was working just fine, a bit flimsy like you experience with the date wheel, but it worked and still does (I passed it to a friend that fell in love with it so I gave it to him). The thing that always annoyed me about the watch was how poorly they've set up the watch. It gained about 5 minutes per day and that was what finally forced me to buy a Seiko and even though I don't want to go back, it is somehow a milestone on my journey with watches.
Project build! Remove the movement and find a cool case on eBay to put it in. And film the surgery, of course. Like the Just One More Watch or the Watch Repair Channel did.
Just seems like a standard mushroom brand automatic. They're good for beaters, because who cares about what happens to a 20 dollar watch. They're generally accurate, can be handwound, and have mineral crystals. You get way more than what you pay for, but they're realistically not something you'll be wearing so often. Especially with how tacky some of these names can be. I have a couple and wear them when I'll be drinking or something, and they've been holding up very well despite some abuse. So even though I wear them less frequently, I've definitely gotten good value out of them. Nonetheless, for like 50 bucks, you can get a watch with a Seagull or Miyota movement, doesn't have a name like Winner or Sewor (not joking about that latter one), looks nicer overall, and might get more wear.
Wish you'd dwelled on the movement. Many Chinese autos just use the mechanical daily-wind movement with an autowind bridge attaches. The problem is that the doesn't autowind. You still have to manually wind it by hand daily.
Jory, Fun video! I currently live in Okinawa so I can never catch your live streams due to the time difference but I’ve always wanted to ask: Do you do any martial arts? If so will this be explored in the Time Away channel?
so, regarding the prices on things like these, i am not surprised one bit. In the case of such manufacturing, the main cost incurred is actually man hours, not machine hours. One of the reasons why companies on the mainstream markets have higher costs is the quality control which by all accounts, needs a human. It may sound shocking to some but the truth is that the time it takes to inspect a watch like this, is probably longer than the time a machine takes to build all the parts and maybe even assemble them. That is also why once you throw in hand finishing on the level of even what seiko would do, the price also goes up significantly.
For a watch to have as a knockaround, or something to perhaps practice modifications on, you could certainly do worse. The movement is worrying, but if you just need a dressier watch once in a while, or as an inexpensive gift (say, for that nephew who you think might be into watches, but you're not sure, and you want to test him out before getting something pricier)....
The Orient Defender doesn't have hand-wind or hacking! And it costs 10 times as much! But I am guessing that the type of person who would buy a $16 watch might be different than the type of person who would spend $100. If you want to recommend an upgrade, going over six times as much is not terribly useful. Yeah, a Toyota Corolla is an OK car, but you could get a Porsche instead for only five times as much! When suggesting an upgrade, you might want to limit it to only twice as much. Anyways, thanks for the entertaining video.
he could have said you need to spend a 100 at least to get an automatic you will trust and enjoy. anything less is more of an enjoy or give to a very young person. it probably applies for 40 dollar to 90 dollar... so he just skipped straight to Orient without clarifying.. but I think the overall jest is... anything under a 100 is probably gimmicky in some way. it's a shame but... there is a cost to play. dang...I wish everything was free.
GU TE, is from German word gut which is good in English. Some watches prefer to be adjusted after midnight and before noon with a date and don’t like the path you followed. Personally, if something is cheap but not works well l prefer not to buy. Anyway, l am impressed with your amazing presentation and l decided to subscribe. 👍 is a must.
Hello there Jory, just a couple of quick questions for you, I have recently been adding to my watch collection, I purchased a citizen AT 8020-03L Atomic time, a Seiko divers watch, model SNZF17J1, and an Orient dress watch, model EZ09003R. All of these were bought from Amazon, and I upgraded to the double dome sapphire crystal on the Seiko instead of the hardlex crystal. I would love to hear what you think of these watches, maybe even a review of them, they were all around 500 dollars, with the Seiko around 300, thanks a lot, have a good one
I forgot to mention the Orient model number is listed as EZ09002S, but on the face of the dial, it reads EZ09003R, if you do any research look for the model number EZ09002S, thank you
My friend bought and Ik and he loves that thing! Apparently there based in Arizona which is where my friend and I live and from what I’ve seen in person there watches are actually solid for the price point definitely better then most of the cheap Chinese quartz pieces on amazon and I would sooner purchase one of these rather than a Daniel Wellington or MVMNT or anything else in that realm of garbage
I agree with Ryan that a Cadisen would be a better watch. Not sure why you'd recommend an Orient Bambino. Someone spending $15 on a watch isn't going to be in the market for a $100 watch. :) But I have to admit, if it weren't for that date wheel problem, I'd be sold. I mean, hacking, hand winding, and lume for $15? That's pretty remarkable. I know yours came on a lousy strap, but even if you had to buy a strap for it, you'd be up to what, $35?
You beat me on price,i bought a Winner black dial with nice old style Arabic numerals last year for $19.00 on AliExpress,dang.................................
I am not complaining about this watch solely for the fact that it's 16 dollars. Compared to watch brands from Daniel Wellington, MVMT and other fashion watch brands, I would pick this anyday. And it's 10x cheaper. So 😂
The problem with buying chinese watch from aliexpress/ amazon is like a gamble..sometimes you got the best stuff but sometimes you got the defected stuff.. Despite the "cheap" price and kinda value for money ( i mean 15.99$ for this beautiful but simple dress watch, sunburst blue dial, date complication, automatic movement & hacking why not?) But there are always some quality issues like guarantee claim which is not exist since they always changing the brand each year, and the chrome plated/ zinc alloy on case will faded within a year. And if this watch is broken someday then you just trash it. But anyway nice review, really love when you review this kind of cheap watch.
Hey, that's great you came up with this one. I'm on the hunt for a blue dial everyday watch. Was unsure between two Casio models (45 and 89 bucks). Then this showed up 🤔 . On the other hand: 16 bucks gives me a another nice Nato Strap. Then this comes up
The fact that you need to double tap to get the date kind of makes it a smartwatch.
I thought that’s what made it steampunk...
Might make your fingertip smart a bit…
Best way to test the durability of the crystal...
Don't worry. It will "break itself in after it runs for a while". (what every hack watch seller says).
$15.99 watch: Less dust under the "quartz" than a MVMT watch!
Date complication, hacking complication and of course the date double tap complication!
Haute Horlogerie.
One of my favorite grande complications!! Tapping date
Sounds like the night I met my ex.
Its a treasure. Lets bury it.
Haha
Best comment
I never ever say this but your comment my good sir, is underrated
Hahaha
I'm going to say this ahead of time, I have an Invicta Automatic Diver watch, and I'm in love with the fn thing, and anyone that hates on it can take a long walk off a short pier.
If you tap it, the date comes down : I call this a feature .
This would be perfect for someone who wants to tinker with the movement or learn!
Certainly
@@mrlazli Exactly what I was thinking.
Just buy a vintage watch. It would be far cheaper and wouldn't have as cheap of a movement.
"we only need the u in USA" - coffee spewed across keyboard.
If you've never owned an automatic, and you just want to learn if it's something you can live with and enjoy, a watch such as this might not be a bad way to go. Or if you want to learn how to work on a watch, this one could serve as a guinea pig.
cant wait till Seiko implements the double tap complication
The fact that you need to double tap to get the date kind of makes it a smartwatch.
@Ray Hani totally agree, my favorite watch is a heimdallar skx
@Ray Han Really? Based on what? Or is this just your pro China opinion? (Han Dynasty)
@Ray Han Bravo, bravo. That is a beautiful and eloquent answer. Thankfully I'm not a dull liberal nor even a sharp liberal. A liberal would never post what I posted. Clearly I'm on the other side. And your comments further support our concerns. Basically, you're admitting that our stupid government and companies got sucked into the promise of Chinese labor, and you not only reaped the financial rewards of being paid for the work you did, but your companies also stole the technology from our stupid liberal led western companies who were and mostly still are totally naive to what China is doing at night when the factory doors are locked. You are completely right. And please understand, I didn't hand them any economical means of power any more than you created the coronavirus. I did not agree to any of that, and unfortunately I am not in a position of power. As you can see here, I have tried to warn people, and many of them got angry at me. They want to buy that $15 Amazon watch with the double tap date complication. Based on what you said, they're not too bright, supporting and handing over their money to China.
You are right about tech and phones. My question was regarding the watch examples and the Rolex claim. It's not about keeping accurate time. That's not why Rolex is #1. Many other watches from many places have kept accurate time for a very long time. I also know that many wealthy Chinese go to HK to buy Rolexes, sometimes 5 at one time. They want to own and wear that brand that they can now afford. They don't want to wear the $15 Chimazon watch. In the watch world, it has a lot to do with heritage as you know, history, and past innovation as well as creativity and craftsmanship. Although the Chinese watches can be good. They keep time and have some models that are very nice and excellent quality, it will take time to develop heritage Seagull seems to have some heritage and therefore is appreciated by the watch community. As someone who lives in Asia, I know first hand that creativity and craftsmanship don't usually thrive in Asia. Those are 2 areas that will take more time to develop. A lot of what makes a brand great took place in the past over many decades. Chinese brands will also have to go the distance for some time before they're considered "Rolex" quality by the market or watch enthusiasts.
@Ray Han Yep. Correct. Some of them are here, thinking it's okay to buy this stuff. Education is everything and you're helping a lot.
I bought a manual wind IK Colouring off Ebay back in like 2005 for $15. The hands fell off within a few months. All of them.
🤣
Ive had this watch since it was in retail stores in 2011. I wore it every single day for 5 years and it still runs perfect to this day, and ive never had to service it. Only issue ive had is the clasp on the bracelet
Bruh
Slap a "fashion watch" label on it and you have the same watch.
For $250
Fashion watches can’t even have an automatic movement 🙄🙄🙄
Donovan Shea why not? Mvmt has a watch with an automatic movement, would you say that’s not a fashion watch now?
Daniel Wellington says hi :D
Not a bit of a lie
I have paid more for a crappier watch! It looks decent.
You should put it on that device that measures beat accuracy.
Micrographer I thing. Thinking the same
Time grapher
MVMT???
About 12 years ago I bought an IK Colouring skeleton automatic with three functional push button registers. It was under $20us. It wasn't too terrible. It was all stainless with a solid bracelet. Even had solid end links and milled clasp. I wore it a few times when I got it. Sadly, the crown was the only thing NOT stainless, and it turned brown. It also gained a couple minutes a day. But it did come in a spring loaded cardboard pillow box. It still worked when I threw it in the junk drawer.
I had a €10 automatic from AliExpress, FNGeen (??) deskdiver. It was like a $5 desk diver, but automatic.
Very light small rotor, small crown, folded link bracelet, hollow end links, barely over 100 grams, all that goodness.
It worked. Sold it with a profit to a guy looking to repair his fake Rolex. Classy dude.
In that price range I'll just go quartz from now on. A €50-60 automatic from Pagani Design or Loreo is actually pretty friggin' impressive. Seiko movements, saphhire front and back, good construction. Some tolerance issues, not amazing power reserve, uninspired looks but at the same awesome looking.
"Look at this. It's worthless. Ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, bury it in the sand for a thousand years, it becomes priceless..."
When you say vendor, are you referring to those guys that used to open their coats and say "Wanna buy a watch"?
"Don't look at it Marion! Keep your eyes shut!"
You say vendor in the street, I say cut the middle man!
It's being examined by top men.
Who?
Top. Men.
This is such a Wranglerstar way of making a video. I love it.
Woah, honestly? HUGE COMPLIMENT! I’m very honored to say, he commented on one of my videos telling me he’s a subscriber!!
The Time Teller you could totally keep going with reviews of cheapest on amazon. It’s fun and a great way to pay homage to Wranglerstar.
Now I want to buy one just to tear it apart and reassemble it again, that should be fun!
In the 40-70$ range, you can consider a Guanqin, a Starking or a Cadisen. Not the best watches in the world, but quite good for the price and with no issues with the date wheel 😉
What's wrong with a little flick of the finger? A little user involvement in the process, you'll feel satisfied as you had a part in it. Dang are us humans that lazy? Flick it, flick it good.
The watches you mentioned have gotten good reviews as good value for money by many highly rated and reliable youtubers (Relative Time, Just One More Watch etc.). They are definitely worth checking out if you want a decent inexpensive watch.
Guanqin look to be bona fide bargains.
How can anybody knowingly support China when there are other options. If you need a smartphone, and they're all from China, fine. But this Chinese watch junk? From a country that undermines the USA, withheld the DNA code of the coronavirus so researches were unable to help with fighting it. A country that welded doors shut and threw people into locked boxes to take them to quarantine. A country that is supported by CASH, that you and I send to it. You trust them? You buy this Chinese junk? Can you just stick with some Swiss pieces? Japanese made watches? Hong Kong? (and yes I know it's a part of China now technically) Americans every day say "I'd pay a little more if it were made in the USA". Well, ween yourself off this junk. These are cheap watches and are not worth your money. They are all throw away watches. Much as the TIMEX brand of years past was a throw away watch because of it's movement, these Chinese watches are throw away watches. It's better for the environment if you buy something that will last, it's better for natural resources, it's better for you wallet to spend money only once on a quality watch that will last. And, you're not going to offend anybody by buying a Swiss watch. Chinese? Come on man...
@@cybrscot It is unlikely this watch company is an undercover CCP operation
IMO the hardlex is most likely purchased under the table from a factory or re-purposed from a rejects bin. Seiko might say made in Japan but like every manufacturing company I've worked for it doesn't mean its entirely made in its country of origin. To get the made in trade mark most companies either just have to assemble it in its country of origin or farms out some of the parts for latter assembly cause only a percentage needs to be from its country of origin. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if it IS a Seiko movement it just lacks the latter polishing and stamping tooling for the "posh" bits.
I'm convinced as well that the watch comes out of a factory that produces Seiko watches and they just use the same stock to produce both '' no name '' and Seiko's.
This is very typical of China. For example this is 100% the case for the clothing and sunglasses / glasses companies : multiple brands order from the same factory, which uses the same materials, and the retail price will vary from 1 to 20 or more. Sometimes the quality control can explain some of that price difference, sometimes the QC is 100% the same no matter the price ( that's for example the case with Ray ban ).
@@H0kram Yeah it totally explains the rough unfinished look of the internals. Its either an internal separate assembly line or their selling parts on the side to a Chinese manufacturer as they don't meet the quality control of the name brand company or just rough parts before polish and branding. I go for the latter because of the jankiness of the date complication.
I ran into stuff like this allot when we were sourcing bolts and screws from China for the company I work for. It was messed up and shady AF so we like to avoid sourcing parts were SEA certs matter.
No longer available on Amazon. Darn. I like that blue dial.
Fortunately, there are a few other watches available with blue dials. You should still be able to find one.
It's nice to know it's recyclable. I'd recycle it right away.
Haha
cybrscot your comment made my day.
So, let me see if I've got this right. You buy a $15 automatic and then spend 25 minutes complaining that it feels cheap? That's pretty insightful.
Lmao
$15 in house Chinese swiss made special automatic? Sign me up
I would like to buy a watch with 20$ on Amazon helo me plz
Bought a Chinese mechanical watch for about 20$ 10 years ago. The case unfortunately isn't made of steel so it became brown and slightly irritates my skin if I wear it for too long. But despite me bringing it through many hikes and even getting water in the movement it still workes and is pretty accurate. On the other hand I bought another one recently for 30$ and it broke after a few weeks, so its a hit or miss
To be fair, the date could have become misaligned because from the looks of it you didn't check whether the time was in the "danger zone" of adjusting the date. Doing so can break the automatic date change on the watch, or make it misaligned even
Between 6 and 9 is the safe zone to set the date properly without damaging the mechanism 😅
@@rimasa50 it’s not. It’s about 9pm-4am
the price for an automatic hacking watch is incredibly affordable. i would worry about longevity. for my camping needs i would use that money and buy a casio f 91-w. i know its digital vs mechanical. but i'd have a great reliable watch and still have money left over for chicken nuggets :) i really enjoyed this episode. great work!
I bought a sub $30 automatic on Amazon a few years back for a formal event. Didn't have anything in my watch box to match my new suit, so I went with that option instead. It worked for the occasion and looked alright with its gray dial and polished stainless case. Didn't have any QC issues like you had, but the strap was horrendous. Thin and dug into my skin all night when I wore it....once.
Don't pretend to be all classy and ostentatious.
The fact that you had time and ordered a cheapO on Amazon is indicative of your capacit
It's funny to hear you complain about the strap. Lmao
@@fbkensarhd5279 Imagine giving a f about what watch someone buys. 🤡🤡🤡
I did the same thing about eight months ago and found several watches priced at $11.99 . I bought two, window backed, automatics. Not the greatest as far as pacing but after adjusting they are passable.
What a great name. I'm surprised it wasn't taken already a long time ago by another watchmaker. Amazing. Thank you Amazon for bringing us all the great things we need in our daily lives. Hopefully the coronavirus didn't cost extra to import.
Man I have a few watches coming over from China...... The box won't even get to my driveway🤣
@@M82RKY The time it takes to get to you is superior to the life span of the virus in such conditions.
If you're reaaally extra worried because you're in contact with people with health issues, leave the package a couple extra days wherever it is. If it's on your doorstep, someone else will enjoy the watch and everyone will be happy :p
Just bomb it with lysol and that's it
@@H0kram Put the package in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Better than any Tom Ford watch offerings
For those who want the absolute CHEAPEST watch that is actually decent, Casio is the name that you seek.
I have the one-dollar-more silver version of this with the metal band. The metal band is great. And the date works properly on mine. Also it seems accurate. And the movement should probably be a variation on the standard chinese watch movement. They've been making them for 50 years, so they're not as bad as you think.
The movement is a clone of the Miyota 8215
If you shop around, the lower end Seiko 5s can easily be found for 50 bucks, and those will last a lifetime.
That's running about 40,000 beats per hour very smooth
Order a bunch of these Jory, slap them all on some wrist candy straps and put the Timeteller logo on the dial and become a microbrand.
I think you helped them sell out lol
I only decided to watch this as I bought an iK coloring watch about 10 years ago... what an abomination lol.
It was huge, had an onion crown that was massive and could shred skin on contact and sounded like a cement mixer winding it.
Essentially it was hilarious.
Decent size, date numbering decent size , lume , nice colouring on dial ,steel and gold colouring very nice, winding and hacking , good.open back , possible seiko glass on dial . Under 16 dollars .What is not to like . Okay the strap not too classy , but it has a signed buckle .And the date needs a double tap , but that maybe just your model. All in all , i give it 8 out 10 on my personal scale . Great video as usual.
I’ve seen worst watches at Burlington from polo and Calvin Klein
It's impressive that it actually works...I definitely wouldn't wear it.... It's not my cup of tea esthetically...But it looks much better than it has any right to for an automatic at the price
I paused the video to see what you were wearing. That orient is the cats pajamas.
Thanks for this review! I am in the market for an automatic. In the video, it looks very nice. However, it is hard to evaluate unless I have it right in my hand and look at it that way. the old axiom that you get what you pay for certainly applies here. It seems nice for the price. While I have several watches with leather bands, I have learned that these are problematic and do not last long. My Rolex Cellini (actually won this in a raffle at Jared Jewelers that was a children's home fundraiser) is a case in point-every time I change the leather band it costs about $250. Anyway, I think it is better to have a metal bracelet. I think I will get the basic Oyster Perpetual (pricey!) or another brand, but we will see if I settle for one that is a few hundred dollars. This review also points out some important things to look for. Thanks again!
That's one is better than an automatic watch I bought at Walmart where the date wheel goes up to 39 🙄
LOL!!! Seriously???
What watch is that?? XD
tanjinpang the box said Folio but the back of the watch case said FMD, which is a Chinese brand that sells watches with dials that kind of looks like other brands but no branding on the dial itself
@@johnnyc0882 Hahaha, I really wish someone can review this shady watch on RUclips...
Jonathan Colon LMAO fuck folio
That’s kinda cool to be honest
The case, crown, strap and buckle look just like a Forsining skeleton watch that I've had for the last few years. That was described as "steampunk" too. I wonder if it's the same company operating under a different name?
I have an issue with people who only review multi-thousand dollar watches, being retired with a very limited means, and you have definitely set a new low in pricing! However I can’t afford to just throw away money on something that I’ll throw away next week. I would love to know how it held up with usage. I am currently looking for a dark blue dial, and this one really pops! Let us know how it holds up to use.
19:11 Just a note, that is not termed the chapter ring unless there is a separate piece with markers that indicate seconds. Otherwise, it is called a rehaut.
I like that feature, tap to set the date. Gives the watch character. If I'd buy one it might have another personality.
The fact that you need to double tap to get the date kind of makes it a smartwatch.
Owned one of these for about 2 weeks now..
Keeps good time..and once you change the band..its great for 15$
I've managed to take a QUICK shower with it on..and no fogging at all
Once you get past the little quirks it's worth the money...
Comparing a 15$ watch to a 100$ one..is simply not fair..no matter what "points" they have
I'd buy another one!!!
Ummm. It will start deteoriating within first year lol. G shock 20 dollar ones, can last year's and years.
I just ordered the last one in stock. this is gonna be fun.
Ought to tell Jody (just one more watch), what you have found LOL
I hate people blindly trusting the star rating :D :D
Please consider showing timegrapher results when reviewing automatic watches with unknown movements. It would be nice if your review told me anything about how the movement performs... how many seconds per day off, amplitude, etc. thanks!
Invicta watches uses their "flame fusion" crystals which is very similar to Seiko's Hardlex
The language is Japanese, not Chinese, at least what I could see
It's in Chinese. Japanese would include 見る and there was no hiragana there
i watched this video some time ago and i forgot
@@Dingosean which point are you talking about, I am sure what I saw is Japanese
4:17 is chinese, the rest is Japanese
@@DeVirMagician Strange, considering there don't seem to be any Japanese parts in this watch.
Basic Question : How is the power reserve ? Most (if not all ) chinese automatic watches have only a power reserve of only 2-3 hours : meaning if you go to sleep the watch will not be running when you wake up and you'll need to set ip up again . It's ok if you own several watches but a deal breaker if it's your only watch.Let us know .Thanks
Better than I thought, but it is $15 and an unknown brand with questionable packaging/marketing. I was surprised with the hacking and potential hand winding capability.
Tell us about the watch in two months time...
Thanks for your content.
I bet if it was fully wound the date would change over properly. usually a sign of low power reserve
I think hardlex is just a "synonym" for mineral crystal in Chinese watch vocabulary. It's used extensively in watch specs for example in AliExpress. But they shouldn't really use the term hardlex as it's a Seiko proprietary. The IK Colouring watch looks ok but one should preferably spend at least $50 and get a watch with Miyota 8000 series or Seiko NH35/6 movement and a sapphire crystal; for example Cadisen C1032.
I had one of there watches way back and used it almost daily until I bought a Seiko Alpinist and went all in to the hobby. Back then I had been using a pocket watch for a long time but wanted to go back to wearing a wrist watch and the thing was that I wanted a mechanical watch but at the time didn't have the knowledge I have now, and I was on a budget, therefor I bought that watch. My experience is that it was working just fine, a bit flimsy like you experience with the date wheel, but it worked and still does (I passed it to a friend that fell in love with it so I gave it to him). The thing that always annoyed me about the watch was how poorly they've set up the watch. It gained about 5 minutes per day and that was what finally forced me to buy a Seiko and even though I don't want to go back, it is somehow a milestone on my journey with watches.
This would be a good watch to use as a stocking stuffer for a 13 year old.
I really enjoyed your Mudmaster review. I can't afford one but I like what you do.
Project build! Remove the movement and find a cool case on eBay to put it in. And film the surgery, of course. Like the Just One More Watch or the Watch Repair Channel did.
No time accuracy test?
Holy Christ! That was a long walk around the block for basically a souvenir...
Colour is the correct spelling
**Laughs in 4th of July**
Just seems like a standard mushroom brand automatic. They're good for beaters, because who cares about what happens to a 20 dollar watch. They're generally accurate, can be handwound, and have mineral crystals. You get way more than what you pay for, but they're realistically not something you'll be wearing so often. Especially with how tacky some of these names can be.
I have a couple and wear them when I'll be drinking or something, and they've been holding up very well despite some abuse. So even though I wear them less frequently, I've definitely gotten good value out of them. Nonetheless, for like 50 bucks, you can get a watch with a Seagull or Miyota movement, doesn't have a name like Winner or Sewor (not joking about that latter one), looks nicer overall, and might get more wear.
Love your take and the way you present even this very cheap watch. You sir are very entertaining!
Hello still available that brown strap brand lK colouring watch for how much price again? thanks
Wish you'd dwelled on the movement. Many Chinese autos just use the mechanical daily-wind movement with an autowind bridge attaches. The problem is that the doesn't autowind. You still have to manually wind it by hand daily.
I'm looking for a $100 ish officers style mechanical or automatic for my first watch. I don't know what would be a good option?
I owned one and it was what you pay for a cheap watch but cool when you are young and poor :)
Put Daniel Wellington on the dial and it'll be 250!
This was a fun video. Nice to see a glimpse of the mighty Defender too. 😁
Jory,
Fun video! I currently live in Okinawa so I can never catch your live streams due to the time difference but I’ve always wanted to ask:
Do you do any martial arts? If so will this be explored in the Time Away channel?
Great idea, we need more content on the time away channel!
so, regarding the prices on things like these, i am not surprised one bit. In the case of such manufacturing, the main cost incurred is actually man hours, not machine hours.
One of the reasons why companies on the mainstream markets have higher costs is the quality control which by all accounts, needs a human. It may sound shocking to some but the truth is that the time it takes to inspect a watch like this, is probably longer than the time a machine takes to build all the parts and maybe even assemble them.
That is also why once you throw in hand finishing on the level of even what seiko would do, the price also goes up significantly.
Is this the same as a Patek Phillipe? It seems to run on same principle.
Well for the money, pretty amazing really.
Why did they bother with a display case back?
For a watch to have as a knockaround, or something to perhaps practice modifications on, you could certainly do worse. The movement is worrying, but if you just need a dressier watch once in a while, or as an inexpensive gift (say, for that nephew who you think might be into watches, but you're not sure, and you want to test him out before getting something pricier)....
The Orient Defender doesn't have hand-wind or hacking! And it costs 10 times as much!
But I am guessing that the type of person who would buy a $16 watch might be different than the type of person who would spend $100. If you want to recommend an upgrade, going over six times as much is not terribly useful. Yeah, a Toyota Corolla is an OK car, but you could get a Porsche instead for only five times as much!
When suggesting an upgrade, you might want to limit it to only twice as much.
Anyways, thanks for the entertaining video.
100 might be as low as you would want to go for a decent automatic watch though
he could have said you need to spend a 100 at least to get an automatic you will trust and enjoy. anything less is more of an enjoy or give to a very young person. it probably applies for 40 dollar to 90 dollar... so he just skipped straight to Orient without clarifying.. but I think the overall jest is... anything under a 100 is probably gimmicky in some way. it's a shame but... there is a cost to play. dang...I wish everything was free.
GU TE, is from German word gut which is good in English. Some watches prefer to be adjusted after midnight and before noon with a date and don’t like the path you followed. Personally, if something is cheap but not works well l prefer not to buy. Anyway, l am impressed with your amazing presentation and l decided to subscribe. 👍 is a must.
I made that joke in the episode.
The chapter ring is the track with minutes/seconds indicators. You meant the rehaut.
The hardlex thing could just be the Kleenex situation, i've seen countless websites that sell micro brands and such call mineral crystal "hardlex"
Hello there Jory, just a couple of quick questions for you, I have recently been adding to my watch collection, I purchased a citizen AT 8020-03L Atomic time, a Seiko divers watch, model SNZF17J1, and an Orient dress watch, model EZ09003R. All of these were bought from Amazon, and I upgraded to the double dome sapphire crystal on the Seiko instead of the hardlex crystal. I would love to hear what you think of these watches, maybe even a review of them, they were all around 500 dollars, with the Seiko around 300, thanks a lot, have a good one
Pulsar , Alba also use Hardlex but as we both know they’re also Seiko companies
I forgot to mention the Orient model number is listed as EZ09002S, but on the face of the dial, it reads EZ09003R, if you do any research look for the model number EZ09002S, thank you
The movement is a seagull st16, for that price it's totally fine
My friend bought and Ik and he loves that thing! Apparently there based in Arizona which is where my friend and I live and from what I’ve seen in person there watches are actually solid for the price point definitely better then most of the cheap Chinese quartz pieces on amazon and I would sooner purchase one of these rather than a Daniel Wellington or MVMNT or anything else in that realm of garbage
"the only U we need is the U in USA"
I want that second hand to be longer!
I agree with Ryan that a Cadisen would be a better watch. Not sure why you'd recommend an Orient Bambino. Someone spending $15 on a watch isn't going to be in the market for a $100 watch. :)
But I have to admit, if it weren't for that date wheel problem, I'd be sold. I mean, hacking, hand winding, and lume for $15? That's pretty remarkable. I know yours came on a lousy strap, but even if you had to buy a strap for it, you'd be up to what, $35?
Hey Jory have you thought about reviewing Sinn watches? I'd be interested in seeing one of the oil filled watches or one of the tegimented steel ones.
I think by steampunk they refer to the automatic movement
You beat me on price,i bought a Winner black dial with nice old style Arabic numerals last year for $19.00 on AliExpress,dang.................................
Great video Jory
I just fold the extra bit of nato strap back under the keeper ring. Gotta have the big rings though
I am not complaining about this watch solely for the fact that it's 16 dollars.
Compared to watch brands from Daniel Wellington, MVMT and other fashion watch brands, I would pick this anyday. And it's 10x cheaper. So 😂
The problem with buying chinese watch from aliexpress/ amazon is like a gamble..sometimes you got the best stuff but sometimes you got the defected stuff..
Despite the "cheap" price and kinda value for money ( i mean 15.99$ for this beautiful but simple dress watch, sunburst blue dial, date complication, automatic movement & hacking why not?)
But there are always some quality issues like guarantee claim which is not exist since they always changing the brand each year, and the chrome plated/ zinc alloy on case will faded within a year. And if this watch is broken someday then you just trash it.
But anyway nice review, really love when you review this kind of cheap watch.
Hey, that's great you came up with this one. I'm on the hunt for a blue dial everyday watch. Was unsure between two Casio models (45 and 89 bucks). Then this showed up 🤔 . On the other hand: 16 bucks gives me a another nice Nato Strap.
Then this comes up