Dave was ready to hate this watch. It said “luxury”, it was inexpensive and it arrived without the sort of presentation box normally used to convince you something is worth twice the price. Unfortunately for Dave, the watch turned out to be rather good.
SHABBY DAVE’S REVIEW
My hopes were dashed—it isn’t rubbish
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t expecting much from these “luxury” watches. Usually, when something has to tell you it’s luxurious, it means somebody has sprayed a bit of plastic gold on it and added an extra nought to the price.
So, naturally, I was fully prepared to call them cheap rubbish.
Unfortunately, they’ve ruined that for me.
The watch actually feels rather good. It has a decent bit of weight to it, the case is metal rather than the plastic I was confidently expecting, and the strap looks and feels like leather. More annoyingly still, it keeps good time—which is apparently quite useful in a watch.
And no, it isn’t a smartwatch
It won’t count your steps, read your messages, monitor your sleep or nag you to stand up every ten minutes. It simply tells you the time without needing to be charged, updated, paired with your phone or given access to your entire life.
That’s probably why I like it.
More annoyingly still, it looks very smart indeed. The sort of watch that makes people think you’ve got your life together, even when you’ve spent ten minutes looking for the glasses already sitting on your head.
About the “waterproofness”
And yes, I’ve decided that is a word. I can’t honestly tell you how waterproof it is because I haven’t dunked it in the sink, worn it in the shower or thrown it into a cattle trough. Yet.
Until then, I’d suggest treating it like a watch rather than a submarine.
The good bits
- Metal case that feels reassuringly solid
- Leather-look strap that is comfortable to wear
- Keeps good time
- Luminous hands
- Looks considerably more expensive than it is
- Doesn’t demand your email address before it works
The grumbles
- No presentation box
- Not a smartwatch—either a benefit or a drawback, depending on your tolerance for charging things
- Everyday splash resistance only; don’t treat it like diving equipment
DAVE’S VERDICT
Would I buy one?
Grudgingly—and I do mean grudgingly—yes, I would. It looks good, feels surprisingly solid, tells the time properly and doesn’t demand your email address before it’ll work. Most irritatingly, there’s very little for me to complain about.
Available in four face-and-case colour combinations while stocks last.
Dave’s video verdict will be added here later—assuming we can persuade him to say something nice twice.