Low Cost Rectangle Watches
Plenty of reviews exist for high-end rectangle watches, but I didn’t see anything for low cost watches when searching the Tubes. So, I picked three watches that I found initially appealing, two Men’s watches and one Women’s watch, to review. The video includes the unboxing, review, and a peek inside the case for each watch. I also talk Tonneau case design and contrast the specs with my Vacheron Constantin Royal Eagle.
- Model: Benyar BY-5114M
- Length: 44.6mm
- Width: 37mm
- Lug-to-lug: 53mm
- Lug Width: 23mm
- Height: 12.4mm
- Weight: ~65.6g on leather
- Case: Plated Brass (advertised as “All Stainless Steel”)
- Movement: Sunon PE-48 Quartz
- Accuracy: ± 20 sec/month
- Battery: SR920SW
- Crystal: Mineral
- Water Resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
- Price ~$29.99
- Model: Shengke K0155L
- Length: 27.2mm
- Width: 22.2mm
- Lug-to-lug: 33.3mm
- Lug Width: 14.25mm
- Height: 8.3mm
- Weight: ~21.1g on leather
- Case: Plated Brass
- Movement: Miyota 2035 Quartz
- Accuracy: ± 20 sec/month
- Battery: SR626SW
- Crystal: Glass (Mineral)
- Water Resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
- Price ~$23.99
- Model: Winner A004
- Length: 41.5mm
- Width: 34mm
- Lug-to-lug: 52mm
- Lug Width: 20mm
- Height: 14.3mm
- Weight: ~75g on leather
- Case: Plated Brass, Steel Case Back
- Movement: Chinese Automatic
- Accuracy: ± 20 sec/day
- Power Reserve: ~38 hours
- Crystal: Hardlex (Mineral)
- Water Resistance: 10atm/100m/300ft (Don’t trust it!)
- Price ~$36.99
The Video
https://youtu.be/1f09GrD9PdA
Timeline:
- 0:00 Intro
- 3:09 Unboxing
- 8:54 Benyar BY-5114M
- 16:09 Shengke K0155L
- 19:45 Winner A004
- 25:58 Inside the Benyar
- 27:26 Inside the Shengke
- 28:23 Inside the Winner
- 29:47 Tonneau Case Comparison
- 32:13 Final Thoughts
Benyar Review
Pros:
- Solid movement, for a quartz
- Strap is ok
- Nice hands
- Dial color and design
Cons:
- Advertised as “waterproof”
- Advertised as “all stainless steel” when it is all plated brass
- Rare strap width at 23mm
- Crown is too big
- Lugs too exaggerated
Shengke Review
Pros:
- Simple three hand design
- Elegant look
- Dial color with the blue contrast
- Strap ok
Cons:
- All plated brass, including case back
Winner Review
Pros:
- Overall weight feels good
- Automatic movement for quite a low price
- Best looking of the three
- Comfortable size and lug design
Cons:
- Advertised as “waterproof”
- Spelling? “MFTERS”
- Messy lume on minute hand
- Sparse printing in places
- Strap no good
What's up with the Winner hands!?
Since the lume was messed up on the minute hand, I soaked it along with the hour hand for a bit in acetone (nail polish), which makes removing lume easy, but also removes paint and plating. I then used the hands to demo how straightforward it is to lume watch hands.
https://youtu.be/q_qieK3WT54
I plan to replace the hands with a set of blue plated hands similar to the original color. I will also make sure the lume is white.
Final Thought
Ironically, for me the Winner was the winner. It will be a nice watch to have around for some tinkering and to potentially use in some other videos. To be honest, the overall design is nice, it’s comfortable to wear (just needs a better strap), and although not superbly accurate, it’s an automatic watch for under $40.
If you are in the market for a low-cost watch, perhaps consider something a little different. After all, it’s hip to be square…or rectangular 😉
