Low Cost Watches – A Series

A bit of fun

Watches are fun, at least for me, and if you are reading this then you likely feel the same. I do have my share of quality watches and I take my collection seriously, but I also enjoy dabbling in low-cost watches.

Watches comprised of quality components cost $$$, and like most people, I do not have the budget to splurge on a high-cost watch every month. The feelings experienced when making a purchase, receiving the shipment, opening the box, and strapping up a new watch are invigorating (and addictive). So what is one way to satisfy the itch?

Every once in a while, between big purchases, I find myself in the local shopping center or on Amazon perusing low-cost watches. Everyone should have at least one Casio around, or two. But when I find myself on Amazon, I sometimes navigate to “Today’s Deals” and some interesting watches pop up from time-to-time. For me, they fall into one of two broad categories: visually appealing and for parts/tinkering (sometimes both).

This post presents three low-cost watches from one of these occurrences and the beginning of a “Low Cost Watch” series on my YouTube Channel.

The review video: [https://youtu.be/fGFOZCOfqpo]

Details, Details, Details

Model: CRRJU 2150 Diameter: 40mm Height: 8.05mm Weight (w/bracelet): ~64g Case: Stainless steel, black plated Strap: Mesh (milanese), black plated stainless steel, 20mm Movement: Chinese Sunon PE45 Battery: SR626SW Battery Life: ~3 years Jewels: None (0) Lume: N/A Accuracy: +-45 seconds/month Crystal: Mineral Water Resistance: 30m/100ft (splashing/rain) Price: ~$20 Why: Bright blue on black two-layer dial	Model: Songdu No.D-9237M Diameter: 42mm Height: 8.8mm Weight: ~68g Case: Stainless steel Strap: Mesh (milanese), stainless steel, 20mm Movement: Japanese Miyota 2315 Battery: SR626SW Battery Life: ~3 years Jewels: None (0) Lume: N/A Accuracy: +-20 seconds/month Crystal: Mineral Water Resistance: 30m/100ft (splashing/rain) Price: ~$20 Why: Dial design and blue/silver combo	Model: Bolisi No:8245G Diameter: 40mm Height: 7.35mm Weight: ~36g Case: Stainless steel, black plated Strap: Leather, black, 20mm Movement: Japanese Seiko VJ32B Battery: SR626SW Battery Life: ~3 years Jewels: None (0) Lume: N/A Accuracy: +-20 seconds/month Crystal: Mineral Water Resistance: 30m/100ft (splashing/rain) Price: ~$20 Why: Simple two level dial w/ date at 6, dial reuse

 

I will tick through the unpacking of the watches and state the main reasons why I bought each, any pleasant surprises, and any negatives. But overall, one initial surprise was the variety in movement brands, each being different (Sunon, Miyota, Seiko). My initial plan for these watches at time-of-purchase was to use them for parts. I may wear the CRRJU and Songdu until the cases are worn out and then re-case them in something better. The Bolisi is really just for parts, mainly the dial, which I will turn into a blank dial and redesign. Keep in mind that each watch costs less than the sum of its parts when purchased individually (movement, holder, battery, strap, hands, case). It is cheaper for me to buy the Bolisi and harvest it for parts than to buy a blank dial, battery, etc.

CRRJU 2150 (Amazon Link)

Other than being a “deal,” the main reason I bought this watch was the bright blue-tipped hands against the black two-layer dial. It is possible I may reuse the dial and hands when/if the case plating starts to deteriorate (quite likely after a year or two). Of the three, the CRRJU is my second favorite.

The CRRJU 2150 really is a “fashion watch” from a design perspective and reminds me of the stuff sold by MVMT and the like. Would I ever buy one of those? No No No…ick. So why this one? The CRRJU watch was actually priced appropriately in the deal and was not a marketing scam advertising the same low-cost (cheap) collection of parts as well-priced watch market disruption. Anyway…my thoughts on the unpacking and watch…

Simple packaging and the foam pad had a distinct factory smell. But hey, there was a nice note card. The English needs a little work, but it is what it is.

The watch had a lot more weight to it than I expected, a lot. I expected something quite light and flimsy, so this was a pleasant surprise as I removed it from the packing. The bracelet and case were well protected with plastic. A small Phillips-head screwdriver was included! Although not particularly useful with this exact watch, which begs the question of why it was included, it will be useful for other things.

I like the bright blue hands, which looked interesting in the pictures online. The paint seems a little uneven on the center side where the paint meets the cutouts in the hands, a small detail.

At 40mm diameter, 8mm height, and 64g on the bracelet, the watch wears a lot better than I thought. I expected discomfort, but it is light on the wrist and smooth on the skin. At first I imagined I would change the strap for something leather, but in this case I will keep the bracelet just to see how it wears over time.

The movement was along the lines of what I imagined, a Chinese Sunon and there is no marking on the crown. These details are fine as far as I am concerned with this sort of watch. I do love me a small seconds “complication.” All-in-all, I look forward to seeing how this watch handles a little age. I expect that after some time the black plating will wear off in places. Of course a future check-in regarding these watches will be in-order.

Songdu No.D-9237M (Amazon Link)

Ok, so this is my favorite of the three, by far. I first bought this because it was a deal like the others, and I was thinking for parts, but I actually really like this watch. I like the simplicity of the dial and geometric features. The second hand in a blue/green (dark teal?) matched with the circled date window. Having the minute numerals on the top half only is a fun touch, as is just having single applied indices only at 12 and 6. Toward the edge of the case the dial curves down, giving some depth to the design. For ~$20, this is a great watch. On to the unpacking…

The first watch came with a small screwdriver, whereas this one came with a more useful tool for adjusting the straps. The forked tool is a good size for adjusting the clamps on the strap (see the video) and could also be used for removing/changing the straps.

However, unlike the CRRJU, the Songdu bracelet was not wrapped in protective plastic. I am not sure that it made a big difference in shipping, but it is worth noting. Still, the claps and case were well protected. There was some blue plastic tape on the crown that was particularly difficult to remove due to the “S” and is the only thing problematic about this watch.

The packaging on this watch impressed me the most of the three, because it was different. The watch came in a cloth travel pouch enclosed in a transparent bag, both branded. The benefit is that it is not a just another box to go into the basement or recycling. It is a legitimate travel pouch. (One of the Velcro tabs was not adhered to the fabric anymore so I reattached with some super-glue.)

Is there anything I do not like? The bracelet. Although it is fairly light and nearly as comfortable as the bracelet on the CRRJU, the mesh is tighter, thinner, wider, and the stainless just does not look as good as the black in my opinion. I rarely like a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet, and this is a low-cost version. The good news: this will look great on a light brown/tan/camel leather strap.

The specs are 42mm diameter, ~9mm height, and 68g weight (but to me it felt lighter than the CRRJU). Again, the watch wears better than I thought, is fairly light on the wrist, but not as comfortable as the CRRJU bracelet. The white-ish/silver dial and the blue accents will look better with a tan strap. I will be posting such pictures here or on my Instagram. All-in-all, for the price, I am happy to have this watch as an option.

I was not sure what movement to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that it was a Miyota 2315. For the price of the watch, it is a respectable movement and matches the movement in my DMC watch (yes I had a nostalgic moment on a particular night and purchased a DeLorean Motor Company watch).

Bolisi No:8245G (Amazon Link)

The Bolisi is my least favorite of the three in terms of design and quality and was really purchased for parts. The simplicity of the dial makes it a good candidate for some alterations and reuse. I do like having a spare dial with the date at 6.

The packaging was not as interesting as the CRRJU, which also went the simple box route. It is worth noting that the cutout for the crown was on the wrong side of the foam so it came tilted in place. The face and reverse had protective plastic per the usual.

The watch is lighter than expected. Maybe it was the color or design that made me think there may be more to it. Of course the leather is on the cheap side as expected, which is not a negative per se, I mean it is a very low-cost watch. The bar is purposely low. BolisI is printed on the clasp.

The dial comes off as a slate grey. Based on the pictures I thought it might be more of a black, but the grey is ok. The date is quite tiny and the numerals are not very well printed on the movement and look off-centered most of the time. I had forgotten how small the crowns are on these low-cost quartz watches, which functionally makes sense, but this watch reminded me of that fact.

The watch is super light at 36g, and looks moderate on the wrist at 40mm diameter and just over 7mm height. I was mildly surprised that it had a Seiko movement. Perhaps not a great one, but a step above the Sunon.

I will not be wearing this watch, ever, and its role is simply that of parts testing for an amateur watch fiend.

This was an enjoyable process that did satisfy the new watch urge briefly. As a watch enthusiast, it can be easy to start looking down on low-cost watches. Keep in mind that they can be a nice alternative to another big expenditure and can even provide some nice surprises. As always when watch buying, know what you are buying and what it is really worth. Never pay more than $30 for these types of watches. They may not last a long time and are somewhat disposable, but if you catch a deal, why not satisfy the buying itch or need to tinker with a low-cost watch once-in-a-while?

As for the lowest-cost watch I have seen that I can use for custom dials and other things, I have a couple of these on the way, it does take a while for them to arrive (shipping time). Less than $8…can’t wait to see what these are like!