Why Are Fashion Watches So Bad?! Armani Vs Tommy Hilfiger Watches — Ben’s Watch Club

The Armani Exchange looks far cruder, in my opinion. The hands look like they have been sawn off, ending well short of where they should, while the outer markers look hollow and generic. There’s a waffle-like texture across the center, providing some much-needed depth. However, it’s convoluted by the unnecessary additional chapter ring around the perimeter, and a hideous silver bar stuck to the middle, yet again housing the Armani logo.

The upper primary logo is so tilted that it awkwardly overlaps a second marker. Not a good impression for the first thing you’ll look at!

Movement 

Considering that the movements inside can be obtained for pennies on the dollar, I’d guess neither of these Chinese-made fashion watches cost more than $7 to produce, especially when economies of scale are considered. The Scameti watches I made aren’t far off in terms of quality, and they were insanely cheap, trust me! By my calculations, you’re spending over 90% of the item cost for distribution and marketing alone.

Are Fashion Watches Worth Buying?

While fashion brands may offer ‘luxury’ products in other sectors, their watches use basic, industry-standard materials at best. Even the glass is scratch-prone mineral crystal, rather than the scratch-resistant sapphire used on genuine, premium watches. Fashion watches are generally not worth buying for those concerned with quality. Without the brand names and logos, neither of these watches would draw in any punters at their current prices. They’re sub-par products, and there are much better value alternatives.

If you think these nitpicks are overly critical, I’d suggest spending £30 on a Casio, which is a comparable, or typically better, watch for a fraction of the price. You can spend your savings on another watch or whatever else you like.

Watch Alternatives

So which watches should you buy? Say you have $150 or less to spend but want something that looks better and is of higher quality, too; where should you look?

Personally, I’d stick with companies that specialize in producing their watches in-house as the core part of their business. They’re experts at it, so it’s no surprise that their products are generally much better. Casio, Seiko, and Orient have plenty of affordable Japanese-made offerings with substantially improved construction and sleeker aesthetics for similar prices.

Take the Seiko 5 SNK361, for instance. The case has better finishing, and the dial features a microscopic engraved surface alongside more premium-looking hands and indices that each feature luminescence. Within isn’t a dirt-cheap quartz movement but a more complex entry-level automatic that you can see through the rear of the watch. This movement permits a second-hand gliding sweep rather than a once-per-second ticking motion, which looks much more impressive.