What are your thoughts on fashion brand watches?

I think this is a really interesting issue. I can't remember when I last read a review or discussion of a fashion watch. Given the frequent use of the phrase 'buy what you like and enjoy', few seem to take account of the fact that, for some people, fashion watches may fit the bill exactly. And there are some nice ones out there. Let's here it for fashion watches.

The issue I take with fashion watches is that many of those companies are borderline (if not outright) scamming the customers. They literally buy generic watches from AliExpress, slap their logo on them, and then pass them off as an original product. Everything about them is dishonest, and they’re duping people out of money. Not all brands take it to that extreme, sure, but a lot of them charge far too much money for what are essentially disposable watches. Basically, I come to it more from a position of consumer advocacy. 
 

That said, you can’t scam someone who knows they’re being scammed. If you know what you’re getting and don’t mind, then more power to you. Wear what you want. 
 

And like the example you noted, there are exceptions. That looks like a watch that’s priced in line with the quality of the product. That’s not something I personally take any issue with. Whether or not I would buy a Tommy Bahama watch in this case comes down to personal taste, and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who likes it. To each their own. 

Yessir! This world of watche collecting tends to  get too serious. Slap whatever you want on your wrist as long and you get a kick out of it.

Great points here. There are definitely some “homage“ Frankensteins out there with little to no originality, Poot bill quality, and a poor movement, and all of it wrapped for a premium. There definitely some hidden gems out there, but I what I’ll say is for a lot, fashion watches are the gateway into watches and learning about what’s really out there. 🙏🏼

I have been known to wear a fashion watch or two on occasion. One has a big skull on the dial, and the other has a bee. Those were the main reasons why I bought them. I suppose my watch collecting privileges are now revoked? 

On the other hand...there are plenty of 'not designer',  watches out there that are hugely overpriced. I think it fair to say that a number of mainstream companies offer products that don't have great build quality or good movements for overinflated prices. 

The category 'designer watch' is a loose one but it also - for the watch community - often has a derogatory connotation. This is sometimes earned but sometimes not. There are some good designer watches and some poor mainstream ones. 

I have just been through this with my daughter pre Xmas.  She wanted a gold coloured watch with a green dial, no ifs no buts, gold with a green dial.  She found a Vivien Westwood quartz for £269 and I was extremely reluctant to buy it because it's essentially a £10 watch.  However, try as I might, I couldn't find a proper alternative with her exact specs for that money.  She ended up with the crap VW fashion watch which she deeply scratched the mineral dial of within a few days.  Kids, who'd have 'em!

I told my son I'd buy him a watch for his 10th birthday recently. I showed him various awesome Casio's but he chose this £20 classic from Argos. I did initially question where I had gone wrong as a parent, but he absolutely loves it and he has buckets of confidence and is so happy when he's got it on, so really, what more can we ask for in a watch? I've seen grown men look much more miserable in their Pateks. I think he has truly nailed the spirit of 'wear what makes you happy'.

In my early 30's, I would walk into Costco, and in their watch cases would always be a few Kenneth Cole Reaction watches.  Something that looked like these pictures below.  And they cost $70.

All my life, I wore my older cousin's hand-me-down clothing.  The only things I could ever afford to buy were the cheap, store-brand shirts, shoes, and pants at Kmart, Walmart, and Target.  And now, I finally had some money in my pocket.  $70 for Kenneth Cole Reaction (Kenneth Cole Reaction was a New York City brand!) was an unbelievable bargain in my mind!  And look at how cool these watches look!!!

I would wear them, and invariably after 6 months or so, they would disintegrate, because I did a ton of rock climbing and cycling, and I'd smash the watch up against a rock face or the tarmac when I would crash my bike or something.  But, it didn't matter.  Because my wrist looked fashionable, as I destroyed that watch.

And I would head to LA to see this gal who I went to college with.  We were just friends.  But, one night, at dinner, she noticed my Kenneth Cole Reaction watch, and said that it looked nice!  And the next time I went to LA to see her, she noticed yet another Kenneth Cole Reaction watch on my wrist, and commented again how nice it was.  Finally, on a 3rd occasion, she noticed yet a 3rd Kenneth Cole Reaction on my wrist...  She must have assumed that Kenneth Cole Reaction watches were expensive, and therefore that I was rich and successful, because only rich and successful men could afford not only 1 Kenneth Cole Reaction watch, but 3 Kenneth Cole Reaction watches!!!

That night, special things happened.  It was like a scene out of a Richard Attenborough documentary about hyenas in heat, minus the biting and scratching.

Well, friends, today I know that Kenneth Cole Reaction watches are a joke!  A joke, I tell you!  They're fashion watches!!!  PUKE!

And yet, my horologically-significant Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope, with the new 9908 hand-wound, column-wheel movement has yet to successfully cast me in a nature documentary, unlike my Kenneth Cole Reaction watches.

So, you tell me which is the superior timepiece!

From my perspective there is little differentiation in the sub-1k watch market through movements. It's often the design and finishing that matters most, and fashion watches definitely have a place. If enough effort went into that, especially with domestic labor, then I have no issue with them at all.

I have owned and worn two Gucci watches. I am not ashamed. It was the 1980's and my girlfriend liked them. I have nearly bought a wooden watch because I thought it looked cool. If I were cut off from a supply of better watches I would buy a Dakota from the kiosk at the mall.

I am fast coming to the conclusion that a watch is a watch is a watch. We probably don't need a (sub)category, 'fashion watch'. In fact, it is really hard to know what counts as one and what doesn't. I have a £7 Casio MQ-24. It is a very simple and incredibly reliable watch. I also have two £20 Casio 'square' watches F-108WHC-4ACF. One is bright red and the other bright blue. I have never read of any of them being referred to as fashion watches, even though they are cheap and cheerful. [This may of course be because they are not thought of as fashionable, despite being cheap!]

I think what might be implied by the term designer watch is 'cheap and nasty'.  But as someone once said: 'taste is a matter of taste'.

Judging people by the watch they prefer and the watch they wear may not be the best criteria. In the end, I am not sure that you can draw many conclusions about the person next to you from seeing them wearing a Rolex or a Ted Baker. They may, of course, own both. 

"What are my thoughts on fashion brand watches?"

I think they're just about as good as that crappy Chinese Smith & Wesson "tactical" knife in the photo...

It's not about the money- You can buy a nice Casio Duro dive watch for $50, which is probably cheaper than a "fashion watch". It's about quality. 

You wearing those watches with pride levels you up a godly level my good sir 💯

Preaaaaach 🙏

Who hurt you

My friend, you have reached god-tier. We will follow you till the end. 

Solid point 🎯

This is by far the best thing I've read thus far on this site. I personally don't know Mr. Cole, but I'd like to bring to his attention the amount of tail his watches have brought to individuals yourself. Bless up, sir. 

Sorry for your wallet, but at least she wore it and hopefully enjoyed and made her realize there's better out there 

We tend to forget watches are pieces of jewelry that are not a "Necessity" and that sometimes we take this hobby too seriously. Your son is a goddam badass with the confidence level that would make Chuck Norris tremble. 

Great question.  I think it depends on where the person is in life and their hobby.  When you are young and when you are just getting started in the hobby you really care about being able to define quality and signal to others that you are knowledgable and should be taken seriously.  As you get older you (often) care less about what others think and when you have been in the game a long time with respect to your hobby you start to realize that there may be places for everything.  If you are wise and confident and wearing that watch and someone tells you it is crap and you could spend just as much and get something authentic you simply. nod in agreement and keep on enjoying the watch that night.

With age comes wisdom, and blot giving a f*ck. 🙏🏼

I found these in a box at the bottom of the wardrobe. I bought these in a skate shop in Honolulu, along with a Neff board, on my honeymoon years ago. I’m definitely out of the club now aren’t I?