What watch was your biggest disappointment?

all of my fashion watch, mostly fossil. come to think about it i was very pleased of it before i learn a think or two about wristwatch. this hobby is evil

Ha! I feel you, man! 

However, making 'mistakes' and learning from them isn't evil, it's just life. 

The only one I've regretted is the $30 Vostok i bought on eBay. 

I'll turn it into a positive by using it as a tinker watch, though. 

My mistakes were both Vostok. They are both vintage watches. I was told and read that they were a good investment.That they were a sturdy watch. I bought one and it seemed junky so I bought another one to give the brand a chance. Though I like the looks of them they are complete junk in my opinion. They are hard to wind and keep wound with the springy stem. The dates are damn near impossible to set. I have to literally set it by moving the hands around over and over until you get to the date. All the while struggling to do that with the springy stem. Then they keep horrible time. If you are wearing them for looks that's fine but don't depend on them if you have to be somewhere on time. It doesn't matter how much I have them adjusted they still go haywire. LOL enough of the rant. These are my mistakes. Now if I can get someone to buy them so I can get my money back that would be great. 

42mm Planet Ocean, Synchron Military, 017 Tuna, Tactico TC2 (remember them?), I'm sure there are tons if I go back through my WUS sale posts.

Mine is this vintage Seiko. I don’t get the appeal, and when I crossed the picket line I soon learned that the grass is not always greener. It looks better than it wears, and the rotor is so noisy. I don’t feel I should compromise for a watch.

Fortunately my greatest disappointments were some cheap Chinese watches. This happened a while ago, and before there were many established Chinese brands in the US. 

The watches looked great in the photos and so I gave them a chance. Unfortunately, the dials didn't align with the hour markers, they fogged up, the bracelets had sharp edges, and the subdials and buttons didn't function. As fashion items or Halloween dress up they'd be fine. As watches they were a total waste of money and nothing I'd ever wear. I demand more information about a brand when buying now. 

As yet no I don't  believe that happened to me. There's time , I guess.

Bought a sort of field/flight watch pictured in my banner, realized about a week after I bought it that it was not for me. Just not my preferred style, only really bought it because of the spec and price being pretty decent

Probably my San Martin 62 MAS homage. The bezel has so much slop in it. I was very underwhelmed.

Hmmm. That would have to be my Roamer Mechaline Pro. The finishing's really good, but... The STP 1-11 inside it acted up the moment I got it. The balance would just stop for no reason at all. I don't know if the watch was mistreated in storage, or was it a factory defect. The watch was serviced on warranty and has been running perfectly ever since.

The bracelet landed up in the box. Rubbish butterfly clasp with not even half-links for any fine adjustment, it also opened up on its own more than a few times. 

It was a reward from an employee benefits program while I worked in watch and jewelry retail, so, at least I paid nothing for it.

The Rolex OP41 in yellow, the moment I saw it I fell in love and was straight down the AD to get on the list (I was the first at my AD) 3 months later I got the phone call and headed to the store. 

For 2 weeks it was never off my wrist, but the shine soon started to wear off, and I started to wear it less and less unit it was just sat in my box unloved and unworn.

I could not help but compare to the GMT, and it sounds terrible to say but it just felt a bit cheap in comparison. 

The crown was too small and was not the smoothest to screw down, the bracelet was quite thin and the edges on the bottom side was on the sharp side. 

So after 18 months it just had to go. 

My biggest disappointment was my C63 GMT, there was nothing wrong with the watch, but I knew it wasn't for me. 

Second to the C63 is a Vario Trench Watch... as soon as I opened the box I knew I'd never wear it, despite loving the look of it in pictures. 

Not yet.  Miraculously, I still love every watch I have ever purchased and I know I am lucky especially considering how many watches I have bought from online auctions or overseas dealers.

Oris Diver 65.  Looked great in pics - felt cheap and chintzy in the hand.

I owned this for a few months. Specs looked cool, bought it on impulse, and the hype got pretty intense for a while there. I was just super underwhelmed. The movement had this "feature" where the second hand will like, pause, and fumble its way down when sweeping from 12 to 6. I thought it was faulty but I guess some people find it charming. Broke even on ebay despite a few selling for 2 or 3x the purchase price.

Both of the Zodiacs I bought. Looked great but felt cheap.

Of course this has happened to me many times, don't get too discouraged though because it happens.  Over the years I've had many watches that I failed to bond with.

Once I realized that they’re pretty much fashion watches, I’ll say my biggest disappointment were my Movados. Still trying to sell them off to this day!

Thanks for the heads up I read a similar review and now will stay away from Zodiac

Looks good from here! Have you had it serviced? That might quiet down the rotor.

I bought a $40 Raketa Soviet manual wind watch off of eBay my freshman year of college. It ticked so loud, I couldn't stand wearing it!

1995 Air King… it was the most I’d ever spent on a watch to mark a special occasion. After a little while I just knew it wasn’t right. I sold it after about two years. 

Just for what it's worth...i picked up a Zodiac GMT a few months ago and it's a really solid watch. I think it's appropriately priced and comparable to other watches in the sub-$1.5k price range. I wouldn't call it a "punches above it's price point" sort of watch, but definitely on par with similarly priced Seikos. No quality issues at all and a really good looking GMT.

Similar to @Pete_NSOW  My biggest disappointment was the Oris 65. It was fine but over-hyped. I have a Christopher Ward C65 that I picked up for less than half the price of the Oris and was nicer in every way. 

That one, the Dan Henry 1962 racing chronograph with its panda dial.

I liked the design, I liked the price but it took me less than an hour to discover that it's damn near illegible when the hands are not in upper quadrant.

I'd have to say this vintage Jardena chronograph - improperly described on Catawiki. Took too long before I could get it in to my watchmaker to find out the issues. Issues have been big and it's still with my watchmaker more than a year later while he looks for replacement parts.

As they say, handsome is as handsome does - and this one is not very handsome (pun intended).

BTW - I actually really like my Squale Sub39 GMT - but then again I am a huge fan of Squale watches

This was my first proper watch after having a G-Shock and a Fashion Watch for short while. It was on a canvas strap. Me being somewhat colorblind and bad photos at the shop made me think that it was a gray case and dial... It's obviously green!

I wasn't ready for the bling of a sparkling stainless steel case yet, but the PVD made me feel like I was playing Rambo... Didn't keep it for long!

You want it? I want to offload it.