If you’ve ever checked out the watch section at your local Walmart, you’ve probably seen the rack full of mostly unbranded watches. While there is definitely an art to finding great watches at Walmart, most of these quartz watches work perfectly well. Ever since a co-worker recieved a Rolex Submariner date watch, I’ve been intrigued by watches that use a combination of gold tones and stainless steel. When I found a sharp looking men’s analog dress watch in a gold and stainless scheme for only $12.88, I decided to take a chance on it. I even decided to wear it to work.
The unbranded Walmart watch that I selected used combination of stainless steel and gold tones to achieve a rich–but not Rolex Submariner rich–look. The unbranded watch has a stainess and gold toned expansion band that fits most wrists, has a gold-toned base metal bezel, and a rich green dial. and gold-tone hash marks, hands, and numerals. The base metal case is about 37 millimeters in diameter and a comfortably thin 8 millimeters thick. A gold trim theme carries on to the hour, minute, and second hands; time denoting numerals at the 12, 6, and 9 o’clock positions; a gold-trimmed day and date window at 3 o’clock; and finally delta-shaped markers at five minute intervals for the remaining clock positions. Each minute also receives a gold colored tick mark. At Walmart prices, the watch doesn’t contain real gold.
A close examination reveals this unbranded Walmart watch to be perfectly competent. The watch is water resistant to 100 feet. The Japanese-made quartz movement keeps time well and quietly. If you hold the watch up to your ear in a quiet room, you can barely hear this watch tick. It’s tough to guess the lineage of an unbranded watch. However, this dress watch was imported by the Advance Watch Company and warranty work is handled by Geneva Watch Group. The green dial even complements several of my work shirts. What’s not to like?
Actually, there are a few minor things not to like about this watch. First, the band has some slightly rough edges. However, the watch was comfortable to wear. Second, the watch case seems to be powder counted or painted in a silver color. This coating may wear away over time or look a little cheap from some angles. Finally, the second hand isn’t completely aligned with the second hashes at each tick of the watch. None of these minor criticisms materially diminishes the functionality of the watch.
After wearing this watch to work, I found that it blended in quite well and looked right at home in the workplace. No one commented on the watch and it blended right in. Ultimately, you can’t ask for much more from an entry-level dress watch and you can’t get much more for only $12.88. It’s another great watch deal from Walmart and the perfect answer to watch snobbery.
Sources:
Product Packaging
Personal Experience
Other articles by this contributor:
Wristwatch Review: Bulova Classic Quartz Men’s Day Silver Dial Bracelet Dress Watch
Five $15 Watches that Don’t Suck
Wristwatch Review: Casio Men’s Analog Dress Watch
