Are Nibosi Watches Any Good?

People are always worried about whether inexpensive Chinese watch brands are worth spending money on. It's a fair question to ask. Over the years, I've had pretty good luck with inexpensive Chinese watch brands but, every once in awhile, I'll get a lemon.  However, when it comes to Nibosi watches, I've generally been pleased by the value I've received from every purchase. The brand is poised at a sweet spot in watch pricing with most of their offerings priced between $25 and $45 on Amazon. In the $30 range, almost anyone can afford to buy a Nibosi watch. Plus, there are often some great discounts and deals.

The answer is - Yes. Nibosi makes good watches.  They are well built and a great value for the price.

You can see the value from this brand in my small collection of Nibosi watches.

Nibosi watches

In terms of build quality, I've been pleased by my Nibosi watches. Most Nibosi watches use stainless steel for the case, caseback, and often the bracelet. They are somewhat water resistant, but I tend to err on the side of caution and remove watches before washing dishes, showering, or swimming.

My Nibosi Watch Collection

This brand offers both homage and independently-styled watches that are generally well conceived and well executed. I have two Nibosi Homage watches and two Nibosi styled watches. 

Nibosi Datejust President Homage. I have one Nibosi that is an obvious homage to the Rolex "Presidential" Datejust (below) models.  The watch sells for just less than $40. It has decent construction and looks pretty nice.  It has working date and day windows.

Nibosi Rolex Datejust Homage

This one has a bit of a Chinese typo on the dial's small print.  It brags of "superlative chronometery." That flaw aside, this watch proved to be a great opportunity to try out the fluted bezel style.

Nibosi Datejust Homage Fluted Bezel

Nibosi Patek Philippe Homage. The most stunning watch in my Nibosi collection is this Patek Philippe homage that looks much like a watch that retailed for over $224,000.  While it is far flashier than my normal watches, it is fun to wear. It's all stainless steel, typo-free, and comfortable to wear. It has multifunction subdials that accurately record the date, day of the week, 24-hour time, and provide a moonphase complication.  Amazingly, this watch was available for less than $10. It's just a fun-to-wear watch that you can give to any mugger on the subway.

Nibosi Patek Philippe Homage

Nibosi Stainless Steel Chronograph. If you are looking for a watch that is less obviously an homage, this chronograph is solidly constructed and attractively styled. The bracelet is not quite as well finished as watches from established brands like Casio, Timex, or Bulova. I felt like some of the metal edges of the bracelet were a little sharper and rougher than than the bracelets of more established brands. Still it is a nice looking watch and pretty decent for daily wear.

Nibosi Stainless Steel Chronograph

You can read my full review of this Nibosi chronograph watch in this post. At the low price point, this watch is a great value.

Nibosi Black Stainless Steel Watch. Finally, my black stainless steel watch is a simple no-date watch with a minimalist dial and elegant gold-tone markers and hands. It's an exceptionally comfortable watch for everyday wear. You can read my review of this amazingly inexpensive watch here in this post.

Nibosi Black Stainless Steel Watch

Nibosi watches aren't perfect, but they are a good value for the money and they can help make watch collecting fun and affordable again. If you'd like to check out Nibosi watches on Amazon, you can find them here via my affiliate link.

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Gediyar "Spider" Men's Quartz Analog Watch

Sometimes Chinese companies make a cool looking watch, but seem to have no idea how to name it.  For this ten dollar Tuesday, I submit to you the Gediyar "Men Quartz Analog Watch Luxury Military Business Fashion Casual Calendar Male Man Waterproof Wrist Watches for Men." I'll nickname this one the "Spider" due to it's cool dial design. It's an interesting design that can be had in three different color schemes all of which are less than $10.

Gediyar Men's Quartz Analog Watch (Amazon Photo)

This watch has a very interesting design with symmetrical legs extending from a central hub, an exposed date track, and a window offering a peek into the quartz movement. It's a 45mm watch that's 11mm thick.  It has a silicone strap of generous length that should be able to fit wrists up to 10 inches in circumference. The watch is water resistant for daily wear and looks awfully good for just $10.  If you are interested in this watch, check it out further here on Amazon via my affiliate link.

Just remember, this is a $10 watch. You may encounter some of the issues that I've outlined in my post on the drawbacks of cheap watches.  Most of my cheap watches have turned out to be pretty decent, but you might find that the silicone straps are a bit thin or you might encounter short battery life. I didn't see any mention of this watch having a stainless steel case or caseback. You might get a rash or you might get a cool watch.  It can be a role of the dice.

The biggest danger posed by this watch is that it just might spark a question.  That question would be:

If I can get a watch this nice for just $10, how much are the bigger watch brands actually paying for their Asian-manufactured watches?

Watch Deal Alert: Timex Men's Expedition Scout 40mm

Sometimes, it's hard to look at rising watch prices without remembering what the watches cost back in the 90s or early 2000s. While we know about inflation and the bite it takes out of our purchasing power, it can be tough to see escalating prices impact our watch collections.  That's why it's nice when you see old-time pricing on a familiar watch.  For example, Amazon has some versions of the Timex Men's Expedition Scout on sale.  It's only 12% off.  But, at less than $40, you'll think you've returned to the times of yore. 

Timex 40mm Expedition Scout

This Timex 40mm Expedition Scout has Indiglo backlighting and 50-meters of water resistance and comes in a Green Strap, Gray Case, and Black Dial Configuration. It's a great starting point for anyone wanting a field watch.  You can check it out here using my Amazon affiliate link. The watch comes in a variety of color combinations that range up to just over $50.  But, if you poke around a bit, you may find that Amazon has quite a few used-good or used-excellent condition Timex Expedition watches available at a substantial discount.  Since they are great beater watches, it's hard to go wrong with one.

An Affordable Alternative to a Vintage Omega Seamaster

I find myself drawn to the looks of classic watches like this 1967 Omega Seamaster Day-Date watch currently being sold at the vintage watch dealer Second Time Around Watch Co. It's a beautiful timepiece with a stainless steel case plated with 14K gold.  It has a classic automatic movement and a timeless look.

1967 Vintage Omega Seamaster (Photo credit to SecondTimeAroundWatchCo.com)

If money were no object, I'd try to get a watch like this and add it to my collection. It's $2100. It would be a wonderful timepiece. It was made in Switzerland when that meant something. It is 14K gold plated. It has the classic looks and dimensions (37mm diameter) of a bona fide classic. Once upon a time, that would have been attainable. But, IT sector lay offs take their toll. If you are in position to get the real thing, you can find this vintage watch here.

From Vintage Omega to Modern Olevs

Instead, I'd like an easy, affordable watch, that might be somewhat inspired by the look, but that would fit into my tight budget. I can probably afford a $40 watch somewhere along the way. The OLEVS men's brown leather strap watch hits that mark well. The watch is powered by a Japanese quartz movement and has a 39mm diameter stainless steel case that is 9mm thick.

Olev's Quartz Watch with Brown Leather Strap (Amazon photo)

To check this vintage-inspired watch out, visit my Amazon affiliate link to this Olevs watch here.

TGIF: The Best Watches at ANY Price Point?

Best Men's Watch for $50 and Under

I recently saw a post on X that highlighted a watch expert's opinion on the best watch to buy at any price point.  Of course, the watch prices started at $1,000 with a recommendation to buy a Tissot PRX.  Then, the expert was off to the $10,000 level.  For me, the post missed all the price points that most people can afford.

For me, the point is to have cool watches and the price point doesn't matter.  If you can afford a Ulysse-Nardin, you are living the dream.  But, I'm pretty proud of the $10 watch I found on Amazon recently.  So, I'll start my recommendations there.

$10: "Nibosi Waterproof Luxury Diamond Luminous Dial Business Dress Watch"  Online they call it a chronograph.  It's actually a multifunction watch with day, date, 24-hour time, and moon phase.  It is a little blingy, but it's a very nice watch for the money.

Nibosi Men's Waterproof Luxury Diamond Luminous Dial Business Dress Watch

I bought the black dial version, but supplies are running out.  It's still available for less than $10 with a green or blue dial.  You can get it here via my Amazon affiliate link.

$25: "US Polo Assn Quartz Watch." If you want to put all your extra money into polo ponies, you may want to keep watch expenses down. US Polo Assn offers an attractive variety of quartz watches that are priced between $17 and $25 and can be found in a variety of stores including Burlington and JC Penney. You can see a wide selection via my Amazon affiliate link here.

 

$40: "Burei Men's Dive Watch." For years, the undisputed choices for inexpensive dive watches were the Casio Duro and the Invicta Pro Diver.  But, a newcomer has been entering my search and it's been getting great reviews. Burei offers a men's dive watch with 200-meter water resistance, a screw-down crown, a unidirectional rotating bezel, a date window, and a Japanese quartz movement.

Burei Men's Dive Watch with 200-meter water resistance (Amazon photo)

This watch averages 4.5 stars on 26 ratings and has some great reviews.  You can check it out here on Amazon.

$50: "Casio MTP-VD01D-1BV Men's Enticer."  I recently purchased the blue dial version of this watch (you can read my review here), but now the best deal is on the black dial version at 11% off. This is an attractively styled watch that is great for everyday wear. You can get this beautiful timepiece here on Amazon.

Casio Men's Enticer (Amazon Photo)

The list could go on, and might in a future post, but you should really buy a watch that fits your style and personality.  It's your money.  Have fun. You get to spend it anyway you like.

(If you are looking for more budget-friendly watch ideas, check out my post on an Affordable Three Watch Collection. The challenge: build a three watch collection for $75 a watch or less.)

The Hundred Dollar Grail: Finding A Guilloché Dial Watch for a Benjamin!

Can you find a watch with a guilloché dial design for $100 or less? To answer this question, we have to know what guilloché is.  

An engine-turned (guilloché) watch dial made by Derek Pratt and rejected by him due to imperfections (Public Domain photo)

What is a Guilloché Dial?

According to Grok:

Guilloché is a centuries-old decorative engraving technique used to create intricate, repeating geometric patterns on watch dials (and other metal surfaces). It is produced on a specialized rose engine or straight-line engine lathe that cuts precise, continuous lines—such as sunbursts, waves, basketweave, or moiré effects—into the metal, creating a textured surface that beautifully catches and reflects light. The result adds depth, visual interest, and a luxurious handmade feel to otherwise plain dials, and is a hallmark of high-end watchmaking.

The answer to whether you can find it on $100 watch depends on what your definition of design is.  You can't get a genuine hand-crafted guilloché dial on a watch costing $100 or less,   But, you can get a "guilloché dial design" on a watch that costs $100 or less. The technique for creating the design is different.  In many cases, the design is automatically engraved via a computerized CNC machine or stamped into the disk of metal that serves as the dial.  It's not hand-crafted.  It's kind of like cheese and cheese food product.

A Perry Ellis Solar Powered Dress Watch (Amazon Photo)

The Perry Ellis Solar Watch for Men

If you can't afford a high end European watch with a guilloché dial, you might check out the guilloché-inspired dial on the Perry Ellis Solar Powered Dress watch.  This watch has specifications that are suspiciously similar to those of a Citizen Eco Drive watch.  Once charged, it will run for four months.  It has a 41mm diameter case that is 30-meters water resistant.  You can check out this beautiful watch here using my Amazon affiliate link.  It's less than $100 and it comes in three different case and dial color combinations.

If you've been wanting to add a watch with a guilloche dial to your collection, this is your chance.

Wristwatch Review: Casio Enticer (Model MTP-VD01D-2EV)

An Enticingly Affordable Watch from Casio

I've long been intrigued with the Casio Enticer (Model MTP-VD01D-2EV) as an inexpensive, but very attractive, timepiece.

Casio Enticer Watch Style and Features

The Casio Enticer is a casual, fashion, watch.  This all stainless steel watch has a shiny fixed diver-style bezel, 50-meter water resistance, an accurate Japanese movement, and a date window. The designers made good use of alternating shiny and flat stainless steel in the bracelet design. The case and bezel are shiny stainless steel.  In terms of style, this watch is a quantum leap ahead of my first Casio Analog watch from 2011. The Enticer is a sexy watch.

Casio Enticer Watch Dimensions

The watch is perfectly sized for my sensibilities. The case is  45mm in diameter and 10.5mm thick. 

The Casio Enticer has a slim profile that is perfect for office wear.

The bracelet is quite generously sized. I actually had to adjust it downward a little to fit my fairly large 7 and 3/4 inch wrists. 

The Casio Enticer has a generously-sized bracelet

Luckily, I was able to tighten the bracelet by adjusting the clasp to be a little tighter.

The Deployant Clasp of the Casio Enticer

Casio Enticer Watch Construction

Overall, this watch is very solid for the under $50 price category.  50-meter water resistance is reassuring for casual wear. The movement is accurate for +/- 20 seconds per month. 

Casio Watch Overall Impression

This Casio feels like money well spent.  It's a great looking watch.  Prices can vary quite a bit, but I was able to get mine for under $40. The watch comes in a variety of dial and case color combinations and is sold in a price range from about $35 to $55.  To see the broad array of models available and the best prices, use my Amazon affiliate link. It's a great watch at an affordable price point.