TGIF: $10 Watch Lessons Learned

My most recent $10 Tuesday watch order was quite a disappointment. After several decent watches, the Alinker 36mm Square Dial watch was a very low quality and fragile timepiece. While I can be quite tolerant, the watch threw a spring bar from the clasp the very first time I tried to put it on. It'll be going back soon. It's not surprising to encounter some of the issues I posted about in the drawbacks of cheap watches. It might be more surprising that we encountered so few of the issues.

Alinker Square Dial Watch

This leaves me in a bit of a quandary.  I think we've exhausted the plausible $10 watch purchases on Amazon. It's time to move onto watches in the $20, $30, and dare I say $40 price ranges. The Ten Dollar Tuesday watch experiment hasn't been a total waste. Watches from Civo, Nibosi, Nuovo, EOJOMIN Gediyar, and Time100 all turned out to be pretty decent. One lesson that I've learned is that the quality of Chinese-brand watches is improving quickly. You can see most of the watches here on my Amazon affiliate store front.

Nibosi "Diamond" watch

Are there any good rules of thumb to follow when looking for a $10 watch? A Ten Dollar "on sale" watch from a company that usually sells $20 or $30 watches is a better bet than a watch that was always intended to be $10 or less. The Civo and Nibosi watches were the best of my purchases and both were originally intended to sell for $20 or $30.

You'll still see $10 watches on here from time to time, but I'm going to look for other low budget choices for watch enthusiasts.

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Avaner Skull Watch and Bracelet

It's Ten Dollar Tuesday and it's October.  If the prospect of an inexpensive Chinese watch isn't scary enough, let's get a spooky one! This Avaner Men's Quartz Skull watch with bracelet might fit the bill perfectly. It has Japanese quartz movement, a 46mm diameter case, a generously-sized leather strap, and comes with an accompanying bracelet with a skull charm.

Avaner Skull Watch and Bracelet Combo (Amazon Photo)

For an October / Halloween watch, $10 is a great deal. The main drawback to me is that the skeletonized hands may be a little difficult to reach.  But, truthfully, this watch is all about the skull. I suspect timekeeping is a secondary consideration. If you are interested in scaring up this timepiece, please feel free to use my Amazon affiliate link here.  

I've had plenty of skull watches in my collection over the years. Some have had brand names like Ed Hardy attached. They always look cool. But, my Ed Hardy has condensation under the crystal and I'm pretty sure it cost about $20. If you're looking for a laughing skull this Halloween, you might not be taking too much of a risk. Just know that it is just a fun watch and not heirloom.

The Quartz Alternative: Tissot PRX.

The Tissot PRX is one of the most popular watch designs of recent years. It features an integrated bracelet and angular case that looks great. As an automatic watch, the Tissot PRX is powered by the state of the art Powermatic 80 movement which provides a reliable 80-hour power reserve. Not surprisingly, the automatic Tissot PRX typically costs at least $900. Fortunately, the Tissot PRX quartz model can be found for half that price.

Tissot PRX Quartz - Amazon photo

With the quartz Tissot PRX, you get the same great case, dial, and bracelet design as the automatic, but you don't have to fuss with watch winders.

The quartz PRX has all stainless steel construction, a sapphire crystal, and a 40mm diameter case that is 12mm thick. The result is a striking and robust timepiece with 100-meter water resistance.

Tissot PRX Quartz - Amazon photo

If you'd like to check out a quartz Tissot PRX, use my Amazon affiliate link here. 

To read more about similar watch designs from other brands, see my post "Are all the watch companies being PRX?"

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Alinker 36mm Square Dial Watch

If you'd like to save $129,990 over the price of a Patek Philippe Nautilus, read on. Amazon has the far less famous quartz Alinker 36mm Square Dial Men's Business Watch. It's a square watch with a date window and a striking resemblance to a Swiss watch none of us can afford.

According to the Amazon ad copy, the watch is made from stainless steel. A review says it is made from high quality plastic. Since this caused confusion and the watch cost less than $8, I just hit "buy it now." It's the kind of sacrifice this blog makes regularly for the sake of humanity.

My expectations for the Alinker Square Watch aren't high, but the low price tag will allow me to redirect $129,990 to investments and retirement. The watch is 36mm in diameter and only 8mm thick. It also has a quartz movement which will allow it to run for two or three years longer than an actual Patek Philippe Nautilus which only runs for 35 to 48 hours before tedious manual intervention is required.

I'll have the Alinker soon and we'll see how it does.

[This one came in earlier today October 6, 2026, and it is really cheap and cheesy. 

The case is about 37mm in diameter amd 10mm thick. It is very lightweight and flimsy feeling. The bezel finish is scraped on the pavement rough. The watch fit, but  the spring bar on the clasp popped off with light handling.

I'd highly recommend looking at a Nibosi instead for $20 to $30.

On the plus side, Taiwan is probably safe for a while longer.]

I had high hopes, but I've removed the link on this one. I'd stay far away from it. 

Quartz Watch Alternative - Longines Conquest

As an automatic, the Longines 41mm Conquest is priced above $2200. It's an achievable watch, but it will require perseverance, hard work, financial success, and a bit of good fortune. As an alternative, the quartz Longines 41mm Conquest is priced at less than $1000. 

Longines 41mm Conquest Quartz (Amazon photo)

The Longines Quartz 41mm Conquest is a great looking and solidly built watch that exudes quality and class. It's not cheap. However, it's a much more attainable Longines watch than the automatic version.

What do you get when you buy the quartz Longines Conquest? You get a solid Swiss watch that can hold its own with the world's elite timepieces. The Conquest is an all stainless steel watch with a protected crown. It is secured to your wrist by a triple-safety-folding clasp and push piece opening mechanism. It's perfectly proportioned at 41mm in diameter and 11.8mm thick. It also has 300-meter water resistance and a sapphire crystal to withstand any adventure in your life. The caseback design also reflects the high end background of the watch.

Longines 41mm Conquest Quartz Case Back (Amazon photo)

Is the Longines Conquest worth it? Maybe. That's a question for you to answer. 

If you've been plagued by a lust for a luxury Swiss watch, the quartz Longines Conquest might scratch that itch perfectly.

If you'd like to look and long for the Longines 41mm Conquest, you can check the Conquest out here using my affiliate link to the Luxury goods section of Amazon. It looks like a great watch.

Watch Deal Alert: Glycine Watches on Overstock.com

If you are looking for bargain prices on Swiss watches, go to Overstock.com and search under "Glycine watches." 

You'll find many models at clearance prices including this Glycine Quartz Airman Worldtimer (above). This one is the lowest price model at only $159.99.

There are also many automatic Glycine watches for sale. They are all Swiss made models with prices falling between $300 and. $600.  

Glycine is an old Swiss watch firm that was recently purchased by Imvicta. However, it remains an autonomous business unit dedicated to making traditional Swiss watches with Swiss movements.

Watch Deal Alert: 47mm Nautica Coronado Bay Watch

Nautica is on a roll as an affordable name brand watch. I just found another great Amazon deal on a Nautica N/83 watch. It's the Nautica Coronado Bay quartz watch. Nautica names many of their watches after famous beach areas.

The Coronado Bay presents a big watch in bio-based nylon case. The watch has a 47mm diameter case that's 16mm thick. It's not for the dainty watch crowd. But, it's a rugged looking watch offering 100-meter water resistance and that fits up to 8-inch wrists. It also has indiglo backlighting which is an indication of its Timex roots. I like the wave pattern in the dial background.

The Nautica Tortuga Bay Watch Deal

Right now, this Nautica Tortuga Bay watch is on sale for 45% off! That makes this  watch an amazing bargain for under $65! You can grab the Nautica N/83 Coronado Bay watch here using my Amazon Affiliate link!