Watch Review: Caribbean Joe Men's Degrade Green Sunburst Dial Strap Watch

When it comes to inexpensive fashion watches, one name has intrigued me for quite a long time:  Caribbean Joe.  As the logo on the dial shows, the brand evokes sunny beaches, swaying palm trees, and an idyllic life in a beach hut.  Who doesn't want that?

With my own summer ruined by a bit of job and career  uncertainty, I had no chance to escape to any tropical places this year.  But, the moment I gazed into the emerald green of this watch face at Kohl's, I was hooked.  You could get a virtual vacation just by checking the time.

Watch Style

Online, Kohl's calls this one the "Caribbean Joe Men's Degrade Green Sunburst Dial Strap Watch."  It's an apt description as you can see from the full picture that the watch does have a sunburst effect with the inner dial in lighter green and the outer portion darkening to a deeper green.

The watch has a gold-tone case and a leather strap.  The hour markers are in white outlined with a thin golden line.  The watch hands are similar outlined with a metallic gold tone.

Watch Construction

Of course, all the glitters is not gold.  I'm sure that a watch that retails for less than $30 won't contain any gold at all.  But, it is a little shiny.  The case is a base metal alloy and the caseback is stainless steel. The strap is made in China from a nice vegan leather. (I don't think China should treat vegans this way, but as long as no part of the vegan goes to waste, I guess it is o.k.)  They make a nice strap that looks like leather.  The crystal is glass.

As a rather dressy casual watch, there is no water resistance promised on the watch or in the online copy.  It's simply a watch for sitting by the beach and not swimming and that's o.k.  The watch uses a Made in Singapore movement powered by a common SR626 battery.

Watch Dimensions

This watch does look good on the wrist.  The watch diameter is 40 mm which is a wonderful proportion that combines readability and manly size without become a heavy hunk of metal on the wrist.  The case is not too thick.  The band width is 17 mm and the watch circumference was listed at 145 mm to 200 mm.  It fit my wrist fairly well.

Overall Impression

The watch comes in a nicely designed and executed box that includes a pillow and makes a nice impression. Overall, I was pleased by this purchase and the looks of this watch.  It's a good value for just about $30.

There aren't many Caribbean Joe watches on Amazon, but you can find a pair of them on Amazon here.

Watch Selection in Kohl's Stores Shrinking

 Over the past year or two, I've noticed the selection of men's watches continuing to shrink at Kohl's.

In one of my local stores, the selection is down to just two shelves of fashion watches.  The fanciest brands of men's watches in this Georgia location are Timex, Armitron, and Casio.  Many of brands are fashion labels like Caribbean Joe or Geoffrey Beane.

Unfortunately, the watches on display were very simple with few, if any complications.  It works out ok since my eyes don't pick up the small print of the extra complications on my watches.

Here is a typical Armitron watch that can be found at Kohl's now.  It's a pretty masculine-looking timepiece.  I didn't pick it up since I have plenty of simple watches in my collection right now.  If you'd like this specific watch, it is available here on Amazon.  A more affordable Armitron alternative is very similar here on Amazon.

A dwindling watch supply leaves me with one major question:  what are dudes supposed to shop for at Kohl's nowadays?  It has long been a traditional favorite store for my wife and me, but I don't need but one air fryer. 

Watch this blog though. I'll soon have a review for an nice Caribbean Joe watch that I did find in the ruins.