Wristwatch Review: Caribbean Joe Square Watch with Synthetic Leather Strap

When it comes to cheap watches, I enjoy the Caribbean Joe brand.  In fact, I've found most of the variants of Caribbean Joe watches that are available. Most of the time, I get them from Kohl's, but I learned that there are square case Caribbean Joe's watches and I had to find them. As 2024 drew to a close, I ordered two watches online from a store in the northern midwestern US called Boscov's. The model numbers were CJ7145GU (Blue Dial/Gunmetal Case) and CJ7145SL (Brown Dial/Silver Case)

Caribbean Joe Square Watch (CJ7145GU)

Watch Style

I like the square case from Caribbean Joe. It seems to be on trend and looks good. The brands trademark hut and text are centered just below 12 o'clock and the dial shimmers with the light like a sun ray design. The subdials are attractive, but non-functional. At a $20 price point, you simply don't get the functionality of a more expensive watch.

Caribbean Joe Square Watch (CJ7145GU)

Watch Construction

This Caribbean Joe watch has a stainless steel caseback and a base metal case. Base metals typically are metals or alloys of metals like copper, brass, zinc, aluminum, or tin. The watch uses a common SR626SW battery and it is kindly noted on the caseback. The movement is made in Singapore and the synthetic leather strap is made in China. While the movement keeps good time, it can be difficult to set with precision because when the crown is depressed, the minute hand may jump by a minute. You can find it a challenging game to try and synchronize the watch with time.gov.  Ultimately, this is one of the common drawbacks to cheap watches and helps us appreciate the precision timepieces in our collections.

Caribbean Joe Square Watch Caseback

Watch Dimensions

The square Caribbean Joe watches are reasonably sized for most wrists. The watch case is 39mm across and 40mm from top to bottom.  You can see the size clearly here with the brown dial(?) version.

Caribbean Joe Square Watch with Brown Strap (CJ7145SL)

The case is a slim 9mm thick which is perfect for wearing with business attire including long-sleeved shirts with cuffs. 

The watch strap length is fairly generous and, with my large wrists, I was able to buckle it on the last hole and tuck the remaining strap under both loops. 

Strap of Caribbean Joe Model CJ7145SL (Brown Strap/Silver Case)

Overall Impression

With working subdials and a more precise movement, this watch could be a contender.  But, it chose to be a bum and hang out on a Caribbean Island. For a cheap watch, it is a handsome looking cuss. I like it and it's fun to wear--just don't forget this is a beach bum brand.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Caribbean Joe Watch with Blue Dial

Today, I'm wearing my Caribbean Joe Watch with blue dial.  It has decorative, non-functional, sub-dials, a quartz movement from Singapore, a stainless steel caseback, and a Chinese synthetic leather strap.  It's powered by an SR626SW battery. If the light blue color, doesn't suit your tastes, there are many similar available Caribbean Joe watches.  Here's a post on a Caribbean Joe watch I wore last year.

A Caribbean Joe Watch with Blue Dial

This watch costs somewhere around $20 and either came from Burlington or Kohls brick and mortar location. It's a comfortable watch: lightweight and easy to read. The white inserts on the hands help with reading the watch in low-light conditions. It has a bit of a vintage feel.  Initially, I was a little put off by the non-functional subdials, but they remove quite a bit of fussiness and actually makes setting and wearing the watch a low hassle experience.  As always, I love the little hut and palm tree. To quote a couple of musical greats, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."

A Caribbean Joe Logo

Wristwatch Review: Caribbean Joe Watch with Coin-Edged Bezel and Two Faux Subdials

This wristwatch review covers another simple, but interesting, watch from Caribbean Joe.  It's an all black watch with two faux sub-dials, white hour marker numerals outlined with a shiny silver accent, and  a coin-edged bezel. While the watch has a reliable quartz movement, it is not a precision timepiece. If you rock the watch back and forth, sometimes you may notice that the minute hand can move just a little.  It's enough that the minute hand might be half a minute off.  That little bit of play certainly reminds you that this is an inexpensive $20 to $30 watch.   

Caribbean Joe Watch with Coin Edged Bezel

However, this Caribbean Joe watch has it's merits.  For example, it has a smooth, gently domed, crystal. It's lightweight and comfortable. The case is 42mm in diameter and doesn't stand too tall on the wrist.  It's weird to me that they went to the trouble to have a wonderfully domed crystal and then undermined it a bit with non-working sub-dials.

Caribbean Joe Synthetic Leather Strap

The synthetic leather band is quite generously sized and is comfortable to wear.  I like not being on the very last hole in a watch strap.

The Watch Strap is generously sized.

Overall, this Caribbean Joe watch offers a sophisticated, casual, look for very affordable price.  It's a great bang around watch for travel to a tropical island because it's inexpensive and easily replaced.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Caribbean Joe Fashion Watch with Subdials

This Caribbean Joe watch is an attractive addition to my collection.  It's just a quartz "fashion watch" and the sub-dials don't work.  But, it looks good.  I like the way the hour batons are outlined in gold and sud-dials are trimmed the same way.  It's a nice classic and cohesive look.  The only drawback to this watch is that the strap is a tad short.  It's wearable, but a little more watch strap length would be nice.

A Caribbean Joe watch atop a circa 1885 book of Tennyson poetry.

This watch came as part of a two-watch set which also included a digital watch.  I'm not much into digital watches lately, but it was a nice combo in a great presentation box for the sub-$20 price.

Wristwatch Review: Caribbean Joe Sport Watch with Subdials

Here's an interesting and inexpensive watch from Caribbean Joe.  You can typically find watches like this at Burlington and Boscov stores for less than $20 in 2024.  It comes with a synthetic leather strap and has a reasonable 38mm and approximately 8mm thickness. for everyday wear. It's a lightweight, comfortable, watch that works well.

A Caribbean Joe Watch with 3 non-functional subdials

WATCH FEATURES

This watch has the basic features that you expect for telling time:  big hand, little hand, and second hand.  But what this Caribbean Joe watch doesn't have raises an interesting question for watch buyers and enthusiasts.  The subdials in this watch are non-functional.  That's right.  They are only there for appearance sake.  I used to think that this would be a problem.  But, now, I'm not so sure.  

I don't think I need complications or subdials on a watch anymore.  The one thing about fake subdials is that they seem unnecessary and, perhaps, a little dishonest.  Alternatively, my Caribbean Joe Sunburst watch is a little more straight forward.

This Caribbean Joe watch has non-functional subdials

WATCH CONSTRUCTION

Of course, Caribbean Joe immediately makes up for the lack of functioning subdials with something far more important:  the battery requirement etched on the caseback.  I could hug them.  There's nothing worse than taking a caseback off to replace a battery and then having to start a mad quest to find some kind of obscure watch battery.  SR626SW batteries are very common and easy to find.

The Stainless Steel Caseback of the Caribbean Joe watch

This Caribbean Joe watch has a stainless steel caseback, a synthetic leather strap, a base metal case (in a gunmetal tone), and a Singapore-made watch movement.

OVERALL

I really like this watch.  It is simple, inexpensive, and good looking.  It also came in a nice box.  I like not having to fuss with trying to read the subdials or make sure they work.  I don't know that I'd wear this watch in a physically demanding environment or  into a status-oriented office.  It's not a prestige watch.  But, it works on a "this looks cool" level.  You also won't get mugged for it.  It's a great value at under $25 in 2024.  Plus, I like having a thatched hut and palm tree with me at all times.