TGIF: Are George Watches Any Good?

I have lots of cheap watches. They are like potato chips. If you happen to be shopping at Walmart or another discount store, it's very easy to throw one into the cart. 

A George Watch from Walmart

If you happen to be shopping at Walmart, chances are good that you'll throw a George watch into your cart. Of course, before you do, you may want to ask yourself one question: 

Are George Watches Any Good?

As the owner of many George watches, I can definitely tell you that George watches are actually very good.  In fact, they are better than you would think a watch that costs less than $20 can possibly be. I like them.

Why Are George Watches Good?

There are many reasons that George watches are actually pretty good. Here are three of the top reasons that I like them:

1. Style. George watch designs are on-point. The features and looks of the most popular iconic watches are well known now. Lots of these features make their way into George watch designs. You can find decorative subdials, tachymeter markings, and diver-style markings on many George watches.

2. Build Quality. George watches are made by pretty solid suppliers like EGC (E. Gluck Corporation - the parent of Armitron) and FMD ( a division of Fossil). These companies make millions of watches at many price points. The Walmart buyers have also obviously insisted on some quality standards in order to minimize product returns. 

Now, you can see where George has cut corners in design and materials. For example, this retro watch with baton markers looks phenomenal, but the crystal is made of some kind of plastic and the bracelet is integrated so it might be hard to replace.

A George watch with integrated bracelet and plastic crystal

While you won't escape all the things I identify in my post on the drawbacks of cheap watches, the quality is much higher than you would expect for $12.

3. Price. George watches are quite inexpensive. Most of them cost about $12 and even the most sophisticated usually cost less than $20. This makes them fun indulgences to pick up while you are at Walmart. For bang around watches, they are great. You don't really have to worry about damaging them. However, you won't gain any personal prestige if you wear one to the office.

 

Watch Workshop: Fitting a George Watch with a brand new Strap

This is another neat looking cheap watch from Walmart. It's a George brand watch.  It has a black dial, black case, a black fluted bezel, a dark crystal, and red/orange hands and markers.  It does have sub-dials, but they are just for decoration.  The watch came with a black metal bracelet, but it didn't fit me well (too big) and it was a little too shiny for my taste.

A George Watch from Walmart

I opted for an inexpensive strap from a company called Niziruoup. They say it is a nylon elastic parachute-style watch band that is French paratrooper style. That's a lot to put on a $9.99 watch strap.  But, you can see it here on Amazon. I opted for the 22mm width and it fit this inexpensive watch perfectly.  The watch was about $12 or $13 at Walmart so the combo was less than $25.

A George Watch from Walmart at a Niziruoup Nylon Elastic Paratrooper Style Strap

Since the strap has elastic, it's a bit more flexible than the typical ballistic nylon straps I usually use.  It was comfortable for all day wear.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: George Watch with Black Bezel

Merry Christmas from thewatchdude.com.  I hope that you and yours have the greatest of holidays and the best New Year.  I really appreciate the time you've spent with me visiting this blog. I hope that you have the time to enjoy with your family and friends and watches to wear to the most festive of occasions.

A George watch from Walmart with a cool bezel

For the watch wearing Wednesday portion of this post, I like to share a humble watch that I call my George Blanc Pain.  It's not really a Blanc Pain, but the sleek and smooth bezel on this Walmart George-brand watch reminds me of one. It's just a watch that costs less than $15.  But, it looks nice and tells the time quite well.  A watch like this is a reminder that the important thing is to know what time it is, value the time, and spend it well.

A George watch

Watch Wearing Wednesday: George Watch with Tachymeter Markings

Today, I'm wearing a George Watch with Tachymeter markings and a vegan leather strap.  I sure am  sorry about all the vegans, but they do make for a nice, comfortable, watch band.  All jokes aside, it's was an outstanding good value for only $10.98.

George Watch from Walmart with Tachymeter Markings.

This watch was supplied by the E. Gluck Corporation - one of the largest private label quartz watch manufacturers in the world.  They also own the Armitron and Torgoen watch brands.  It's a great bang around watch for everyday wear.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: George Retro 70s Watch

Today's watch is from George.  Yes, the Walmart brand George.  It's just an inexpensive watch that only cost $10.98, but I think it captures the 1970s vintage look of the watch everyone's dad owned back in the day.

A George Watch from Walmart

I did a little sleuthing on the internet about this watch and uncovered a few interesting details. First, I thought George brand was originated by George Foreman.  I was wrong.  George brand originates from British fashion designer George Davies.  He had a deal with the British retailer Asda and sold the brand to Walmart when Walmart bought Asda in the UK.

Using the factory service instructions from the box and discovered that the watch was made by E. Gluck Corporation (EGC).  E. Gluck is no stranger to making watches. The company owns Armitron and Torgoen. More importantly, EGC makes many, many, private label watches for retailers around the world. The company definitely knows about making watches.

A George Watch from Walmart with Green Dial

There's no doubt that $10.98 is an incredibly low price.  Some corners definitely have to be cut to bring this watch to consumers at this price point.  Compared to more expensive watches, the bracelet feels lightweight and hollow and the crystal seems to be made of some kind of plastic.  Still, I think this is a really good looking watch, a great way to fight inflation, and it is fun to wear.  It's another example of retro style in low cost timepieces.