If there is a watch brand that I take an inordinate amount of joy in, that brand has to be Caribbean Joe. These watches are like horological potato chips. I think it is because they capture classic looks at a bargain basement price. For this review, let's take a look at one with gold tones and a brown leather strap. Technically, it might be CJ7166TTG, but I suspect that the manufacturer takes a "parts is parts" approach to casebacks.
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| This Caribbean Joe Watch has a classic look |
Caribbean Joe Watch Style
Style is the essence of this watch. The features are simple. It's a 3 hand quartz watch with a silver-tone case. But, the style is rich and golden with golden tones to the alpha (also known as lance) hands, hour markers, and numerals, aspects of the dial, and the crown. The dial is a pail white with an underlying golden grid pattern and the trademark Caribbean Joe hut and palm tree logo are in black. This watch doesn't have any extraneous faux sub-dials that can sometimes detract the look. The overall effect is a relaxed, casual, dress watch that evokes the sun, the Caribbean, and the relaxation that comes with extraordinary wealth. This Caribbean Joe watch looks like a wealthier watch than it actually is. That's where we all join the brand and participate in an inside joke. The brand knows and we know that this is just a $22 quartz watch. But passersby? They don't know.
Caribbean Joe Watch Dimensions
This Caribbean Joe watch is perfectly proportioned. The case of this watch is 40mm in diameter and 10mm thick. I measure about 47mm lug-to-lug and the strap is 20mm wide. The strap is around 187mm long. With the watch, you have about 22.5 cm of length to work with. The watch accommodates wrists of up to 7.95 inches (20 cm) if you deduct an inch (25mm) of strap end. If find that the watch accommodates my wrist easily with plenty of strap to spare.
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| This Caribbean Joe watch doesn't stand too tall on the wrist |
The good fit and perfect size add to my appetite for these watches.
Caribbean Joe Watch Construction
Like most Caribbean Joe watches, there are little things that betray this watch's inexpensive origin. While the caseback is stainless steel, the case itself is made of a much less expensive material--probably a base metal. On the plus side, it's a light comfortable to wear watch weight. A big minus, is that the body of the watch can look cheap from time to time.
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| The Caribbean Joe Watch caseback does tell you what kind of battery you need! |
Moving on to the movement: it's from Singapore. It's powered by a common SR626SW battery. The synthetic leather strap is from China. It can be a challenge to set the watch precisely as the minute hand wants to jump a little when you push the crown in. While I haven't had any serious issues with my Caribbean Joe watches, they are definitely cheap watches that look good.
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| A Caribbean Joe watch under the lights |
Caribbean Joe Watch Overall Impression
Overall, I like this watch. Like most Caribbean Joe watches, it looks good. It's always easy to throw one of these into shopping cart and they don't break the budget. They are a fun, low-impact, guilty pleasure. These watches also make great beater watches. You can wear them almost anywhere. You don't have to worry about them getting lost, stolen, or bashed into doorframes. If you see one that you like the looks of, get it. You'll find yourself wearing quite often.
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| This Caribbean Joe watch looks great out on the town |
Where to find Caribbean Joe Watches
I'm pretty sure I found this one at a Burlington store where it was marked somewhere around $20. I think it was $22. You can find Caribbean Joe watches at Boscov's, Kohl's, Sierra, and sometimes at Walmart.com. As a fashion brand, Caribbean Joe styles and designs come and go. I haven't seen this particular one online anywhere.
