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Hubby is a “Watch Guy”. We all know them, some of us love them. They like and collect watches. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. And I’ll be honest, while I’ve picked up some of the nomenclature and in’s and out’s of watches, I’ll never be a “Watch Gal”. So I’ll abdicate the bulk of this review to him, because he’ll be able to touch on things that I might miss. So, since we’re a team, here we go…

A watch is an important tool. Anyone with an affinity for them has heard the two stand-by gags of “I have a phone that tells time” and the ever hilarious “A $8 Timex would be the same”, especially if you can appreciate and own a fine Swiss timepiece. But today we’re going abruptly change gears and talk about neither an low-end digital quartz watch or an expensive automatic 23-jewel Swiss investment. This unit falls somewhere in the grey area between those worlds, neither fully digital, and certainly not fully mechanical, despite sporting a Swiss-made gearbox for the analog hands. The LG Watch W7, a Smartwatch powered by Google’s Wear OS, seeks to bridge the gap between a techie with bleeding edge gear and those of us with one foot firmly in a simpler time who still need to wind our watches. The LG W7 can help keep you on-task (with proactive help from the Google Assistant), and keep you a touch healthier with smarter health coaching from Google Fit. And look good doing it.

With that established, I’ve resisted the Smartwatch craze because I have a plethora of watches of all makes and models and, to turn the gag back on the techies, I had a phone and didn’t need another on my wrist. I can now safely say, I definitely see the appeal of something like the LG W7 because it’s pretty handy to not have to dig your phone out with every buzz and beep. And, to put a finer point on it, today’s phones with 6″ screens (and larger!) can not be checked too discretely anymore, whereas a watch can be as under the radar as it gets. I deliberately stayed away from the instruction manual to see if the watch controls were intuitive, and the are. I had the majority of features figured out in a matter of minutes. It’s on the larger side for a watch, but not quite like, say, a massive Invicta or the larger 50mm Casio G-Shock watches. It’s certainly not heavy, but it’s not light either, it feels significant on the wrist and you’ll not forget it’s there. With the right watch face (because they’re infinitely swappable!!) it can look sporty, dressy, or can mimic a classic chronograph with ease. The 1.2″ edge-to-edge screen sports 360X360 resolution (is easy to read at any angle, and the traditional analog hands are a bright silver that can tell the time at a glance without the need for the screens bright backlight. The pull-out crown serves as the main control button, but the capacitive touchscreen makes analog buttons almost an afterthought beyond initial setup and programming. Battery life for the 240 mAh lithium-polymer battery could be better, but unless you’re quite the social butterfly, with the right settings it’ll easily last you all day before needing a charge. A few hours tops it off and you’re set to seize the next day again. In fact, you could select the “Watch Only” mode and LG claims you can get 100 days wear out of this watch. Nice. The 44.5 mm (?) case is right in the sweet spot for a men’s watch, neither too small or too large before needing a recharge. Nice. The fixed matte-black bezel means the gloss silver indices are easily read as well. The 22mm rubber strap is soft and pliable, and a joy to wear. In fact, it has a feature that I would appreciate on some of my nicer Seikos, a simple nub for the push bar that negates the need for a lug tool to change your strap. Anyone who’d ever had to fumble with one of those tools knows it can be a real pain sometimes. The brushed stainless steel case means this watch looks as nice as any I own. It’s fully compatible with both Android and Apple OS’s, so no matter your preferred smartphone, LG has you covered. It has all the features of a full-fledged digital ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass), plus a stopwatch and timer like the finest chronometer. I have yet to master the touch-free gesture controls, but I do appreciate their necessity for some folks and like that the option is there. Full product specs can be found here and here.

It’s not all wine and roses. I have hit wrong keys on the unit a couple of times, hitting the wrong key. I have given up ever using it for all but the briefest of 1- or 2-word replies for a text. The keyboard is just too small for me to use. Being that it’s a touchscreen, I have to go against everything I’ve ever held true about my watches, as touching the crystal all the time is antithesis to what I’ve known. I’m fully aware that some people have made quite a bit of fuss over the analog hands blocking important notifications. While I can appreciate that some would want a clear, uncluttered face, I myself found no issues reading the notifications behind the hands. I would very much like to have had GPS and heartrate monitor functionality, and I’m unsure if it can be added later via an OTA firmware update, but I’m happy with the features included thus far and unless those are “deal-breaker” features for you you’ll not miss them, in my opinion. I wish the water resistance was a little better, because I do tend to treat my watches like tools and water…water sometimes happens. It’ll be fine with a light splash or a little dust, but don’t dunk it in the pool or wear it in the desert or heavy rain. NFC and fitness tracking would be nice as well, but since I don’t use either I’m not feeling the pain of their absence, but I could certainly understand folks being a little peeved at these fairly common features being excluded.

In the end, I have very little about this watch I don’t like, despite my initial resistance to this hybrid device. I like that it doesn’t scream “TECH!!” on my wrist, and could easily pass for a normal fine timepiece at a glance, but still sports most the high-tech features people have come to expect from a smartwatch. I like that it can be easily customized to fit any occasion or style of dress with a few touches or swipes. It feels substantial without being obnoxious. I would recommend it for a watch person who’s looking to dip their toes in this particular pool, and stay ahead of the curve. It’s got enough bells and whistles to satisfy just about anyone. Grab one right here: http://bby.me/8yqyj , if you’re so inclined.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product.

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Burei Men’s “Big Face” Quartz Watch with Black Leather Dial

 

We’re no stranger to Burei watches in this house, and this one here is another winner, but more sleek and uncomplicated than the watches Hubby is used to. Suitable for dressing up or down, I think this Burei watch is fantastic.

Made from 316L stainless steel and sporting a brushed black electroplate, this almost 43mm watch also has a scratch-resistant mineral crystal and a genuine calfskin 18mm band. The leather is soft and pliable and made from a single piece of leather. The push in knurled crown allows you to easily adjust the time and date, and the indices are coated with a bright, powerful lume, with traditional hourmarkers as well as minute markers and a ticking second hand. There’s a bright copper threading on the band that is much more copper-colored than the image on Amazon would lead you to believe. And while the watch is water resistant to 50 meters, the calfskin band won’t fare too well being submerged, but the occasional splash is just fine. The precision Japanese quartz keeps excellent time with no noticeable loss after a couple of weeks of regular wear.

The quality you get from Burei is second to none for the price, and is backed bu Burei’s stellar warranty of 30 days money back guarantee for any reason, 12 months replacement or full refund for quality issues and 24 months maintenance for any quality issues. I don’t know of a single watchmaker in this price range that even comes close to a warranty like this. Burei even includes a ready-made gift package with bag, box, and pillow presentation with warranty card.

There are many choices out there for value-priced watches, but none that, for my money, match the quality of Burei.

Connect with Burei:

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• On Amazon
• Buy your own right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Burei. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

BUREI® Watch Company’s BM-7006-51E Date Chronograph Men’s Watch

There are a few things that I’ve come to expect from budget watch brands. Hollow steel links in the bands. Cheap glass for the crystal. Flimsy hardware. Poor construction and function. But when a watch comes into my home with a high-polished solid stainless steel with a push-button hidden deployant clasp, precision Japanese quartz movement, full functioning chronograph, full water resistance and a sapphire crystal for $68.99?!? Are you kidding me? Burei has got to be insane to be selling that much for that little!

Any yet, they are indeed offering their quality watches at that price, and after speaking to them a few times I’m reasonably certain they’re not nuts, but just nuts for quality and value. I thought the Burei BM-7006-51E Chronograph looked nice on the page when I ordered, but I wasn’t prepared for how amazing it looked and fit in person. It’s a little bit dressy, and also a little bit sporty, so it can fit almost any occasion and style. And while the bracelet is sold 316L stainless steel polished to a flawless mirror finish, it’s not heavy or bulky, but instead sleek and understated, but also refined at the same time. The pushers for the chronograph function are smooth and actuate easily, the interior of the bezel has indices for precise countdowns, the face is an easy to read joy with minute markers and standard numeric markers at the hours, with a small date window between 4 and 5 o’clock. The case is 42mm, which is in the butter zone for Hubby (42-44mm) for size, and the 20mm band looks perfect on the wrist, not too skinny but not so large as to be obnoxious. The push-in crown is simple to use, and the scratch resistant sapphire crystal is such a nice touch and usually reserved for much more expensive timepieces, and rarely used on anything under $100. It’s water resistant to 30M as well, with a screw-down case back that makes replacing the battery a breeze. There’s the usual Burei attention to detail with the swirls on the clasp, the knurling on the crown, and sizing arrows on the inside of the band. There’s also the usual Burei bells and whistles, with the gift box and bag, the warranty card outlining the stellar Burei 30-day, 1-Year and 2-Year warranty times, as well as a easy to read instruction manual should you have any issues. And as if there wasn’t enough value added here, Burei gives you a watch sizing tool to make customizing your Burei watch a breeze, at no additional cost. The customer service is quick to respond to any and all issues (usually a 24 hour turnaround time), and they ship free next or same day with Amazon prime.

There’s a lot of cheap, poorly made watches out there, and if you’re like Hubby and I, we tended to sort on price and say that anything under “X” amount is not going to be made well or made to last. And Burei went and turned our world on it’s head by stuffing so much quality into so sharp a package and all the while charging a pittance. At this price these quality timepieces are suitable for holiday gifts, birthday gifts, graduation gifts, or “Just Because” gifts, and they’ll think you spent hundreds of dollars. I’m so thankful for the chance to try Burei watches and I’m glad to spread the word, because their name, to me, is now synonymous with Quality. You can’t go wrong with Burei. And Hubby can’t wait for his next one!

Connect with Burei:

• Online
• On Facebook
• On Amazon
• Buy your own right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Burei. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

As an aside, Burei has been amazing to me, and I think the rep I’ve been working with wanted to go above and beyond, and since I was reviewing men’s watches for Hubby, thought I should get a little gift as well, and included an adorable little hair clip for me. That’s the kind of awesome Burei is. I’m happy o support them and recommend them to everyone I can.

 

 

Aposon’s Skmei Men’s “S-Shock” Outdoor Digital Quartz Watches

 

As much as Hubby loves his watches, he also needs a few “beaters” that he isn’t worried about getting, well, beaten. The tough part about that is finding a nice cross section between affordability and quality so that it doesn’t fail the first time it’s used. Aposon’s digital watches seem to fill that niche nicely.

The fist thing you notice is they have completely ripped off Casio’s venerable “G-Shock” look. I mean, if you’d told me they bought one from Casio and completely copied almost every design feature, I’d believe you. There are some tell-tale changes, in that some components are of much lower quality than the Casio they copied, but all in all you get a cheap digital watch that kind of looks nice and tells the time. Hubby wore it for yardwork two weeks straight, and while he didn’t beat it against a wall, the watch still took a beating and can still tell him the time. The watch also has a stopwatch and alarm function, as well as an LED backlight for nighttime and darkness. What’s also neat/odd is that you can select one of 5 different colors for that backlight, or a sixth, really weird option for a rainbow effect of it cycling through all the colors, or as hubby started calling it “Disco-o’clock”. The main face of the watch tells you the day, date, and time, along with some superfluous dials that serve no purpose whatsoever. The brand name “Skmei” is at the top of the face, just below the puzzling “Japan battery”. It also claims to be water resistant to 5 ATM, but warns you not to push any buttons while wet or underwater. The strap is a very malleable plastic, not a softer silicone or rubber, and the stainless steel caseback is smooth against the wrist. Short of disassembling the plastic case, I don’t know how or if one could change the battery when it dies, but I suspect at the $11.69 price point, one might be better off just tossing it and buying a new one. The face from edge to edge looks to be in the 48-50mm range and the strap is also wide, probably 23-24mm. I’m guestimating here because Aposon didn’t provide these measurements.

For the gym, shop, or heavy work environment where a nicer watch is sure to be destroyed, these Aposon watches are just the right intersection of affordable, reliable and disposable. It keeps fairly accurate time, but oddly I’ve had to adjust the day (not date) once each on separate occasions, and I would put any stock whatsoever in these watches shock resistance, despite what’s on the face. But for under $12 shipped, it’s great for a beater, or for kids, as long as you’re aware of it’s limitations.

Connect with Aposon:

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• Buy yours right here and here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Aposon. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Burei Watch Company’s Men’s Chronograph Model BM-7011-C01EH

There’s a term some like to throw around, “Affordable Luxuries”. Usually it’s applied to disposable items with little use or value. So I was hesitant to apply that term to a watch, something my husband takes very seriously. But with a small semantic change, you can also drastically change a term’s meaning. Burei is Affordable Luxury, in every sense of both words.

 

There are cheap watches on the market, a ridiculous amount, made cheaply with poor materials and no craftsmanship, and won’t last kissing time. There are quite a few expensive watches as well, with bejeweled automatic movements, Swiss craftsmanship and jaw-dropping price tags. Somewhere in  he middle are watches for everyday wear with quality builds and prices that won’t change your tax bracket. Some of their names are synonymous with value and quality. Seiko. Casio. Timex. Citizen. There’s a new player on the block, and Burei is going to be making a splash in the market very soon!

Burei is a new watchmaker but you’d never know it from the fit and finish of their products. Priced to meet any budget, this Burei Chronograph has the heft and feel of a watch that cost 10 times as much. The croc embossed caflskin strap (at a healthy 20mm!) with contrast stitching makes a bold statement immediately. But the bright accents on the face are just as striking, and fully functional. The 42mm case and decorative bezel are a wonderful mix of polished and brushed stainless steel. The chronograph pushers are knurled, have a cobalt blue finish on the tips, and are easy to use. The mineral crystal should is bright and clear and should be scratch resistant to all but the most deliberate abuse. The pushers for the chronograph functions are smooth, and the functions are a breeze to control. The screw-down case back is water resistant to 50m, and the Japanese quartz movement is precise and made to last. You get a day and date window at the 3 o’clock marker, and a ticking second hand on the bottom chronograph window. It rests easy on the wrist and doesn’t feel heavy, and isn’t a huge, obnoxious “wrist clock”, but a has an understated elegance that means the watch will be good for work, built well enough for leisure activities, and sharp enough for wearing with a suit.  All of this, and they provide a warranty card, detailed and clear instructions, a presentation box with pillow, and a gift bag, and at just $49.99 shipped from Amazon, this is a STEAL. I mean, I’ve paid so much more for some of Hubby’s watches and gotten sooo much less, I wish I’d known about Burei sooner! These watches make a great gift, an amazing Groomsman gift, or just a Every Day Watch for the man in your life.

But Burei didn’t stop there. They stand behind their timepieces. If you’re unsatisfied for any reason in the first 30 days, you get a full and complete refund, no questions asked. Any quality issues in the first 12 months? No problem, Burei will refund 100% of the purchase price. Any problems in the first 24 months? Send it back to Burei and they’ll get it back to spec for free. And when bought through Amazon, you get a 2-year Asurion warranty instead. That’s peace of mind you don’t get with most brands, but Burei believes in their product, and I believe in Burei. They have an entire line of quality timepieces that fit any and all styles, from a basic dress watch to a gorgeous automatic line, and prices so attractive, there’s no reason to not pick up a few.

Connect with Burei:

• Online
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• On Amazon
• Buy your own right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Burei. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Topaz UNISEX 5060ABK Rose Gold and Black Face Watch

 

We’ve established that Hubby is a bit of a watch nut. He has one for almost every occasion, save for a nice “dress” watch. So when I got the opportunity to try out a watch from Topaz that would fill that one empty niche in his watch collection, I was thrilled. But, as the song we all know goes, “The thrill is gone”.

When we first got the watch, Amazon had done their usual atrocious packaging job and simply thrown it in the box with a couple of other, larger things. Consequently, when I gave it to hubby, there was a small rattle in the case and the minute hand would “wobble” and move with the normal movement of the arm of the person wearing it. That’s no bueno. So we contacted Topaz about this and they immediately shipped us a replacement. Sadly, though now shipped alone and packaged better, the minute hand on the watch wobbled, even more than last time and would in fact move forward or back by several minutes. All righty then. There’s other issues as well. The Amazon listing says: “WATER RESISTANT to 99 feet.(30M). Withstands rain and splashes of water but not for showering or swimming” How the heck something is supposed to be “water resistant to 30m” but can’t be submerged is beyond my ability to comprehend.

The crown doesn’t screw in, so I would assume that any water in or around it will bork the entire watch. The case is all stainless steel, with a rose-gold electroplating and looks stunning, with the black face and sub-dial at 6 o’clock for the second hand, but the caseback is the pressure type instead of screw down, so replacing the battery would have to be done out of house. The leather band is plush and looks nice as well, but the spring bars that hold it on are so thin that they will bend with the slightest of pressure. Luckily this is a dress watch and shouldn’t be seeing much in the way of any action. The Amazon listing also have the case size at a petite 38mm, but my measurement is closer to 43-44mm. That’s a pretty significant size difference, and one that, to my sensibilities at least, precludes labeling it “unisex”. And while it sports “ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: State-of-the-art quartz technology movement” (Again, direct from their listing), the minute hand moving around with just the motion of one’s arm would negate any precise timekeeping, “advanced” quartz technology be damned.

In the end this watch looks pretty in my husband’s watch case, but that’s about all it’s really good for. It’s poorly made and manufactured. One problem watch I can explain away, but two with the exact same issue? That’s a quality control problem, and one that directly affects the usability of the product. You can spend the same money (or less!) and get a decent quartz watch from Seiko, Citizen or Timex that won’t have these kinds of issues. I can’t recommend this watch, I’m sorry.

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• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Topaz/Noulakha.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.