Review of a Cheap Watch

I've read a lot of reviews of quite expensive or rare watches. But sometimes a cheapie comes along that represents an awesome value for money. One of my many watches was bought on eBay when it's auction was just about to close at $2.99 and no bids. $2.99??!!! I just couldn't resist snapping it up! SWMBO took a liking to it, and I've just installed it's second battery. Seems like it was part of a promotion for Time Magazine. Here it is:


Nice 32mm diameter steel case with a large-ish 25mm black dial. The dial sports 24-hr numerals and luminous 1-12 hour numerals. The obligatory "Mercedes" hands, a la Explorer, are also luminous. As you can see below, the "Time" logo is in the same font as the well-known magazine cover:


Moving on, it came with nice strap and the back proudly declared it to have a "JAPAN MOVT":


I think it's a PC21, the three-hands version of the incredibly prolific PC20. Otto Frei is currently selling PC21's for $4.95, should I ever need one. These little movements, far removed from the revered ETA/ESA offerings, are remarkably reliable and accurate for what they are - the electronic version of the Timex model 24.

The padded leather strap is unashamedly of oriental original, with "CHINA" stamped all over it. It tapers from 17mm at the lugs down to 14mm at the buckle:



The buckle design, with the flattened part where the tang rests, is highly resistant to opening up - so the loss of the 14mm spring bar is most unlikely.


Nice chunky lugs maintain a sporty look. The flat mineral glass crystal is un-scratched (so far ;-) The crown doesn't look original to the watch though, it sticks out too far and is the wrong color. I have a good few of those same "LP" generic crowns in my bits box.

This is one of my dear Wife's favorite watches for casual wear. The sizeable dial and markings are most suitable for her eyesight as opposed to those lady's tiny vintage watches so commonly found on eBay.

Best regards,

xpatUSA