Why You Should Avoid Fashion Watches

Fashion watches get a lot of hate from watch collectors. Often this can be dismissed as ignorance, but when I go through the reasons to avoid them, I think you will understand why they are so disliked.

You must remember though, It doesn’t matter what other people think. If you like the watch and you can afford it, you should get it.

What Is A Fashion Watch?

The term “fashion watch” is bit of a negative term used by watch collectors to describe watches that are sold by big fashion brands. 

These companies obviously know about clothes and fashion in general, so they also want to make watches and a lot of watch collectors feel these are only made for the wearer to only look trendy and in general, trends don’t last long.

The phrase is also used for any watch that is of low quality, but is trying to market itself as something higher end.

What Are The Problem With Fashion Watches?

To the outsider, A fashion watch may seem like any other watch, but I will go through some of the most common negative questions that people ask when talking about fashion watches.

Are Fashion Watches Low Quality And Cheaply Made?

fashion watches are notorious for being cheaply made. The movements are usually simple quartz movements. While there is often nothing wrong these types of watches they can however have corners cut and therefore are often quite low quality. 

This can really put their longevity into question as they are probably going to break or stop working fairly easily.

Are Only Paying For The Brand With Fashion Watches?

Companies need to make money, which we all accept but there is a feeling that the fashion brands are really pushing this to the limit. The cheap and low quality watches would not sell for much on their own, but as soon as the established brand logo is added the price sky rockets.

While fashion watches are not that expensive compared to some watch brands, they are still very expensive for what they are.

Some people have managed to find the exact watches from Chinese wholesalers, before the logo has been applied and it’s safe to say they are very cheap. You really are only paying for the brand name with a lot of these watches.

Isn’t This The Same With Luxury Watches?

While luxury watches are very expensive and I am confident a portion of this price is for the name, it’s not the same.  When you pay for a Rolex, you get a standard that many watches cannot compete with. Even with the top end homage watches, though they are considerably cheaper, and can be a very high quality, they still do not compete with the more expensive watches they are trying to emulate.

You are also not just paying for the brand with these luxury watches. You are paying for the craftsmanship, innovation, higher quality components as well as the research and development of their designs. These are not cheap products simply inflated though a brand name; they are genuinely higher end products. 

Are Fashion Watches All Marketing?

These watches are all about the marketing. The logo brings them a lot, but the marketing really sells them. They are often described as luxurious while still affordable. The language used to sell these watches gives them the illusion that they are much more than what they are.

The reality is that these companies from western countries are not really telling everyone that their high end watch is in fact a very cheap watch from China.

Do Fashion Watches Have No Resell Value?

The resell market for these watches is almost non-existent.  This is probably due to the fact that a lot of these watches are quartz movements and these never re sell well. It will also be partly as they are no longer trendy and people into these watches will want the latest version, not an older second hand one. 

Can Buy Better Watches For The Same Price As A Fashion Watch?

The issue that most watch collectors have with them is that for the same money, probably even less, you can buy a far superior watch.

The build quality and potential lifespan alone that other companies can offer is going to blow a fashion watch out of the water.

You can probably also get a unique design and even a mechanical movement at the same price point as a fashion watch.

(You can read more about – Affordable Watches That Are Not Homages)

Should You Buy A Fashion Watch?

Like all watch purchases, it really only comes down to you. If you like the watch and feel it is worth the cost then you should buy it.

So long as you are aware of the points above you can make an informed decision and see if what you want to buy is something you can actually find value in. 

Personally I would rather put my money into a watch company that is going to give me a watch that is actually worth what I am paying for it, not a lower quality item dressed up to look better than it is.

(You can read more about – When Should You Buy A New Watch?)