Watchgecko Mesh Bracelet vs a Cheap Chinese Version
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2017
- This is a review of the Watchgecko.com "Thicker Mesh Watch Strap" priced for around $40 USD with a comparison to a $5 Chinese Strap purchased from ebay. Ever wonder how those cheap bracelets compare to more expensive ones? This video will help answer that question.
The Watch: Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro with Red Bezel
The Bracelet: www.watchgecko.com/thicker-mi... - Розваги
Five bucks says the Watchgecko bracelet is also made in China. :)
Lee K - Probably so. The ones that make it through quality control head to reputable retailers. The rest hit eBay!
They are both made in China. The $ 40.00 one is polished and untwisted.
Should have got the German one for $200
Spot on, just a bit different in quality. I have a SeaGull Wuyi limited edition which is stunning quality ( I own a GS so am familiar with what is good quality) and nothing like those brands that come up with some fancy European name and have their watch made in China but from cheaper sources. You pays your money... oh and to be honest, the faults I would happily live with with this $5 strap and save the $30 for a nice vintage Timex!
I bought from eBay a mesh bracelet but with double lock clasp, instead of the single one like that in the video, heavy and perfectly made for 13£, probably Chinese but way better than the Watchgecko for 1/3 of the price
Okay - let's summarize it this way: the Watchgecko Mesh Bracelet is nearly twice as good as the Chinese version. But the big question is, why is it more than eight times more expensive (costing $41 compared to only $5)? Why is it not about twice as expensive as well? That is the exploitation in the West that is driving many buyers to the Chinese market.
It’s easy to sell a $40 bracelet for $5 if your company does none of the R&D, none of the QC, none of the licensing, none of the insuring, etc. It kills me to see folks witness the results of corporate espionage, and not only jump to the conclusion that the more expensive example is a result of price gouging, but also use it to denigrate such magnificent monuments to civilization as “the West”. Please do everyone a favor and do not vote, or otherwise participate in government.
@Lee
Actually if you check Cousins, the main UK watch parts supplier, they DO sell mesh bracelets for $10. Ones they're happy letting people put on Omegas and Rolexes, knowing what the potential fallout is. (And they look like the same model Gecko is selling for 5x more..) And if you got a lemon you could change it. Ditto with the host of UK based suppliers selling the same straps on ebay...
@@davidwarren719
> It kills me to see folks witness the results of corporate espionage<
Corporate espionage... On mesh straps. How exactly does that work? They've been around since about 1910 with no real changes...
> It kills me to see folks witness the results of corporate espionage, and not only jump to the conclusion that the more expensive example is a result of price gouging,
It is: standard mark-up on the manufacture of luxury goods is around 500% the cost of manufacture. Try doing some research rather than making BS up.
I like comfort and looks of mesh bracelets. So thank you for pointing in a right direction, Dave!
I’ve literally just opened my Berny mesh bracelet from AliExpress. £11. Great quality, feels & looks just as good as, if not better than the Milanese band I bought from Apple for £99 4 years ago! Watch Gecko is a great company, but a few UA-cam videos out there help to direct people to good quality Chinese offerings 👍 Thanks for this comparison, it shows that we need to be wary!
I’ve just noticed this video was made 6 years ago. I think that things have really improved since then…….
Thank you for your great review! It’s so hard to comprehend, such similar looking products can be so different in qualities. I am currently looking for a shark mesh bracelet, thank you for steering me into the right direction!
Thanks for the detailed review ;)
I have just bought the Watch Gecko one and its quality, feel, fit and finish is not only superior to the cheaper versions but also to the OEM mesh my Seiko 5 came fitted with.
Because of this video, I learned what Christopher Ward is, and I have found the 1 watch I have been looking everywhere for; an affordable, Titanium, black face dive watch for $1000 or less. I came for the mesh band review, and am now saving my car money for the one watch I want now. I have to check out more videos now
Erik Lona - Christopher Ward is such great value for money. You'll be very pleased! Thanks for letting me know.
Yeah. Similar to the milanese bands you can get on ebay and amazon cheaply. They tend to be more bendy and cheaper and fray with far more ease.
Tho personally, I can't bring myself to pay 40-50 bucks for mesh watch strap. I did find a lovely one from Fossil on sale for 15!
I bought a $10 one on amazon and it's perfect.
which one?
I know the one your're talking about. The clasp does not stay latched on mine.
I have several from Amazon that are made by Berny, which are just fine in every way. The last one is black and went on a San Martin new model bronze diver, it looks terrific!
I would think the 5$ Chinese one got damaged in transport. But then again, you can surely get a 10$ one from China that has the same quality as the watchgecko
got a garmin fenix 6 pro and bought metal wristbands, one mesh and one normal metal one. both are excellent quality for the price of less than 15 bucks, where the originals would have been over 200 bucks. only the clamp that fixes it to the watch isnt as smooth as an original one, but i dont care as i dont change the wristbands all day.
Just got one from Ebay for $3.00 and it works and looks good, and feels solid.
How did it hold up
Thanks for the video 🙂👍🏻
I bought "cheap" $5 chinese mash bracelet and I did not had the problems you describe here.
Probably both bracelets you are describing here comes from the same factory, but QC is better for the wholesale customers. I belive that is worth double the price but NOT 8 TIMES.
Nice combo.
I just bought another one, the $10 one from Amazon and immediately regretted spending the $40 on the first one I bought.
same here
I just picked up a shark mesh for my red bezel Trident from eBay which has screwed links you can remove. I would recommend spending a bit more for one like that if you can. I think it was around $45-50 USD.
Can u provide the link to your purchase? Interested to get something like yours
My mesh band is very difficult to open, an I doing it wrong? Will I break it if I keep doing it this way?
I got the Tmex 18mm mesh bracelet for my Seagull 1963, do you think it's a good one?
I totally agree with you. My experience with Chinese is that they may have good raw material but the least effort and QC was exerted. I can see that in many rough edges on all buckles and stainless steel bracelets I got.
I bet you a cheap Chinese watch strap the watch gecko version was made in China also.
Not every eBay mesh bracelet that comes out of China is defective like the one you received. My experience was completely the opposite of yours although I shelled out a whole $2 more than you did. 😉
Yep, my cheap mesh is great. No problems, fits perfect, lines up. Only £5
@@cosmalas7742 a link pls. thanks a lot
I picked one at random. It's been great!
@@cosmalas7742 super. so the link to that random, please
@@LajosKormos.Sorry mate, just spotted your question. The ebay link that I used has expired. However I would go for the double lock clasp, feels very safe on the wrist
My $5 strap is fantastic and has never failed me yet - had it for over a year.
Matthew Rix - Glad to hear! It's a crap shoot to get one that's been through some kind of quality control process, but if you can get a good one, it's no different than the expensive ones. Take care!
link pls. thank you
a link please. thank you
@@DavesWatchLove > It's a crap shoot to get one that's been through some kind of quality control process
The same is true if you buy from Gecko. But you return the strap if there is a problem. Just buy that unbranded one from a UK based ebay seller - the price still be a fraction of the Gecko price and you can now return a dodgy strap. No rocket science...
Cannot open top of watch band to get to the interior of band to adjust the size of the band
Interesting comparison. Thanks for taking the time to share. 👍
However, I noticed that both bracelets had a single clasp. The $30 August Steiner style watch I bought some time ago has a mesh bracelet with a double clasp, something I was surprised by when I received it. I’ve had watches with both, and I certainly trust the double clasp far more. I’ve had the single clasps come undone accidentally, but never a double clasp. This is especially important on a dive watch or even a watch used for swimming. I don’t know if you plan to take your CW in the water, but I suggest you be very careful if you do, or better yet, get a decent NATO strap for that. Even just walking around, the single clasp would case me some concern.
Best of luck and enjoy that beautiful CW with whatever band you choose to wear with it!😁
How do you adjust for wrist size.
I just got one of these for my Vostok 420 from WatchGecko for £8 in the sale. It's decent for the price butni definitely wouldn't pay more than a tenner for it!
I ordered mine from China - was perfect!
Can I ask please does the watch gecko strap accept the seiko fat springbars?
Thankyou
No. These accept just the regular sized pringbars.
But again, for the money, I would stick with the Chinese unbranded one :). You still can find comparable quality at higher prices, say 15$.
Could you do another video comparing the Deutsche Staib Bracelet vs the cheap American one on your cheap watch?
Hi Dave, what's your wrist size and what is the size of your C. Ward watch in mm ?
Wrist size is 7.25 inches and the CW is the 43mm version. Thanks Michael!
You should compare a 15 dollar one to the 40 and 5 dollar ones
Most likely they are all made in Asia. The cheaper ones were not for US "consumption" or just plain rejects that got smuggled to US. LOL...I bought one from Amazon for $9.95 and it is as good as your shiny one. I think you over paid for yours.
could you link me to the one you bought? Thanks!
If you're putting it on a $300- $500 watch getting something $6- $15 isn't so bad, but I'd rather put a $50- $100 strap on something that costs me months worth of saving for, like an Omega or Tag, etc.
@@eriklona8806 Quality and price aren't the same thing. Eg Sinn charge 500eu for a sapphire crystal upgrade to their Pilot Chrono... But you can buy a top of the line sapphire crystal for 50eu. And the same watch strap can cost 4x more from a watch maker than if you buy it from the strap maker.
I just purchased a 20 buck mesh identical to the WatchGecko model with oblique links and the angular clasp they sell for about $50. I'm 100% sure it's the same exact bracelet, as many have pointed out that WatchGecko has Chinese factories pump out many of their cheaper offerings as OTS straps with customized logos on the clasp. You pay about 60% more for the logo alone, and with WG being outside the EU you end up spending about €100 for a €40 strap. Embarrassing to say the least.
mind sending me a link?
very useful, tks for sharing
8 times the price?
China does not mean bad quality. They are market leaders without the price tag
Perhaps you have been lucky. A large percentage of the chinese products that I have bought have turned out poorly.
Having bought from chinese factories. Even if you go to same factory, you can have lots of different quality points that you can purchase. Pay more $ you would end up with high quality product.
It is interesting that Watch Gecko don't claim to be a manufacturer !
Be surprising that both aren't made in China. The 5 bucks worth one definitely is. And the dearer one probably too. But the 40- dollar strap is made to higher specs and quality as specified by a US or Euro-based importer whose market is more discerning.
They have great genuine mesh straps on ebay! 😍 love mine i just received only £19
Love the Christopher Ward C60 Trident. Best watch under $1,000.
Most definitely. CW is fantastic.
this will fit 8.5 in wrist
I bought a cheap Chinese version also. It was made badly - the clasp would not slide. Kinks in the bracelet prevented the slide to adjust length. The Chinese market depends on volume - it has come to mean cheap, not only in the sense of "inexpensive" but in the sense of poor craftsmanship. I have rarely seen it otherwise. It will continue, of course, as long as people continue to patronize these products. There are choices.
Can't get on with this type of clasp.I've got a $30 Vostok .Great quality but fiddly AF to put on,
funny thing, these bracelets are most likely made at the same factory in China
Very likely. The one that passes some kind of quality control gets a WatchGecko stamp on the clasp. The others hit eBay for $5 each.
@@DavesWatchLove nice watch btw, now I think to buy the same after this video
The cheap one was probably made on a "ghost shift," where they order extra material and workers stay past quitting time to make a few extra bands to sell themselves.
@@amightysailingman at the end i buyed cheap one for around 6$
@@DavesWatchLove > Very likely. The one that passes some kind of quality control gets a WatchGecko stamp on the clasp. The others hit eBay for $5 each.
This is just silly. Firstly far more are sold by unbranded than by Gecko! Secondly, lots of people here have said, no, their straps were perfect.
No one is going to notice the difference except you you're wearing it.
$40 vs $4 is too big of a difference for that small dent in quality.
For $10 more, you get the same quality in the Chinese as the branded Chinese.
it does seem quite similar---
I would have bought a Staib Brcelet.
Hi Dale. I finally did just that. These two are now sitting at the bottom of a pile somewhere. My two Staibs (20 & 22mm) are amazing. I'm wearing one on a new Hamilton intramatic as we speak. Really, if you like a mesh bracelet, don't mess around with anything else (as I learned the hard way). Just make the investment. Take care!
I love watches
what's your point. they are both "chinese' version
also, since you are wearing the Chris Ward, you probably don't wanna know that lots of the parts of the watch are from China too
My point is the one I made in the video. Both are made in China. If you want one that was made right and checked out before being sent to you, pay the higher price. If you want to save money, roll the dice and get a cheap one. But you may end up with something bent, crooked, or barely functional.
frankly I can't see anything that would convince me to get the 40$ bracelet instead of the 5$ one
That's why I made the video, so people could decide for themselves. Personally, I wouldn't put the $5 bracelet on any watch I value. The bent bar on the clasp (always leaving me wonder if its gonna come off) and the crooked weave of the mesh cheapens the look and feel. Again, you're paying the extra to know you'll get a piece that's made correctly.
@@DavesWatchLove Yes I know there's a quality difference. The thing is .... if I am putting it on a 60$ watch , I cant really justify the price. If it does not look too shabby and I'm not risking loosing the watch ( even a cheap one ) I wont spend 40$ .. Having said that , if I have expensive watches then it would be a different story , and agree you can't put a cheap one on a nice watch.
I bought $2.00 chinese bands for my beater watches. They didn't the problems of yours.
Chinese one could have been damaged in the mail. Lots of time they will just refund money if it shows up broken.
This video could be like in 5 minutes...
and the autofocus men, o wait this is a video from ages ago.
always buy few chinese pieces :D they arent the same haha
I'd pay the extra if I knew that I was not buying Chinese!
$200.00 for a German one
Holy crap dude, and I thought I had OCD! It's not going on a Breitling, Tudor or Rolex, just wear it cause either looks good. Wanted some advice on a band not a headache.
I'm hardly OCD, but I don't think it's unreasonable to desire a mesh bracelet that doesn't have a bent security bar and a crooked weave. I'd rather pay a few more dollars to get it right for a watch in a much higher price range.
I always buy from Watch gecko. Always amazing quality straps
Watchgecko bracelet may be good, but it isn't $41 good!
I just bought a Rechere brand mesh bracelet off Amazon for $10 and it's exactly the quality of the Watchgecko bracelet.
For a five dollars bracelet what do you expect, I would NOT spend your precious time on reviewing this item. Having said that its value for money must be sky rocking high. My remark would be the pairing of bracelet and watch should go hand in hand in terms of value and style.
There are similar bracelets as above that cost less than US$40 and more than $5.00
Staib … and you will grow … and so it goes …
five bcan Chang whatever you want
Sorry cant watch without focus, hope it was interesting video!
I bought a cheap mesh bracelet from China. Waited 2 weeks for it to arrive, and it took less than 2 minutes for it to fall apart. Ruined my morning. Don't waste your time on cheap mesh bracelets.
So slow, sorry, needs to be faster and in focus
I am sure these both came from the same Chinese factory. They are identical. Just got unlucky with the Ali one.
The weight alone tells all.
$5 is better for the price :D
Cowboy Rider - Hard to argue against that!
The lack of tapering makes them both very unappealing to me.
Not everything made in china is cheap. Ok.
Lol watchgecko is made in China, as well as Strapcode.
Thats well known. My comparison is to the quality of the Chinese made product that arrives at your doorstep, depending on where you purchase it from. Looks like the screwed up ones get sold for $5 on ebay.
its like all the watchgecko bracelet that didnt make the QC did sell for 5bucks :D
CW deserves just a chinese strap coz its a 👎 watch
The Manufacturer in China is still laughing at this 😸
So out of focus
And this is how you try to justifie $41. You get 6 for the same price.
Watchgecko is a cheap bracelet.
I think chinese cheaper is too much better.
FFS get a decent camera
All cheap chinese stuff is shit - they can make a good quality, but it's more expenssive, and still a lottery with it. I rather spend more money for goods from reputable non chinese brands - and even if is actually made in china due to production costs - quality is assured by the brand that put their logos on the product. People saying "everything is made in china these days" are naive thinking they will get same quality from product for 5 dollars and for 40 dollars. What is tottaly wrong with china is hat they producing 3 types of quality in some of their factories - you can have product from same place with 3 different quality grades and 3 different prices - now i personally dont trust them with this... at all :-)
Well said. Thank you.
Buy camera with autofocus. I couldn't watch this blurry video. It is terrible
They both made in China lol, you should just refer it to as cheap vs expensive. Everything is made in China!!!!!! These days😂😂😂🤣🤣.
The bracelets are identical! Why have you not put it on the scales to show us? Secondly, the Watch Gecko was probably made in China too. Lastly, what do you expect for $40? You need to be spending $250 plus to get a decent Milanese bracelet. The Watch Gecko is no better than the cheapo one. You’re just promoting WG.
You talk too much.
5 bucks all day