Skmei 2050

If you have been following along with my “Cheap Heat” segments, you may have noticed the majority of the watches that have been reviewed thus far have digital. When I came up with the idea for this review segment, there were two main guiding principles. First, I wanted to find the coolest and cheapest watches that weren’t getting any attention. Second, I was willing to take a gamble on something weird or unusual - but it still had to be something I would consider wearable or giftable. I knew rolling the dice on these watches I was going to end up with a few duds - you win some, you lose some - but I wanted to hedge my bets. 

Scrolling through AliExpress, there are plenty of options for analog watches, many below $5 - but for one reason or another they weren’t suitable candidates. A large problem with many of them was that the hands were too short by about 1/3rd - I’m a stickler about that. Lots of watches looked like generic field watches (with short hands) that would be issued to North Korean infantry and I would have absolutely nothing interesting to say about them. When I finally stumbled across the Skmei 2050, I was excited - finally a watch that looked like it had been designed with at least a little bit of intention.

The Skmei 2050 cost me $11.07 and is available in 8 color combinations with some being very loud and some being subdued. I opted for a safe middle ground and went with the grey dial model with the yellow ring on the case. The watches all have a silicone strap that matches the dial color and a second hand that matches the accent ring. It is powered by a quartz movement - the product description does not elaborate further. I had assumed as much with the ticking yellow second hand and 8.8mm thickness but confirmation never hurts. It is 46.4mm lug to lug and 40.5mm in diameter. It is topped with a mineral glass crystal, has a zinc alloy case, and a stainless steel caseback. 

I have to say, I like the design of this watch. As far as I am aware, it is an original creation by Skmei. It is heavily reminiscent of 80’s Braun design or perhaps something you would find close to the checkout aisle at IKEA. The design is very minimalist, with thin yellow lines serving as indices against the grey dial at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 position. Of note, the yellow second hand hits two out of the four indices accurately. There is also an indentation that runs around the outside of the dial with cutouts where the other hour markers would be. The hands are simple - hollow black rectangles and the bright yellow second hand contrasting well against the concrete grey dial. Also of note, the minute hand likes to wiggle a bit when the crown is pushed in, making setting the time a bit more of an effort than it should be. 

The watch wears comfortably on the wrist - it is slim and light and the supplied silicone strap is soft. The finishing appears fine out of the box but I imagine it would start to lose some of its sterile Bauhaus appeal once the case starts picking up a few dings and chips. I would consider this watch a fashion watch, and whether or not the $11.07 I paid is worth it probably hinges on how much you like the design. If you’ve ever argued about fonts or gotten mad about kerning, this may be a watch for you. This looks a bit like a watch you might find for sale at the MOMA gift shop, and I mean that as a compliment. Not a bad watch, not a solid recommendation either. On to the next one.