Skmei 2543

“Theres an old saying in Tennessee - I know It’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once , shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can’t get fooled again.”

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  George W. Bush

In an earlier edition of “Cheap Heat” I reviewed the North Edge X1 - to save you a read, it was terrible and I returned it due to the illegible negative display and comically small labeling of the function buttons. Today I am reviewing the Skmei 2543, which as far as i can tell is almost the exact same watch. Perhaps if I had been a little bit more attentive while shopping I would have noticed they share the exact same case, screen layout, button configuration, and strap. But I didn't, so here we are.

I paid $10.03 for the North Edge X1, while the Skmei 2542 set me back a cool $7.21 after all of my stacked discounts. While I panned the North Edge for its horrible negative LCD display, the Skmei 2543 ends up being more functional and enjoyable to wear than its blacked out counterpart. In my review of the North Edge X1 I described the case shape and profile, but neglected to list the dimensions - lug to lug is 47mm, diameter is 43mm, and it has a height of 12.8mm. It wears like a less refined classic G-Shock DW5600. 

This time around, I opted for a white/orange/blue color watch, a decision I can attribute either to being under the influence of heavy medications while placing the order or some 90’s nostalgia plucking at my credit card. The legibility of the LCD display is very clear and easy to read, the numbers are nice and big and there is no blurriness. This alone makes the watch far more functional than its North Edge counterpart - you can actually tell the time!

The backlight is strong but an annoying quirk I have noticed about Skmei digital watches is that the light, which usually stays on for about 3 seconds, turns off as soon as the mode button is pressed; this makes operating the watch more cumbersome at night. Despite this quirk, an advantage I am noticing that Skmei has against other digital watches in their competing price bracket is that their modules have a countdown timer and 2nd time zone function, while many others only have the stopwatch and alarm.

The Skmei has a white case with slight sheen due to some silvery flake in the ABS plastic. Instead of the functions of the buttons being written on the dial like on the North Edge X1, they are printed on the outside, black against the white case and much easier to read. The indicator octagon on the inside of the dial is plagued by the same problem as the X1 - small dark font against a dark background. There are colorways that avoid this issue but I was not observant enough to notice at the time of purchase. The buttons are orange plastic, and the strap is the same design as the X1 but the material feels slightly softer and more pliable.

Overall - this watch is OK but not great. The sub $10 bracket is fiercely competitive - even within Skmei’s own lineup. Watches need to bring something unique - either in materials, design, or features to the table in order to stand out. The North Edge X1 didn’t bring anything to the table to make it worth a look, and I don’t think the incrementally improved Skmei 2543 does either.