You know what, thanks for doing this. I see these come up all the time and wondered how they compared. Would you care to expound any further on the differences? Quality we all know will not be Casio quality but would they all do in a pinch?

 

Here are my observations:

• Build quality is pretty clean for such a cheap item. They're generally free of rough edges, molding flash and residue. Painting and other applied decorations are done well without spillover or slop.
• They are functional as timekeeping devices. Reasonably accurate to better than a few seconds per week. They have functional alarm and stopwatch functions. There are mostly no built-in calendars so everything must be set manually, which is about the same complexity as for a genuine G-Shock.
• The straps are a mixed bag. Some are very soft, almost floppy, some are quite stiff. Buckles and keeper hardware can be plastic or metal.
• The watch heads are lighter than similar G-Shocks. Construction is pretty much all plastic aside from some decorative bezel inserts and the stamped metal case back.
• Where there are mostly functional screws and bolts on the Casio watches at the endlinks, adapters, and bracelet joints, there are only press-fit smooth bolt-like pins. You don't need to unscrew anything, just lift out with blade.
• Buttons tend to be floppy or stiff. Not very positive in their action.
• Alarms and beeps vary from quiet to loud.
• Backlight ranges from abysmal to quite bright, especially the green tint.
• The analog or analog movement part of ana-digis are very cheap and loose feeling. The straight digital models don't feel cheap.
• The crystals are all acrylic plastic and extremely prone to scratching. The watches come with a clear lens protector film. If you intended to keep and use them, I'd leave it on.
• Bluetooth functionality is reasonably okay. Every brand has their own watch app.
• Every brand, even within brand across different models, can have different button locations and functions, not to mention, manual setting schemes so it can get a bit frustrating if you have multiple models and brands.
• There are squares knockoffs too. I find them not to be as interesting as the big boys, but they are also serviceable as watches.

So overall, I'd say these things are respectable as cheapo utility watches in their own right. You can wear them quite satisfactorily as such. You could wear them as "back up" novelty G-Shock knockoffs, but they'd be disappointing in that role. They aren't nearly as tough, rugged, well-built, well-designed, or well thought out. For what they cost, under $20, it's amazing what you get.

Here are a few more shots of some that weren't in the first set.
You might recognize the one in the middle as being a design mimic of the GPR-B1000 big Rangeman. It certainly does not function like it in spite of the superficial resemblance.
Also, the underlug area of the middle watch in the third photo looks rough because I took a knife to it to knock down a harsh edge. Feels fine on wrist now.

 

smael? haha...the list goes on and on...
skmei, s-shock, submarine...
they must have some fascination with words that start with S...

but quite surprised u mention they have Bluetooth functionality...hmmm...

 

Yep. The one on the left, Lokmat, is BT capable and will even sync with AppleHealth as a step counter. It doesn't have pulse ox, BP, etc. though. There are other smartwatches (in various form factors from AppleWatch to Amazfit) that do have those sensors.

I've also found that Smael generally has the crappiest backlight while Skmei has the best. Lokmat is in the middle.

 

Ive always figured on Armitron for cheap digital reliability And have avoided these. Maybe I wil give one a look.

 

Armitron is a fine brand and they try to make good watches. That's what sets them apart. Unlike these Chinese knock-off brands that try to capitalize on popularity. They do, however, do it with creativity and seeming disregard for the rules. When you do that, it's often amusing. And as cheap as these things are, you can buy them like candy and throw them out if they break, without tasking your conscience.

I mean, this kind of stuff is expected.

But then you see things like this and I just have to chuckle.

BTW, I really like the Griffy, but the colon separating the hours and minutes turns me off. It is too similar to the "1" and it's too close to the "0" in the hours register. If they ever show an 11 o'clock image, it would look even worse. This creates a visual effect that just rubs me way wrong. I'd have bought it long ago if it had a better time separator.

 

A friend who also likes watches and knows I like Casio / G-Shock sends me links to these occasionally. I don't get the draw to cheap knock-offs. For me, it's either the real thing or nothing.

 

I don't get the draw to cheap knock-offs. For me, it's either the real thing or nothing.

Here's how I look at it. I don't buy counterfeits and I don't buy blatant "homages." There's nothing interesting there.
I will, however, buy a bizarro world riff on familiar authentic items that I enjoy. It's like seeing a cute girl's freakish, mutant cousin and seeing the common DNA, just warped. Yeah, like that.

 

No thanks. Not even worth spending time looking at them.

 

I have a couple of SKMEI squares. They have something that the DW5600 doesn't have.... a functional adjust button.

 

And the Skmei actually have excellent back light.

 

This is great information! For the same reason I would never buy a high end Rolex replica at over $500, I would never buy a knockoff version of a G-shock. I don’t wear watches to impress others and like the originals better than copies. On the used market you can buy a tough as nails rangeman for $50, so why bother with a $20 knockoff?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Updated to add a not-Rangeman

 

I'm back to update on a new pair of doppelgängers. This time it's the blue jelly LS variant of the DW-6900. This time, the AliEx knock-off from Sanda is very close, maybe too close for comfort to the original.

The Sanda is a bit lighter than the G and its resin is stiffer, less compliant than that of the G. Button function is identical in both units and the modes are the same as well. The G has a glass lens, though, whereas the Sanda has a plastic crystal. Behind the crystal, the G has a fluorescent-look faceplate while the Sanda uses a cheaper looking gold painted plate.

Unlike ana-digi knock-offs, this Sanda digital actually feels pretty good, reasonably solid. It's not quite as comfortable except for slightly better wrist conformation due to its narrower flare out of the case.

One of the biggest points of difference is not structural. It's the backlight. AliEx brands Skmei and Sanda have very bright, highly visible green backlighting. The G-Shock, however, has tough visibility under normal circumstances and a backlight that's close to ineffective. Even in the dark, it's not very bright. Backlight is on in the RIGHT image.

Here's the Sanda. Although the BL is bright, the three "eyes" are strictly decorative. They light up but indicate nothing.

And here are both of my summer jellies. The DW-6900LS-2 and DW-5600LS-2. These are great, fun watches perfect for picnics and the seaside, which is how I've worn them.