Steampunk Mechanical "Winner" Watch

I was doing some research on steampunk watches and found this brand on Etsy.  Winner Watches is a Chinese company, much like Caifu (which I've mentioned in a previous post).  Their watches are generally pretty cheap to buy and from positive customer reviews, it seems they hold up just fine.

However, I've seen a number of Etsy shop owners selling "Winner" watches for well over $100.  Some of these shops declare that they are "handmade in the Pacific Northwest."  The only difference I see in these watches is that they added a thicker leather band.  The core of the watch remains the same.  So I say buyer beware.  You can get a "Winner" watch for well under $50 and assemble a band separately for far less than the Etsy retailers charge.  This is an Etsy shop owner that sells direct from Hong Kong.  The watches are generally under $30 and look great. 

The moral of this story: when an item states "handmade," you should also conduct your own research.  If not, you may end up paying $119 for the watch below, versus $29.99 for the watch above.

Trevor's Rating of "Winner" watches: 90%
Trevor's Rating of Etsy Opportunists: 9.2%

Jules Verne Victorian Pocket Watch

I bought this pocket watch back in November from a different seller. It didn't have the black necklace or the key, but the rest was identical. I looked up the name "CAIFU," which is imprinted on the watch face, and found out it was a Chinese company that makes replicas of famous/historical objects and oddities. This watch was a replica of Jules Verne's pocket watch.

The watch worked great and after winding it up it lasted for well over 24 hours. The internal mechanics were quite good and the ticking was surprisingly loud through the casing. The glass panel on the back allows for easy viewing of the inner workings, which is honestly more fun than telling the time. The face and numbers are kind of dark anyway, which makes telling the time a lot harder. I would recommend this piece as an aesthetic piece rather than a practical one.

On a final note, I'm a little disturbed that the sellers of this watch put it in the handmade section of Etsy, since it's clear it was made in China. The wording on their etsy sites suggests they handmade it themselves, when in reality, it was made by the hands of some Chinese kid.

Trevor's rating of the Jules Verne Victorian pocket watch: 82%
Trevor's rating of the integrity of the seller: 10%