Watch Workshop: Fitting a George Watch with a brand new Strap

This is another neat looking cheap watch from Walmart. It's a George brand watch.  It has a black dial, black case, a black fluted bezel, a dark crystal, and red/orange hands and markers.  It does have sub-dials, but they are just for decoration.  The watch came with a black metal bracelet, but it didn't fit me well (too big) and it was a little too shiny for my taste.

A George Watch from Walmart

I opted for an inexpensive strap from a company called Niziruoup. They say it is a nylon elastic parachute-style watch band that is French paratrooper style. That's a lot to put on a $9.99 watch strap.  But, you can see it here on Amazon. I opted for the 22mm width and it fit this inexpensive watch perfectly.  The watch was about $12 or $13 at Walmart so the combo was less than $25.

A George Watch from Walmart at a Niziruoup Nylon Elastic Paratrooper Style Strap

Since the strap has elastic, it's a bit more flexible than the typical ballistic nylon straps I usually use.  It was comfortable for all day wear.

TGIF: A Warning About Watch Batteries

Have you noticed the warning labels on quartz watches? Apparently, the button batteries in quartz watches can really cause serious injury or even death if they are eaten. It's not something most of us think about, but if you have children, grandchildren, or perhaps a curious dog or puppy, you should take precautions when it comes to button batteries.

These Little Batteries Can Be Very Dangerous if Swallowed

According to an article by the University of California - San Francisco's Benioff Children's Hospital, a watch battery can cause serious burns to the esophagus within 2 hours of ingestion.  Over 3500 cases of watch battery ingestion are reported to US Poison Control Centers. The article also warns that batteries stuck in ears can also cause injuries.

Watch Battery Warning Label

One of the key action items from this article is that if you, or a child or a pet ingests a watch battery you must take action immediately. The patient should be taken to the emergency room (or emergency vet for a pet) and if you have information about the type of battery you should provide it to them. You can contact POISON CONTROL as well at 1-800-222-1222.

Take Precautions with Watch Batteries:

• Store extra watch batteries safely.
• Discard old watch batteries.
• Secure batteries in remotes and other small devices.
• Keep watch batteries away from children and pets.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Kenneth Cole REACTION watch with white dial

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone has a great year. To kick things off, I present a shot of a Kenneth Cole REACTION watch that I took at two minutes to midnight. Not THE midnight, but a midnight. Over the years, I've bought a few watches from Kenneth Cole and they've all turned out to be reliable timepieces that have a bit of style and swagger.  Every one that I've bought has been a bargain from Ross. However, even at full retail prices, they would have been good purchases. Here's a moody photo of this Kenneth Cole REACTION watch that I took at 2 minutes to midnight.

Kenneth Cole REACTION watch

For a broad daylight look at this watch, check out my post on X:

I love a good deal when I find one. Here's my quick review of a Kenneth Cole REACTION watch that I found at a Ross - Dress for Less - Store. Here's a link to other REACTION watches on Amazon - https://t.co/T4jIFHiwgP#WatchLover #watches #Mensfashion pic.twitter.com/0fovR9aYyx

— TheWatchDude (@the_watch_dude) July 17, 2024

Is Time to Shop for Watches at the Mall Again?

Over the holidays, I had a chance to shop for watches at a shopping mall for the first time in ages. The experience made me wonder about how much malls have declined in favor of online shopping. It also made me wonder if it just might be time to start shopping at the mall once again.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, shopping malls were the place to be.  For teens and young adults, malls offered a great chance to get out, walk around, exercise independence, play video games, eat at the food court, interact, and shop for fashionable merchandise. For families, it was a place to get things they needed for family members of all ages and it co-located a number of merchants that had products families needed.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years. Now, everything we need is available for delivery at the click of a mouse. We can buy almost anything online. But, we can't buy one thing: a place to be. If all the brick-n-mortar stores are gone, where will we go when we leave the house? 

If you are looking for a nice place to hang out and you don't live at a beach or in the mountains, you might be out of luck. It's not like fast growing cities with valuable real estate are keeping up with the demand for public parks and public spaces. If you live in a big city, public spaces and parks seem to be overrun by drug abusers, mentally ill people, and the homeless. The parks that are nice aren't much fun when all 6 million people in a city seem to show up there at one time. Of course, the purpose of this blog isn't to solve all of these political issues.  That's something to debate elsewhere. But, I would suggest that we might just want to keep the option of hanging out at the mall. Amazon doesn't even have a food court.

The Jewelry and Watch Department at a JC Penney store in suburban Atlanta

Watch shoppers can benefit from seeing the merchandise. In visiting three malls in the Atlanta area, I found that there were excellent opportunities to see and potentially handle watches from many different brands. Prices for last minute shoppers were also in the same general range as Amazon prices. When it comes to more expensive watches, a visit to a department store or a jeweler can be invaluable. An in person visit is a good way to see if you really like a watch. Next time you want to buy a watch or get a watch battery replaced, you might want to pop down to the mall.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: George Watch with Black Bezel

Merry Christmas from thewatchdude.com.  I hope that you and yours have the greatest of holidays and the best New Year.  I really appreciate the time you've spent with me visiting this blog. I hope that you have the time to enjoy with your family and friends and watches to wear to the most festive of occasions.

A George watch from Walmart with a cool bezel

For the watch wearing Wednesday portion of this post, I like to share a humble watch that I call my George Blanc Pain.  It's not really a Blanc Pain, but the sleek and smooth bezel on this Walmart George-brand watch reminds me of one. It's just a watch that costs less than $15.  But, it looks nice and tells the time quite well.  A watch like this is a reminder that the important thing is to know what time it is, value the time, and spend it well.

A George watch

Watches for Christmas 2024

Some Fun Watch Photos for Christmas

Are you all set for Christmas? I thought this might be a good time to share some of the Christmas oriented watch photos that I've taken lately. Everyone was recently ogling my Kenneth Cole New York watch with transparent dial. This guy was nuts over it.

A Nutcracker goes crazy for my Kenneth Cole New York Watch

Of course, he wasn't the only Christmas Character to like Kenneth Cole watches. This Kenneth Cole REACTION watch generated quite the reaction from Santa himself! It obviously made his list.

This Santa likes the Kenneth Cole REACTION watch in icy blue.

This Santa looks a little tired.  Perhaps he is just looking forward to the off-season with this US Polo Assn watch.  Reindeer polo anyone?

Another Santa is happy with a US Polo Assn quartz watch

Of course, when you least expect it, the Grinch comes along to threaten everything.  You have to watch out for Grinches, they ruin everything.

This Grinch is lusting after my Invicta DNA Military Heritage Watch

I hope you take the time to have a merry little Christmas yourself free from all the world's Grinches!

Last Minute Watch Shopping at Ross or TJ Maxx

Christmas is right around the corner. If you need a gift quick, you might dash into Ross or TJ Maxx and pickup a watch. They usually have nice ones. At Ross, you are looking at prices from $15 to about $70 for a man's watch. At TJ Maxx, you may be looking at $40 to $150.  However, if your city has an exclusive runway or boutique TJ Maxx, those locations may have watches that go all the way up to $1200 or so. However, you can count on these Brick-n-Mortar stores to have something decent for last minute Christmas shoppers 

A Gucci Watch at TJ Maxx

You'll have to poke around online to find out about where those stores are near you. If you see an $1100 watch in your TJ Maxx, you might actually be in one.

Watch Brands I Trust at Ross

Ross is a closeout store so selections can vary quite a bit. At Ross, lately, you can find brands like Joseph Abboud, American Exchange (A/X), Geoffrey Beene, Ed Hardy, Steve Madden, Reaction by Kenneth Cole, and Van Heusen. 

They also typically have a limited selection of Invicta watches. Sometimes you can find brands like Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, or BOSS. You'll also might find some branded watches from clothing fashion brands like Timberland, Wrangler, or Lucky brand. Every once in awhile, you might find a Bulova. Of all these brands, I like Hilfiger, Invicta, and Nautica the best.  These brands usually have watches that look good and fall in the $60 to $75 sweet spot. If you are looking for fun, stocking stuffer, watches Ed Hardy, Steve Madden, and Geoffrey Beene watches offer interesting looks for about $20.

Watches at Ross

There can be some shortcomings in buying watches at Ross. In my experience, BOSS and Joseph Abboud sometimes have too short of a watch strap. If a watch is ticking and doesn't have a crown stopper in place, it may have been running for a long time. Don't be surprised if you have to replace the battery a little sooner than normal.

Watch Brands I Trust at TJ Maxx

My local TJ Maxx stores tend to have some more expensive watch brands. But, you can often find Invicta watches for as low at $55. I even saw one that was too small for me priced at $40 in December 2024. Recently I picked up this Invicta Speedway watch for just under $60 at a local TJ Maxx.

An Invicta Speedway Watch from TJ Maxx

Over the years, I've bought cool watches from brands like Bulova, Diesel, and Invicta at TJ Maxx.  Since we have both a runway and a boutique TJ Maxx nearby in the Atlanta area, I've also seen watches by Gucci, Movado and Versace for sale. They are much more than $60. I'm sure all the high end brands are very nice, but I trust watches from Bulova, Diesel, and Invicta to be great choices in my price range.

Movado Watches at TJ Maxx

It's always fun to see some out of the ordinary watches and I'm glad to see some of them show up in Ross and TJ Maxx. I also appreciate some of the high end brands like Gucci allowing some of their watches to make it into upscale closeout store locations. It's nice when everyone can have a chance to see some of their great products and even take a crack at buying them from time to time.