A cautionary tale on fashion watches…

Look at these two watches,

Left side is a Skagen SKW6281:

* Production 2016.

* Epson VX42E quartz, mass-produced, not serviceable but cheap.

On the right side is a Citizen CQ:

* Production ~1990.

* Citizen caliber 6101, a gold-plated, all metal-gears, serviceable quartz.

I have always loved watches, and I liked the Skagen designs back then, I remember it was one of the first watches that I purchased with my very own spare money.

The Citizen was my father’s, not a watch enthusiast by any means, I don’t even know how he got it, after he passed away the watch was just there, among its things, I kept it.

I wanted to revamp my old watches, and I replaced the battery of all of them. To my surprise, the Citizen is working like nothing has happened to it, but the Skagen’s movement is dead, which shouldn’t be a problem right? An easy and quick replacement (maybe 20 USD plus watchmaker’s time), but no! Plot twist, the Skagen is assembled in a way it cannot be repaired without the risk of breaking the case/dial which is the only things you will want to preserve if you aim to exchange the movement, the movement is glued onto the dial, the dial is sandwiched between a sealed two-part case, non-standard crystal and of course, Skagen doesn’t make any sort of spare parts, it is such a shame because I really love this dial, but is useless now, in the meantime my father’s Citizen is alive and kicking.

Gemini said that even today, adjusting the prices for inflation, the Citizen is cheaper in both retail and secondary markets which is crazy to me and really makes you think what is that you are paying for... I just wanted to share this with y’all and to each their own, buy what you like even if that sometimes mean ending up with a pretty and useless piece of metal.

Sorry for the long text, I had to take it out of my chest, it’s a bummer, I really liked the dial!

TLDR: A 1990 Citizen quartz watch is still running flawlessly, while a 2016 Skagen became effectively unrepairable due to its disposable construction. It's a reminder that design and branding don't always translate into quality or longevity.