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Accurist GD1673
by MEL0611
I have a lot of watches in my collection and there are some that I prefer to wear for specific occasions. I guess I see them as a fashion accessory as opposed to anything else and so I like to match outfits for different occasions. I have some watches that are more casual and then those that are quite dressy. The one that I am going to ... be reviewing today is my Accurist GD1673. The watch was one that I brought a few months ago now when I was looking for a gold watch, the majority of my watches are silver and I wanted this to go with outfits that would benefit from the gold watch. Here are my thoughts on the product.
I purchased the watch from an independent retailer in my local town. I had done my research on the watch before I purchased it and had seen that it was retailing for quite a high price. The watch is one that I needed to come down in price before I had any chance of being able to buy it and as I mentioned, I brought this about six months ago with my birthday money and it cost me £225. I appreciate that this is still a large amount of money to spend on something like a watch but as it can retail up to £400 and the fact that I didn't own a gold watch I was ok with having to pay this price.
The watch came in a lovely gift box but I was soon to get it out of this and then start wearing the watch the watch came with a 2 year manufacturer's guarantee as well as a small instruction booklet. The watch itself is a 9ct gold watch with a bracelet looking strap and then quite a plain looking face. The face has the Accurist logo on the front in black lettering; the background of the face is white. There are no numbers on the watch face but in their place are 12 gold dashes so this is very easy to tell the time on, simple but very elegant looking in my opinion.
Accurist describe the watch as being a 'delicate patterned bracelet making it an elegant piece and a sophisticated piece of glamour for any outfit; which is exactly the way that I would have described the piece, it was so that it could go with certain outfits in my wardrobe. The watch strap was very comfortable to wear, I was very impressed with the design and that it looked like a neat and delicate strap as opposed to a weighty plain strap. There is a very small gold strap that allows you to fasten the watch securely onto your wrist. I was impressed as to how this felt, it was very tight to begin with to get the watch on and off but I like that and even know, it is still tight, it is just that I have got more used to taking the watch on and off.
I have been wearing this watch for six months on and off now and I am certainly impressed, with how it is reliable and efficient to how like the Accurist brand said, that it I would go well with outfits. I have had a few compliments on the watch and the gold is lovely looking as opposed to bold and brash. Even though this has a high price tag, I think I will definitely have my monies worth out of it.
An excellent watch and a 5 out of 5 from me.
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Radley RY2001
by walsha11
I was given this as a Christmas present by my boyfriend this year. I actually hadn't really thought about buying a watch because I don't wear one on a day to day basis. He very thoughtfully took into account that in January I was starting my final year teaching placement and would therefore need something to help me keep time in lessons ... and be on top of the school routine. This is the watch he ended up buying for me.
I haven't actually ever owned any Radley items before though I am familiar with the brand. They make lovely handbags and purses which are pretty popular. My Mum and my Auntie have both had bags from them before and the most noticeable thing about them is the quality. They have beautiful stitching, thoughtful design and each bag has the trademark little leather scotty dog, as well as other pretty little motifs.
This probably wouldn't be the brand I would immediately think of for a watch, in fact I didn't even really know they sold watches. Having looked at their site though it seems that they offer a good selection and that what is available is all really nice. They offer a fairly big selection and what is there is very varied, from leather and metal embellished watches like this to far plainer and more traditional designs. This is definitely one of my favourites though, so he chose well.
The watch face is edge in a silver coloured metal and has a circular shaped face. The background for the face is a beautiful dark or navy blue colour and in cream and purple there are little designs, including the infamous scotty dog and also featuring some lanterns and a playing card. I like the way the cream and navy combine together as these are really nice colours that will easy go with anything. I also think the silver is very practical as this is a metal I wear regularly anyway. There is also a fuchsia coloured Radley logo and tiny scotty dog in the top portion of the clock face which again adds a nice highlight.
There are three silver metal hands on this watch - hour, minute and second. They are distinguished by length for the hour and minute and then by width for the second hand. There are twelve silver markers on the clock face to indicate the hours, but no numbers. Though I am of the age now (23) where I can tell the time to a fairly proficient level I do sometimes find have 4 of the numbers helpful for when I am quickly glancing, that said the clock face is a decent size and the hour markers very clear against the navy background. There is a pull out and push cog on the side which allows you to stop and start the watch and change the time. This works exactly as it should and is very handy.
Covering the clock face is a thick and durable piece of glass. I find this is very easy to wipe clean, is very clear and doesn't cloud up like I've experienced with cheaper watches. Overall the appearance of the clock face is very elegant and feminine whilst still managing to be contemporary. I love the design of this part and have no real issues with using it to tell the time.
The strap of the watch is made from a beautiful soft leather. The inside is a light beige almost suede feeling material which is soft to your skin and sits very comfortably on my wrist. The outer side of the band is a smooth leather which is navy like the clock face. It also has the same cream embellishments of the dog and playing cards but there are additional shapes and motifs in purple, bright blue and fuchsia. I think the design is really playful, very tastefully done and absolutely lovely to look at close up or far away.
From further away the design looks more like a pretty pattern so if you aren't that keen on the dogs then this isn't so much of an issue. I actually don't really like dogs and am much more of a cat person but I still find the dog design very cute looking and very pretty on the watch band and block face.
The width of the band is a nice size and sits comfortably on my wrist. I do think that it would perhaps look a little more delicate were it slightly thinner but because of the size of the clock face this probably would create an imbalance in size which wouldn't look right. The proportion is very important and because this is oversized all over it looks good as a complete piece - and also makes your wrist look much smaller!
One of the nicest things about receiving this as a gift was that it came in a lovely little watch case. This is a circular prism shaped box which comes in a beautiful beige colour and has a padded silk lining inside to keep the watch safe. I think the box is very pretty with a gold Radley brand and logo on the top so I would happily keep the watch in here when I am not using it, or for travel so it doesn't get damaged.
This watch will set you back £65 and can be bought online or in store, though this may be slightly more expensive. Watchshop (which can be found online) where my boyfriend bought this one have a free delivery service and do a 30 day return policy on all items so it is nice to know that if you don't like whatever you buy there are options for changing it or refunding it. You can also find Radley being stocked in major department stores if you wish to have a look before you purchase.
I think this is a wonderful gift and is pretty reasonably priced for what is a gift that will last my many, many happy years of use. I also love receiving something that is both practical and pretty as I know I will get my money back from using it. Certainly this is one to keep in mind for your wife/sister/mother/niece/daughter when the next birthday comes up. I love mine!
Overall, this is a beautiful watch with a equally pleasant price tag.
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DKNY NY3605
by shoe_gal_84
Up until recently, I had worn the same watch for years and years. When my birthday came in October, I decided that it was time to treat myself and asked for money so I could get myself a nice, new watch. Family did well and I ended up with a budget of around £100 to purchase a new watch. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for, but ... knew that it had to be silver and quite delicate.
I spent a while searching for the right one, both online and in stores and ended up falling in love with most of the DKNY range - they are all very attractive watches and really reasonable. I ended up purchasing the DKNY NY3605 from H Samuel, which cost me £69. I was thrilled as I had expected a designer watch to be a lot more expensive than this.
So, the watch itself is stainless steel and the strap and outer of the face is a lovely bright, shiny silver colour. The watch face is rectangular and is a slightly lighter silver colour which has a brushed effect. DKNY is printed in silver letters on the face of the watch, but it's pretty small and doesn't detract from how pretty it is. The numbers shown on the face are 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, which is pretty unusual. However, it's a godsend for me as I always struggled to see whether it was 1 or 2 'o' clock/ 4 or 5 'o' clock etc on my previous watch, but I don't have that problem with this one. The missing numbers are marked with a dash and it's SO easy to tell the time quickly and easily with this watch.
The strap is made up on links, some of which can be removed to change the sizing. This is really easy to do yourself and has made the watch a perfect fit for me. On the underside of the strap, one of the links has DKNY printed on it, which is a nice touch (this isn't one of the links that you can remove).
The watch is really nice to wear, I find it quite light and comfortable and I just love having it on my wrist. It came in a lovely box and was well packaged, it also came with a 2 year warranty which is good. I have had the watch for 4 months now and have not had any problems with it atall, I wear it everyday and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
As I mentioned, I paid £69 for this watch at H Samuel; it is currently for sale on Amazon at £55 which is a real bargain.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this watch as it is really attractive, good quality and well priced. I honestly never thought that I could enjoy wearing a watch so much and can't stop looking at it! I have been very, very pleasantly surprised and wouldn't hesitate to look at DKNY again when I need to purchase a watch or similar. I give this watch 5 out of 5 as I couldn't ask for anything more from it.
Some basic information:
Brand: DKNY
Case material: Stainless Steel
Face colour: Silver
Face diameter: 1.2 cm
Face shape: Rectangular
Model number: NY3605
Movement: Quartz
Strap material: Stainless Steel
Strap style: Bracelet
Warranty: 2 Years
Water resistant: To 30m
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