# Michael Kors garbage?



## Wandering Ben

Hi all, I recently noticed that the fashion company Michael Kors also sells watches priced 300-ish. Never heard of their watches before so wondering if they are garbage. First they don't even specify the movement on their own site, which is a red flag (Amazon shows that they make both quartz and automatic ones). Myself is probably never going to buy one (has a Casio dress watch for now and is after a Seiko 5 soon) but just out of curiosity i would ask whether MK is a "real" watchmaker, as they are selling watches without all the great functionality of a Citizen ED (which is my goal in near future) but with equally high price


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## sixties.nut

Ben you can safely bet the farm, that any Michael Kors watch was constructed in an Asian shop with 6 dollar Japanese quartz movements which costs Kors even less per unit to buy due to bulk purchasing. That don't necessarily mean it's not a good watch, at the very least 50% will last a full battery cycle, unless you get them wet. In six months or so you will find them online or at your local discount store for $19.99


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## iam7head

Exactly what they wanted in the fashion watch segment, my guess would be 80% will sell or trash their watch after battery goes bye bye.

People buying it will not be amused with cosc, complication, etc, it's a fashion watch


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## KevinP.

I believe they are just rebranded and overpriced Fossil watches.

I'll bet a Seiko 5 is a far superior watch, but 99.9% of people you encounter won't know that.

For $300 it serves it's purpose, to get oohs and ahhs from that 99.9%.


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## portauto

Michael Kors are made by Fossil. They are most likely manufactured at the Fossil plant in China.

Other licensed watches from Fossil include Burberry, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, Columbia Sportswear, Diesel, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Callaway Golf, Davis Cup, Marc Jacobs and Adidas.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## dkouzou

I don't believe Michael Kors is a watchmaker.


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## deluxeswiss

portauto said:


> Michael Kors are made by Fossil. They are most likely manufactured at the Fossil plant in China.
> 
> Other licensed watches from Fossil include Burberry, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, Columbia Sportswear, Diesel, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Callaway Golf, Davis Cup, Marc Jacobs and Adidas.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


That's unbelievable. Apparently upmarket names like Armani, Burberry and Karl Lagerfeld!!?? What a ripoff. They should all be whipped with a wet bamboo cane.


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## IvanDrago

No one on this forum can speculate as to how long a Michael Kors watch will last you, because it all depends. If you get lucky, it will last you 10 years. I personally don't have anything against the company, but if I were to look at spending around 300 dolllars (US), I wouldn't invest it into a Michael Kors. 100-150 maybe, but nothing over that. Just my 2¢.
~Ivan


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## portauto

deluxeswiss said:


> That's unbelievable. Apparently upmarket names like Armani, Burberry and Karl Lagerfeld!!?? What a ripoff. They should all be whipped with a wet bamboo cane.


These are all fashion brands, not watch manufacturers.. it's the equivalent of purchasing Omega Cologne or Tag Heuer sunglasses and discovering they outsourced production to someone else, it should come as no surprise

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Bud001

portauto said:


> Michael Kors are made by Fossil. They are most likely manufactured at the Fossil plant in China.
> 
> Other licensed watches from Fossil include Burberry, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, Columbia Sportswear, Diesel, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Callaway Golf, Davis Cup, Marc Jacobs and Adidas.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


Burberry is Fossil?!? How disappointing. They want at least 500 for one and i almost fell for it.


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## iam7head

Bud001 said:


> Burberry is Fossil?!? How disappointing. They want at least 500 for one and i almost fell for it.


I paid for one. It was a gift for the gf, she happy with it, fashion brand, no worry about winding or knocking around.

Overpriced for what it is..but again you look at hermes handbag that cost 4k


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## Bergarn

I gave my girlfriend an MK watch, she loves it, it shows good time and no signs of exploding. 

Did not however pay $300 for it, way less than that. 
Neither she or I care about what brand it is, she just loved the style (very Reverso-like) so an MK it was. 

Perfectly good watch for what it is if you don't care what's inside and want a pretty watch telling the correct time. Not everyone is a Seiko fanboy ;-)


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## JedAngulob

Exactly what they wanted in the fashion watch segment


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## LosTresGatos

HEY!!!! I bought my wife an MK watch for Valentine's Day and I'll have you know its quality is easily on par *IF NOT SUPERIOR TO * Anne Klein =p

Edit: Interestingly it's not as good as her Gant watch....which makes me wonder if Swiss fashion brands demand higher standards on their Chinese watches. (Gant is 95% owned by Maus Frères S.A. of Switzerland despite the U.S.A. tag attached to it)


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## StufflerMike

Thread moved to Fashion Watches.


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## Lencoth

IvanDrago said:


> No one on this forum can speculate as to how long a Michael Kors watch will last you, because it all depends.


You can very well speculate, but you can't know for sure ;-).


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## tonyphilly

Good thread. I almost bought one of these as a gift for my better half. Now, no. At least not at retail.


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## Aleric

I wouldn't quite say that a Burberry is a Fossil, at least not in the same sense that a Michael Kors or many of their other licensed brands are. Burberry and Zodiac are the two 'Swiss Made' Fossil brands, whereas the others are not.

All fashion brands are retail priced much higher than they are really worth (just as most watches are for that matter). I buy mine for much less from clearance price sources instead of retail department stores.

Neither myself or my wife own a Michael Kors watch, though we see them all the time at discount and clearance stores, or the Fossil outlet stores.


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## Aleric

Just as with any other watch, never retail.


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## Aleric

Michael Kors does have some nice looking designs.


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## Bud001

iam7head said:


> I paid for one. It was a gift for the gf, she happy with it, fashion brand, no worry about winding or knocking around.
> 
> Overpriced for what it is..but again you look at hermes handbag that cost 4k


Exactly. I would not be surprised if Burberry was a swatch brand, since they have experience with nice watches. ... but Fossil?


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## portauto

Bud001 said:


> Exactly. I would not be surprised if Burberry was a swatch brand, since they have experience with nice watches. ... but Fossil?


Take sunglasses as a good example. Did you know that Luxottica Group owns Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, Oliver Peoples, REVO, and Vogue? And that they are licensed to produce sunglasses for Anne Klein, Brooks Brothers, Bvlgari, Burberry, Chanel, Chaps, Club Monaco, D&G, DKNY, Miu Miu, Polo, Paul Smith, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo, Stella McCartney, Tiffany, and Versace?

Does anyone actually believe that accessory lifestyle products like sunglasses are actually produced in-house by these top brands?



> Overpriced for what it is..but again you look at hermes handbag that cost 4k


That Hermes handbag.. for $4K its a steal. Many of their bags sell for $20K or even above retail price, there can be waiting lists for years. Women treat Hermes bags like Patek, it's all relative.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Shaunie_007

I agree with what everyone has said on this thread, Michael Kors is a fashion watch and should only be purchased as that. I bought my girlfriend a Michael Kors watch for over $300 for valentines day and she was ecstatic! Most likely for the praise she would get from her girlfriends that care about all the brand named products, but if you're looking for a well built watch that has reliable movement, you can easily find something with much better build quality in that price range IE Seiko, Hamilton, Magrette... The list goes on, and IMO the brands with the better build quality will also be more "fashionable" for a longer time than a MK watch. Most watches branded as fashion watches will be out of style in about 2 years or so, but you can wear a 10+ year old Hamilton or Seiko and get compliments on it.


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## Chronopolis

dkouzou said:


> I don't believe Michael Kors is a watchmaker.


I don't believe there is even a person named Michael Kors doing what he supposedly does for a living.


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## portauto

Chronopolis said:


> I don't believe there is even a person named Michael Kors doing what he supposedly does for a living.


Michael Kors owns 12% of the company, and acts as Honorary Chairman and Principal Designer. Sportswear Holdings owns a 50% stake and filed to take the company public in 2011. Their watches are licensed to Fossil, their eyewear to Marchon, and their fragrances to Estee Lauder.

And on that note, Marchon is also licensed to produce eyewear for Calvin Klein, Fendi, Lacoste, Nautica, Nike, Ferragamo, Valentino and Disney among many others. As you can see, everything goes in circles when it comes to licensing in the fashion community.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## portauto

Miriam56 said:


> I believe they are just rebranded and overpriced Fossil watches.
> 
> I'll bet a Seiko 5 is a far superior watch, but 99.9% of people you encounter won't know that.
> 
> For $300 it serves it's purpose, to get oohs and ahhs from that 99.9%.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


I don't know if I would go quite that far, the fit, finish and heft on most Fossil watches and on the aforementioned fashion brands are superior to a Seiko 5 in my opinion. And I don't find the Seiko 5 to be particularly accurate, the Fossil quartz watches will almost certainly outperform the Seiko automatic.

Here I'm entering sacred Seiko territory, so I'll step back. But we're not comparing movements here folks, we're talking about fashion watches.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Chronopolis

portauto said:


> I don't know if I would go quite that far, the fit, finish and heft on most Fossil watches and on the aforementioned fashion brands are superior....
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


You seem to know something about the business side of design.
Indeed, a place for everything and everything in its place when it comes to things.

I had a Fossil once: Decker, was it? Very handsome dial, but the case was not well made: roughly finished, and on the verge of rusting after a year. Poor grade steel, prolly. And the movement was as cheap as they come.

I have noticed that Fossil has upped their design recently, and I like some of them. I think if they could upgrade the rest of the package, I'd certainly consider buying a few.

It makes no difference to me if a brand is a "fashion" brand.
Some of the Burberry's look great, but I don't wanna spend that kinda $ for em, UNLESS the movement (quartz, obviously) is AT LEAST on par with many of the better Seiko chronos. And 
Seiko makes some great quartz movements for chronos! 7T62, 7T92, etc. 
The 7T** chrono second hand moves like an automatic! Shmooth. And they can do this for under 150. The SNN20* series, for example.
So, $400 for an inferior quartz watch - albeit handsome - with a different name is hard for me to accept.

If these fashion watches were better equipped, why not? To me, it'd be like buying a Seiko, but with more design choices.


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## portauto

I didn't mean to challenge the Seiko Gods, but I'm talking specifically about the Seiko 5 as this model was brought up above, and its one I actually quite like for the price and have worn on my wrist. But I would wager that 9/10 people who were to put on a Seiko 5 and a Burberry watch, even without looking at the brands would pick the Burberry.

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Chronopolis

portauto said:


> I didn't mean to challenge the Seiko Gods, but I'm talking specifically about the Seiko 5 as this model was brought up above, and its one I actually quite like for the price and have worn on my wrist. But I would wager that 9/10 people who were to put on a Seiko 5 and a Burberry watch, even without looking at the brands would pick the Burberry.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


I hope you didn't think I was "defending" Seiko or any brand for that matter. They'd have to PAY me first to do that.  
(Frankly, I am perplexed by people who get hot under the collar when they think "their" brand is "under attack". )

I was only remarking about my experience with Fossil that I wanted to like, but couldn't due to the shortcomings mentioned.
I still would like to have - have, but not buy with my own $ - the Burberry military chrono.
Maybe I could cajole one of my filthy wealthy nieces to get one for her ever-penurious uncle. 

PS: I do mean 'filthy' as in 'poor in hygiene', not as in, 'filthy rich.'


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## portauto

Chronopolis said:


> I hope you didn't think I was "defending" Seiko or any brand for that matter. They'd have to PAY me first to do that.
> (Frankly, I am perplexed by people who get hot under the collar when they think "their" brand is "under attack". )


That's a whole other topic.. Seiko and Casio have very dedicated and loyal followers on this forum, their numbers alone can overwhelm a poster when their brand comes under attack. I still shudder when I think of the time I posted less than favorable remarks about the MarineMaster that I owned and subsequently sold

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Aleric

"Exactly what they wanted in the fashion watch segment, my guess would be 80% will sell or trash their watch after battery goes bye bye."


That's what a lot of people do with cheap watches. When the battery goes, they don't bother replacing it so they end up in garage sales with an "unknown" status as to whether they still work or not. I have found and bought many watches in garage sales for a buck or two. Seikos, Pulsars, and a Sector in the last year or so. However, I haven't seen a "fashion" watch yet though for some reason.


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## IvanDrago

Lencoth said:


> You can very well speculate, but you can't know for sure ;-).


Duly Noted.


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## jennyasdf94

Aleric said:


> Michael Kors does have some nice looking designs.


True, their design pattern have some defined qualities which appear in all Micheal Kro watches. The main points of manufacturing behind the brand was style and fashion. Water resistance although added for quality and long lasting efficiency. More that 80% of designs made are Chronograph..


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## Ed Barclay

Bought my wife one two years. The battery finally died a month ago. Put a new one in and it took off. Keeps typical quartz time accuracy. Price is about impossible to argue when it comes to fashion, since it's almost always about the name and not the quality. She still likes it...and if she's happy, I'm happy!


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## portauto

Ed Barclay said:


> Bought my wife one two years. The battery finally died a month ago.


That sounds defective, I would return the watch immediately, hopefully it is still under warranty. :-d

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## adamjab

Actually what brought me to this site was trying to figure out if Michael Kor were worth the money. Sadly, $300 is alot of money to me. I am on a budget and frugal so paying more for a certain name when there isn't an appreciable increase in quality is never valuable to me. My wife was interested in one after her friends have been going on about them and their big faces and rose gold color. So after realizing that these watches were in fact just fashion watches, which is fine, I found a guess watch that is $130 with the same features and same look. My wife had picked out several watches from different brands actualyl so she isn't so brand dependent as some of her friends so I know it will go over OK. Sure she can't say she has a Michael Kor and I know she WON'T go on about the manufacturing quality that goes into different watches, but the Guess watch looks exactly the same with not much difference in quality at this price point.


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## nickalew

so with all this talk about MK, anyone know of goods sites I can grab one? Getting one for my gf's birthday, and I do not want to pay the dreaded Macy's price... ($225)


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## StufflerMike

nickalew said:


> so with all this talk about MK, anyone know of goods sites I can grab one? Getting one for my gf's birthday, and I do not want to pay the dreaded Macy's price... ($225)


Googled ?


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## stratct

portauto said:


> Michael Kors are made by Fossil. They are most likely manufactured at the Fossil plant in China.
> 
> Other licensed watches from Fossil include Burberry, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, Columbia Sportswear, Diesel, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Callaway Golf, Davis Cup, Marc Jacobs and Adidas.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


You forgot relic and folio


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## portauto

stratct said:


> You forgot relic and folio


To the best of my knowledge, Relic are a Fossil brand (wholly owned), not a licensed watch. And I think Folio is just one of Relic's collections

If we're going to list all Fossil brands then we should also include Zodiac, Skagen and Michele

Kindest Regards,
Portauto


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## Protest

portauto said:


> To the best of my knowledge, Relic are a Fossil brand (wholly owned), not a licensed watch. And I think Folio is just one of Relic's collections
> 
> If we're going to list all Fossil brands then we should also include Zodiac, Skagen and *Michele*
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


Yea it's kind of crazy that you can pay $1,200 for a Fossil manufactured watch. I was in a Fossil outlet store over the weekend, and I always laugh whenever I see the Burberry, Armani, and Michele watches.

As for the Fossil and Seiko 5 comparison, I own a Seiko 5 and two Fossils. Neither of the Fossils I own are stainless steel because the quality of the steel is not that great. Seiko's bracelet has pretty much the exact same feel as the Fossil bracelets I've tried on. They're both light, and cheap feeling, but doesn't bother me too much because I like the watch being light for work.

Fossil does make solid quality products for the price though. I have a Fossil on a leather strap which is more comfortable than the Tissot quartz I owned, and the other is a full ceramic watch. The ceramic watch was an awesome deal, and looks great.


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## theusshop

stratct said:


> You forgot relic and folio


how about NIXON ?. was it a watchmaker ?

thanks


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## billybrown

Its a fashion watch which is always ahead of the latest trends. Not a bad a buy. Nice watch brand for men and women.

Luxury Watches, Men's Watches on Sale, Discount Designer Watches, Luxury Brand Watches


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## johnparry

You pay for the brand name when it comes to luxury designer brands....


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## clp1000

I am just about to purchase a MK watch for my wife. Initially I wanted a swiss movement for her ( I wear a stunning Certina watch ). However she much preferred the look of the MK, it is reasonably priced so who am I to argue ? Her priorities in a watch are different to mine !


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## RoundelMike

clp1000 said:


> I am just about to purchase a MK watch for my wife. Initially I wanted a swiss movement for her ( I wear a stunning Certina watch ). However she much preferred the look of the MK, it is reasonably priced so who am I to argue ? Her priorities in a watch are different to mine !


And this is precisely the point my SO makes about Michael Kors watches. For her, it's not about movements or complications or reliability. And it's certainly not about being made in China or being gold plated or being made by Fossil. She even doesn't notice when the time is wrong because _it's not about that_. It's because it's a Michael Kors! These watches are "in" for women right now, and nothing else will do. I've offered to buy her something horologically significant, but she always says, "Why, so it can sit in a drawer while I wear my Michael Kors?" Honestly my brain doesn't process this, but it is what it is.

I guess it's comparable to handbags. No one splits hairs over the specs of a Prada bag. And are Prada bags more durable and better made than Walmart bags? Probably, but that doesn't matter. Prada bags and Michael Kors watches go out of style long before they wear out anyway. It's all about having the "it" thing.


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## teko ajaib

omg the title made me shock..
I have 2 MK watches, and fully realized that this brand offers fashion watch but i never know for garbage issue.. 
They might sell 'the brand' and 'design'..
But i have to admit, some of those watches have good design 
*just an opinion anyway*
and now i want to sell those watches right away !!


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## jaiwanjin

I would actually recommend against ANY fossil produced watch, not because it is a fashion brand and not because it is not "high end" but from real life actual experience. 

My first watch ever in high school was a fossil that I was very happy with, until I dropped it on concrete from three feet off a bench and the minute hand broke off. My friend has a white women's michael kors watch that I was looking at and realized it had heavy condensation inside. I asked what happened, she replied she washed her hands a few times and it developed inside the crystal. The watch was less than six months old. My 19 year old coworker who loves big fashion watches and has a gigantic Nixon, an invicta and a black Michael kors watch. The black Michael kors is less than 2 months old and all of the black painted on the band is already flaking off giving him a very uniquely styled two toned watch.

I am totally ok with a fashionable and cheap, dependable watch. This is what I consider the majority of seikos and citizens to be. (I own several) but paying two to three hundred to a watch that flakes off, leaks water or stops working in less than two years is absolutely reprehensible to me. 

A final note, a friend bought me a diesel watch for a present, and against all of my anti fossil produced watch sentiments I was actually kind fond of it for it's design and sentimental value for who it came from. I dropped it recently, and while the minute hand did not break off this time there is a HUGE gouge in one of the links, it looks like I rolled down a hill in a motorcycle accident. Again it was dropped from the height of an office chair onto tile.

Stay very, very far away.
I will admit they have nice designs and that not everybody needs or wants a multi thousand dollar watch. But these are not worth anyone's money. Period.


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## tomjoad

People tend to criticize fashion watches, and yes they aren't great value (heck, I can name a number of actual "watch companies" that don't offer great values at all) but they do the job they intend to do - make the wearer happy and keep time. I've owned several fossil watches, and all of them have worked fine, wore well, and still looked and worked well when I sold them on eBay. People forget that they have an 11 year warranty on the movement. 

As for the other brands that Fossil makes watches for, I don't like their style so I can't attest to their quality, but they all appear to be similar quality. So if a Micheal Kors, Diesel, Burberry, or other watch popped up that I liked, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.


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## big_slacker

I found this thread on a web search about MK since my wife was looking at them. She ended up buying one of them (the SS runway chronograph), so I figured I'd come back and post. Although I was skeptical as a 'watch guy' about fashion watches in general when I went to look in person I have to say that they appear fine. Similar to anything at that price level it's not gonna blow you away but it does have solid links, a trifold buckle, working chronograph, etc... Inexplicably it has a screw down crown, something my mighty seiko SNZF17 diver lacks, haha!

I have no comment yet about longevity, but as much as I wanted to hate on the poor MK it seems like a decent fashion watch and construction wise just as good as value kings like seiko. And BTW-Hopefully no one is paying retail for these things. They're all over amazon, Macy's has 25% off coupons and so on.


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## gagnello

A fashion watch is a fashion watch is a fashion watch.


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## google

Bergarn said:


> I gave my girlfriend an MK watch, she loves it, it shows good time and no signs of exploding.
> 
> Did not however pay $300 for it, way less than that.
> Neither she or I care about what brand it is, she just loved the style (very Reverso-like) so an MK it was.
> 
> Perfectly good watch for what it is if you don't care what's inside and want a pretty watch telling the correct time. Not everyone is a Seiko fanboy ;-)


same, my gf loves it and its good for the $180 that I paid for it.


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## Ombre Vivante

I bought a Michael Kors watch for a girl once and she was really happy with it. The style fit in with the bracelets she usually wears. No Seiko or Citizen watch could match it, no matter how well-built and reputable they are for the common man.


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## topher512

Women wearing watches. Whatever's on their wrist, I am pro. (I prefer a gal in a chunky classic dive watch, myself.)


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## EMonique

I have 2 MK's, 1 Fossil and wearing them. I get compliments all the time. When I first layed eyes on them in Nordstrom they were about $125. One year later they were $185 I received all 3 in 2010 battery just died in 1 of them. The 2 tone Chrono, I did not pay retail for any of them. I'm now looking for a Rose Gold watch. My best watch is my Movado Concerto with the blue face. MK's are good conversation and fashion that's it.


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## eXis10z

Bought my girlfriend a Michael Kors cause I figured she will like and appreciate it for what it is. A fashion watch that looks good and tell time. She loves it, her girlfriends love it praising it looks more expensive than it actually is. Most girls don't care what movement is in a watch, or if it is mechanical or swiss or the heritage behind a watch. They just want something that looks good and when they see it they like it, and preferably something their friends will compliment on. MK ticks all those boxes.


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## Tallest

I bought a Fossil in US for 120 bucks which looked great and I got compliments on it from people who have much more expensive watches but many don't know any better (bankers, yes). Plus women - who loved it as fashion watch. I mean noone will say one nice thing on Seiko 007 I bought, but the 120 dollar Fossil got me more oohs and aahs than probably a Sub would. So a fashion watch does serve a purpose and michael kors is same thing. My SO just bought one and she loves it. it's bigger than my 007 for god's sake and golden color. But she doesn't care, as it looks 'nice' and matches her Michael Kors leather bag that cost way more than the watch.

yes, they are probably a pricey bag company, NOT a watch company. but if it works for 99.9% getting them oohs and aahs from 99.99% of peope that's a pretty good deal for 300 bucks I guess!


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## Will3020

Bought my wife one and she enjoys it . It looks good I'm her too.


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## Vivian886

Briefly -- no, Michael Kors is definitely not a "watchmaker" company in any usual sense of the term. They're rather a general fashion company (e.g. Gucci) who decided to come out with a line of watches on the side to boost their name and revenues. 99% of their "watches" are quite-disposable, $2-Chinese-quartz-movement, garbage. (I haven't heard of any mechanical/automatic Michael Kors watches, but I may be wrong.) 

To me it's certainly not worth ~$300. Heck, I wouldn't even pay $50 for something like that. I'm sure there are quite a ton of options for better-quality watches from actual watchmaking companies at that price range (all of my own mechanicals were purchased at $350 or lower). I'm sure it wouldn't take much searching around to find a watch with a decent manual wind or automatic movement from a respected company IN ADDITION to having 'attractive' fashionable looks.


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## Famousname

Aleric said:


> Just as with any other watch, never retail.


^^^ This. _Always_ this.

As for the topic at hand, my sis-in-law bought a blingy gold one. Design looks very Rolex-ish and the finish looks great. From across the room, this thing looks like BIG money. Up close, it looks very nice. Women love these things and it serves it's purpose.


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## Famousname

big_slacker said:


> I found this thread on a web search about MK since my wife was looking at them. She ended up buying one of them (the SS runway chronograph), so I figured I'd come back and post. Although I was skeptical as a 'watch guy' about fashion watches in general when I went to look in person I have to say that they appear fine. Similar to anything at that price level it's not gonna blow you away but it does have solid links, a trifold buckle, working chronograph, etc... Inexplicably it has a screw down crown, something my mighty seiko SNZF17 diver lacks, haha!
> 
> I have no comment yet about longevity, but as much as I wanted to hate on the poor MK it seems like a decent fashion watch and construction wise just as good as value kings like seiko. And BTW-Hopefully no one is paying retail for these things. They're all over amazon, Macy's has 25% off coupons and so on.


Yeah, this is the same one the sis-in-law has;

View attachment 992851


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## natnaes

Vivian886 said:


> Briefly -- no, Michael Kors is definitely not a "watchmaker" company in any usual sense of the term. They're rather a general fashion company (e.g. Gucci) who decided to come out with a line of watches on the side to boost their name and revenues. 99% of their "watches" are quite-disposable, $2-Chinese-quartz-movement, garbage. (I haven't heard of any mechanical/automatic Michael Kors watches, but I may be wrong.)
> 
> To me it's certainly not worth ~$300. Heck, I wouldn't even pay $50 for something like that. I'm sure there are quite a ton of options for better-quality watches from actual watchmaking companies at that price range (all of my own mechanicals were purchased at $350 or lower). I'm sure it wouldn't take much searching around to find a watch with a decent manual wind or automatic movement from a respected company IN ADDITION to having 'attractive' fashionable looks.


I didn't know Citizen Miyota was a $2-Chinese-quartz garbage movement. Thanks for the education!


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## shootermcgavin

Have 2 MK watches myself. 1 was a present a long time ago from an ex, 1 I just picked up on a whim this past yr bc I saw it for $50. Fine regular every day watches if you ask me, as I won't cry if I put a dent or scratch in one.


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## mrwatchusername

Does the chronograph on these ladies Michael Kors watches work?


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## tonyphilly

Most of the one's I've seen have fake sub dials.


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## mrwatchusername

Thought so. Just convinced me mrs not to get a Michael Kors as the chronograph in her collection.


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## Diego161080

I have only good experiences with Michael Kors and can really only recommend it. There are not many designer brands that can manage what MK can do at the moment except for maybe Marc Jacobs.


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## allonon

tonyphilly said:


> Most of the one's I've seen have fake sub dials.


My wife has 4 MK watches. And the subdial chronograph works on all of them. I'm not a fan, but as previously stated it's what's in with the ladies due to "branding"


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## KosmoCramer

I've never seen one with a fake subdial. I know people like to put designer watches down.. but michael kors actually does have some nice watches. I know the movement might not be what you want but it sure isn't horrible. I've had a nice aviator style chronograph for a few years and all works fine.. I'll post some pics tomorrow. I paid about 150 or so for it and I think it looks better than some watches that go for quite a lot more.


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## bobo90

I gave my gf a Michael kors last Christmas, she's not a watch addicted like I am but she appreciate watches, and she really likes the look of kors watches
I understand the "purist" point of view about Chinese watches, (because I'm a purist too) but we now have to admit that Chinese movements improved a lot, and are of "good" quality for an average watch owner 
Plus they actually have a good look 
In my opinion they must be considered as branded accessories before then as watches
Here's my gf's one 








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## natnaes

bobo90 said:


> I gave my gf a Michael kors last Christmas, she's not a watch addicted like I am but she appreciate watches, and she really likes the look of kors watches
> I understand the "purist" point of view about Chinese watches, (because I'm a purist too) but we now have to admit that Chinese movements improved a lot, and are of "good" quality for an average watch owner
> Plus they actually have a good look
> In my opinion they must be considered as branded accessories before then as watches
> Here's my gf's one
> View attachment 1624951
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You might be pleased to note that Michael Kors features Citizen Miyota movement and not Chinese movement. The watch is assembled in China however, which shouldn't really be a big problem given proper quality control (as with how Tissot is assembled in Hong Kong). MK has maintained good reputation with quality control so far so as long as the ladies like it, I don't see why not.


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## bobo90

natnaes said:


> You might be pleased to note that Michael Kors features Citizen Miyota movement and not Chinese movement. The watch is assembled in China however, which shouldn't really be a big problem given proper quality control (as with how Tissot is assembled in Hong Kong). MK has maintained good reputation with quality control so far so as long as the ladies like it, I don't see why not.


Very good news thank you 
I feel better now 

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## Will3020

Well my wife loves MK designs. Bought my wife another MK watch so she decided to select this one. Gotta make the wife happy.  for me well decided sport the Tuna 017 Can.


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## ringo16

My girlfriend got me this MK from Nordstrom Rack last year. Have to wear it once in a while to appease her. Obviously a Daytona homage, but quite large. MK is fine for the younger crowd. But I've been an older gentleman working at Panera with a gold MK chrono and it looked odd on him.


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## brandon\

natnaes said:


> You might be pleased to note that Michael Kors features Citizen Miyota movement and not Chinese movement. The watch is assembled in China however, which shouldn't really be a big problem given proper quality control (as with how Tissot is assembled in Hong Kong). MK has maintained good reputation with quality control so far so as long as the ladies like it, I don't see why not.


I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing most of Miyota's manufacturing is in China or Malaysia. But geography doesn't matter. What does matter is QA protocols and process. Either way, this has been discussed to death in the Seiko K versus J debate.


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## Ajax_Drakos

Yes. The answer is yes.


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## New_World

portauto said:


> I don't know if I would go quite that far, the fit, finish and heft on most Fossil watches and on the aforementioned fashion brands are superior to a Seiko 5 in my opinion. And I don't find the Seiko 5 to be particularly accurate, the Fossil quartz watches will almost certainly outperform the Seiko automatic.
> 
> Here I'm entering sacred Seiko territory, so I'll step back. But we're not comparing movements here folks, we're talking about fashion watches.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> Portauto


yes quarts watches are typically more accurate than automatics.....


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## Brian in Sweden

I know this is an older post, but great reference info here!


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## ItsJohnDoe__

Since OP made the post two and a half years ago, MK has improved. Bit the bullet and finally bought my first from ShopHQ a year ago, and have had absolutely zero problems since. Don't ever expect a fashion watch to have durability on par with the likes of Seiko or Casio, that's where Rolex and friends come in.


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## dvlhntr

I bought a MK 5057 as a gift for the girl for ~ 114USD on amazon. She had been eyeing one for a while ..etc. ..etc. ...etc. I wasn't that impressed with the chrono part, IMO is "backwards" in that the chronograph's second indicator is on the subdial. but she doesn't care in the slightest about that. in fact I doubt she will be using the chrono for anything remotely important. I told her to use the iPhone if she really needs to time something where +/- a second matters. since you can't read the chrono sub dial seconds well. I told her I would much rather get her a seiko at basically the same price point, with a some fashion look, but she looked at me like I was crazy... ::shurg:: pros: -she likes the MK name on her wrist. -she likes the look. -the movements worked. (for now ?) it's quartz, I just assume it will work for ~20+ years. -a decently constructed bracelet for something in the 100USD range. it appeared to have solid end links, FWIW. -alignment seemed fine for the price point. Cons: -as I said the chrono thing bothers me. -bracelet, while good for the price point, sits awkwardly (IMO) with the watch case. May be "tenting" it up with some wrists. -the bracelet links do not have the articulation I was expecting. (not sure this is a con but it's my opinion. )


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## StufflerMike

Please report back after 20+ years.


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## vince.cb

stuffler said:


> Please report back after 20+ years.


Ahaha I love this guy


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## andrei777

deluxeswiss said:


> They should all be whipped with a wet bamboo cane.


Indeed.


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## El-Bonedeedo

To be completely honest, I'm surprised at some of the commentary here... on a watch forum. Maybe they started out better? I picked one up to look at it at a Nordstrom the other day. It was styled like a chronograph, but none of the sub dials worked at all, they were just glued on. What a joke. How are these watches even defensible? You could get a more functional, or at least equivalently functional at a Walgreens pharmacy.


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## Wandering Ben

Wow, can't believe something I posted like 5 years ago got that many traffic (I left WUS for awhile and came back recently) - that was my naive days and thanks to y'all I was able to steer clear of fashion watches haha.

My current opinion is if I have 300+ dollars to throw around for a watch, it should be something like a Tissot or Hamilton!


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## luderchris3

Wandering Ben said:


> Wow, can't believe something I posted like 5 years ago got that many traffic (I left WUS for awhile and came back recently) - that was my naive days and thanks to y'all I was able to steer clear of fashion watches haha.
> 
> My current opinion is if I have 300+ dollars to throw around for a watch, it should be something like a Tissot or Hamilton!


Did you ever get that Seiko 5 or that EcoDrive?  always fun to look back on forums and see where we were when we started a hobby. Cheers.


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## Wandering Ben

luderchris3 said:


> Did you ever get that Seiko 5 or that EcoDrive?  always fun to look back on forums and see where we were when we started a hobby. Cheers.


I did. Still have that particular Seiko 5 today in the box! Thank you for checking-in. Cheers! I've not gotten an Eco drive but always on the look for things coming from Citizen

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## luderchris3

If i bought a new Citizen it would definitely be the BN0151, Jomashop has it 50% off right now.

https://www.jomashop.com/citizen-watch-bn0151-09l.html









I mostly buy old watches though and have been after a 52-0110


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## William Voelkel

Michael Kors is a fashion brand. The watches are the same. If you want a great looking watch with a great 2 year warranty, then snatch one up! They do have some great looking styles. Some quartz and some auto. The movements are not high end nor are they of high quality. But they will last. Just change the battery!

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## ty423

In my young 20s I never thought about buying anything over $1000 and these fashion watches were pretty damn expensive to me even at $500


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## offwhite12345

Absolutely. Garbage for the price tag.


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## modasf

I dont like them and think they're trash but they sell well for me so can't complain


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## mjunior

Michael Kors is such garbage, I know a kid who shows off his gold michael kors watch. I just shake my head.


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## DChaffee

Reviving an old thread. I bought this MK Jetmaster Auto about 2 years ago. Found it a Fossil Store blow out, knew a girl who worked there and got her discount. Under $100. Chinese automatic movement and the dials are all calendar indicators. Very nicely done, very solid, very heavy, hand winds and keeps time about as well as my Seikos. The bracelet is actually much nicer than anything I've gotten on a Seiko or Orient. I'll check back in after 5 years, we'll see if i


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## Bagpuss007

A nice watch for the money. I think Michael Kors are an OK designer brand I have one, its about 10 years old and still looks good.


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## A2MI

Thank you for the valuable info

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## Bagpuss007

This is my very bling MK watch, sorry about slightly fuzzy photo, don't think there was sufficient light. Unisex or a lady's watch in fake tortoise shell case and strap. I just liked it and it did not cost much good Jap moment.


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## watchintime

Bagpuss007 said:


> This is my very bling MK watch, sorry about slightly fuzzy photo, don't think there was sufficient light. Unisex or a lady's watch in fake tortoise shell case and strap. I just liked it and it did not cost much good Jap moment.


My one experience with a Michael Kors watch was a nice birthday present from my ex-girlfriend 5-6 years ago. I opened up the box, she was beaming, and I noticed that the minute hand was loosely flopping around inside the case. I returned the watch for a store credit, and never bought another. Needless to say, she wasn't pleased. She's now married to someone who hopefully appreciates MK more than I did


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## Watchaficionado5

Never had good experiences with MK. Always had parts malfunctioning!


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## A2MI

Aleric said:


> Michael Kors does have some nice looking designs.


So does Invicta. Rimshot!

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