# Review -- Casebudi watch vault and comparison to Oakley



## avusblue

Hi everyone. I own multiple examples of the Oakley Small Watch Vault (model 07-233), which I dearly love. It is one of the best accessories you can buy for your fine watches, and if it was branded Rolex, Omega, or Breitling, it would probably cost $100+ .... and we would happily pay it. As it is, it costs only $20 at Amazon -- but unfortunately, it goes in and out of production....and currently the Oakley is in one of its phases of unavailability.

So lo and behold, a somewhat similar entry has come onto the market -- the Casebudi Watch Travel Case, sold for only $12.99, at Amazon. I had to try one for purposes of comparison, plus I have a pending sale on a favorite watch that I want to ship out in style. So I ordered one to try, and here's my review.










In summary: the Casebudi is nice, and well worth the money. In comparison to the Oakley, here are a few comments.

o The Casebudi is quite a bit larger than the Oakley. The Oakley is 82 mm in diameter by 47mm tall, and is perfectly sized for up to a 40 to 42mm sports watch to be held with no slack or looseness. The Casebudi is 90mm x 50mm and leaves a little more room for a moderately sized watch to move around a little.










o The Casebudi is made of a stiffer plastic hard shell, with more rigidity than the Oakley. The Oakley is more flexible, yet still plenty protective.

o The Casebudi has a plain, smooth plastic, exterior. The Oakley has a textured, Cordura-style fabric coated exterior. Candidly, the Oakley looks better. The impression of quality is greater with the Oakley.

o Both have a soft, flocked interior -- call that a tie.

(With a 37mm Grand Seiko and a 42mm Breitling Aerospace










Overall, I prefer the Oakley. Most of all, I prefer it because its size just fits better and is more suitable to normally sized, non-jumbo watches. But also, I think it is a nicer made, more visually and tactility appealing piece. Yet -- I can still recommend the Casebudi. Even though it is second place to the Oakley, it is still quite nice, well made, looks good, is a great value, and has a big advantage in that it is currently available, whereby the Oakley is not.

Hope this was helpful....cheers!

Dave


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## cedargrove

Extremely helpful review. Thank you. Elsewhere on the Internet I have asked about them but did not get answers. 

The rigidity is important for me, so glad to hear they are rigid (in pictures they almost look like a flexible rubber). 

The Oakleys hold my 40-42mm watches with little to no movement inside the case. The Oakley also holds my wife's 31mm and even prevents her narrow bracelet from hitting the backside of the watch. 

It seems the Casebudi will be too large for my current watches, but I'll consider it if I get something bigger.


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## dinexus

I just picked up an Oakley case at their flagship store at One Icon Ranch. Hustle over there - looked like they had a few in stock!


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## Askr

Oakley will be getting more stock in July. I ordered two (large) watch vaults from them recently, and one had a defective zipper. When I called to sort out an exchange, the rep told me they were back-ordered to July. Side note: returning the case didn't cost me a dime. Oakley sent a UPS guy to my place to pick up the package, and I didn't even have to write the shipping label. Excellent service.


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## mpalmer

I'm going to have to pick up a couple of those Oakley cases...


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## jahake

Great review, avusblue. Thank you!

It just so happens that I received the large Watch Vault this week. For posterity, here is a comparison between the Oakley large Watch Vault and the Casebudi:

View attachment 1020048


View attachment 1020049


They are about the same diameter, but the Oakley is maybe a 1/4" taller. My 45mm watch will fit in both, but the CASEBUDi has to be squeezed shut tightly before it's zipped. The Oakley fits it comfortably so I prefer it over the CASEBUDi for that particular watch.

One thing I noticed immediately is that the "hinge" on the Oakley feels rather flimsy; i.e., it allows the two clamshell halves to move against each other very easily. Comparing the two solutions side-by-side, it's no surprise:

View attachment 1020061


The CASEBUDi's hinge is more than twice the width of the Oakley's. The Oakley's hinge comparatively looks and feels ill-constructed (oddly offset with frayed edges) in this example. Also, the way the zipper is constructed on the CASEBUDi makes it a little more resistant to collapsing due to shear when the zipper is shut than the Oakley. This is because the teeth of the zipper rest against the shell whereas in the Oakley, they "float" past the edge of the shell. Other than that, they are pretty much the same. Like avusblue, I think that the Oakley's materials are nicer, but I don't think this makes a difference functionally. Any force considerable enough to damage either of these cases will most likely mean bad news for the watch.

My conclusion? Fit is paramount, so if the Small Watch Vault can house up to a 42mm watch, then I would recommend the CASEBUDi for watches between 42 and 45mm before the Large Oakley WV based on price and construction. Of course, anything 45 or above would require the Large Watch Vault.


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## WatchFan650

Thanks for the review. I decided to just buy a casebudi since the Oakley was out of stock. i recently took it with me on a business trip (first trip with it) and found it to be great for my 40-42mm watches. works well even if your bracelet is sized for a smaller wrist like mine is.


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## BigDryFly

Great review! I really like my Oakley case, and wanted another. Two days ago I got one at the Oakley kiosk in Ohare International Airport when connecting. They had a few, so if you are traveling through, you might be able to pick one up.


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## Askr

jahake said:


> One thing I noticed immediately is that the "hinge" on the Oakley feels rather flimsy; i.e., it allows the two clamshell halves to move against each other very easily. Comparing the two solutions side-by-side, it's no surprise:
> 
> View attachment 1020061
> 
> 
> The CASEBUDi's hinge is more than twice the width of the Oakley's. The Oakley's hinge comparatively looks and feels ill-constructed (oddly offset with frayed edges) in this example. Also, the way the zipper is constructed on the CASEBUDi makes it a little more resistant to collapsing due to shear when the zipper is shut than the Oakley. This is because the teeth of the zipper rest against the shell whereas in the Oakley, they "float" past the edge of the shell. Other than that, they are pretty much the same. Like avusblue, I think that the Oakley's materials are nicer, but I don't think this makes a difference functionally. Any force considerable enough to damage either of these cases will most likely mean bad news for the watch.


That's identical to the zipper problem I had on my defective case. Since the ends of the zipper are unstitched, the slider could slip right off the teeth. Must have been a bad batch. The hinge doesn't feel at all flimsy on the one I kept, though I imagine the Casebudi hinge feels more solid regardless due to its design.


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## Happytalk

This could be too good to be true but this site is offering a pre order and says the Oakley small watch vault will be available May 30
Oakley Small watch vault 07-233 - 16.14


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## Walesy

Happytalk said:


> This could be too good to be true but this site is offering a pre order and says the Oakley small watch vault will be available May 30
> Oakley Small watch vault 07-233 - 16.14


I have ordered and recieved 2 Oakley watch vaults from these guys. Delivery was quick aswell.


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## Happytalk

Now the date has been changed to June 28. An all too familiar occurrence in the wristwatch world.


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## R-Oak

its really a bummer that earphone case are normaly a tad to small
i'm still considering buying something like

Hot Sale Hard Carrying Case Bag for In Ear Earphones Headphones-in Earphone Accessories from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com

it really seems to be only a height problem ... such a bummer


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## mleok

There's currently a Memorial Day promotion for the Casebudi on Amazon. If you buy 3 of the black cases, you get 1 pink case for free, so 4 cases for $39.


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## Speeding911

Have 3 Casebudis. Rigid with a raised center to hold watch in place and good for watches up to 42mm. Best protection for the buck.


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## Pricey

Unable to get hold of a small Oakley case myself, I too have purchased a Casebudi and I'm rather pleased with it! Here it is with my 40mm Speedmaster Racing.....


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## ChiefWahoo

Thanks all for sharing these reviews. The Oakley is again out of stock and I need a single-watch case for when I the 4x one is overkill, as well as for when I'm taking a watch on a bracelet that can't fold flat. Going to order the large casebudi as my watches are 44-46.


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## JFB

I purchased the Oakley large watch vault but it was just too big (41mm Omega). The watch flopped around inside. No one at the Oakley store had a clue about the small watch vault. After calling the Oakley Corp office it appears the small watch vault has been discontinued (not sure why??), unfortunately.

Recently purchased the small Casebudi. It's slightly smaller than the small Oakley watch vault. My Omega does fit though, all be it a little snug. Hopefully over time it will stretch a bit. The quality is good and it should last awhile. It's great for traveling, airport - hotel - etc.


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