Q&Q KW68J212Y "Submariner" Watch

Picked this new from an unofficial Serbian Q&Q Faceb**k store. Some scratches, a bit of touch-up & polishing work is already visible...

Certainly not a "real" diving watch, despite looking like a distant relative of Rolex Submariner and being factory rated at 5 BAR (it means "splash-proof" in low-end watch market terms!), yet looking pretty cool for EUR19.50 + courier delivery...

KW68 comes with a Citizen-Miyota "2035" quartz movement, flat mineral glass and a stainless steel bracelet. The  case is ion-plated cast alloy (hence the "IPS" on the dial) to keep the price down - typical of affordable watches.

Since Q&Q is a Japanese brand outsourced to China it's not to be confused with nasty "replica" or "homage" watches. Manufacturing flaws and imperfections weren't present on this sample, and the same goes with any other Q&Q watch I've bought for myself or family members over the past two decades: with regular battery replacement most of those quartz movements are still running, despite heavy EDC use and zero maintenance. With brand-name movement comes the respectable accuracy - in a real world use this Q&Q keeps better time than my quartz-digital Casio W-800!

I must admit that there was more "bling factor" to this watch then I personally liked (check the unboxing video below!) so it underwent a quick "patina-building" process - something which I may share in detail in one of my future posts :)

Short said, KW68's overall quality is probably best what you can get for this amount of money, albeit in a shiny, blingy Asian style...  Shame that this model is discontinued and there are no basic, "old style" diver-inspired watches in a present Q&Q quartz line-up.

Bracelet links are folded (standard type) and their surface is originally finished in a dazzling brushed/polished combo. Adjustment links are "T-bar" type, clearly marked with arrows and easily removed by an average-skilled user using a pointed tool and pliers. The remaining two adjustment links are visible in the pic above, adjacent to the clasp. Bracelet steel is rather mild and easily polished but don't even try applying any abrasives on the case, or ugly reddish under-layer is going to show up! Few of the bracelet links initially required some edge-rounding to make the bracelet more comfortable to wear.

Stainless steel back is press-fit type ("snap back"). There's even an honest "base metal bezel" inscription on the back, pointing out that bezel ring is made in one piece with watch case (i.e. not rotatable - hence serving only decorative purpose). One can't expect a decent-functioning ratcheting ring for this price, anyway... Bezel outer diameter is 40mm and this is also the outer measure of the case. Crystal outer diameter is exactly 30mm, and lug width is 20mm - measured with calipers by myself (BTW these measurements are pretty much elusive across the various sources on the Web).

Lume shot (f1.8, 1/8s, ISO400): lume marks are readable for some 3-4 hours (in dark conditions, with night-adapted vision) after being thoroughly illuminated by 120lm LED flashlight. This dial/hands combo has a high contrast and it's easily readable in any situation - an utilitarian feature that I appreciate very much!

Q&Q KW68 unboxing (YouTube):