Ted Lapidus Watches – Attractive and Affordable
Unless you’re a follower of fashion trends, you might not be familiar with Ted Lapidus watches. The company’s founder was a trend-setting clothing designer in the middle part of the 20th century. He may be best known to the general public as the designer of the white suit that John Lennon wore on the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
While the company focused on fashion in the early years, they have changed their focus to timepieces and fashion accessories in recent years. In that regard, Ted Lapidus watches represent a great opportunity to buy timepieces with interesting styling, decent build quality and affordable pricing.
Read on for the full Ted Lapidus watches review.
Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary
Ted Lapidus Watches Build Quality
The build quality is good, though not exceptional. Cases are made from stainless steel and the watch faces is protected by mineral crystal, which, while good, is not as scratch-resistant as the more expensive sapphire crystal. Bands are made from leather, rubber or stainless steel, depending on the model. Water resistance varies by model but is typically in the 30 to 50 meter range. This is more than adequate for what are generally regarded as fashion watches, rather than sports or diving watches.
One of the reasons that Ted Lapidus watches are so affordable is that they are manufactured in China. That’s usually seen as a negative, but the movements used in Ted Lapidus watches are Swiss-made quartz electronic movements which are shipped to China for assembly. This arrangement keeps the quality high while reducing manufacturing costs. While it’s not the ideal situation that most buyers would like to see, it does make the brand more affordable than they might be otherwise.
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If you’re looking for cutting-edge technical advances, you’d best look elsewhere. These watches are a fashion accessory, not a representation of innovative watchmaking. The company takes what works and puts it into attractively designed cases and offers them for sale at an attractive price point. They’ll leave the innovation to the more established companies, such as Rolex.
Styling is all over the map. The product line includes numerous chronograph models with a typical modern look. There are also a number of timepieces with more traditional designs, and then there are a number of models, mostly in the women’s line, that have pretty edgy, outrageous styling. Colors favor black, silver and gold, you won’t see a whole lot of other colors in the lineup.
Displays are all analog, as most buyers seem to prefer that, even with quartz movements. You’ll find that the product line include models that are suitable for all sorts of wear, be it daily casual, business wear or an elegant evening out. Faces are typically the traditional round style, but there are a few models with rectangular faces, for those who like something a bit different.
The care and maintenance is relatively simple, as these are watches powered by highly reliable quartz electronic movements. You will need to have the battery replaced every two years or so and that would be a good time to have the watertight seals inspected and replaced. Aside from this, you should store your watch in a cool, dry place and keep them away from extremes of temperature and strong magnetic fields, as either can harm the movement. With proper care, your watch should run well for years with little trouble.
The warranty is average, which is not to say that it isn’t a good warranty. Your purchase is warranted against defects in materials and craftsmanship for two years from the date of purchase. This is the same warranty offered by perhaps 90% of all watchmakers, so it must be adequate to weed out the occasional defects. As these timepieces are tested well at the factory prior to shipping, defects are likely quite rare.
As designer watches go, you’ll find that prices for this brand are quite affordable, with models generally priced in the hundreds, rather than thousands, of dollars. Models are typically priced in the $250-$600 range, with many priced at the lower end of that range. Given their decent build quality and broad range of styles, many buyers will likely be tempted to buy more than one, as they’re quite affordable.
There’s little interest in the brand on the collector market; fashion watches, particularly quartz-powered ones, just don’t inspire collectors. We don’t suggest that you buy them as an investment; just buy them because they’re nice looking timepieces that are well built and affordable.
You can find the brand for sale at a number of retailers, both online and off. In the brick and mortar world, you’ll be most likely to find them at department stores, though a few jewelry stores may carry them, as well. You can also find them for sale on the Internet, and that may represent your best opportunity to buy at a discount. We’ve seen them discounted as much as 75% at some online retailers, so it will be worthwhile to spend some time shopping online if you want to get a good price. Most online retailers also seem to have a good selection of the product line for sale, as well.
Ted Lapidus Watches Summary
If you’re a fan of old-school mechanical watchmaking or if you like gold or diamonds on your timepiece, you’re not likely to be overwhelmed by this brand. On the other hand, they are attractive, fashion-oriented watches that are well made and come with a decent warranty. Ted Lapidus watches are also priced at a reasonable price point, making them affordable for just about anyone. If you like them, you might even want to buy two or three.