Sollen Watches Review – Affordable and Fashionable

Sollen Watches Review

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sollen watches men's luxury flywheel If you haven’t heard of Sollen watches, don’t be too surprised.  They’re one of a number of manufacturers from Asia that have flown somewhat under the radar, despite having decades of experience.

The company that makes Sollen watches has been in business since 1918, but was originally involved in the manufacture of sailing instruments.

In 2008, they diversified and began manufacturing wristwatches for both men and women.

Like many watches coming from Asia, Sollen watches features involve lots of eye-catching color, along with adequate build quality and pricing that is designed to suit most budgets.

That all sounded interesting, so I thought I’d take a closer look and see what Sollen watches are all about.

Read on for the full Sollen watches review.

Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary

Sollen Watches Build Quality

sollen watches women's four leaf cloverThe build quality of Sollen watches is certainly adequate, though they’re not exceptionally rugged.  Let’s just say that they’re well-built for their price point.

Cases are made from 316L stainless steel, as are many of the bands.  A few models feature leather straps, rather than stainless steel bands.

Most models also feature sapphire crystal, which is quite resistant to scratches.

Water resistance is modest, with most models rated at 30 meters of water resistance.  That pretty much means that it’s OK to get them wet, but swimming, showering, or diving with them is not recommended.

Watches Movements

Sollen watches are sold with either quartz electronic movements or automatic (self-winding) mechanical movements.  We’ve seen models with Sollen-branded movements, others with Seiko movements and others with Hangzhou movements.

Most models feature Chinese-made Hangzhou movements, which help keep the watches available at an affordable price point, and most of the models in the product line are of the mechanical variety, though they do offer a few watches with quartz movements.

We are not aware of any models in the product line with manually wound mechanical movements.

Click here to shop for Sollen watches at Amazon (new window)

Innovation

At the two-to-three figure price point targeted by this brand, you’re not going to find much in the way of innovation.  This company instead focuses on going with tried-and-true features and presenting them in eye-catching models at an affordable price.

You’ll still find a good variety of features across the product line, including power reserve indicators, day/date complications, moon phases, and see-through “skeleton” designs.

Styling and Features

sollen watches woemn's star riverThe company offers a good selection of models for both men and women, and currently they offer about two dozen models for each.

As we previously mentioned, most models are automatic (self-winding) mechanical models.

Colors lean towards white, gold, and silver in color, with a few men’s models offering black.  A few of the women’s models offer a bit more in the way of color, though nearly all models offer a choice of color.

We’ve seen some women’s models that offered up to seven different color choices.

All models seem to offer at least one complication; we didn’t see a single model in the product line that was a time-only model.

A few offer only a date, while others include multiple features – a chronograph, or day/date, or phases of the moon, perhaps including a power reserve indicator.

Sizes for the men’s models lean somewhat to the large size, with many models in the 40mm-45mm range.  Women’s models are more modestly sized, with cases of more like 30mm-33mm in width.

Care and Maintenance

The care and maintenance of Sollen watches isn’t terribly difficult.  As with most watches, you’ll want to store them in a cool, dry place, and keep them away from extremes of temperatures and strong magnetic fields.

Quartz models will need to have their batteries replaced every few years.

Mechanical models will benefit from regular use, as that will keep them wound and running properly.  We haven’t seen any recommended service suggestions from the company regarding their mechanical models, but in all likelihood, they’ll run for a number of years without requiring any service.

Sollen Watches Warranty

The warranty offered with the purchase of Sollen watches is the industry average.  You’ll receive a two year warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship when you make your purchase.

Probably 90% of all watches sold, including very expensive ones, come with a two year warranty.  These watches are well-tested prior to shipping, and defects are likely quite rare.

Prices

sollen watches men's super slimPrices for this brand are relatively modest, and range from a low of about $50 or so to a high of about $500.  Most models can be found within a few dollars of $100.

This makes the brand a relatively affordable one and one whose models fall within the range of the vast majority of buyers.

The lower-priced models will be the quartz variety, and the more expensive models will be mechanical models with more elaborate complications.

Where to Buy

Not surprisingly, your best bet for purchasing this brand is to shop online.   While we have found dozens of online retailers who carry the brand, we are not aware of any brick and mortar stores that stock them.

On the other hand, online shopping offers you the opportunity to buy at a discount and shipping usually takes only a few days and in some cases, you can have the watch delivered overnight.

Most of the larger online retailers carry the brand, and Amazon carries a good selection of models.

Be aware that not all retailers will carry all models, so if you’re looking for a particular model or a certain color, you may have to shop around a bit to find the exact watch you’re looking for.

Sollen Watches Summary

The mid-range wristwatch market is a crowded one, and it’s hard to stand out among the hundreds of manufacturers who are offering timepieces in the low-to-mid price range.

With watches priced at $50-$500, and with a variety of styles, colors and features to choose from, Sollen watches offer good value.

The build quality is adequate, there are models for both men and women, and they offer both mechanical and quartz models, all at a fair price and with a decent warranty.

On the downside, you’ll likely have to shop for Sollen watches online, as we don’t know any store that carries them, but most people today are comfortable shopping that way.

Click here to shop for Sollen watches at Amazon (new window)