In today’s post we’re taking a look at Paul Rich Watches. They were nice enough to send one over for me to review.
Clearly Paul Rich is catering to a younger crowd who may be more interested in the style and aesthetic of a watch rather than the quality and heritage. I’m not saying these aren’t quality watches, but it’s not a heritage timepiece. I’m talking the likes of Timex, Seiko, Orient, Hamilton, or Tissot.
I do think that there’s a time and a place for a good clean, minimalist fashion watch. Think of Daniel Wellington (DW), The 5th, MVMT and so on. I think all stylish guys can benefit from one of them in their collection. It shows that you have an interest and know a thing or two about style. I also see it as a rite of passage — kind of building your way up the ladder of quality and heritage timepieces.
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And while these may be made in China with cheaper materials, a standard workhorse quartz Japanese Miyota movement, and mineral glass — it’s not going to fall apart anytime soon. I’ve had my DW watch for over 4 years now and it’s been through the ringer, yet it’s still going strong.
Sure the watch snobs will tell you to avoid fashion watches. And will even look down on you for considering one. But who cares what watch snobs say. If you like a particular watch then go for it. I think people should wear what they like and what makes them feel good. F*ck the haters.
Now let’s take a look at Paul Rich Watches.
PAUL RICH GREY MESH WATCH
I chose the Hampton Grey (sold out) for versatility and mesh band because I already have plenty of leather straps.
In addition to the standard style I chose, they’ve got chronograph options with leather and mesh bands as well.
PACKAGING
I’m a fan of minimal no frills packaging and it’s exactly what Paul Rich delivers. A clean black box with nothing but the watch, small instructions pamphlet and a few tools to help with adjusting the watch strap.
Quick note: If you’re enjoying this Paul Rich Watches Review — then you’ll probably like this article Vincero Watches Review too.
MESH BAND
The mesh band stands out among the sea of leather and bracelet watch straps. I like the smoothness and overall sleek look of the mesh. It’s laid back, low-key and is suitable for many different types of looks from casual to more dressy.
WATCH FACE
Paul Rich watches have a minimal dial with a metal bezel that doesn’t feel cheap. It’s got some weight to it and feels solid. I liked the solid grey with pop of blue on the second hand. It’s a 40mm dial which is as large as I’ll go for my wrist size. I actually prefer a 36-38mm as the sweet spot for me. But since it’s a minimal dial with no other bells and whistles, it works pretty well.
While I can’t say how it’s going to hold up overtime as I haven’t worn it regularly, but if it holds up like my DW and 5th watch, then I’ll be happy with it.
IN THE END
I think many of the new “fashion watches” are so successful because of their large marketing budgets and ability to capture the influencer market to reach a younger audience who are more about status symbols over timeless style.
Paul Rich is a brand worth looking into if you’ve had your eye on a fashion watch brand. It’s essentially half the price ($99) of a Daniel Wellington watch with a similar aesthetic and build.
In the end, I think brands like Paul Rich are good for the watch market as a whole because they are increasing competition, and expanding the market which introduces a whole new set of watch enthusiasts into the world of watches. Win-win.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PAUL RICH WATCHES?
Let’s continue the discussion over in the Gentlemen Within Private Facebook Community.
Looking forward to seeing you in there.
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Well I bought the watch on sale.
The clock face was misaligned upon arrival. Free return shipping is on valid in the US. Shipping it back can cost quite a bit depending on where you live. Essentially I had to choose, ship it back and lose $20 or keep a defective $80 watch. I bought an extra strap too 🙁
Obviously I left a low review on their website, but clearly they don’t show it. In fact, on their website all their watches are 5 stars. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Not suspicious at all…
What is also weird is there is no info on where the watches is made, on the website or on the actual item. Digging further, I found they are made in China. Not a surprised, but still a company deliberately hiding that fact is quite shady in my opinion.
In all honestly, the watch looks very nice in person. I kept it and got compliments on it, as long as they don’t look to closely.
If you care only about looks and gamble on getting a non-defective one, its worth it.
Daniel,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Sorry to hear about the misaligned watch face. Did you reach out to them? I’m sure that they’d be glad to cover the return shipping since it’s a fault on their part. It’s only fair, right? As for the reviews, I can’t comment on that, cause I don’t know.
I’m not sure if they’re deliberately hiding where the product is made, many other ‘fashion watch’ brands don’t advertise it either. I think that they should, of course, because transparency is important, but of course they aren’t required to. I didn’t have to do much searching around to find out that they’re manufactured in China, either.
Try reaching out to let them know the situation, I’m sure they would be glad to help.
-K
Hi Daniel. Apologies for the misaligned face. I have e-mailed you directly about the issue and as above we can offer you a replacement or refund. You can also reach me at [email protected].
Admittedly we did have customer service change after New Year and some team members may need additional guidance.
Regarding the statement where the watches are made, yes indeed they are made in China. However, we also do not advertise that our products are Swiss made. We try hard to offer better quality watches at a lower price point than most our competitors.
DO NOT purchase a watch on sale from Paul Rich. I just received a Black Chrono that fails to keep time and was told that I cannot get a replacement or refund and then pointed to the last line of their returns page: “Any sale of item(s) purchased with a discount is final. Items on sale cannot be returned. This includes ANY discount.” Nevermind the FREE RETURNS over $50 on their front page. Purchase at your own risk!
Alexander, I’m sorry to hear about your experience. Regardless of their policy, it should be their responsibility to replace any faulty products. I would get back in touch with them until the issue resolved. It’s only fair.
I’m sorry too. Taking advantage of a recent sale, I purchased the watch based on several similar unboxing reviews. After wearing the watch for several days I noticed that it was not keeping accurate time.
I contacted Paul Rich through their support email and was asked to “prove” that what I was saying was true!?! I took a photo log and sent that to them. No response. Contacted again and was told “Sorry, You bought the watch on sale and those sales are final. No returns, no refunds.” I tried calling to speak with someone directly. It rings forever. No machine, no answer.
Objectively, it is a nice looking timepiece..the fact that mine does not work and they won’t even replace it for me, make me think that I wasted my money on a piece of garbage and got suckered. I will be disputing charge with my credit card since that is my only available recourse.
They were kind and communicative with me, but that sounds like careless customer service. It’s a good idea to dispute through your CC company if PR isn’t going to cooperate. Hope you get this resolved.
Best,
-K
Hi Alexander. I’m sorry to hear your timepiece was defective. I have e-mailed you directly about the issue and a replacement. You can also reach me at [email protected].
We of course replace all defective watches at no cost and I’m not sure what happened with customer service. I’ll conduct a separate inquiry into that.
UPDATE: As of 2/1/18 I was contacted directly by Paul Rich Chairman Pawel Rachelski who has refunded the purchase price of the defective watch and they are apparently sending me another Black Chrono for free. I hate that their recent customer service changes led the chairman to reach out to me directly to correct the issue but I will say that my experience went from a very negative one to a positive one and I am impressed with him getting involved. My hope is that the new watch will not have any issues and I can recommend them in the future.
Alexander, I’m glad to hear that they got in touch, let us know how everything works out with the new watch.
I’m very interested in the Zenith – Mesh. But the reviews here on this site , makes me afraid I get a broke watch on delivery, Also every review on the site of Paul Rich has 5 stars, its a but suspicious. Also too bad they don’t have retailers, else I would buy it immediatly, regarding the quality.
Hi, I just ordered a Graphite model and after seeing this review i feel like i made a big mistake. I thought the product was made in the US. I dont want to pay a 100$ for a watch made in China. This is not fair. I can get a cheap made in China watch from here in the middle east. Please help me cancel my order. Less than 24 hours since i made the order. Precisely 10:48PM Friday, December 7, Middle East.
Ranjith, sorry to hear that. I clearly mention in the review that Paul Rich watches are made in China. I cannot cancel your order for you. You must do this through Paul Rich, where you placed the order. Regards, K.
Now I’ll cancel my order I got surprised this product from China..!!
How were you surprised when it’s directly mentioned in the article that Paul Rich watches are from China?
Alain,
I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with Paul Rich. I will leave this up and allow for people to make a decision for themselves.
Gf ordered a Paul Rich watch and recieved one with scratches. She herself had to pay to send the broken watch back.
Later she recieved a new one, it appeared to be the same one, again with the scratches. For the second time she had to pay to sent it back.
After all this mess she didn’t want another so they repaid her the buying cost but she ended up paying 34€ for nothing.
After she wrote a review, they removed it and blocked her on all social media.
Simple, don’t buy!
Laurens, I’m sorry to hear this. Did you get back in touch with their customer service to get this settled? -K