#ad: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nostalgic for 80s bling? The SKMEI 1220 is a 33 mm gold-tone square watch with hands and a backlit digital display.
This one looked a little throwback to me, like a retro 80s watch. It comes in silver, pink and others; mine is gold. It cost about 20 bucks. My original listing now points to a different SKMEI model, so the button goes to Casio’s gold-tone AQ230GA, a similar analog-digital watch with that same retro look.
- Fun retro 80s gold look
- Small, easy to wear and fits under a sleeve
- EL backlight lights the LCD brightly
- Dual time, alarm and stopwatch
- Phillips screws make battery changes easy
- Plenty of bracelet room for most wrists
- Very affordable
- Gold tone, not real gold
- Plastic crystal
- No lume on the hands
- Stopwatch runs on one button, and the hand-set button takes practice
▶ Watch the full review on YouTube
Design
It’s all gold tone, pretty nicely done, though plating can vary. The bracelet has a standard deployment clasp with push buttons, and rolled links with a brushed finish and dog-bone style center pieces that contrast with the polished top. Some of my very first watches had rolled links, so it’s a real throwback.
The square case is only about 33 mm wide, but the band flares out a little and flows into the lugs. The dial has a flat metal finish, applied gold bar markers, black minute markers and thin gold hands.
The digital display
Below the hands is an inset LCD, like an old-school 80s calculator, backlit with the EL technology SKMEI uses on a lot of its watches. Hit the light button and it lights the display very brightly for a couple of seconds, really useful at night since there’s no lume on the hands.
How to use it
Mode cycles through the second time zone, the date, the alarm, dual time and the stopwatch. On the stopwatch, one button does everything: tap to start and stop, hold about three seconds to reset.
Another button sets the analog hands. Tap it to nudge the minute hand, or hold it to advance quickly. Once it’s moving it keeps going when you release, so get close and then fine-tune with taps. Water resistance is 30 meters, and SKMEI says not to press buttons underwater.
On the wrist
The case back has four little Phillips screws, so you can change the battery. I have about a 7.5-inch wrist with room to spare, and there’s plenty of bracelet for almost anyone. A square case looks a bit bigger than a round one the same width, since it fills out the corners. It fits under a shirt sleeve and takes me back to a simpler time.
FAQ
How big is the SKMEI 1220?
About 33 mm wide in a square case.
Is it real gold?
No, it’s gold tone.
Does it have a backlight?
Yes, an EL backlight for the digital display. The hands don’t glow.
How do you set the hands?
Tap the hand-set button to nudge the minute hand, or hold it to move quickly.
Is it waterproof?
30 m water resistance. Don’t press the buttons underwater.
Leave a Reply