OLEVS 6701 Silver/Blue Review: flashy skeleton watch on a budget

I’ve been wearing the OLEVS 6701 with the silver strap and blue skeleton dial for a few weeks now, basically as my main “going out” watch. I’m not a watch collector, just a regular guy who likes something that looks good with a shirt and blazer. I picked this one because it looked bold, automatic, and the price on Amazon was way lower than what it looks like in the photos.

Right away, the first thing you notice is how much it stands out on the wrist. The blue dial, open skeleton center, fake diamonds, and Roman numerals make it look way more expensive than it is. People who don’t know watches have asked me if it’s a high-end brand. If you want something discreet, this is not it. If you like a bit of bling, it ticks that box.

In daily use, I treated it like any normal watch: wore it to work, out for drinks, washed my hands with it on, even fell asleep with it once. I didn’t baby it. I wanted to see if a cheap mechanical watch like this could actually survive normal life and still keep decent time. I also compared it to a couple of other affordable automatics I own to see how it stacks up in terms of comfort, accuracy, and build.

Overall, it’s not perfect, and you definitely feel it’s a budget watch when you look closely. But it’s not trash either. It sits somewhere between “fashion watch” and “actual watch” territory. If you’re realistic about what you’re paying for, there’s a lot to like, but there are also a few things you should know before buying, especially about the weight, accuracy, and after‑sales support.

For what you pay, the value is pretty solid if you know what you’re getting into. You’re basically paying for three things: the flashy skeleton look, the automatic movement, and the overall presence on the wrist. On those points, it delivers. It looks like a much more expensive watch to people who don’t know brands, it has that mechanical charm with the visible movement, and it feels substantial in the hand and on the wrist.

Where the value is less strong is on the technical side: the accuracy is just okay, not great; the lume is weak; the finishing is clearly budget-level when you look closely; and the long-term reliability is a question mark. If you compare it to a simple, reliable quartz watch in the same price range, the quartz will probably keep better time and be lower maintenance. But it also won’t have the same mechanical “cool factor” or the skeleton style.

If you’re buying this as a gift for someone who likes flashy accessories or as a first mechanical watch to play with, the price-to-fun ratio is good. It looks the part, the packaging is decent, and most casual users will be happy as long as they don’t expect Swiss-level quality. If you’re already into watches and you’re picky about movements and finishing, you’ll probably see all the shortcuts and prefer to save up for something from a more established brand.

So in terms of value, I’d say it’s good for what it is: a budget dress/fashion watch with an automatic movement and a loud design. Not a bargain in the sense of hidden high quality, but fair for the look and features you get. Just go in with realistic expectations and treat it as a stylish accessory rather than a serious horological piece.

Design-wise, this watch is loud. The 42 mm case size, blue dial, skeleton center, and all the little fake diamonds around the markers make it very visible. On my average-sized wrist, it pretty much dominates the whole top of the wrist. If you like big, shiny watches, you’ll probably be into it. If you prefer minimalist or subtle pieces, this will feel over the top. It sits fairly tall too, with a 13.5 mm thickness, so it doesn’t slide easily under a tight shirt cuff.

The skeleton dial is the main attraction. You can see the gears moving through the open heart and center, which is fun if you’re into mechanical stuff. Just be aware: real tourbillon watches cost thousands; this is not that. It’s a standard automatic with a skeleton-style look. From a distance, it looks fancy. Up close, you can tell it’s more about style than high-end watchmaking, but at this price that’s expected. Still, watching the balance wheel move is satisfying if you’ve only ever had quartz watches.

The layout is busy: Roman numerals, crystals, multiple sub-dials for year, month, day, and date, plus the open movement. Reading the time is fine in normal lighting because the hands are relatively bold, but in certain angles the reflections and all the details can make it a bit cluttered. I had a few moments where I had to glance a second time to see the exact minute, especially under bright office lights or in partial shade.

On the positive side, the color combo of silver and blue works well. The blue dial gives it a dressy vibe, and the skeleton part adds some character. The overall style feels like it’s aimed at someone who wants a “luxury look” without paying luxury money. It leans more toward party, dinner, or dress-up occasions than daily office wear, unless you’re fine with a watch that gets noticed all the time.

In terms of comfort, this watch is a bit of a mixed bag. After sizing the bracelet properly, it sits securely on the wrist without flopping around. The 42 mm diameter is okay for most men’s wrists, but the combination of size, thickness, and weight means you always feel it there. If you’re used to light quartz watches or smaller automatics, there’s a short adjustment period where it simply feels heavy and a bit bulky.

The bracelet itself is breathable enough. It doesn’t trap sweat badly, and I didn’t get any skin irritation from the steel, which is a good sign. The butterfly-style clasp holds well and doesn’t dig into the underside of the wrist too much. After a full workday, I noticed some light marks on my skin where the watch was resting, but no real discomfort. Once you find the right number of links to remove, it’s comfortable enough for all-day wear, though it’s not the kind of watch you forget you’re wearing.

I did accidentally sleep with it on one night, and that’s where the size and weight show their limits. Lying on my side, I could definitely feel the case pressing into my wrist and hand. It didn’t hurt, but I woke up a couple of times aware that the watch was there. So for me, this is not a “24/7 wear” watch. I’d take it off at home and especially before bed. For shorter stretches – a day at work, a night out, a weekend event – it’s totally fine.

Overall, I’d say the comfort is acceptable but not great. If you like chunky, noticeable watches, you’ll probably be okay with it. If you’re sensitive to weight or have a smaller wrist, this might feel like overkill. Compared to other budget automatics I own, this one is on the heavier side and a bit more tiring to wear for very long days.

The case and bracelet are stainless steel, which is standard and good enough for everyday use. It doesn’t feel hollow or flimsy, and there’s no obvious flex in the links once you size it correctly. The finish is a mix of polished and brushed surfaces. From a normal viewing distance, it looks clean. When you look closely, you notice the polishing isn’t as smooth and uniform as on more expensive watches, and some edges on the bracelet are slightly sharp rather than nicely rounded.

The crystal is Hardlex, which is basically a hardened mineral glass. It’s more scratch-resistant than regular mineral but not on the level of sapphire. After a few weeks of normal wear – desk work, commuting, cooking, occasional bumps – I didn’t see any scratches on the glass. Long term, if you really abuse it or rub it against walls and metal surfaces, it will mark more easily than sapphire, but for this price bracket Hardlex is pretty standard and acceptable.

The bracelet feels solid but not super refined. The links move fine, and the double locking foldover clasp closes with a clear click. It hasn’t opened by accident on me. However, the clasp metal feels a bit thinner and cheaper than the case, which is common on budget watches. The included bracelet tool is a nice touch. I was able to remove links myself without having to go to a jeweler, though you do need to be a bit careful not to slip and scratch the metal.

The “diamonds” around the dial are obviously not real stones; they’re decorative crystals. They catch the light enough to give some sparkle, but under close inspection they look like what they are: cheap bling. If you’re okay with that and you just want the look, fine. If you’re hoping for something that could pass as a high-end piece under serious scrutiny, this won’t do it. Overall, the materials are in line with the price: solid enough for regular use, not premium, but not total garbage either.

In terms of durability, after a few weeks of pretty normal use, the watch is holding up fine. No parts have fallen off, the bracelet hasn’t loosened, and the clasp still clicks shut securely. I’ve knocked it lightly against door frames and desks a couple of times, and there are a few tiny marks on the bracelet, but that’s expected on any metal band. The case itself hasn’t picked up any obvious deep scratches yet.

The Hardlex crystal has stayed clear so far. I didn’t baby it – it went under jacket sleeves, brushed against laptop edges, and saw regular office and home use. No scratches that I can see under normal lighting. That said, I wouldn’t treat it like a beater watch for rough work or sports. If you’re doing anything that involves banging your wrist around, I’d take it off. It feels tough enough for everyday city life, but I wouldn’t push it much further.

One thing that worries me a bit is the long-term reliability of the movement. The listing claims it can run reliably for more than ten years. That’s a bold claim for a cheap, unbranded automatic movement. There’s no way for me to confirm that right now, obviously. What I can say is that in a few weeks, it hasn’t stopped randomly or done anything weird. It just gains some time each day. For this price range, I’d be happy if it lasts a few years with occasional use and basic care.

The only real red flag on durability is the feedback about customer service. One Amazon review mentions no reply from the seller when asking for extra links, and that lines up with what I expect from no-name brands on marketplaces: if something breaks in a year or you lose a part, getting support might be hit or miss. So while the physical durability seems okay so far, I wouldn’t count on strong after-sales service if anything goes wrong later.

This is an automatic watch with self-winding and manual winding, so there’s no battery. As long as you move your wrist during the day or give it a few turns of the crown, it keeps running. In practice, wearing it from morning to evening was enough to keep it powered. If I left it off for more than a day, it stopped, which is normal for cheap automatics with a limited power reserve. You just pick it up, give it a few winds, set the time and date again, and you’re good.

Accuracy-wise, it’s not perfect. Mine tends to gain a bit of time over a couple of days, similar to one of the Amazon reviews mentioning it “keeps gaining time”. In my case, I was seeing something like +20 to +30 seconds per day on average. For watch nerds, that’s not great. For a casual user, it just means you’ll want to correct the time every few days if you care about being precise. If you’re used to quartz accuracy, this will feel less precise, but that’s the trade-off with cheap mechanicals.

The multi-calendar functions work, but they’re more decorative than truly practical. The tiny year and month indicators are small, and I didn’t really rely on them daily. Setting them correctly takes a bit of patience, and you don’t want to be constantly fiddling with them anyway. The day and date functions are more useful, and once set, they roll over fine. Just avoid changing them around midnight, the usual mechanical watch caution.

The brand claims 30 m water resistance, which basically means splash-proof. I washed my hands with it, got it a bit wet while doing dishes, and had no issues. I wouldn’t swim or shower with it, and definitely not dive. The luminous hands and markers are there, but the glow is weak and fades pretty fast. You can read the time in the dark right after being in bright light, but don’t expect strong, long-lasting lume. Overall, the performance is okay for a fashion-oriented automatic: it runs, it’s reasonably accurate if you’re not picky, and it handles normal daily life without drama.

Out of the box, the presentation is actually pretty solid for the price. It comes in a proper watch box, not some flimsy plastic sleeve. Inside, you get the watch on a cushion, a small warranty card, and a bracelet adjustment tool. The tool is basic, but it does the job if you’ve never resized a bracelet before. For a gift, the box looks decent enough that you don’t have to repackage it yourself.

When I first picked it up, the weight surprised me. It’s listed at around 450 g including packaging, and on the wrist it definitely feels heavier than most cheap watches. It gives a bit of that “hefty” impression that some people associate with quality, but if you’re used to light quartz watches or smaller automatics, you’ll notice the difference right away. It doesn’t feel like a toy; it feels like a big chunk of metal on your arm.

The watch came already running, with the time roughly set, but the calendar functions were off. You get year, month, day, and date on the dial, which looks cool, but you have to set all of that manually. There’s no super clear instruction sheet walking you through each sub-dial, so you kind of fiddle around with the crown and pushers until you figure it out. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not perfectly intuitive either, especially if this is your first multi-calendar watch.

First impression on quality: from arm’s length, it looks good. Up close, you start to see where they saved money: the “diamonds” are just small crystals, the printing on the sub-dials is fine but not razor sharp, and the bracelet edges are a bit rough in places. Still, for something in this price range, the overall presentation is more than acceptable. It feels like a watch you can proudly gift to someone who isn’t a hardcore watch nerd.