SOLLEN Men's Luxury Skeleton Watch Review: a cool-looking automatic for under £100

I’ve been wearing this SOLLEN skeleton watch on and off for about two weeks, swapping it in with a couple of Seiko automatics and a cheap Casio. So this isn’t a collector’s deep dive, it’s more: does this thing feel good on the wrist, look decent, and tell the time without driving you mad. Short version: it looks more expensive than it is, and it does the job, but it’s not perfect.

The first impression when you open the box is pretty positive. The black case, skeleton window and mesh strap give it that “I know a bit about watches” vibe, even if you don’t. It’s clearly aimed at people who want something dressy and a bit flashy without dropping hundreds. I wore it to the office, to a dinner, and just knocking about at the weekend with jeans and a hoodie. It didn’t feel out of place in any of those situations.

Because it’s an automatic, there’s no battery, which is nice, but it also means if you leave it on the dresser for a day or two, it stops and you have to set it again. That’s normal for this kind of watch, but if you’re used to quartz, it can be mildly annoying. Timekeeping over the two weeks was reasonable: I was seeing roughly +15 to +20 seconds a day, which is totally fine for this price point, but don’t expect Swiss precision.

Overall, my first takeaway is this: it’s a style piece first, tool second. If you mainly care about looks and want an automatic that feels a bit special without going into watch-nerd territory, it’s pretty solid. If you obsess over accuracy and finishing, you’ll see the shortcuts. I’ll break down the details in the next sections.

At around £96.99 at the time of writing, this sits in an interesting spot. It’s more expensive than the absolute bargain-bin automatics you see for £40–£50, but cheaper than entry-level models from big brands like Seiko or Orient. What you’re paying for here is mainly the design and the skeleton look, plus the automatic movement. If you just want raw accuracy and reliability, a £20 quartz would beat it. But that’s not really the point of this watch.

Compared to other watches I own in a similar price range, I’d say it holds its own. The finishing is cleaner than a lot of random AliExpress brands, and the packaging makes it much more gift-friendly. The mesh strap and all-black look give it a more modern style than many budget automatics that still try to copy classic dress watches badly. You’re not getting sapphire crystal or high-end movement finishing, but you’re also not paying anywhere near those prices.

Where the value is slightly mixed is long-term ownership. If the movement dies in a few years, you’re unlikely to service it; you’ll probably just replace the watch. That’s the trade-off with cheaper automatics. But if you look at it as a sub-£100 style piece that gives you the mechanical watch experience, looks good with smart-casual outfits, and feels decent on the wrist, it’s pretty good value.

So overall, I’d call the value solid but not mind-blowing. You’re getting a good-looking automatic with a skeleton twist, reasonable build quality, and nice packaging for under £100. If that’s what you’re after, your money isn’t wasted. If you only care about function and durability, a cheaper quartz or a slightly more expensive known-brand automatic might suit you better.

The design is where this watch earns its keep. You’ve got a 42mm black stainless-steel case, a black dial, and a partial skeleton window that shows the movement’s flywheel. The rest of the dial stays fairly clean, with thin line markers instead of big numerals, which keeps it from looking too busy. The small seconds subdial at the bottom is a nice touch – it makes the main hands easier to read because the dial isn’t crowded with a sweeping seconds hand.

The 3D curved mineral glass gives it a bit of depth when you look at it from an angle. It’s not sapphire, so don’t expect top-tier scratch resistance, but it looks good. The dial layout is actually pretty smart: the main hands are bold enough against the black background, and the luminous coating means you can still read the time in low light, at least for a few hours after being in bright light. It’s not torch-bright, but good enough to see the hands in a dark room.

The back of the watch is see-through as well, so you can watch the rotor and the rest of the movement. If you’re new to mechanical watches, that’s half the fun. Is the finishing on the movement fancy? No. But it’s clean enough, and at this price I’m just happy they give you an exhibition caseback at all. The all-black coating on the case and strap looks sharp, but I do wonder how it will hold up after a year of desk use and bumping into door frames. After two weeks, I’ve got no chips or obvious scratches, but I was a bit careful.

Overall, the design goal is clear: modern, slightly dressy, a bit of mechanical show without going full skeleton chaos. I think they hit that pretty well. If you like black watches and you want something that looks more interesting than a basic three-hander, this ticks that box. If you prefer very clean, no-skeleton dials, this might feel a bit too busy for you.

Comfort-wise, this watch surprised me a bit. On paper, 42mm wide and 14mm thick sounds chunky, and it does have some presence on the wrist, but it’s not a wrist anchor. The weight feels balanced, and the mesh strap helps spread that weight out rather than digging into one spot. I wore it for full workdays (8–10 hours) and didn’t feel the urge to take it off halfway through, which is usually my test for whether something is too heavy or annoying.

The mesh strap is both a plus and a minor hassle. Plus: it’s breathable, doesn’t trap sweat like some cheap leather straps, and it wraps nicely around the wrist. Downside: getting it on with one hand is a bit fiddly until you’ve done it a few times. Adjusting the length the first time is also a bit of a patience test – you have to lift the clasp, slide it, then clamp it back down. Once set, though, you don’t have to touch it unless your wrist size changes.

I have a medium wrist (about 17.5cm), and the watch sits fine. The lugs don’t overhang, and it doesn’t feel like a dinner plate strapped to my arm. If you have a very small wrist, it might look a bit big, but that’s true for most 42mm watches. The domed crystal does mean it’s slightly taller, so it can catch on tight shirt cuffs, but with normal shirts and jumpers I didn’t have real issues – it just occasionally nudges the fabric.

Day to day, I basically forgot it was on after a few minutes, which is what you want. No sharp edges on the caseback, no hair-pulling from the mesh strap, and no weird hot spots. So in terms of comfort, it’s pretty solid for a steel automatic of this size. Not ultra-light, not tiny, but very wearable if you’re used to modern men’s watches.

On paper, the materials are fairly standard for this price range: stainless steel case and mesh strap, mineral glass crystal, and an automatic movement of unknown origin (very likely a generic Chinese movement). The case size is 42mm with a 14mm thickness, so it’s not a slim dress watch, but it doesn’t feel like a brick either. The finishing on the case is decent – the black coating is even, with no obvious rough spots or weird edges on my unit.

The mesh strap is also stainless steel and 20mm wide. It feels more solid than the super-cheap mesh bands you sometimes get on bargain watches. The clasp is a push-button hidden clasp, which keeps the look clean, but it does take a minute to figure out how to adjust it properly the first time. Once adjusted, it stays in place well. No random loosening or slipping during the day, which is important with this kind of strap.

The crystal is mineral glass, not sapphire, so if you’re the type to slam your wrist into walls or work in rough environments, it will pick up scratches sooner or later. After two weeks of normal office and home use, mine is still fine. No scratches yet, but I’m not pretending this is indestructible. The water resistance is 3ATM (30m), which in real life means: okay for rain, hand washing, maybe a quick accidental splash. I would not shower or swim with it, despite what some people try.

Inside, the movement isn’t branded, but it behaves like most entry-level Chinese automatics I’ve seen: a bit noisy if you put it to your ear, but perfectly usable. Accuracy is acceptable for casual wear. If you’re used to more expensive automatics, you’ll notice the difference, but for a sub-£100 automatic with this look, the material choices are fair. Not premium, not trash – just decent, cost-conscious choices that get the job done.

Two weeks isn’t enough to judge long-term durability, but there are a few things you can pick up quickly. The case and strap feel solid, no rattling or loose parts, and the clasp locks firmly. I didn’t baby it – I knocked it lightly on a desk edge a couple of times and brushed it against door frames. So far, the black coating hasn’t chipped, and there are no obvious marks. That said, PVD-style black coatings in this price range usually show wear quicker than plain steel, so if you’re rough with your watches, expect scratches over time.

The mineral glass has held up fine, with no scratches after normal office and home use. If you work in construction or a workshop, you’ll probably mark it faster. This isn’t a G-Shock. The water resistance at 3ATM is also a clear limit: fine for daily splashes, not for swimming or showering. One of the Amazon reviewers mentioned washing with it and it surviving, which matches my experience with light water exposure. Just don’t push your luck.

The mesh strap is often a weak spot on cheaper watches, but here it feels relatively sturdy. The links haven’t warped, and the black coating on the strap is still intact. The only minor concern is that mesh can catch on very rough fabric, but that’s true of most mesh straps. No loose wires or fraying yet. The push-button clasp still snaps shut with a reassuring click and hasn’t loosened.

As for the movement, budget automatics are always a bit of a gamble long-term. There’s no famous brand name on it, and servicing it might cost close to what the watch is worth. If you treat it as a fun, stylish watch you wear regularly but not every day for the next few years, it’s probably fine. If you expect it to be a lifetime heirloom, that’s unrealistic at this price. For what it costs, the durability feels fair: solid enough for normal use, but not built like a tank.

Performance here is mostly about the automatic movement, timekeeping, and how it handles daily abuse. Over roughly two weeks of on-and-off wear, I was seeing around +15 to +20 seconds per day. That’s not chronometer-level, but for a budget automatic, it’s completely fine. If you’re picky, you can reset it every few days. If you’re more relaxed, you’ll barely notice unless you compare it constantly with your phone.

The power reserve felt in the usual 36–40 hour range. I’d wear it all day, take it off at night, and it would still be running the next morning. If I left it untouched for about two days, it stopped, which is normal. There’s no manual winding crown mentioned in the specs, but on my wrist, just walking around, it stayed charged without issue. The seconds subdial is easy to read, and the movement of the hand is smooth enough for this price – you can tell it’s a mechanical sweep, not a quartz tick, which is part of the appeal.

The luminous hands are handy but not mind-blowing. After a good blast of light, they glow enough to read the time in a dark room or outside at night, but don’t expect them to stay bright all night. For checking the time in a cinema or when you wake up at 3am, they’re okay if they’ve been charged recently. Legibility in normal light is good: the contrast between the hands and the dial is strong enough, and the thin markers are easy to spot.

For water resistance, I treated it like a 3ATM watch should be treated: hand washing, a bit of splashing, and some light rain. No fogging, no issues so far. I did not swim or shower with it, and I wouldn’t recommend that. Overall, in daily use, it behaves like a competent, mid-range automatic: not perfect, but predictable and easy to live with if you understand its limits.

The watch shows up in a proper presentation box, not some flimsy sleeve. It’s a rigid, decent-looking box with a cushion inside, and honestly if you’re buying this as a gift, the packaging is totally good enough straight out of the Amazon parcel. No weird smells, no cheap plasticky feel. For something sitting around the £90–£100 mark, I was expecting more of a budget vibe, but it’s actually fairly clean and simple.

Inside you get the watch, a basic manual, and the usual tag. The manual is nothing special, but it tells you what you need: how to adjust the mesh strap, how the automatic movement works, and the water resistance limits (3ATM, so basically splash-proof, not a swim buddy). I’ve seen worse manuals on watches that cost more, so no complaints there. The watch was already ticking when I opened it, so clearly it had moved around enough in transit to wind itself a bit.

Visually, the first thing that jumps out is the black-on-black look with the skeleton cut-out. You see the little flywheel moving and the second subdial ticking away. It definitely has that “oh, what watch is that?” factor if someone glances at your wrist. Compared to a plain dress watch, it feels more playful and mechanical without being over the top.

In terms of presentation, I’d say it’s gift-ready. If you’re handing this to someone for a birthday or Father’s Day, you won’t be embarrassed by the packaging. It’s not luxury boutique level, but it matches the price nicely. For me, that’s a solid win: you’re paying mostly for the watch, not for some overbuilt box you’ll throw in a drawer.