OLEVS 6701 Silver/Black Review: flashy automatic watch on a budget

I’ve been wearing the OLEVS 6701 with the silver strap and black dial for a bit now, and I’ll be blunt: this is a watch you buy for the look, not for watch‑nerd cred. It’s one of those pieces that, from a distance, passes for a much more expensive dress watch, with the skeleton dial, fake diamonds and all the shiny bits. Up close, you can see it’s a budget watch, but for the price, it does the job pretty well.

When I first took it out of the box, my reaction was basically “okay, that’s a lot of bling.” Big 42 mm case, open-heart / skeleton style, gold accents on a black face, and a fully polished silver bracelet. If you’re into simple, low-key designs, this will feel over the top. If you like things that catch the light and look a bit flashy on the wrist, you’ll probably be happy straight away.

In daily use, it keeps time fine for a cheap automatic, and the date and day displays are handy. The brand talks a lot about tourbillon and imported movement and 10+ years of reliability. Let’s be real: this is not a high-end Swiss piece. It’s a budget Chinese automatic that looks fancy. That’s not necessarily bad, you just need to go in with the right expectations.

Overall, my feeling is: it’s good value if you mainly care about appearance and want a dressy watch for nights out or special occasions. As an all‑day, every‑day watch, some compromises show up: the bracelet feels a bit cheap, the shine is a bit much, and the 30 m water resistance is basic. But for the money, it’s decent, as long as you know what you’re buying.

For the price this OLEVS usually sells at on Amazon, I’d say the value is pretty solid if you mainly care about looks. You get an automatic movement, skeleton/open-heart style, a busy dial that looks complicated, and a full stainless steel case and bracelet. From a distance, it passes as a much more expensive dress watch. The 4.1/5 average rating with hundreds of reviews kind of reflects that: most people are happy enough, a few are disappointed by the cheap-feeling bracelet or the blingy design.

Where the watch saves money is obvious: the bracelet quality, the finishing details, and the marketing talk around “tourbillon” that isn’t really a true tourbillon. If you compare it to more serious brands like Seiko, Citizen, or Orient in the entry-level automatic range, those usually have better movements and more solid bracelets, but they’re also often more expensive and less flashy. With OLEVS here, you’re paying for visual impact first, horology second.

If you’re buying this as a gift, it actually makes sense: the box looks decent, the watch looks fancy, and most non-watch-nerds will just think it’s a cool mechanical watch that shows its gears. A couple of reviewers bought it as gifts and the recipients were happy, which doesn’t surprise me. Just don’t hype it up as some luxury Swiss-level item, or expectations will be off. Be honest: it’s a good-looking budget mechanical watch.

So in terms of value, I’d sum it up like this: great if you want a dressy, flashy watch on a tight budget and you accept the cheap bracelet feel and basic water resistance. If you’d rather have a more understated, solid-feeling daily watch, I’d look at a simple quartz or save up a bit more for a better-known brand. It’s not a rip-off, but it’s also not magic – you’re getting exactly what the price suggests, just with a lot of visual punch.

The design is the main reason to buy this watch, and also the main reason some people send it back. It’s flashy, no way around it. The 42 mm case with a skeleton dial, gold accents, Roman numerals, and fake diamonds means there’s a lot going on visually. On my average wrist, it stands out immediately. If you wear shirts or suits, it actually pairs quite well for evenings or events because it looks like you made an effort with your accessories.

The black dial on this 6701 version is pretty dark, and the contrast with the silver bracelet and the gold‑tone hands and markers is strong. One Amazon review mentioned finding it too garish and more glossy in real life than in the photos, and I get that. The bracelet and case have a lot of polished surfaces, so under indoor lighting or sunlight you get a lot of reflections. Personally, I’d call it a going‑out watch, not something I’d wear with a hoodie to the supermarket every day.

The skeleton / tourbillon‑style opening lets you see the movement turning, which is fun if you’ve never had a mechanical watch before. Don’t confuse it with a real high‑end tourbillon; this is basically an open-heart design that lets you see the balance wheel. Still, it gives a sense of mechanical movement that quartz watches don’t have. The multi-calendar sub-dials fill up the dial a lot, so it’s not the cleanest layout, but after a day or two you get used to where everything is.

In short, the design is bold and a bit over the top, which some people will love and others will hate. If you like minimalist watches, this will annoy you. If you want something that looks like a complicated luxury watch from a distance, this scratches that itch at a low cost. I personally think it looks good for dressy situations, but I wouldn’t call it versatile for all outfits and all occasions.

Comfort-wise, the watch is fine once you get the bracelet sized correctly, but it’s not the most pleasant bracelet I’ve worn. The band length is about 21 cm out of the box, so if you have a smaller wrist you’ll definitely need to remove a few links. They include a basic adjustment tool, which works, but it can be fiddly if you’re not used to resizing metal bracelets. One reviewer also mentioned the resizing being a bit tricky, and that matches my experience – doable, but not fun.

Once adjusted, the watch sits fairly well on the wrist. The 42 mm case with 13.5 mm thickness is noticeable, especially under tight shirt cuffs, but it’s not ridiculous. The weight is moderate, so you don’t get that heavy, tiring feeling after a day. The downside is the bracelet feels a bit rattly. When you move your wrist, you can sometimes hear or feel the links shifting more than on a better-built bracelet. It doesn’t hurt or pinch, but it does remind you it’s a budget piece.

The clasp is a double locking foldover type. It holds fine and I never felt like the watch was going to fall off, but the closing action feels a bit cheap and the sound is more “clack” than solid “click”. If you’re used to higher-end bracelets, this will annoy you. If this is your first metal watch, you’ll probably just think it’s normal. On the upside, the watch is breathable enough – it’s not one of those sticky bracelets that trap sweat badly, at least in normal indoor use.

After wearing it for full days, I didn’t get any skin irritation or red marks. The edges on the case and lugs are smooth enough, so nothing digs into the wrist. I’d rate comfort as “good enough” for the price: it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t feel like luxury, and the main compromise is that slightly cheap bracelet feel and sound. If you swap it to a leather strap, I think comfort would jump up a notch instantly.

On paper, the watch uses stainless steel for the case and bracelet, with a Hardlex crystal. Hardlex is basically a hardened mineral glass – not as scratch‑resistant as sapphire, but better than basic mineral. For this price range, that’s pretty standard. I haven’t scratched mine yet with normal desk and doorframe contact, but if you’re rough with your watches, you’ll mark it faster than a more expensive piece with sapphire crystal.

The bracelet is where you really feel the cost cutting. A couple of reviewers mentioned it feels light and cheap, and I agree. The links don’t have that dense, solid feeling you get on higher-end steel bracelets. When you put it on or take it off, there’s a bit of a tinny sound, and the clasp doesn’t feel super robust. It’s not falling apart or anything, but it doesn’t give you that confident, premium click. It’s okay, but clearly budget. If you’re picky about bracelets, you might end up swapping it for a leather strap.

The case itself feels better than the bracelet. The finishing is mostly polished, which looks nice but picks up fingerprints very easily. The crown is threaded and easy enough to grip, so setting the time and date is straightforward. The overall weight is moderate – not ultra light, not super heavy. On the wrist, it feels like a real metal watch, just not a high-end one. I’d describe it as mid-range in feel, but leaning towards light and hollow on the bracelet side.

In terms of quality control, mine didn’t have any obvious defects: no misaligned markers, no dust under the crystal, no rough edges on the case. That’s already decent for this price bracket. But you shouldn’t expect the same finishing or heft as a Seiko or Citizen that costs two or three times more. Materials are fine for what you pay, but the bracelet is clearly the weak point.

The watch is rated 30 m water resistant, which basically means splash-proof and okay for hand washing and maybe light rain. The brand text says 30ATM/30M strong pressure waterproof, but the spec line says 30 m – I’m going to trust the 30 m number. That usually means: don’t shower with it, don’t swim with it, and definitely don’t dive. I washed my hands with it on and got a bit of water on the case, no problem. But I wouldn’t risk long soaks or hot showers; cheap seals and hot water are not a great combo.

In terms of physical durability, after normal use – typing on a keyboard, brushing against door frames, casual everyday stuff – the case and crystal held up decently. No big scratches yet, just minor hairlines on the polished metal if you look closely under light. That’s expected with this much polishing. The Hardlex crystal is doing its job so far. I’d still avoid banging it against metal or concrete surfaces because it’s not sapphire, but for regular office or casual wear, it’s fine.

The bracelet is the part I’m most skeptical about long-term. It works, but because it feels light and a bit cheap, I wouldn’t be shocked if the clasp or some links start to loosen over a few years of heavy use. One reviewer already called out that the strap “sounds cheap”, and I agree. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to break tomorrow, but it doesn’t give that “I’ll last 10 years easily” confidence either. Worst case, you can always swap it for a third-party strap if it starts to annoy you.

Overall, I’d say the durability is decent for the price, as long as you don’t treat it like a sports or work watch. Use it as a dress / casual piece, keep it away from pools and showers, and it should hold together fine. If you want a watch you can beat up without thinking, this isn’t the one – go for a simple quartz with better water resistance instead.

Performance-wise, this OLEVS is perfectly fine for everyday timekeeping, as long as you remember it’s a budget automatic. Mine has been running with a small daily drift, which is normal for this price range. You’re not getting chronometer-level precision here. We’re talking maybe +/- 20 to 40 seconds per day depending on how active you are and how you store it at night. For most people, that’s good enough – you just adjust it every few days if you’re picky.

The brand talks about “tourbillon watches” and imported movement and 10+ years of reliability. The “tourbillon” wording is marketing; this is basically an open-heart automatic movement where you can see the balance wheel. Still, the movement winds fine both on the wrist and manually. I tried leaving it off my wrist, and the power reserve seems to be around a typical budget automatic level – roughly 24–36 hours before it stops. So if you don’t wear it daily, expect to reset time and date when you pick it up again.

The multi-calendar functions (year, month, weekday, date) look cool but are a bit of a pain to set the first time. Once they’re set, the day and date are actually useful, but the year and month are more of a visual toy. The hands have a luminous coating. In practice, the lume is weak to average: if you charge it under light and go into a dark room, you can read the time for a bit, but it fades relatively fast. So it’s not a night or sports watch; it just helps a little in low light.

Overall, performance is what I’d call “good enough for casual use”. If you want rock-solid precision and long power reserve, go for a quartz watch or spend more. If you’re okay with a mechanical that you adjust now and then, this one does the job and the visible movement adds some fun factor.

Out of the box, you get the watch, a branded box, a small manual/warranty card, and usually a simple tool to adjust the bracelet. The packaging is actually not bad at all for the price. A couple of people mentioned in reviews that it looks like a solid gift, and I agree. If you hand this to someone for a birthday or Father’s Day, the first impression is quite positive: the box looks decent, and the watch looks more expensive than it is when it’s sitting in the foam.

The model I’m talking about is the silver strap with black dial (6701). It’s a 42 mm round case, about 13.5 mm thick, with a skeleton / open-heart style face, Roman numerals, and fake diamonds as markers. There’s a multi-calendar setup: you get year, month, weekday, and date indicators. In reality, you’ll mostly use the date and maybe the day; the year and month are more for show than practical daily use. The hands and some markers have a luminous coating, so you can read it in low light, but don’t expect bright dive-watch levels.

On paper, it’s an automatic movement with manual winding capability, no battery. That means it winds from your wrist movement, and you can also wind it via the crown. The brand claims it can run reliably for more than ten years. Honestly, for this price range, I’d just be happy if it runs reasonably well for a few years without issues. It’s not a heirloom watch; it’s more like a stylish accessory that happens to be mechanical.

Overall, the presentation matches the Amazon description pretty closely: shiny, dressy, busy dial, metal bracelet, and a watch that screams “look at me” more than “understated daily beater”. If that’s the vibe you want, it fits. If you expected a heavy, premium-feeling Swiss-style piece, you’re going to feel the difference as soon as you handle it.