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Michael Kors was founded by the American fashion designer Michael David Kors. Like many other brands, the company sells sunglasses, fragrances, shoes, handbags and of course watches.
Kors worked in the fashion industry for several decades before working full time on his own endeavour in 2002. Since then, the company has become internationally recognized and is now traded on the New York stock exchange under the name Capri Holdings Limited. This holding company owns the trademark rights to Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo. Despite his massive wealth generated from the company, Michael Kors still works at the company as the chief creative officer.
Although Michael Kors watches are inexpensive fashion watches. Several celebrities have worn dresses made by the self made billionaire such as Michelle Obama, Alicia Keys, Melania Trump and Jennifer Lopez.
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Is Michael Kors A Good Watch Brand?
Michael Kors is a fashion watch brand. They do not make complex watches with sophisticated movements and are certainly not a luxury brand. Whether the brand is “good” is more or less a personal preference. If you prefer the designs and style of Michael Kors, then you would consider it to be a good watch brand.
However, when compared with other brands, Michael Kors is very average. Compared with some brands, Michael Kors is quite overpriced, however as with many other fashion watch manufacturers, you are mostly paying for the brand name, rather than any horological expertise.
Are Michael Kors Watches Worth The Money?
From a pure watch enthusiasts point of view, Michael Kors watches are not worth the money. You are able to buy a Citizen, Seiko or Casio watch for around the same price. These watches provide much better value for money than a Michael Kors. In fact, you are able to get an entry level automatic watch for the same price as you are a quartz MK.
With that being said, nobody is buying a Michael Kors watch because they are impressed by the movement of the watch. Instead, everbody buys MK because they appreciate the design and like what the brand represents. Therefore, if you are a fan of the brand, Michael Kors is probably not considered to be overpriced at all. They make modern feminine watches and are not too expensive.
How Long Do Michael Kors Watches Last?
Typically you can expect a Michael Kors watch to last around 10-15 years based on the lifespan of it’s movement. With that being said, you will need to replace the battery in your Michael Kors every 2-3 years.
As the watch movement will last such a long time. There is a much greater chance that you either get bored of the style or wear the watch down through daily use rather than it breaking. Fashion watches are not typically made to last this long, but their movements are.
Are Michael Kors Watches Made In China?
Yes, Michael Kors watches are made and assembled in China. However, Michael Kors do not use Chinese movements in their watches. Every Michael Kors watch uses a Japanese Miyota quartz movement. These movements are not particularly high quality, but are not bad either. Miyota is a much better brand than any cheap Chinese movement.
Michael Kors Vs Competitors
Michael Kors is very average compared to its competitors. For a start, Michael Kors license their watchmaking to Fossil (as do many other brands). Therefore, there are not a lot of quality differences between every brand who gets Fossil to make their watches. Internally the watches are all very similar, as they all primarily use Miyota quartz movements.
The difference comes in both the price and design of the watch. Michael Kors often use a distinctive oversized case with either gold or rose gold finishing. Competitors such as Hugo Boss or Tommy Hilfiger have more of an understated feel to their timepieces and do not use one particular color more than others.
In terms of pricing. Michael Kors watches are a bit on the expensive side compared to their rivals. The difference in price is not too notable, but they are generally around 20% more expensive than other brands.
How Do I Tell If A Michael Kors Watch Is Fake?
The first test to give your watch is to check the model number. On the caseback of each watch will be MK-XXXX, that is the letters MK, followed by 4 digits. If this model number does not match the image of the said watch on official websites, then the watch is fake.
Another big giveaway is that the letters on the dial spelling “Michael Kors” should be individually attached to the dial. Fake watches often try to save time and money by joining these letters together, so that they can be embossed in one easy press. This saves them a lot of effort, but makes them easier to spot.
Yet another clear giveaway is the quality of the embedded crystals on the case. Typically fake watches will have glued these in poorly and misalligned. Michael Kors has a solid reputation and would never do this on a real watch.
Lastly, a lot of fake watches do not have the MK logo on the crown of the watch, once again to save themselves time and money. Michael Kors will always brand their products properly.
The Best Michael Kors Watches
Best Michael Kors Watches For Men
Lexington
The Lexington is one of the most versatile Michael Kors watches and is available in many different colors, as well as both chronograph and non-chronograph dials. Most notably the watch has a big roman numerals number 12 at the top position of the dial, with various hour indicators around the other positions. Unusually, the date window is between the 4 and 5 o clock positions rather than the usual 3 position. The fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet are very similar to the design of a Rolex day-date.
Runway
As the most simplistic design of Michael Kors, the runway is also the cheapest. Ideal for those who want a minimalist and not too loud watch, the runway is available in a variety of different colors. These vary from a very bright and loud gold, to an understated stainless steel model with black dial. Given that this watch is under $150, it is probably one of the best value for money MK watches.
Gage
This is the closest thing you will find to a Michael Kors pilot watch. The gage has a distinct blue dial which really works well in a sharp contrast with the brown leather strap. Its large 45mm case size is made to look slightly bigger by its chronograph pushers and busy central dial. Instead of hour indicators, minutes are written at each 5 minute interval. A fairly unusual but welcome change to a modern watch.
Ryker
The Michael Kors Ryker is a very masculine watch, so even those who think that the brand is quite feminine will have no problem wearing this. The design of the watch is somewhat atypical since there are 4 subdials. Almost every other chronograph design watch has 2 or 3 subdials, but never 4. Whilst this is quite unnecessary, it is at the very least an original design on a true sports style racing watch.
Halo
The Michael Kors Halo watch is one of the brands first steps into making mechanical watches. The skeleton design of the watch allows you to see the inner workings of the watch – something Michael Kors is unfamiliar with as all of its other designs are quartz. Although the movement is automatic, disappointingly, it is Chinese. This means that this watch is not incredibly good value for money. The brand could have easily use a Japanese automatic movement and priced it accordingly. Only buy this model if you are a huge fan of the design.
Dylan
This modern watch is great since it can go with any style of outfit, whether that be smart or casual. The case is a little oversized at 45mm and has a very big crown. If you wanted the same style of watch in more masculine colors, that is possible too as there is a stainless steel version as well as an all black model.
Bayville
The Bayville is Michael Kors take on a dive style watch. This watch is waterproof, but shouldn’t be used as a dive watch as it only has 50 meters water resistance. Obviously though, this watch is mostly made as a fashion piece. The Ceramic bezel is very scratch resistance and the stainless steel case/bracelet are very durable. This makes the watch both practical and stylish.
Best Michael Kors Watches For Ladies
Parker
The ladies parker chronograph is one of the most commonly sold Michael Kors watches on the planet and is what springs to mind when you mention the brand. Instead of making a thick bezel, MK have decided to fill this with well paved diamante crystals. These match nicely with the crystals on the watch dial at each hour interval.
The watch also has a chronograph feature and 3 subdials, should you feel the need to use them.
Pyper
The pyper is a very simple and minimalist design, somewhat similar to the Michael Kors runway watch. This watch is available in over 25 different color schemes, so there should be something to suit everyone. The dial is somewhat average size at 38mm, so the watch is neither too big, nor too small. Overall, it is reasonably expensive for what you’re getting, but isn’t too expensive for a Michael Kors watch.
Wren
All we can say about the Wren is that it definitely isn’t going to go unnoticed. I am not going to count the amount of diamante crystals on the watch case or bracelet, but I can definitely tell you it is A LOT. Obviously this watch isn’t going to be worn for work, but would look great on a night out. When put under any kind of light, natural or electic, the watch is going to sparkle and definitely catch the eye of others. It has a 42mm case size, so is somewhat oversized, but overshadowed by the fact that it has so many crystals.
Darci
A more simplified version of the parker chronograph. The darci actually has the same size dial and bezel (39mm), although it looks considerably larger since there are not any subdials within the main watch face. This watch is not as loud as some of the other Michael Kors diamante watches. But is still blingy enough to attract attention. Rose gold is pretty much the color that all MK watches come in, although this model can be found in stainless steel or yellow gold if required.
Blair
Another oversized womens chronograph is the Michael Kors blair. This watch has a 42mm case size, which is made to look even bigger by the large lugs and chronograph pushers. 42mm is already quite big for a mans watch, so you should only consider this watch if you have relatively large wrists.
Other than that, the watch is fairly straight forward with roman numeral markers placed around the dial to show hours of the day.
Smart Watch
Michael Kors are fairly well established in the smartwatch sector. A lot of other fashion brands have tried their hand at making smart watches, although Michael Kors has had quite a lot more success than most of them. MK don’t use their own operating software as the watch is operated by android. You are able to track metrics such as steps taken, monitor your heart rate, use GPS and of course – tell the time. MK smartwatches are pretty decent value for money given the price.
