If you're looking for another funny review which borrows heavily from the text of Ben's original sales pitch videos, you're probably going to be disappointed. I've already written all the hilarious stuff in my unboxing post.🤣
No, this time I'm going to attempt to write a serious review of the Spaghetti Scameti iCon because, believe it or not, it's actually a very nice watch for the money.
Just look at the attention to detail with the packaging for a moment. This wasn't just thrown in a dirty jiffy envelope, but was exquisitely packed in a sturdy cardboard box with lots of extra goodies inside a secret compartment, then placed in a protective plastic bag, surrounded by bubble wrap, and then all of it was put carefully inside an even sturdier outer cardboard box for posting. That's not what you do if you're only selling a joke. It's a sign of respect for the quality of your product and the customer.
The watch itself was thoroughly encased in clear protective plastic, with the blue tape on the crown, a plastic thing to stop the seconds from engaging in transit and running the battery down, an additional caseback sticker, and more blue tape on the clasp. It took absolutely ages to get it all off too.
Okay, so the quality of the watch itself isn't anything out of the ordinary. This is a basic AliBaba Chinese watch after all. The bracelet is only a slight step up from the worst of the folded link bracelets with solid rods holding it together, and the case (apart from the back) is only plated rather than stainless steel. Mineral glass completes the picture, and there's no lume because this is a cheap dress/fashion watch.
Resizing the bracelet is tricky unless you have the right tools. I suggest using one of the plastic screw type of gadgets (I have no idea what their real name is) rather than a hammer and pin adjuster to push the rods through, and you may need pliers (I hate the very thought of encouraging the use of that tool near watches) to pull the rest of the rod through. If you have strong, grippy fingers, you can probably pull the pins out without pliers, but in my case, I couldn't. Putting them back in was easy as pie though as long as you take note of which way round they originally came out.
More attention to detail comes in the branding on the caseback and clasp, not to mention on the dial itself.
There were no crooked letters or misaligned indices on my Blackmail Bolognese, and because of the Miyota movement inside, the seconds hand hits every marker. I'm sure that's a rarity with these watches, but I appear to have got lucky, and I'm grateful for it.
For those who didn't realise it, the Spaghetti Scameti iCon isn't an original design. There are lots of mushroom brands selling identical (and cheaper) models including Sinobi, BestFit, PinTime, and some whose names are just jumbled up letters. It's a dropshipped watch which is available for rebranding from many AliBaba sellers, but that doesn't make it a bad watch, or what Ben did here any kind of scam.
The irony of the Spaghetti Scameti is that it isn't really a scam at all, and you get exactly what you pay for. The website is extremely easy to use, the shipping time is practically instant, and the funny jokes don't affect your statutory rights in any way, This is a legitimate business venture, and Ben has put this product together very well indeed.
I expect you already know the measurements of this watch, and if you don't, they are all on the Scameti website. For the sake of completeness, I'll just repeat that the watch is 38mm in diameter but wears bigger because of the shape, and the lug-to-lug is approximately 46mm. The integrated bracelet maybe adds 2mm to either side of the lug-to-lug measurement, but the end links are female and drop down making the additional measurements negligible. There's enough bracelet for maybe an 8.5 inch wrist, so it'll fit almost anybody. Being quartz, it's about 9mm in thickness and sits even flatter on your wrist.
I don't think there's any water resistance worth mentioning. I'd guess that it's 30m or splash proof. Maybe it isn't even that. It's not a sports watch anyway, but it'll survive rain and washing your hands for a while.
The plating will probably wear off eventually because it's not done to the same standard as Timex or Sekonda who seem to have mastered the art, but it is better than the very cheapest AliExpress watches, and maybe equals that of a Casio or a Benyar. It looks nice anyway. It's very shiny and very much a fingerprint magnet, as you'd expect.
I'll end this here with a picture of my Spaghetti Scameti among some other products which claim to be Italian but are not really made in Italy either (apart from the Zuppa Crapiata which has an equally amusing name). Buon appetito! 😉