Like you, we were not familiar with the brand either. Turns out, they’re known for their affordable, stylish pieces. We helped you find the best Benyar watch and answered some a few questions you may have about them.
Instead of diving right in, read through the following table. We summarized our top picks.
Our Pick
The timepiece is super affordable. However, it looks expensive. This is mainly due to its colourway. Something else that helps it look rich is its leather strap. The material is usually associated with expensive watches. The leather is genuine, but we have no idea what type it is – it’s embossed, so it looks like it might be alligator skin.
Its case is not small. It’s 1.69 inches (42 mm). You might have trouble wearing it if you have very small wrists. This is also because there are large pushers on its side. They aren’t there for fun, they work its chronograph. The BY-5104M’s chronograph subdials record the seconds, minutes and hours passed. They work like stopwatches.
Although it looks premium, it doesn’t have the most expensive window. It’s mineral. The crystal is the weakest out there. The metal on its face is not stainless steel. It’s an alloy, so it’s resistant but not that good.
If you want to wear it in the water, you can. It’s capable of withstanding 100 feet (30 meters). Benyar says that it can handle a couple of dunks, but not swimming or snorkeling. If you’ve read our reviews before, you’d know that getting leather wet is not a good move – it takes forever to dry.
There is a calendar on it. We love the way it’s placed – it’s almost like a moving gear. It only reads the date, though.
The BY-5104M has dauphine markers. They’re shiny and look elegant. If you’re expecting luminous pigment, you’ll be glad to know that it’s on the watch’s hands. But there’s not a lot on. It’s also not pigmented.
You’re looking at a Japanese quartz device. There are countless quartz movements - we, unfortunately, don’t know the one used.
The BY-5104M is light. It only weighs 2.56 ounces (72.57 grams). The more weight a watch has, the more premium it’ll feel.
If you’re not a fan of its chic black body, know that it comes in multiple designs.
What makes it special:
Comes in multiple designs.
The device has a rectangular case. It’s 1.64 inches (41.7 mm). Its case is made from stainless steel, unlike its brother. The metal is rose gold plated.
Its strap is made of leather. The leather on it is uber soft. It’s genuine, but we don’t know the type of leather used. It’s embossed, so it looks like alligator skin. The strap is thin. Wearing leather is not comfortable – you’ll sweat.
You’ll be using Roman numerals to tell the time. They’re not as easy as Arabic numerals to read, but they give the watch a regal look. Unfortunately, there isn’t any luminous pigment in place.
You’ll notice that there is no second hand. That’s because the timepiece has a sub-dial for the seconds passed.
Its window is not mineral. It’s Hardlex, which is Seiko’s version of it. The glass is tougher than regular mineral but is still not the most resistant glass out there.
If you look closely, you’ll notice fine prints on its dial. They make the BY-5114M look very grandfather-clock-like.
It is water-resistant. However, it can’t handle considerable depths in the pool. It’s resistant up to 100 feet (30 meters).
There is a Japanese quartz movement inside. It’s reliable and is the PE47 mechanism.
You’re looking at a light device. It weighs 2.4 ounces (68 grams).
Like the entry above, it comes in different designs. The navy blue and silver is one of our favourites.
What makes it special:
Its sub-dial for the seconds passed.
The Best Looking
Its stainless-steel body is ion-plated, making it extra shiny. The watch is supposed to be a ‘sports watch’ but we don’t think it fits the bill.
It comes with a chronograph; the three sub-dials on its front work the feature. They read the seconds, minutes and hours passed.
The watch isn’t very big. It is the smallest entry so far – its case is 1.57 inches (40 mm). The pushers that work its chronograph aren’t huge. They’re also curved, so if they happen to knock your wrist, they won’t hurt.
There is a calendar in the 4 o'clock position. You’ll hurt your neck trying to read it. It doesn’t help that its font is small.
Lume is scattered on its watch hands. Don’t get too excited – it’s not strong.
Hardlex is on its dial. As you know, the crystal is tougher than regular mineral but is still not the toughest glass around.
It can handle as much water as its counterparts. And as it’s ion-plated, it is very waterproof. It is also more scratch-resistant.
You’re looking at a Japanese quartz device. We, unfortunately, don’t know the name of the mechanism used. We do know that it’s reliable, though.
We mentioned that it’s chic, but we did we mention that it’s one of the best-looking watches on our list? Its gun-metal body and navy-blue dial go well together.
What makes it special:
Its ion-plated steel body
Our Premium Pick
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If you’re looking for a homage piece, this is the watch for you. It looks similar to the Rolex Submariner. Benyar nailed a lot of the Swiss watch’s features, including the watch hands, the shape of markers, and edging around the bezel. The two of them are similar in case size too.
It’s not as water-resistant as the Submariner. It can only handle 100 feet (30 meters). The shark-teeth on its bezel are supposed to help you grip it when you rotate it, but its bezel doesn’t turn.
The device comes in a shiny stainless-steel body. It keeps scratches and dirt off.
There is a calendar in an easy-to-read position. It’s also magnified, making things easier for you. If you want the day as well as the date, you’ll be disappointed. It only reads the date.
Hardlex crystal is on its front. You already know how we feel about it. The watch is a Japanese quartz. Benyar is a very affordable brand, so expecting automatic movements isn’t realistic.
We’re huge fans of its silver and green body. We love the sunburst effect on its dial – it makes the green pop. If the Benyar BY5160 wasn’t on our list, it would snag the best-looking spot.
What makes it special:
It’s a Rolex Submariner homage.
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If you’re looking for an uber minimalistic watch, the BY-5191M-L is for you. It’s very Bauhaus-like as it has a wide dial and thin, metallic markers. If you know anything about Bauhaus pieces, you’d know that they cost an arm and a leg. Swiss brands are known to do them, so you’ll be fooling people into thinking you purchased a device from the region.
There is an inner ring that reads the minutes passed. Although useful, Benyar didn’t do a good job making it easy to read; the markings on it are quite small. Some of the minute markers aren’t placed either.
The watch has a leather band. Like its siblings, the material is genuine. We would’ve loved it if more engraving was in place, and the leather would look like alligator skin. However, this would take away from its Bauhaus look.
You already know that it’s not a good idea to get leather damp. The watch can handle 100 feet (30 meters) underwater. It’s built well, so water won’t get inside. That being said, the company made it to only be able to handle a couple of dunks.
There is a date feature on it. We think devices with calendars are super useful. However, the one on the BY-5101M-L is small. If you look in the 12 o'clock position, there’s a day-reader. We would’ve loved it if both were together, but the watchmaker was going for a minimalistic feel.
There is Hardlex on its window. As you know, it’s not the toughest but it can still handle a beating. There is an alloy on its face. It’s not as resistant as stainless steel but does the job.
It is lightweight. The BY-5101M-L comes in at a little over 2 ounces (56.6 grams). Its case is rather big, though. It’s 1.69 inches (43 mm), so make note if you have smaller wrists.
Yes, it’s Japanese quartz.
What makes it special:
It’s very minimalistic.
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You are looking at another entry that comes with a rectangular case. The one on the 43219 is pillow-shaped, making it look rich. The fact that it has a rose-gold body helps with this. The gold was plated onto its alloy case.
There is a leather strap in place. It’s heavily engraved, making it look like alligator skin. The leather is genuine. It’s also thin – you won’t sweat.
It’s another timepiece that comes with a chronograph feature. Its chronograph subdials read the seconds, minutes and hours. They have blue hands, making them a breeze to read. Something that is unfortunately not a breeze to read is its calendar. It’s small and at an awkward angle. It took us quite a while to find it. As it’s in the 4 o'clock position, you’ll be straining your neck trying to read it.
We think telling the time on the 43219-80758 is hard. There aren’t any Arabic or rhomboid markers. There is a ring that’s too detailed that tells the minutes passed.
Although the watch is for men, it has a feminine look to it. If you look at its dial, you’ll see champagne toned fabric patterns.
You’ll slam its pushers into your wrist, as they are huge. However, they are shaped well. They are very easy to work with.
It is not that water-resistant. Like its brothers, it can only handle 100 feet (30 meters). Benyar says that casual exposure to water is all it can withstand. It is also a Japanese quartz device and comes with a mineral window.
When it comes to weight, it’s light. But it’s heavier than a lot of pieces on our list. The 43219-80758 is 4.16 ounces (117.9 grams).
Not only are sharp blue hands on its chronograph sub-dials, but they are its primary watch hands as well. There are circular indentations on them which have lume. Unfortunately, they won’t be of much use in the dark. The pigment isn’t the strongest.
What makes it special:
It’s the heaviest watch on our list.
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You’ll realize that the BY5112 is a lot to pack in. The device has a chronograph as well as a skeleton ring that hosts a calendar - it reads the days of the week. If you don’t know what skeleton dials are, they are displays with cut-outs that show you the watch’s insides.
The chronograph subdials on it read the seconds, minutes and hours passed. Once again, there are large pushers working them. They have an effect that’s possibly ion plating– the device’s buttons and case look like they’ve been dipped in chromium.
By this point, it shouldn’t surprise you that its strap is leather, though it is not genuine. It still feels great. The timepiece has the company’s logo and name engraved on its band. You usually see this in luxury brands.
The BY5112 is big. It’s the largest entry on our list, weighing 1.811 inches (46 mm). But its band isn’t that big, so your wrist won’t feel uncomfortable.
To read the time, you’ll be using the rhomboid markers. They are full of lume. The watch’s hands are luminous as well. As you can imagine, the pigment isn’t the best.
It can handle 100 feet (30 meters) underwater. Benyar is a fashion brand, so the fact that they don’t focus on thoroughly water-resistant pieces is excusable.
You’re not getting mineral on its window. Instead, it’s Hardlex. Don’t get too rough with it, you already know that it’s not the toughest glass out there.
Its movement is Japanese quartz. It’s also one of the heavier entries we’ve reviewed and weighs 3.3 ounces (93.5 grams).
What makes it special:
Its skeleton front.
Now that you know how great the manufacturer’s products are, let’s answer a couple of questions you may have about them.
The company produces super affordable pieces. Automatic watches are more expensive than quartz ones to produce. This is as they have more parts. We couldn’t find any automatic Benyar watches other than one – the Panerai styled Benyar Skeleton Watch.
The brand doesn’t use the best movements or parts, so its watches are not as good as more expensive devices. However, they produce good-looking, affordable pieces. They are below $50 and we think they look pricey. Overall, its quality is not the worst.
Would you be surprised if we said China? The country produces a lot of timepieces, even those that aren’t that cheap.
The brand produces devices that won’t last forever, but at least they’ll look good on your wrist. Even though they’re so affordable, they look more expensive than what they are worth. The Benyar watch quality isn’t too bad, but it is not something you can rely on.
