Imitation Satechi Watch Stand Quick Review – Really an Imitation?

I`ve become pretty fond of Aliepress as of late. It`s a more international branch of Alibaba that has rocketed to become the largest retailer in the world. As is usual with buying in China, there`s a lot of controversy about fakes. Some products are cheap imitations, some are actually rebranded or unbranded stock and some are just genuine western brands.

What I have here today is an imitation apple watch stand. I actually didn`t know that it was a copy of the much more expensive Satechi apple watch stand when I bought it, I just thought it was an attractive design.

Image courtesy of Satechi.net

The stand cost me around $8 USD (vs $25 for the Satechi) and as far as I can tell, is identical in every way to it`s western counterpart. In fact I actually enjoy the unbranded look, it`s a little cleaner.

As for the build, the whole stand is constructed from aluminium. It has a matte, sand blasted finish that feels consistent and smooth. There are no machining imperfections and the angles are perfectly formed. It looks just as pleasing in person as it does in online renders. Especially standout is the base, made from solid aluminium, granting it surprising weight and stability.

On the  bottom is a silicone non-stick pad that prevents it from sliding around on your desk or getting scratched. It doesn`t produce any suction to the table like my Luxa2 headstand, but remains stable enough regardless.

Although it was intended for an apple watch, my Citizen and Casio watches all fit nicely as well, if you want to use it as such. The stands are available in gold and gunmetal/black as well as silver that I have pictured here.

It actually came really well packaged in a protective Styrofoam box, but shipping did take a month. The unit was in almost flawless condition, there were a few very very minor nicks along the edges at the bottom. Apart from that, there is no chamfer around the base, unlike the Satechi stand, or at least, it`s not as prevalent.

So for $8 shipped, this imitation stand is fantastic value. It`s sturdy, attractive and will fit perfectly into any setup, especially those with many Apple products. The aluminium is well finished and it works well with watches outside the Apple watch.