Daniel Klein or Philippe Lauren: Which One to Buy

They sit within arm's reach of each other on our counter and they get compared several times a week. Both are fashion quartz brands. Both build steel cases with applied markers and solid bracelets. Neither is Swiss. The difference is not quality, it is what each range is for.

The Same Shelf, Two Different Jobs

Philippe Lauren is the cheaper way in and the range where the chronographs sit. It takes one detail from a watch several times the price, a cushion case, a faceted bezel, an integrated bracelet, and builds it in steel.

Daniel Klein is a Turkish fashion brand and the dressier of the two. It carries the gold-tone pieces, the Roman numeral dials with blued hands and the tonneau case, and it reaches higher at the top. The longer look at each is in our Daniel Klein review and our Philippe Lauren guide.

Philippe Lauren: Where the Chronographs Live

These are real chronographs. The pushers work and the subdials count, and we have checked them, which is not something we say about every watch with small circles on the dial.

• Philippe Lauren Black Square Chronograph at 69 euro (6,700 L). Black ion-plated steel, square cushion case, black dial with three subdials and a date window. The most distinctive shape on either shelf.
• Silver Chronograph (PL2427-1) at 72 euro (7,000 L). The same cushion case in polished steel with a silver sunburst dial.
• Steel Chronograph (PL2435-2) at 72 euro (7,000 L). Round polished steel, black dial, three subdials, luminous applied indices, date.
• Black Chronograph (PL2435-5) at 72 euro (7,000 L). The same round watch in black ion-plated steel, all one colour.

Philippe Lauren also owns the sport end. Steel Sport Black Dial (PL2924-2) at 64 euro (6,200 L) has a faceted bezel with four visible screws, a black textured dial with Roman numerals at 12 and 6, and an integrated steel bracelet. Its blue counterpart, Steel Sport Blue Dial (PL2412-8) at 72 euro (7,000 L), has a deep blue sunburst dial, and there our description stops: it carries subdials we have not tested.

Daniel Klein: Dressier, and It Reaches Higher

Daniel Klein Exclusive Chronograph at 89 euro (8,600 L) is the top of either range and a genuine chronograph. Stainless steel, a deep blue sunburst dial under a rotating dive-style bezel, three subdials, luminous baton indices and hands, a date window and a solid steel bracelet.

Under it, Daniel Klein is a dress brand. Daniel Klein Premium (DK.1.12971-2) at 64 euro (6,200 L) is gold-plated with a silver sunburst dial, applied gold bar indices, a fluted coin-edge bezel and a date at 3. Premium Gold Tonneau (DK.1.14165-2) at 75 euro (7,300 L) is the dressiest, a gold-tone tonneau case with a wave-textured silver dial, black Roman numerals and blued hands. Premium Roman (DK.1.14173-1) at 69 euro (6,700 L) is the same idea in polished steel with a cream dial.

The steel end runs to Daniel Klein Blue (DK 1.12576.2) at 64 euro (6,200 L), a deep blue gradient sunburst with a coin-edge bezel and a red seconds hand, and Premium Steel Crystal (DK.6.14190-1) at 59 euro (5,700 L), a women's dress watch with crystal-set markers and no date. Daniel Klein Mesh and Daniel Klein F are both 60 euro (5,800 L): a white dial on a woven Milanese bracelet, and a slim steel case with a soft white sunburst dial.

Case Shapes: Where Each One Goes Its Own Way

Philippe Lauren has the square and the rectangle. Gold Square Crystal (PL2392-4) at 59 euro (5,700 L) is a gold-tone square with a crystal-set bezel, a silver dial and black Roman numerals. Steel Rectangular (PL2374-1) at 58 euro (5,600 L) has bevelled cut corners on the bezel and visible screws on the bracelet links. Daniel Klein answers with the tonneau, a barrel shape rather than a square, on the Premium Gold Tonneau.

For plain round dress watches the shelves overlap almost exactly: Philippe Lauren Steel Classic at 58 euro (5,600 L) and Gold Classic at 59 euro (5,700 L) against the Daniel Klein steel models at 60 euro (5,800 L). There the badge does not decide it. The finish you prefer does.

What We Refuse to Claim About Either

• No sapphire crystal on either. Sapphire is claimed on the Hislon range and one Romanson, because that is where we can prove it.
• Philippe Lauren: no movement stated and no water-resistance rating. We have verified neither, so we publish neither. Rain and hand washing, not swimming.
• Daniel Klein: rated 3 to 5 BAR depending on the model. None are dive watches. Ask us the rating for the exact model.
• Subdials are not automatically a stopwatch. The chronographs named above are real. Anything untested gets its dial described and nothing more, which is the whole of our guide to chronographs and lookalikes.

Battery, Bracelet and the Guarantee

Both are quartz, so the routine is identical: a battery every couple of years, 200 to 600 Lekë depending on the cell, changed while you wait. A quartz chronograph with a date runs closer to 1 to 2 years than 2 to 3, which is the only real difference in running cost.

Both shelves are brand new stock, carry our 1-year guarantee on top of any manufacturer warranty, and go out with cash on delivery free anywhere in Albania. The returns detail is in our guide to returns, exchanges and the guarantee.

So Which One Should You Buy?

• A working chronograph, cheap. Philippe Lauren Black Square Chronograph at 69 euro (6,700 L).
• The best-built chronograph. Daniel Klein Exclusive Chronograph at 89 euro (8,600 L).
• Gold-tone dress presence. Premium Gold Tonneau (DK.1.14165-2) at 75 euro (7,300 L) or Daniel Klein Premium (DK.1.12971-2) at 64 euro (6,200 L).
• A shape nobody else on the street has. Steel Rectangular (PL2374-1) at 58 euro (5,600 L) or Gold Square Crystal (PL2392-4) at 59 euro (5,700 L).
• A quiet steel watch for every day. Philippe Lauren Steel Classic at 58 euro (5,600 L) or Daniel Klein F at 60 euro (5,800 L), and the decision is which dial you prefer.

There is no wrong answer between these two. There is only a wrong reason, and the commonest is assuming the dearer badge is the better watch. On this counter it is not. It is a different watch, for a different evening.