buying a omega watch...

[abc]

i'm interested in the aqua terra seamaster... either 38mm or 41mm

deciding between chronometer or quartz..


should i buy off the internet?

they have 'cheaper' prices but it voids the omega factory warranty (not that it's that long)

so the warranty you might get is from the seller....


the other scenario is to buy it from a b&m store, or a b&m store that advertises on the Internet, but makes the sale over the phone or pickup... in either b&m situation, I think you can retain the Factory Warranty instead of voiding it...

 

[dr150]

Factory warranties are only a year long or so. There is a VERY low probability that a fine timepiece like and Omega will stop working during that first year.

The quality assurance when it leaves the factory is VERY high. It's not like buying a crap RCA TV built by some redneck.

An Omega is made by highly skilled watch makers.

Buy from the internet and save the money.


<-------------proud owner of Swiss timepieces bought on the net

 

[Mo0o]

I can get you a "Onega" watch for 20 dollars in China

 

[RedPickle]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
I can get you a "Onega" watch for 20 dollars in China

Chinatown

 

[Pepsei]

I can show you a site that sells "Replicas", also with swiss movement for $299, you can't tell the difference unless you open it up. There's an old thread on $1000+ watches.

Personally, I think it is a waste to pay over a few thousands for a watch. And I own a overpriced LV, that I'm wearing only because it is a gift from my uncle.

 

[Doggiedog]

I know a few people that have had their Omegas go bad on them after a year or two. They've told me to stay away.

Right now I am ticked off because my Raymond Weil Parsifel has broken for the second time in 1 year. These expensive watches aren't really rugged are they? It's not like I go mountain climbing with them either. I just put it on and go to work.

I've also been told to stay away from Tag.

Funny thing is, I've still got a Seiko watch from HS that is about 20 YO that works perfectly to this day.

I'm thinking maybe my next watch will be a Seiko Kinetic or something.

My wife wants me to have a fancy dress watch though. I'm perfectly fine right now with my James Bond Thunderball Swatch.

 

[abc]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
I can show you a site that sells "Replicas", also with swiss movement for $299, you can't tell the difference unless you open it up. There's an old thread on $1000+ watches.

Personally, I think it is a waste to pay over a few thousands for a watch. And I own a overpriced LV, that I'm wearing only because it is a gift from my uncle.

yes i agree it's sorta a waste... it's a luxury item, not a must have, but nice to have kind of thing...

 

[iamme]

pm DonVito, our resident watch afficiando

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Other things being equal (and they can be, more or less), you're better off buying from an authorized dealer, because it will have a small but real impact on the resale value of the watch.

When I get home I can PM you the name and a link to a B&amp;M store in NY that has a VERY good reputation, and will sell Omegas mail-order at 30% or more below retail. This is a better deal than the online megastores who sell gray-market.

Nice choice on the Aqua Terra - they are gorgeous watches. I'm still not totally sold on the arrow minute hand - I prefer dauphine hands for both H and M - but I think the Aqua Terra is one of the nicest genuinely new designs in many years. I personally like the Railmaster a hair better, but would be overjoyed to have an AT.

I don't believe they make a quartz Aqua Terra, but it's possible I just ignored it! The Co-Axial Escapement movement is one of the biggest draws of the AT, and I wouldn't buy a quartz one under any circumstances even if it were offered.

Honestly there are people here (Bozack comes to mind) who are much more qualified than me in terms of watches. Maybe one of them will show up in this thread . . .

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

BTW, here is the Railmaster - drooooooool . . . Also available with bracelet, of course.

 

[Carbonadium4]

There are a lot of fakes !!!

Costco even has them now.. at least the ones in NY i been to.. with original warranty..

some of these "internet" ones are stolen or has sn defaced.

 

[DigDug]

If you buy a mechanical/automatic, you'll have something that will last for generations. Why buy a little circuit board which can go bad, when mechanical timepieces tick on forever?

And don't go for an Omega. Go for a nice swiss, with a little more obscrutiy. Then you'll look like you are driving the nice Maserati instead of the overplayed Mercedes.


International Watch Co. (IWC)
Baume &amp; Mercier
Jaeger Le Coutre
Tissot
Patek Phillipe (although I think this is out your price range)

 

[Doggiedog]

Wow these Omega watches look so nice.

I'm really gun shy about getting a new nice watch now though partly because of the bad history of my RW.

My wife wants me to get a replacement for it because it was her wedding gift to me.

 

[Horus]

I own two expensive (300 dollar +) watches

An Esquire-HORRIBLE band construction, the pins snap every week or so. Good timepiece though.
And
A swiss-army Titanium 24H watch- Wow. Indestructable. Had it for over a year, one pin slightly bent, some slight scratches. INCREDIBLY light.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: DigDug
And don't go for an Omega. Go for a nice swiss, with a little more obscrutiy. Then you'll look like you are driving the nice Maserati instead of the overplayed Mercedes.

International Watch Co. (IWC)
Baume &amp; Mercier
Jaeger Le Coutre
Tissot
Patek Phillipe (although I think this is out your price range)

This is a strange array of picks.

- IWC and JLC are indeed very nice watches, albeit more expensive than Omegas (esp. IWCs). JLC has some VERY elegant dress watches, but not much in the way of sportier, all-purpose designs like the Aqua Terra. IWCs are wonderful, if a little sterile, but quite expensive.

- Tissots are cheaper and more ordinary than Omegas. Their bread and butter watches are quartz. Tissot is like a European version of Citizen IMO (although there are antique Tissots that are charming).

- B&amp;M are overpriced, very ordinary watches IMO, and won't hold their value well. My GF has a two-tone B&amp;M with octagonal face that's pretty, but it was also close to $2K and is quartz (she got it before we met). They don't make their own movements, and the watches themselves are nothing special IMO.

- Patek Phillippes are wonderful watches, but you're talking tens of thousands of dollars, and I doubt that's what the OP had in mind.

If you're looking for a slightly more offbeat watchmaker, I recommend checking out Bell &amp; Ross - they are wonderful watches, and something different. I am currently captivated by the Bell &amp; Ross Vintage 123 and Geneva 123, which have charming Rolex Explorer-type cases, handsome faces, and stunning bracelets.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I know a few people that have had their Omegas go bad on them after a year or two. They've told me to stay away.

Right now I am ticked off because my Raymond Weil Parsifel has broken for the second time in 1 year. These expensive watches aren't really rugged are they? It's not like I go mountain climbing with them either. I just put it on and go to work.

I've also been told to stay away from Tag.

Funny thing is, I've still got a Seiko watch from HS that is about 20 YO that works perfectly to this day.

I'm thinking maybe my next watch will be a Seiko Kinetic or something.

My wife wants me to have a fancy dress watch though. I'm perfectly fine right now with my James Bond Thunderball Swatch.

Just out of curiousity, what is wrong with Tag? just bought one two weeks ago...

 

[konichiwa]

I got a cheap on one Canal Street, they said it has a lifetime warranty! I'm happy

 

[Liviathan]

I have an Omega Seamasters, I love it. Get the automatic, you don't want to have to open the back of that watch if you don't have to.

 

[dr150]

Originally posted by: Liviathan
I have an Omega Seamasters, I love it. Get the automatic, you don't want to have to open the back of that watch if you don't have to.

Precisely.

I had one of my Swiss watches opened up to replace the battery at a local jewlery store. The retard messed up the chronograph hands somehow. I had to spend time and send it back to the factory to fix it!!

With automatics, you never have to worry with such issues--even if it lapses once in a while, like my Breitling.

 

[Papagayo]

I have the Omega Seamaster Quartz that also have digital display..

It's awesome, because you can turn the digital off, and you can't even tell that it's digital (because the background is dark blue and so it the digital part) ..
Turn the digital part on, when you need it..


Omega

I bought it about 7 years ago and had no problems..

I also bought the lifetime battery replacement for around $65.



I bought it at local jewery store (Osterman) for around $1000. (Yes you can haggle with the sales person on a watch)...

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I know a few people that have had their Omegas go bad on them after a year or two. They've told me to stay away.

Right now I am ticked off because my Raymond Weil Parsifel has broken for the second time in 1 year. These expensive watches aren't really rugged are they? It's not like I go mountain climbing with them either. I just put it on and go to work.

I've also been told to stay away from Tag.

Funny thing is, I've still got a Seiko watch from HS that is about 20 YO that works perfectly to this day.

I'm thinking maybe my next watch will be a Seiko Kinetic or something.

My wife wants me to have a fancy dress watch though. I'm perfectly fine right now with my James Bond Thunderball Swatch.

Just out of curiousity, what is wrong with Tag? just bought one two weeks ago...

I've had a few good friends tell me not to get them because theirs have broken. I'll go by their recommendation.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: dr150

Originally posted by: Liviathan
I have an Omega Seamasters, I love it. Get the automatic, you don't want to have to open the back of that watch if you don't have to.

Precisely.

I had one of my Swiss watches opened up to replace the battery at a local jewlery store. The retard messed up the chronograph hands somehow. I had to spend time and send it back to the factory to fix it!!

With automatics, you never have to worry with such issues--even if it lapses once in a while, like my Breitling.

No offense, but maintenance issues are not a good reason to get a mechanical watch. Unlike quartz watches, which don't require service other than battery changes, a mechanical watch requires routine servicing that can, in the case of watches the caliber of an Omega, cost quite a meaningful sum. A routine service on a Rolex (which is admittedly a slightly higher-caliber watch) costs $300-500. I imagine a routine service for your Breitling will run at least $200. If your watch is "lapsing," perhaps it's because it's long overdue for service.

Replacing a battery is very easy - it basically requires just opening the watch back and, well, replacing the battery. Any watchmaker/jeweler that manages to screw this up is responsible for correcting the results. It's a job you can easily do yourself with a case vise and caseback opener. A routine service for a quality mechanical movement is much more complex and easier to screw up.

 

[Doggiedog]

I've always thought the waterproof watches were sealed with some type of gas like argon and that replacing the battery meant having to reseal it professionally?

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Just out of curiousity, what is wrong with Tag? just bought one two weeks ago...

I've had a few good friends tell me not to get them because theirs have broken. I'll go by their recommendation.

There's nothing wrong with Tag Heuers from a QC standpoint, and reading too much into the experiences of "a few friends" is wrongheaded IMO. I had a really crappy Honda Accord, but empirically they're among the most reliable cars on the road, so . . .

The reason I don't like Heuers is that they're priced far too high for what you get. They are mass-manufactured watches with very ordinary craftsmenship and undecorated ETA/Swatch movements (most of which are quartz), but they're priced like they're something better than that. These are high-quality movements, and hence the watches are as reliable as those made by any of the hundreds of other watchmakers who use them.

Tag/Heuers have cachet among non-watch lovers, but don't get a lot of credit from watch afficionados (and hence have rather poor resale). Generally I'd rather be wearing a nice Seiko (actually, I am, an SKX779 on a gray NATO strap) than a Heuer.

None of this makes them bad watches at all, and they're not. I just think you pay a lot for a name that is ultimately not that impressive.

 

[Doggiedog]

How would you rate Raymond Weil Parsifels?