Reply With Quote+1Originally Posted by Wibbs
For me it's Seiko for affordable beauty's and Rolex for their unaffordable ones...
well it appears to have been done to death now but, its Omega for me too.
• In house movements
• Provenance/history; Moonwatch, Bond etc
• Sharp, crips designs
• Versatility; do you love the Aqua Terra but can't afford the full size auto and want something you can wear everyday? buy the quartz one! There's a choice of quartz or auto for nearly all their range, not to mention different sizes and coulor combo's
• Discounts available new
• Popular enough for a decent resale value
• Well known brand, if its important to you; even people who don't have a clue about watches instantly know you have money on your wrist and a big enough interest in watches to put so much money down for one
Lets be realistic though there are downsides...
• They may have in house movements but are owned by a 'parent company'
• Servicing costs are outrageous!
....but every brand has issues, none of them are perfect!
Having owned a few, and some Rolex, I would say they very much up there for me and I always find myself coming back to Omega.
+1
For me it's Seiko for affordable beauty's and Rolex for their unaffordable ones...
May favourite brands change according to era/year.
1950-1970 - Longines
1970-2000 - Seiko (particular the Speedtimers, Bullhead etc), Casio, Orient, Citizen
2000-2013 - Longines (Heritage Collection only), Orient, Orient Star (up to 2009)
2014-2015 - NOMOS, Orient
Last edited by LonginesManiac; 1st March 2015 at 22:27.
For sports watches, Rolex. Otherwise, JLC.
Of all the brands I have owned I would say H Moser & Cie has been the highest quality. Grand Seikos have always given me a warm fuzzy feeling. Rolex has come out with some belters and I like the direction Omega is going.
Hmm, if I could choose just one that represents a wide diverse range I guess I would go Omega. Blimey, never thought I would say that!
Based on my present SOTC it would probably be Rolex and historically Omega. The latter gave the step up from Tag level and those pieces are still valid designs today and could be happily compared to later arrivals. As far as current wear rates then Rolex take most of the plaudits and mainly via the Pepsi & BLNR which I both really like a lot. Hopefully I'll be able to revisit this in a year or so with a slightly more diverse opinion....
Rolex and Seiko.
Both in house movements, both with very interesting histories.
Cheers,
Neil.
Maybe all the naysayers are keeping quiet, but I don't have a 'fav' manufacturer.
Looking through my collection, there are a few watches from Omega, more than a few Seikos, a couple from Breitling. a pair of Longines, a couple of Christopher Wards, a brace of Steinharts and two of Eddie's, but none of these brands draw me unreservedly.
I like lots of watches, but I'm not drawn to any particular brand. Individual watches appeal, but I never particularly look for an Omega or a Longines, for example.
M
I would have to say Guinand after buying one last year. A real personal touch from speaking with Horst Hassler and personalising bits. Then it would be Precistas for their value. But my Grail manufacturer would be mid 90s Zenith (de Luca or cairelli) so if anyone has a cheap one going spare ;-)
Didn't Guinand close down last year?
I hope I'm wrong but I'm sure i read that somewhere.
I'm going for Roger W Smith (not that I own one I should add...but i'd very much like to)
In the real world...Ball.
I guess Panerai was for me, simply because they are the one I've owned the most. But now I think Glashutte Original as well have won me over completely with their quality.
Lemania
Which has an almost unrivalled record of tool watches and movements.
Czech Airforce Lemanias
The HS9 and later british mil chronographs.
Lemania dive supervisors watch.
Lemania SwAF and SAAF watches
The moonwatch movements - all of them.
The 1340 movement, later to be reincarnated as the power house of the Breguet Type XXI and elsewhere
The 5100 movement, in all its Bund and elsewhere issued guises (Orfina PD, Arctos, Tengler, Tutima, Heuer AMI etc etc).
Most the othe mechanical timepieces ever used by the BBC (I have 3)
Not to mention deriving the Memomatic movement, loads of aircraft clocks and so on.
A great brand.
D
Yes sadly they did close down, Horst Hassler and Helmut Sinn both retired. I got mine about 3 months before that.
For "aspiration" - JLC or Lange
For "just about affordable" - IWC
For "understated bombproofness" - Sinn
For "doing what it says on the tin" - G-Shock
I'm now on my third GO - I actually remember posting a thread on here to ask if I should buy one and were they just a poor imitation of Lange!! How times (and knowledge) change, that's why I love this place!
I don't think I have a favourite manufacturer as such. I have dozens of different manufacturers' watches in my collection and I do not have any particular manufacturer whose watches I feel I should particularly be buying.
However, the single manufacturer whose watches I have most of is Seiko. But even this isn't because Seiko is a favourite manufacturer (although clearly I do like Seiko) -- I think it's because Seiko make such a broad range of watches in every style and price range that I've ended up with a lot of them by default, so to speak.
JLC in terms of design and bang for horological buck.
A bit lower down the hierarchy, Omega, for doing the best job of reimagining their classics.
I love my sub and have quite a wide range of the type of watches I like, but the brand I admire the most is probably Zenith.
So far - it would be the one I'm thinking of next, because thinking of the next one has occupied more of my attention than enjoying what I already have.
But now I'm resting - I'll have to see what proves best in service...it might turn out to be some sort of Seiko though...hold on, I'm not sure if I want a favourite...
Weird one for me and maybe a display of the power of marketing. Lange & Söhne.
Never owned one, and I imagine never will.
The Datograph up/down is probably in my top three most desired watches, but other than that I dislike the vast majority of their models, either thinking they're just downright nasty (Zeitwerk, I'm looking at you) or have details that ruin them for me like roman numerals, cases too big or fat, wasted dial space, cut away dials, nibbled numbers etc). And what's left of the range I do like tend to be the pretty generic dressy looking things that could have the logo swapped for GO, JLC, VC etc and probably not raise any eyebrow.
Yet, whenever I see one, either in a window or even online I get a little excited and feel like a kid gawping at some new fancy, out of reach toy. They're probably the watches I show most as an example when I'm asked to explain my interest in watches to the uninitiated.
Based on what I've seen so far, I'd probably plump for one of the independents, rather than one of the brands within a conglomerate. It's far easier to "get to know" them, it's always nice to see them, and you often get to share a beer. I certainly prefer them to many of the larger, more impersonal brands. But unable to chose a favourite. Connection with the makers is important to me - I like the people and the stories they tell. It's a lot harder for me to make a connection to a corporate entity, although there are exceptions.
It used to be Perrelet but in the last few years they seem to losing their way and producing more and more awful Turbine models.
Now I would have to say GO. I can't think of any other brand that (to me) produces as many watches that I find appealing as GO.
Close runner up Zenith, but they have a few horrors in the range.
Like many I started with Tag then I too got hooked on Omega - planet ocean with orange bezel became my weekender followed by a Seamaster Aqua terra for daily workwear. Then purchased another PO with ceramic black bezel. All Omegas worn weekly. Panerai then purchased for 50th followed by IWC Aquatimer and recently a Rolex Deepsea. The theme for me seems to have been aspiring and then owning watches of higher value / desirability. I plan to break the cycle with a IWC Pilot as next purchase. So I guess fundamentally I just love watches!
Yes, Seiko, PP and VC.
Sinn for me because of their innovative technique they use. I own a Sinn 103 Panda.
And Rolex and Omega while the Sub and SMP are my current grails.
Rolex and Patek Philippe. Abit of Panerai love too.
For me it would have to be Universal Genève.
Looks like you scrub up quite well Josh, makes a change from all that Lycra :)I have my reasons. Here is one of them:
SEIKO are quite addictive, it's like a beautiful woman with a phd who always says yes
and can cook
anything
It's gotta be Seiko. There's a watch for everyone.
I have so many favourites in the Seiko line-up. I am into the divers, so aside from the classic vintage divers, I have an MM300 with the wonderful 8L35 GS 9S55 based movement, and a Grand Seiko SBGA031 for it's stunning presence, light titanium, and the amazing 9R65 Spring Drive movement.
LOL
Tough choice, but I'd go AP Royal Oak on their fabulous bracelet.
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