Reply With QuoteI'm looking forward to hearing some answers to those questions myself! Though somehow, I suspect its a matter of belief rather than fact....
OK, I've got a £500 Hamilton khaki, i wear it every day, it seems really solid and we'll made, its an automatic and keeps good time. It also looks good (in my opinion).
My question is,...what separates my watch from another double, treble, 10x the price? I may be wrong but surely the difference in quality is negligible up to a certain point? Are you just paying for the name!
The reason I ask is I really am tempted by an Omega speed master pro as a second special watch but I just don't know if I can justify spending thousands on a watch. My friends and family thought I was crazy for buying the Hamilton !!
If you were an honest salesman (if such a thing exists) how would you convince me that an Omega is £2000 better than my current watch?
I'm looking forward to hearing some answers to those questions myself! Though somehow, I suspect its a matter of belief rather than fact....
Not a bad attempt, would have been better if you'd thrown in a Seiko and Rolex.
Honestly, if you join a watch forum and have to ask, then you dont and won't get it.
The same applies to everything really ... cars, clothes, etc, etc ......... how can you justify any of it?????
Hello,
A topic that comes up now and again and has been know to get very heated, so on a personal level I can only say that i end up buying what takes my fancy, a salesman would probably suggest that you are buying onto some sort of exclusive club with Omega Rolex and the like, they're all just watches at the end of the day.
Pick something you like, ask the forum some questions and go for it.
Wow, straight out from under the bridge, arms waving, helluva noise...
I doubt even Cilla will bite on this one.
And neither will I.
Rolex. Grand Seiko. Veblen. Right... I'm off....
Stick with your Hamilton (decent watches), put the money back in your pocket and log-off. I'm saying this for your own good. If you aren't 'hooked' already, get out before it's too late.
But don't you think the Hamilton/Omega thing was a nice touch? Maybe Orient/Longines would have flown more under the radar.Originally Posted by Wexford
you obviously like watches so just enjoy the ride. Treat yourself to the Omega.................... I did and never looked back. Just money at the end of the day
With anything it is down to branding and marketing, why do females like £10k Hermes handbags and Jimmy Choo shoes rather than picking up something cheap in the local market. Why buy a Porsche or a Ferrari to get you from A to B when a second hand Fiesta for £500.00 will do exactly the same thing.
The big brands have status and us mere mortals look to aspire to something that we probably are not. That said, with watches some of the world's top brands are actually affordable to most people - for a few grand you can enter the world of fine Swiss watches. The same cannot be said about owning a Ferrari - that is still a world were deep pockets are necessary.
A Rolex or Breitling may or may not give you anything above what you already have, but if there is a certain model that you have lusted over and you now consider it to be your "grail watch" then sometimes you just have to go for it.
I wouldn't try
Visit an AD and try on a Speedmaster Pro, carefully look at the detail on the dial, hold it in your hand and feel the case edges and crystal, turn it over and look at it from every angle, give it a wind, study it on your wrist in the mirror. Then walk out of shop, go down the road, and buy a £10 digital watch from Argos. It'll do the same thing as the Speedy Pro. After completing this exercise you may or may not understand.
It's largely a matter of desire... That's one of the reasons I drive a Mercedes instead of a Kia.
Thanks for the replies. I didn't want to cause a heated debate or offend fellow watch lovers. I am, as the title suggests, relatively new to the world of watches and genuinely was wandering if there were any major differences between watches in different price brackets.
If I was asking why I should buy a £500 automatic instead of a £50 quartz then I could answer that myself. Its not just about telling the time its about appreciation of fine workmanship and style. I get that.
I suppose I just hoped someone more knowledgeable would tell me what I want to hear so I have some justification for buying the watch I really want but probably shouldn't buy :-)
Last edited by rohnjobbins; 27th May 2015 at 17:22.
And therein lies the dilemma. Welcome to the world of watches ;-)
As suggested below, why not go along to the Authorised Dealers, have a chat with them and ask them to justify why you should buy one. Also, go onto the websites of the watch brands that you are considering - they will give you all the build and technical detail about the latest watches in their ranges as well as some fantastic images to drool over.
Without wishing to be mean here, i don't think you will get a single answer that will tell you what you need to know - you will need to put some effort in to educate yourself about what is out there, how much the different watches cost and of course what kind of budget you think you are likely to have.
You will see a lot of people on these threads advising you to do your homework. You may want to buy second hand or a new one from a grey dealer. You will get more watch for your money, but that will require a little more effort on your part.
Last edited by Wallasey Runner; 27th May 2015 at 17:40.
I don't know what a high end watch costs to make but in terms of the quality of construction there's not a lot to choose between your Khaki and (say) an IWC of similar size and style. It's there, but diminishing returns start to kick in quite aggressively after about £300 or so, maybe less. In terms of desirability - a nice IWC or Rolex or Grand Seiko has a certain class and charm and appeal that (say) a Steinhart or Stowa doesn't, but how much of that is brand name cachet; psychological? You do, as the old saying has it, "pay for the name" to a degree.
I have no doubt that some people are attracted to certain watches for the simple fact of the price. The actual monetary value of the watch is what some people find desirable. A Nautilus, for example. I am convinced that what appeals to some who aspire to own a watch like that is not the exquisite craftsmanship, the immaculate finish or the classic style - but the sheer joy of owning a wristwatch that costs £20,000 or whatever it is; a sort of Cult of Cost, if you like.
A friend of mine, who works in a Jewellers said something to me that i thought was quite good.
"If you'll spend £400 on a watch, you could come around to spending 4k, If you won't spend more than £30 quid on a watch, then you'll just never get watches"
To get it, consider the likes of Patek Phillipe and Vacheron Constantin. Why are they so expensive? Why do people buy them? They are desirable, not just because of the materials used to make them and the workmanship but because of their heritage and what they stand for.
I used to ride motorcycles. Newbies would sometimes ask how to be comfortable at high speeds. They felt like everything was coming at them too fast. Again, this is a question of perspective. If you you are not comfortable riding at 100kmh, take the thing up to 200kmh in a safe area. You will automatically do the right thing and start looking much farther ahead than you are used to. Slowly reduce the speed to 100. It will feel like you are standing still.
It is all about perspective.
I don't think people buy a Grand Seiko for the name. Outside of watch forums, I seriously doubt many people realise what goes into making them.
Until I joined this forum I had no idea a Seiko could cost so much.
Well it seems that you've known the answer all along. A £2000 Omega will have much finer workmanship and style than a £500 Hamilton.
..... seems to be a lot of these apples vs oranges threads popping up lately.
Same thing applies
Its like many things, You pay the greatest price difference for the last 10%-15% in quality. But often its the last 10%-15% thats the hardest to achieve. Its the same for cars, musical intruments, many many produced items.
For me its all about what feels special, i have a few cheaper end watches that felt 'special' when i got them but now as much as i like them 'special' is in another price bracket
Trouble is that after a while £2000 wont be 'special' either, this is why i am a little bit reluctant going to the next tier
I would never have thought that in the space of a year i would be comfortable spending thousands on a watch
I blame this place
He should do well in the trade
Gray
Ask yourself why are you really tempted by the Omega....is it because it's perceived as a more upmarket watch and is more expensive?
If it is then log off and buy it when you can afford it.
I have a feeling you can give yourself another reason which case you are probably hooked already so stay on here learn a lot and also get
it when you can afford it, although if that isnt now you might get tempted by a few others while you're waiting some at more than 2000 but i'm sure some at less
Last edited by TBKBABAB; 27th May 2015 at 19:59.
Hi, welcome. I'm only a member here myself 5 minutes but the WIS (Watch Idiot Savant) thing has been draining my time and money for 20 odd years.
Hopefully this isn't a troll thing and far be it from anyone here to twist your arm into this world but here's 2 easy recommendations to get you thinking...
1 - The Speedy Pro has an option where you can see the movement (what we call a sapphire sandwich). Spend some time looking into the mechanism. The base model has basically got the same running gear. Pic below. Well worth 15 quiet minutes with a loupe in a dealers.
2 - Spend a small bit of time watching this Youtube vid to sense the passion and perfectionism in one of the smaller Swiss watch houses (Parmigiani Fleurier). How these things are designed, made and maintained sometimes preserves my faith in humanity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_enepr-X_xk
Are you really saying that a Hamilton has got poor workmanship? In the real world, £500 is awful lot of money.
I blame this place too.
Should get out more.whole world outside this place .
That isn't what he said at all, strawman.
No, in the same way that a Ferrari has better workmanship over a Maserati. Same holding company, but one has more expensive materials and more time spent on it.
Also consider history. The Speedy has been to the moon and helped save the Apollo 13 crew, so like just about any any premium item, you can tell a story about it.
And consider brand (or marketing if you are cynical)- Omega is worn by astronauts, spies and George Clooney, which many people find aspirational. All of these will factor into the price of the item.
Are you related to this chap?
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?333482-Hamilton
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ou-had-a-grand
Watch this and then just buy the Speedmaster. This is serious high end stuff but gives you an idea of the subtle details that go into watches that may not be apparent at first. The finishing on a Speedmaster is obviously nothing like the pieces in this documentary but I'm sure it's a huge step up from an Invicta. Or at least I hope so! :-)
https://youtu.be/CtkcLjiNy_0
Cupid stunt !!!
She does, being brazilian helps ;)
Yes! I know him well. He uses the PC, I use Tapatalk on the phone. :-)
It is all relative. Compared to some watches a Hamilton does have poor workmanship. Doesn't mean it is a bad watch. All it means is that it looks a bit rough next to something like this:
You know you can just log in with the same username on more than one device, right?
Yes, but I logged in using Facebook and now my phone automatically logs me into this account. I will eventually figure it out when I can be bothered.
Not sure there are any other £2,000 Omegas any more!
The Speedmaster sapphire sandwich, which is the only one of the handwinding part of the range I'd bother with, has a well-decorated movement but its level of finishing is commensurate with competitors at the same price level. It's gone now, anyway.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Swatch group own both brands - Hamilton is near the bottom of the brands they own, with most parts made in China (that could also be true of some Omega parts too though).
The Omega is better made, and made to a higher quality control standard.
Is it worth 4 times as much? In my opinion, yes. Is it 4 times the watch - probably not. However I'd put money on the Speedmaster being worth at least 4 times more than the Hamilton in 10, 20, or 40 years time.
It's just a matter of time...
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