Reply With QuoteHad a look myself earlier, had similar thoughts to yours. I don't get it, there's nothing there you can't get for way less than half the price from somewhere like Steinhart or Davosa.
And 60m?? Come on, that's just weird.
I'd never heard of these until today and am confused.com
Home - Richard Perrett Watchmaker
About – Major (majorwatches.co.uk)
They appear to all be sub-alike watches made up of various parts (some may call them parts bin watches). They have an ETA 2824 movement that's been regulated to '....chronometer standards of + / - 5 spd/' but it doesn't say they've been tested in 5 positions which I understand is a condition of that certification (unless I'm wrong, it has been known). Or maybe they have and it's just an omission on the website? The regulation is a nice touch though.
They've also been 'tested to 60 meters' so not even 100m of WR. So not even a 'diver's' watch. The videos show a 'lifestyle' of boats and water and jet skis but that's a bit misleading IMO considering the lack of WR.
Then, they come with a leather strap. Useless on a watch of this type. And the cyclops doesn't magnify anywhere near enough.
So how much do these cost? Given my extensive experience of this standard of watch I guessed at £250. If they were really pushing their luck, £300. Taking the proverbial would be £350.
Oh how wrong I was....£1295!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, come again. I must be mistaken, I'm sure you said £1295 but that can't be right. They do come with free delivery though.
Would anyone be so kind as to point out what I'm clearly missing here? Otherwise I fear I've gone insane.
Had a look myself earlier, had similar thoughts to yours. I don't get it, there's nothing there you can't get for way less than half the price from somewhere like Steinhart or Davosa.
And 60m?? Come on, that's just weird.
£250 is roughly what an ETA 2824 movement costs these days, but yeah, they're just built from a catalogue of Chinese parts and trading heavily on the Military connection. They're certainly not the first to do it either.Originally Posted by TaketheCannoli
The 60m WR is likely because they don't have a pressure tester capable of testing higher. Should've just claimed they're 200m or whatever as that's likely what they're capable of, but at least there's an element of honesty there.
It does seem odd that anyone would get one of these when, if you want a watch in this style, a tiny bit of research would show such a large range of options that are cheaper and better specced, and IMO that look better too. Like you said the cyclops doesn’t seem to do much at all and 60m WR is fairly embarrassing. Plus the masses of text on the dial and the crown logo look pretty naff and there’s just nothing original in the design. The less said about the white version the better, I don’t think Argos would touch it.
There again, in a world where people will spend a multiple of the national average salary for a blingy sports watch, there are perhaps stranger things.
Maybe, but if you’re knocking out watches that cost at the very most £300 in parts for £1,300 each, you would have thought it’d be possible to find the budget to pay someone who does have the machine to do 20 ATM testing for you? Printing 60m on the dial doesn’t look great when there’s watches at less than a tenth of the cost that can boast of 200m.
Last edited by Fullbreakfast; 24th November 2023 at 22:36.
Oh my, I just noted the following in the description of the white version, which is a bit ‘cheaper’ at £945:
By default this model is fitted with very high quality mineral glass. We recommend this as its durability and scratch resistance in practice appears to be equal to that of sapphire. If you would like sapphire this can be fitted as an upgrade for an extra £55.
Absolute ****-take.
Last edited by Fullbreakfast; 24th November 2023 at 22:50.
Admire that he’s selling them. Hold zero attraction for me though.
I only gave them a glance and didn't notice the 60m on the dial lol. It's certainly not something to brag about, so either test them to 200m, or don't and still claim 200m.
That logo…
It's a good job he didn't retire as a lieutenant colonel, it'd have been difficult to fit the text on the dial.
I also notice that WR on the watch dials is 60 "meters". Odd spelling for a British enterprise.
I imagine I am probably the only person in the group to have actually handled one so I would like to explain what I was looking for when I decided to buy it and whether I feel that the expectation I had has been met.
It does look like a submariner but so does practically every second dive watch on the market. It is built using a standard movement with other parts that are standard- as is just about every watch on the planet.
What made me buy it is that I was looking for the kind of feel one gets either from a high end movement or more usually from a decent movement that has been properly fettled and fine tuned. The cliche is the buttery feel when winding and setting it but there is more than that- a feel that all the tolerances are just right.
Having watched Richard’s videos on you tube I thought he had the skills to fine tune a movement in this way and this is what he offered to provide on his site. I thought I would take a punt on that based on what I had seen of his videos on youtube. He looks to be a skilled watchmaker who has access to a lot of specialist equipment. His videos show him rebuilding Rolex and other high end brands.
I also liked his style. I saw the 60m water resistance as poking fun at the dive watch establishment where depth ratings have gone completely crazy. I have a number of watches with depth ratings over 1000 metres. The safe limit for recreational diving worldwide is reckoned to be 40metres. A depth rating of more than 60 metres on a watch that is designed to be strapped to the wrist of a recreational diver is a nonsense and, I may be wrong, but I thought he was just poking gentle fun at this.
So far I have been impressed with the actual watch. It is much better than Steinhart or the microbrands I have. I don’t have a current model rolex to compare it with(and I have no intention of acquiring one) but it has a similar feel to my tudor’s and is better than my breitlings. I am particularly impressed by the bezel action which is precise yet still easy to move
Value in the world of watches is subjective. Some mass market watches achieve significant gains in value in the eyes of some people by sitting unused in the dark in a safe for a few years. I personally am willing to accept that the finetuning of a standard movement by a craftsman and the skill involved in putting something together properly adds value. A watch is much more than the sum of the parts.
I enjoy having it. I like the idea he only builds ten per year. So far others who have actually seen it have commented favourably on it. He supplied it with a steel bracelet as well as the strap but so far I have kept it on the strap. The cyclops works for my poor eyesight. I doubt it is “the one” but I certainly don’t feel ripped off. – I do agree that the logo is fairly dreadful but heigh-ho.
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As long as you’re happy with your £1200 expenditure that’s all that matters.
You certainly get your money’s worth in dial text.
He has a YouTube channel showing repairs or servicing work Rather good channel which I enjoy. He's ex military hence the major watch name.
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Not my style at all, but it’ll appeal to some. I like the idea of adjusting the movements to get the best out of them, but it’s not that difficult to do provided the movement is within tolerances, I’ve come across a new ETA 2824 with the pallet lever horns contacting the lower jewel setting so that was never going to run properly without some serious intervention. Ensuring the hairspring us trued up correctly, setting the regulator pins to the optimum, then regulate and check carefully, that’s about it.
There are a couple of very easy lubrication tricks that will make the hand- winding feel smoother on an ETA 2824, provided the movement ring and case are all aligned perfectly the watch should feel very nice to wind, it usn’t rocket science but it gives the owner the impression of quality whilst winding the watch. Same applies to Miyota 9015 and 9039 movements which can feel a bit coarse when winding, a tiny application of the right lubricant in the right place works wonders.
These watches are obviously being assembled very carefully, with great attention to detail, by a guy who knows what he’s doing. Whether the price us justified is open to debate. I don’t understand the logic behind the WR rating, it seems highly likely that the design is OK to 200 so why not get a prototype tested and print 200m on the dial? Seems bizarre, 60 m WR is plenty for most folks but potential owners will want the kudos of seeing a bigger number on the dial.
Good luck to him, making money by producing U tube videos is counter- intuitive to me, not my thing, but it’s clearly working for others.
Can’t see any of his watches on the website (using phone), just links to a load of other stuff.
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