Reply With QuoteStrange, expectedly when Breitling have hacked massive amounts off bracelet prices in the same period... Navitimer bracelet has gone from £1100 down to £850...
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Anyone wonder why the new SM300 went up disproportionately more than the rest of the range?
Well the rubber strap with buckle went up from £220 to £480. The bracelet went up from £550 to £1200!
Blimey!
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Strange, expectedly when Breitling have hacked massive amounts off bracelet prices in the same period... Navitimer bracelet has gone from £1100 down to £850...
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Seems a bit strange Ryan, I was quoted around £550 for a steel bracelet for my newly acquired Speedy racing master chrono just last week, with a promise of a discount.
Guessing they have stepped up the build quality to try to justify the price increase but nearly £500 for a rubber strap? When you can get a decent replacement rubber strap such as a zulu diver for £28.
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I got my rubber strap and buckle from Omega service centre in HK for HK$2400 (around £240). This was in December 2018.Originally Posted by ryanb741
Always knew it would be more sensible to pay the little extra on a steel bracelet then buy a rubber seperately (even though I will never wear it on steel). This way if and when I sell it, it can appeal to a bigger market audience.
Last edited by ninjin; 19th May 2019 at 09:56.
Sounds like the Chinese factories are putting their prices up and Omega are passing that increase onto their customers.
There have been suggestions that Omega bracelets are made in China. If one has handled new Omega bracelets, it would be hard to think so. If these bracelets are really made in China, may be all manufacturing should shift to China. As they are that well made. Not a fond of those tiny screws and the pin but the refinement is nothing like seen in Chinese manufactured cases and bracelets. Those infinitesimally small screws have such perfect threads and so easy to screw in, no matter where they are made, they are an achievement.
If those price hikes are true then they are ridiculous, especially as they are many times the increase in prices of the actual watches.
Haha what a joke
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The rubber strap, while lovely and comfortable to wear does not justify a higher price than the £220 I paid.
The steel bracelet seems to get a lot of stick, usually from people who’ve never actually seen it and dislike it because they assume it’s the same as the older versions because it looks vaguely similar. However, in real life it is a fantastic bracelet, lovely looking, very comfortable and great adjustability......not sure I’d ever pay the new price for any watch bracelet though
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Re-reading your post...
You said the new SMP300 has gone up but in relation to what?
Compared to the old SMP300? Or as a price increase of the new SMP300 bracelet since release?
You mentioned a price of £220 incl buckle, which if for a new SMP300 is less than I paid in HK. This would be the first time that I have seen watch parts and servicing cheaper in UK than HK.
Pretty awful when I bought a Patek rubber strap last month for £200.
SMPC went up by around 10% whereas the rest of the Omega range by around 4%
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Bugger, I was considering the rubber strap for my smpc but not if that price is right.
Sans clasp of course.
I read the outrageous price hike was a system update error... Omega should have corrected already
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Just checked on the system this morning and,
Rubber strap is £190
Pin buckle is £35
Metal bracelet is £580
because they can.... damn it
This is likely just a website cock up. Omega recently updated their service pricing web page and the cost to service a Speedmaster jumped about 50% to circa £770. This was an error and was corrected a few days later back down to nearer £500. I think it is getting data in another currency (CHF maybe) and putting a pound sign in front.
Last edited by Padders; 20th May 2019 at 12:38.
I think some of you would be really surprised about how much of a Swiss watch is made in the far east.
Then please surprise us, and be specific.
To have Swiss Made on the dial the watch needs to have 60% of the value of it's components manufactured in Switzerland. In nearly all cases except precious metal watches, this is comprised of the movement only. Everything else can (and mostly is) made outside Switzerland to maximise margins on low and mid range watches and brands. Personally I don't see this as an issue because it's impossible to tell the difference between a Swiss manufactured bracelet and a FE manufactured bracelet. The quality will be the same when the manufacturing process and QA/QC is dictated by the brand.
This crock has been repeated umpteen times before. Doesn't make it true. If you have any specific proof for your claims
Will be delighted to hear.
I don't need to prove anything to you. If you want to continue believing that all Swiss watches are crafted by hand and forged by Swiss elves in the Alps then you carry on. Where do you think Chinese fakes come from? Where do they get the tooling to make cases, bracelets etc for the knock offs you buy on the streets of Hong Kong? Use your brain.
As I said, please be specific. Name the companies that are using only Swiss-made movements and non-Swiss mostly everything else. So far you've stated nothing particularly surprising.
Are you suggesting that the knockoffs are using genuine tooling?
It's just a matter of time...
IIRC - The only item that has been circulated online is some Omega parts packaging with Made in a China on it.
It's just a matter of time...
Whilst I mean no disrespect, all your statements so far smack of speculation dressed up as fact. Several respondents have asked if you know of any proof for what you’re saying - we would all be very interested in you sharing it, I’m sure.
Simon
Back to Ryan’s original post for a moment, even if the example he’s giving turns out to be a IT glitch, I am constantly astonished at the prices manufacturers ask for leather and rubber straps, when comparable non-OEM alternatives can be sourced at a fraction of the price...
Simon
Even QP magazine are starting to get pissy about the price of straps. Here's an article from the latest edition:
"What's the most expensive side dish you've ever ordered? Chances are it involved truffles, which is a whole other conversation for another time (they are the food equivalent of gilded, monogrammed gates on your driveway) but even if it didn't there are some shockers out there. Dine out in London and you will get used to the £6.50 portion of mashed potato (Dinner by Heston, Mandarin Oriental) or £7.80 for tenderstem broccoli with quinoa (Sexy Fish). The other week, I discovered that Bob Ricard will relieve you of a whole £8.25 for a mixed salad. For the avoidance of doubt, that is described as "mixed leaves, tomato and cucumber". I understand that this is where restaurants make the real money, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It has been great over the last few years to see watch brands embrace the diversity of strap options on offer, but sadly they seem to have also embraced the chance to market some enormous rip-offs. The going rate for a Nato strap from he likes of IWC, Omega or Panerai is between £105 and £120. Bremont sells its Natos for £75 and it is far from unique in this - sells rubber straps for £155, not including the pin buckle (£80). I've recently seen Patek Philippe rubber straps on Chrono24 for as much as £500, and heard tales of out-of-production colours trading in the low thousands. I have long been frustrated about the difference in price between a watch offered on a leather strap and the same item on a steel bracelet — some brands adding close to £1,000 and don't even get me started on gold. But straps: surely we should agree this is an area where common sense can prevail? Complaining about value in a watch magazine might come across as the height of chutzpah and, of course, to many watch buyers the cost of a strap or bracelet is as inconsequential as a portion of truffle fries. But I can't help thinking that if mid-tier brands are suffering (as they are), that offering such conspicuously bad value for money might have something to do with it, and if your business model depends on taking advantage of people too rich or too lazy to notice they're being fleeced, that doesn't say great things about your brand. I honestly believe a well-made watch can be worth four, five or six figures even before you start pontificating about "supply and demand" or "Veblen goods". But hundreds of pounds for a strip of rubber or canvas? Do me a favour.".
Quite surprised by QP complaining as they rely on these brands for advertising and invites to glitzy all expenses paid launches etc..I expect the brands to have a quiet word with them....I must agree though with the comments as it's ridiculous what some charge.
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I completely agree with you. I can buy a set of tyres for my car for less than some manufacturers charge for a rubber strap.
No I'm not suggesting that or any fraudulent behaviour. It's been known for factories in the FE especially China to shut up shop spontaneously, usually due to financial issues or similar, and the tooling if not requested back from the factory (impossible if the customer is unsuspecting) to not be returned and go missing. It happens, I've worked in plenty of manufacturing environments and seen it first hand in a previous life. A company I worked with lost all their tooling and had to purchase a new set but it was easy to spot counterfeit products as the dies had old tooling serial numbers on it and these would ocassionaly pop up years after the tooling was lost.
I can mostly see the value in a well made watch head with a well finished movement at 10 grand. I can just about see said watch coming with a well made/designed steel bracelet that cost £1500 but I would say ouch. I can also see value in a £200 leather/exotic strap because of the material and work.
I cannot fathom rubber straps for £200 and NATOs for £70. Are people mental?
Does this relate to a Swiss watch company? Will you name it?
Reminds me of the time around 6 years ago I'd taken the plunge for a Patek 5167 which I'd got from Blowers on a bracelet. I wanted the rubber strap so I went into the Patek Boutique on New Bond St. Asked for the rubber strap, chap said 'of course Sir, please wait a moment' and went and fetched one for me. He came back with it and asked 'would Sir like me to size it for you?' (these need to be trimmed to size). 'Absolutely' I replied, but then tried to be nonchalant as I asked 'what is the price by the way?'. Fully dreading the answer 'four arms and eight legs' I was somewhat pleasantly taken aback by the response '£165 Sir'. Yes that's a lot of money for a small bit of rubber but it's not obscene Patek money. Or so I thought.
Before the strap could be sized, one final question. 'And will Sir be purchasing the deployant clasp today?'. The deployant clasp. Damn, forgot about that. 'Of course. Again would you be so kind as to let me know how much that will be?'. 'Certainly Sir, £1175'.
Bugger.
Anyway of course I proceeded with the purchase but to be honest the PP clasp is very much inferior to what the likes of Omega produce and to charge at that time £1175 (which is probably £1500 or so today) is downright outrageous for a fairly basic stainless steel deployant clasp. Still, the look makes the watch and it is what it is I guess!
Last edited by ryanb741; 22nd May 2019 at 18:26.
Then you and many on here have much better eyesight than me!
Is the difference in mark-up between the case and the movement or the strap or the clasp or whatever it might be so different? It's just that the piss-take is that much more obvious when you're looking at something of such manifestly limited intrinsic value. A previous post was discussing the GBP550 Rolex charge for a single link of a DayDate bracelet ...
Perhaps they are made in China and the Trump Tariffs are having an effect ?
I have a loupe, and like to take a gander. With the naked eye I could spot the difference between my relatively unfinished Corum (or a functional Rolex movement (no wonder they have solid casebacks)) and my Chopard, but I couldn't tell much of a difference between my Chopard and a Patek, I bet.
If you had very small wrists you could effectively get a decent discount if you didn't mind getting rid of the links. Preposterous price. If the whole bracelet is £2k (guess) how is that justifiable?
Probably closer to 10k for a full gold bracelet
I just paid 680 euros at the boutique for this Speedy Racing bracelet with micro-adjustable clasp. Replaced the crop strap.
You've got it all wrong.
All Rolexes are hand made by 88 year old Swiss watchmaker.
But, because Rolex make 800.000 to 1.1 milion watches per year, he must be very quick at his work.
So, logically, he is on cocaine.
(the phrase hummingbird on crack actualy evolved from this factory,
but Rolex did not allow use of their name, so here you go...)
If the world prices of cocaine go up, here goes the Rolex prices...
Don’t say I didn’t tell you.
P.S.
I have heard this fact seven years ago, so, man who make all Rolexes is now about 95 years old.
Here's a link to the PDF document from the Federation of the Swiss watch industry FH explaining what is required for a watch to be marked as Swiss. They have a very interesting notion of rounding. ;)
https://www.fhs.swiss/file/8/Guide_FH_v.5_en.pdf
The Geneve Seal is the more interesting mark.
Best wishes,
Bob
Any chance you could share the part number with me please? I’m wanting to replace my speedy 9300 bracelet with the new end pieces (that go down rather than out).I just paid 680 euros at the boutique for this Speedy Racing bracelet with micro-adjustable clasp. Replaced the crop strap.
Sure, part number 020STZ005169, width between lugs 21mm.
Awesome, thanks for that.
you're welcome :-)
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