Another watch buying help thread

[Tdhurl1103]

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but today's Hamilton watches bear almost no relationship to the original Hamiltons.
The new ones are mass produced somewhere in asia and are just basic watches, most if not all have quartz movements I suspect.
The orig American made mechanical Hamiltons were true works of art.
Now, I assumed the OP wants a "nice" watch.
The only way you can figure this out for yourself is to look at a new Hamilton, then look at a modern IWC, hopefully side by side.
If you can't tell the difference, then, by all means, buy the Hamilton.
Lenny

Interesting. Thanks for the info. The IWC you have in the top of your post is very nice looking. I will check them out.

 

[Lenny]

Glad I could help.
The Ingenieur is one of the most beautiful sport watches ever IMO.
But keep in mind, it's a seriously thick and heavy watch.
The movement is sandwiched inside an "iron" enclosure.
That's how it keeps the movement from being affected by magnetic fields.
The Rolex Milgauss has a similar design and is also beautiful, just not Ingenieur beautiful. : )
This version of the Ingenieur comes up for sale occasionally in eBay and Time Zone.
Good luck hunting.
Lenny

 

[pacificmanitou]

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but today's Hamilton watches bear almost no relationship to the original Hamiltons.
The new ones are mass produced somewhere in asia and are just basic watches, most if not all have quartz movements I suspect.
The orig American made mechanical Hamiltons were true works of art.
Now, I assumed the OP wants a "nice" watch.
The only way you can figure this out for yourself is to look at a new Hamilton, then look at a modern IWC, hopefully side by side.
If you can't tell the difference, then, by all means, buy the Hamilton.
Lenny

I think the Hamilton Ventura and its modern companion are still of excellent quality, and it is certainly a unique timepiece with its shield shaped face.

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Cartier Roadster: With my other EDC items.

 

[Charlie Mike]

Get a Submariner. Always classy and very durable.

 

[meanwhile]

I'm looking to buy my first "nice" watch. I've owned g-shocks which are hardy, but I'm looking for the watch. By that, I mean the watch that'll stay with me for a lifetime (I just turned 17... before y'all mention anything about my age, I don't come from a rich family or anything, I save my pennies and that's why I'm able to by nice knives and hopefully a nice watch). It should be reasonably water resistant, be automatic, and hopefully carry some prestige with it. With price, I'd really like to keep it below 10,000 USD, preferably 3,000 to 6,000 although for a truly marvelous watch, I would be willing to go higher.
My current thoughts are:

Omega Ploprof (although the guy might not go well with a suit... or would it? Opinions with this guy especially)
Omega Planet Ocean (Both fancy and casual)
Rolex GMT
Rolex Explorer
Rolex Submariner

I'm really liking the Omega's except for the fact that they are a bit "common" and I kind of want to be a bit unique. However, if there's nothing better, why not join the crowd?

Thanks

Just don't. All of these watches cost nothing to make compared to the purchase price: most of what you pay goes to the retailer, his landlord, the media that run ads to build brand "value", and to profit for the maker. And while all these watches will last a lifetime, that's because of maintenance not built-in quality: recommended service intervals for a Rolex are something like 5 years, and the cost of a single service is probably around the same as the cost of building the watch - something like $500. And the Dark Gods help you if you actually need major spares - the manufacturing cost of a high quality ceramic bezel is tens of dollars, but Rolex will bill you something like $1500! Ditto for sapphire watch glasses, watch band clasps - anything they can get away with.

If you want a likeable mechanical watch, I'd suggest a Seiko SKX007 - about $250, goes about 20 years before needing a service, and it's a real ISO spec diver. If you're willing to have it serviced more regularly then most examples will "regulate" (this means the watchmaker adjusts a couple of screws) to the same accuracy as a Rolex.

 

[Rhesus Feces]

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but today's Hamilton watches bear almost no relationship to the original Hamiltons.
The new ones are mass produced somewhere in asia and are just basic watches, most if not all have quartz movements I suspect.
The orig American made mechanical Hamiltons were true works of art.
Now, I assumed the OP wants a "nice" watch.
The only way you can figure this out for yourself is to look at a new Hamilton, then look at a modern IWC, hopefully side by side.
If you can't tell the difference, then, by all means, buy the Hamilton.
Lenny

Lenny, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but...

Modern Hamiltons utilize ETA movements manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. While the mechanics are indeed "basic" they are generally considered accurate, reliable watches with well above average fit and finish. A modern Hamilton automatic IS a nice basic watch and represents an excellent choice at any pricepoint if it meets your needs. I'd suggest you handle a modern Hamilton before you spread any more misinformation about the brand.

 

[SCMike]

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but today's Hamilton watches bear almost no relationship to the original Hamiltons.
The new ones are mass produced somewhere in asia and are just basic watches, most if not all have quartz movements I suspect.
The orig American made mechanical Hamiltons were true works of art.
Now, I assumed the OP wants a "nice" watch.
The only way you can figure this out for yourself is to look at a new Hamilton, then look at a modern IWC, hopefully side by side.
If you can't tell the difference, then, by all means, buy the Hamilton.
Lenny

Lenny,

That's not true. Hamilton is also part of the Swatch group, which also owns ETA. Most of the Hamiltons are made in Switzerland, utilizing ETA movements.

 

[Lenny]

With regard to Hamilton and ETA movements, I meant no disrespect to either, or any of the owners of the watches.
My real point is that most of the movements put in modern Hamiltons and other watches with mech movements
are just put in raw from the ETA factory.
Companies like Omega and especially IWC, if they don't use in house movements, drastically modify the ETA or Valjoux movement
prior to putting them in the watch.
This definitely improves the movement with respect to accuracy, appearance, durability, and dare I say, exclusivity.
I agree that basic ETA or Valjoux movements are perfectly good at a certain price point.
But it sounds like the OP wants to spend quite a bit to get an exclusive watch.
Lenny

 

[meanwhile]

Lenny, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but...

Modern Hamiltons utilize ETA movements manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. While the mechanics are indeed "basic" they are generally considered accurate, reliable watches with well above average fit and finish. A modern Hamilton automatic IS a nice basic watch and represents an excellent choice at any pricepoint if it meets your needs. I'd suggest you handle a modern Hamilton before you spread any more misinformation about the brand.

Who cares if a mechanism is assembled by robots in Switzerland or robots in Asia? Plus a lot of "Swiss" watches and mechanisms *are* Asian by any sane standard - the Swiss make a fortune by re-branding mostly Asian manufactured watches as Swiss, which can be done quite legally if a small percentage of components are Swiss and the watch is "assembled" and inspected there.

It's not like the Swiss are actually especially good at making watches: they ended the open chronometer competition in the 60s that used to be a key part of their branding because Seiko entered and in just a few years kicked ass - entering models that they were actually willing and able to mass to produce against specially built Swiss watches.