03-CTR

i'm not a lover of fine watches (i currently own a £150 seiko kinetic) but need a new one so popped into town today. on browsing a shop window i thought about getting another, slightly more expensive, seiko but then caught my eye on an omega aqua terra mid sized chronometer (but with a blue face).
http://www.omegawatches.com/lux-exam...t/25045000.jpg
i've done a search on here and some of you peeps seem to like your watches so thought i might be able to get some decent advice.

like i said i'm not particularly a fan of expensive watches but loved the simplicity of the design. it's very understated imo and is a beautifully made timepiece. sadly i made the mistake of trying it on and by comparison my seiko feels cheap and flimsy.

the trouble is £1500 is a lot of cash for a watch (even considering a discount) so would appreciate some views. being a mech eng i can appreciate a quality swiss movement and the engineering/build etc but are omega's really that good and do they really keep time as well as you would expect??

any experiences of omega watches in general would be useful as i'm really keen but don't want to make a bad investment.

cheers

fatscoobyfella

Now...Im biased of course.....as im selling a Seamaster pro on the board...but Omega watches are beautifully made and are relatively inexpensive when you consider it will last forever.The Aqua Terra is a lovely watch,and like you say,has excellent build quality..
As for time keeping..well there a small machine and not a micro chip so "perfect" time will almost certainly never be achieved,but my Seamaster is currently running about 30secs a month slow..This is excellent really,ive had rolex's run 5-10 mins a month either way..

Depreciation...well it will suffer as more or less all watches do,but thats only if your intending selling within a few years...As a very rough guide,it will lose probably 30-40% over the next 5 years then even out..just keep the watch "mint" and it will always fetch a premium.

HTH

Gary

Iwan

That's a nice watch

When i went to buy my Omega Speedmaster I was looking at the full sized version of that with a leather band, which was about the same price.

IMO it's the sort of watch that would go nicely with smart/casual dress, e.g. a Polo shirt, trousers rather than jeans, and shoes rather than trainers. It's a nice subtle timepeice which doesn't especially shout "look at me", which personally is what i like.

Quality-wise, you can't really go wrong with any of the Omega mechanical movements - they're all very good. Don't be tempted to buy online as the warranty will be with the seller rather than full manufacturers warranty. If you're paying cash or debit card you should easily be able to negotiate a discount in an authorised dealers.

I'd recommend Watches of Switzerland, particularly the Cardiff branch. They were happy to give me 1 to 1 service, and tea/coffee while i tried a few on and made my mind up. To top that they also gave me 15% off too.

It pays to treat customers well as they have a habit of returning, i went back and bought a Breitling (Avenger Seawolf) there and negotiated the same discount.

Have a look at the Omega FAQ/forums over at Timezone, there's a wealth of information there.

http://www.timezone.com/library/omegafaq/

fatscoobyfella

Just to add....Go on www.chronocentric.com Derek Ziglar who runs the site is THE main man for Omega watches,There is some good reading on there about the Aqua Terra..

Iwan

Just thought i'd add, if you like the aqua-terra range then maybe have a look at the Railmaster range - similar looking and also rather lovely.

http://www.omega.ch/omega/co_watch?I...ublineID=40179

03-CTR

thanks guys

i'm not really going to be selling the watch on as i'm only really buying to replace one that's died and tatty as hell. to be fair my old seiko was great for £150 and has lasted about 5 years. if the omega lasts three times as long then i'll be happy so it seems that £1500 is not so bad after all. 30 secs a month is pretty amazing for a mechanical movement too and especially as its just a bunch of tiny cogs and wheels whirring about

that railmaster looks lovely too. i don't think they had one of those in but i may shop arround again tomorrow. being a bit lazy i stopped at the first jewellers i came to and got completely thrown by the aqua terra. being a bit of a watch muppet i've never really 'looked' past watches costing a few hundred ££'s before but the omega really stood out.

looks like the old credit card is going to take another beating

Deep Singh

Personally I find Omegas a little dull and cheap looking. Pierce Brosnan advertising them looking camp justs adds to the naffness.

Breitlings are a good starter watch

carl

I commute into London several times a week. Seems every guy and his brother has an Omega (most commonly Seamasters, but occasionally Speedmasters).

Not many with IWCs though

Harry_Boy

Or Patek Philippe, Blancpain or Jaeger Le Coultre....

Iwan

If by that you mean they look a little boring/simple, i guess i'd agree - but that's one of the things i like about them. A nice quality stainless steel watch with a decent swiss mechanical movement, rather than a diamond encrusted piece of bling.

Now that I totally agree with*.

*-Breitling owner

Rioja

I bought a Seamaster a few years ago to celebrate a promotion. Nice watch, I had it in Titanium; very light, and good for me as I don't have a thick wrist. A pin on the clasp broke after a year, but was replaced FOC with an uprated clasp. Being automatic it stops working if you dont wear it for a weekend, but it is a quality piece of jewelry. It does what any watch is supposed to do; tell the time. I really like it, and my wife bought one as well.

carl

Somebody told me you don't "buy" a Patek. You just become the first owner.

fatscoobyfella

Breitlings are far too fussy on the dial for me..far too much going on,to the point some can looked cramped with numerals and digits..
IWC's are beautiful,the flieger chrono is my ultimate watch..Im now lucky enough to have one..

AP are something else..the royal oak being a classic,but only for the very flush amongst us.!!!

r32

I have an Omega Seamaster and have had nothing but trouble with it, it has had two complete movement changes, free I might add, but I dont use it any more. I bought a GMTII that has been trouble free. Seamaster? Mine lets water in in a swimming pool....

fatscoobyfella

R32,
Thats unbelievable,what model and movement is it?

Harry_Boy

Superb!
Absolutely gorgeous.

Although I have to say, this is rather beautiful.....

Boarder1

Check out www.watches.co.uk and also www.secondtimeround.com two very good sites for pre-owned and new watches.

Brendan Hughes

Bought my GMT at second time round.

I have a soft spot for IWC. Don't really like Omega, can't explain why.

Can't believe someone said Breitling is "good". If you're under 23, maybe. I think they are tackier than spat-out bubble gum. But I chose a Rolex, so I'm sure I'll be flamed off the board for that. Difference is, I bought it for ME, and not because IGAF what anyone else thinks. Frankly it keeps crap time and costs a fortune to service. I love it.

Re the Patek comment - their current advertising slogan is "You don't own a Patek, you just take care of it for the next generation."

03-CTR

yeah, the pierce brosnan thing is a bit cheesy tbh but fortunately (or unfortunately ) i like the watch more than the ad is making me cringe.

have to say that i like the minimalist look though. i have since looked at some of the other makes mentioned but they all have a bit too much going on for my tastes. lovely watches but just not my style. btw i drive a new shape honda accord so that probably says a lot about my personality

incidentally i've just come back from town and my local branch of leslie davis is having a half price sale (result!!). they don't have the blue dialed aqua terra but have a black and a few other styles going for £700 odd. is this as cheap as i'm going to be able to pick one up for ??

also noticed a nice breitling down from £2900 to £2000 as well as a few cartier's, tag's, maurice l's etc

gregh

not all breitlings are big n bulky, I wanted a watch with dual time, analogue hands, stopwatch and alarm.

The breitling aerospace met my needs

Deep Singh

Breitling is tacky and you have a Rolex? A Rolex is fine if you're a scrap metal dealer 'done good' .

btw whats IWC? Any links?

Harry_Boy

Select as appropriate....

International Whaling Commission
International Watch Co, Schaffhausen
Iowa Wesleyan College
International Wildlife Coalition

Correct answer at http://www.iwc.ch/index.asp

brihoppy

i bought an omega seamaster in kuwait a couple of years ago for 300 quid less than the retail price in the UK, and i love it to bits...well made, looks good but understated, my kind of watch...however, i wish it had an auto relay function like my back-up seiko...as i dont wear the omega all the time it stops after a couple of days, not really a major problem to be honest, just a little gripe...

personally i find breitlings too busy, tags - too many fakes though some of the kiriums and the monaco are nice, some of the more expensive brands i find too bling, but i do like the look of some of the IWC watches...very nice...

again, it all comes down to personal preference, although one thing i would say about spending alot of money on a watch is DO think about it...if you know your mates are going to take the **** because you bought a pink jacob & co timepiece, can you really live with it...?! even those that say they dont care what other people think often do deep down...

03-CTR

well its a done deal.

i was telling the missus at lunch how i was going to buy the black faced aqua terra from leslie davis and she preceeded to tell me what a dick i was

turns out they didn't have a blue faced one as she had beaten me to it and bought it for me as a surprise!! bloody fantastic and even better as it only cost £700. whoo hoo

so if anyone's after a black faced aqua terra for £700 then pop over to leslie davis in the centre:mk

thanks for all the kind advice

Daz34

I've had my Seamaster Pro Chronometer for 8 years now. I have worn it almost 24/7 in that time and it has been faultless. The glass face is unmarked and only the blue part of the bezel possesses a scratch from a hard knock it took at work.
My only advice with buying an expensive watch would be to get it serviced when it needs to be and to pick a classic design that you will be happy wearing for a lifetime, whatever the occasion.

Brendan Hughes

Deep Singh

For BH and Nat

Firstly the 'btw whats iwc' was meant to be a joke. Shame you did'nt get it

Breitlings are'nt all fussy, depends on which one you get. Mine is very simple.
If you actually read my post you will see I said the Breitling is a good STARTER watch not the best watch in the world.

And my plumber wears a Rolex!!!

Brendan Hughes

What do you mean, didn't get it? I found it hilarious!

Please congratulate your plumber on his excellent taste in watches next time he shoves it up your sh!tter


I used to work in a timber yard, me....

Deep Singh

[QUOTE=Brendan Hughes]What do you mean, didn't get it? I found it hilarious!

Please congratulate your plumber on his excellent taste in watches next time he shoves it up your sh!tter


Why should he shove a watch up my sh1tter? And after he's done that you want me to congratulate him on his taste?? Does'nt make much sense. Is that the sort of thing you 'lads' got up to in the timber yard?

If shoving it up my ****ter is some sort of slang for charging me alot then rest assured its no way near the amount of money I charge. Now keep chopping that wood!!