Comparable is a good word...
PJC: I'm assuming that you're looking at Rolex, Omega, Breitling, and Tag Heuer; Those are the most popular high-end manufacturers of "professional" watches (ie, diving and aerospace). So, I'll compare Omega to these:
1. Tag Heuer is simply not "COMPARABLE"; It's an inferior watch; I only mention it because its popular, and therefore sometimes the uninitiated don't know any better. You just get more with Omega, more in general, and more for your dollar.
2. Rolex is a really great watch, and probably the company that Omega is most often compared to. Rolex goes to extreme measures and exhorbitant (sp?) expenses in refining their watches in ways that are nice, but in my humble opinion simply excessive. Some good examples are white gold hands, SLIGHTLY better steel, and decorative finishes on the movements (which you'll never see). This adds a huge premium of well over $1000 to the price that (in my humble opinion) simply isn't worth the few, trivial extra refinements. Omega gives Rolex a good run for it's money, and although Rolex may edge out Omega in a direct comparison; Dollar for dollar Omega kicks the living crap out of them, doing a "COMPARABLE" job for about half the price. But if you're interested in a chronograph, Rolex doesn't do a very good job with theirs. The Daytona Cosmograph's chronograph functions can't be operated underwater, and the buttons must be unscrewed before use; Sadly, it also has no date display. Compare that to competitors Breitling and Omega, which both market some pretty damned incredible chronographs with day, date, month, even moonphase and second time zone... along with full chronograph functions... wet or dry. And, I prefer the styling of either to Rolex's styling.
Breitling seems to be the most "COMPARABLE" of the well-known brands to Omega. Unlike Tag Heuer, Breitling makes it's business primarily on mechanical chronometers. Ignoring their gimmick watches (with digital sub-displays and rescue beacons), most of their stuff is quite nice, although their pricing seems quite a bit more expensive than Omega; But, they do have that slide-rule thing, which is nice, too... as is the 'B' on the second hand. I'd like to own a Breitling, and will probably eventually purchase one of their chronographs (probably their B-2 chronograph or a Navitimer... which is delightful); This is probably the brand that is most "COMPARABLE" to Omega. However, I despise the design of their whole line of dive watches. Those little riders on the bezel at 12, 3, 6 & 9 really make me mad... I don't like them at all; But, that's just my personal preference. I also have found their dive line to be a bit undersized. If you can afford a few hundred more for a comparable watch, and like the styling, I'd say that there's no reason not to consider Breitling, especially if you're wanting a high-end chronograph.
There are many, many, many other firms that make great watches, but unfortunately, I'm a very mainstream guy and know absolutely nothing about them.
