zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Recently I have found the Swatch Group owns
: Omega (and many other brands). This is a
: great disappointment

What does the fact that the parent company ALSO owns other more and less expensive brands have to do with it? You make it sound like you think the watches come off the same factory line and just get different names stamped on them to sell at hugely different prices.

It is nothing like that. Each company is separately operated and produces products to their specific levels of quality to serve their markets.

: as I have found that
: $2500 Omegas and $400 Hamiltons share the
: same basic internals.

*ALL* watches have basically the same internals.

You were under a misconception if you thought you were spending hundreds of dollars more for the INSIDE of the watch. The majority of the value of expensive watches is JEWELRY, not mechanics, not technology and not expensive materials.

People sometimes make the mistake of thinking of watch internals like car engines. More expensive cars usually have much more high performance engines. Not true with watches.

Anyone knows you can buy a good, accurate wristwatch for $20 to $100 that has any time/date/chronograph/temperature/altitude/whatever function you are likely to ever need. So it should not be difficult to see that a $2,000 watch really cannot be about more or better functionality. It really does come down to being men's jewelry.

The mechanisms expensive watches have inside are often less efficient, less accurate, more fragile and use antiquated technology compared to inexpensive wristwatches. So why do some of us prefer them? Largely for esoteric reasons that make their limitation and failings interesting.

In modern society, men really are expected to wear a minimum of ornamental accessories. Fine jewelry wristwatches are one of the few ways that gentleman can enjoy the pleasures of jewelry.