Re: Quartz vs. Auto - Seamaster costs over time?
The quartz watch will be cheaper to maintain over the long haul, but perhaps not as cheap as you think. A full servicing on a Seamaster costs about $260-$300, which is recommended every 5 years for the automatic and at every other battery change for a quartz model. This is done to ensure water tightness and includes gasket replacement and bracelet polishing. In the auto it also includes replacement of the lubricants and any worn or damaged parts.
Of course, many people ignore the quartz servicing and just get the battery changed when needed, and they often get a local watchmaker to do it very cheaply. Ideally, the watch should be pressure tested to ensure water tightness after each battery change. Again, many people don't do this to save money.
Even if you do everything by Omega standards and pay for the full servicing at every other battery change, you will still spend less money over the years than you would on an automatic. If you do nothing more than have the battery changed by a local watchmaker, you will get away dirt cheap, but you do risk compromising water tightness.
The quartz Bond SMP is cheaper, will keep better time, and is cheaper and easier to maintain. Nevertheless, I own the automatic because I like knowing I have a genuine Swiss mechanical timepiece on my wrist, not something that runs on a common lithium battery. It really comes down to your personal lifestyle and whether you feel that owning a mechanical watch justifies the maintenance costs that come along with ownership.
