zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Hello everyone,

: I was hoping to get some objective advice. Im
: in the market for a lxury watch, and I am
: strongly considering an Omega. The watch in
: particular is an Automatic Deville with a
: two-tone metal bracelet. I really would just
: like to know how Omega compares to Rolex on
: every level imaginable and is this a good
: choice for my first Omega. I am under the
: impression that Omega and Rolex are quite
: similar in quality, what are your opinions?

This topic has come up lots of times on this forum, and since we're all "Omega guys" I'm not sure how much OBJECTIVE advice you'll get. I think it's safe to say that both companies make high quality Swiss timepieces. The main differences between these two companies lie in their prices and their movements.

Rolex retailers are discouraged from discounting, so you'll be lucky to get 5 or 10% off on any watch you buy. Given that their prices are already so much higher than Omega's (for a watch of comparable style and quality), this can add up to your spending thousands more on a Rolex. I use an Omega retailer who offers 33% off of MSRP, and the MSRP of an Omega is much lower than that of a comparable Rolex to start with.

Rolex uses in-house movements, while Omega uses an ETA modified movement in the DeVille. If you are looking at the DeVille chronograph, it is a Piguet movement. All of these movements are made exclusively FOR Omega, but not BY the Omega factory (to make things more confusing, Omega's parent company, the Swatch Group, owns ETA and Piguet, but they are separate divisions from Omega). All of the DeVilles have the co-axial escapement, which allows for 10 years between service intervals since the watch requires less lubrication due to less friction between parts. So, yes, the DeVille is an excellent choice since it is fitted with one of Omega's best movements.

Omega gives you more dollar value for your money than Rolex, but many will argue that the Rolex movements are superior and are worth paying thousands of extra dollars for. I'm just not one of those people.