zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Do you agree that the MIYOTA Cal 8205 (Citizen)
: is as good a watch as any OMEGA? Although the
: finish is not so grand, it is a tough,
: workhorse type machine which has proven
: itself over a period of 29 years. I would
: like to have your comments on this.

Well yes and no. And I'm going off on the Chronograph tangent of this concept. I hope you all don't mind.

The Citizen movements of the early 1970's were good solid movements. I own a number of Citizen Bullhead Automatic's (at least 6) and probably a couple of non-bullhead examples. They are great little chronographs for not a lot of investment in terms of money that typically run great and are a lot of fun.

But I don't feel the movement's are as nice, in terms of finish, quality, etc. as the Lemania movements that Omega used in chronographs of the same era. I feel the same way about the cases. They are nice, but they aren't in the same league as the Omega or other Swiss brand models of that era.

I think that a good analogy would be with say a Porsche 911 of the early 1970's and say a Datsun 240z of the same era. Both are very desirable cars, a lot of fun to own and drive, but I would suspect that if given the choice people would gravitate towards which model best fit their perceived needs and desires. -- Some people would rather have the European craftsmenship and prestige of a Marque brand like a Porsche 911, while some would prefer the more economically sensible and perhaps more dependable Datsun sports car.

The nice thing about the vintage Citizen's is one can pick up one for less money than a NOS dial and handset would cost for a Speedmaster. And if it breaks, you can much more easily afford to simply buy a new one and use the old one for parts as needed.

Same thing could be argued with the early Seiko Chronograph's as well.

Hope I haven't offended too many with my analogies. Or potentially hijacking this topic towards a chronograph slant. I consider early 1970's Seiko/Citizen's to be wonderful starter chronographs for those new to the hobby. It's fun to talk about them from time to time.

Cheers and Good Hunting!

-- Chuck