zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Well, I've had a good year so far and wanted to treat myself for it. I've been wanting a nice watch for a very long time, my Fossil has been beat to hell, but doesn't command any class.

So I came to a crossroads, which brand should I get? I was drawn between Omega and Rolex. After doing extensive research, I've come to the conclusion that Rolex is a household name for watches, but their mechanicals aren't that superior to much in the luxury watch game.

My requirements were pretty simple:

1. Have a high water resistance rating (I do dive)
2. Be automatic (I'm always looking to prepare for the S*** hitting the fan, and if EMP wipes electronics out, quartz watches are screwed.)
3. Require little maintenance
4. Have little clutter on the dial (chronograph...OUT!)
5. Be from a well known manufacturer that is known for quality and luxury.

This brought me to the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Chronometer 2503.30. Water resistant to 500 ft. and no clutter on the dial.

However, the defining peice over the Rolex for me was the Co-Axial Escapement technology in the Omega. Whereas a Rolex is ideally supposed to see factory maintenance every 3-5 years, I've discovered that the Co-Axial will need to be seen every 10-15 years for maintenance. WOW!

Now I was at a crossroads for where to buy it. The MSRP on this badboy was around $2800. I had plenty of money to spend on it, but I'm always looking for the best deal. We all know the internet will always surpass a retail store for pricing. But why?

When it comes to watches, the answer is not the simple, usual "large overhead that consumes profit" answer. But it is in the warranty that pricing on the net is so different. Stores like Mayor's that are authorized dealers include the factory Omega warranty, in which with any problem you encounter with the watch, you can mail that sucker back to the factory directly. However, buying from an unauthorized dealer; which isn't necessarily saying they acquired illegally or unethically. But anyway, through an unauthorized dealer, you are not out of luck. Many of them offer the factory warranties. However, you do not get the Omega warranty card and therefore you must send the watch to the dealer, to which they will then forward to Omega.

When buying a watch I had to research the places on the net I was willing to buy from and see if they would be around for the duration of my warranty. This brought me to Authentic Watches.com which has been around since 1979. I also researched their feedback across the net. Places I looked at were eBay, Amazon.com, Yahoo and some small places. But I was more than overwhelemed with positive feedback.

So I checked their website out, and since I'm always skeptical, especially with large sums of cash being involved, I looked at the product description very carefully. They offered free overnight shipping, manufacturer's serial numbers, 3 year warranty, Certificate of Authenticity and free bracelet sizing (which was no use to me because I had no way to measure my wrist, so I had to take it to a local jeweler.)

So, figuring this was everything I wanted, I wanted to talk to a customer service rep to verify. I'm pretty picky about things and one of the main reasons I didn't want to buy from Mayor's or Jared (aside from price) was because I didn't want a watch that had been fondled by Joe Blows who couldn't afford it but wanted to dream about it. The customer service rep told me the watches were brand spanking new and have never encountered a human wrist since birth and they assured my satisfaction.

So that was it. I was sold (since I was using my Mastercard anyway, if they were stubborn, I'd return it and file a credit card claim with my bank). I bought the watch on Friday, so overnight shipping would be useless, so I sucked up the extra $25 for the Saturday delivery. On 10am this Saturday, my FedEx man woke me up.

After opening the very tightly packed, FRAGILE tape sealed box, this is what I found inside:

Needless to say, I was overly impressed with the contents of my package. I had not expected to recieve the actual Omega box, manual, Pictogram placard and Chronometer certification placard as well. I figured to get only the Red Omega box and that was it.

So for a whopping total of $1900 for a $2800 watch, I am a new Omega customer, my experience with Authentic Watches.com was phenomenal, my wallet is happy, and I'm thrilled with the product I've recieved.

I am already wanting to save for more watches :-)

Thanks for listening.