zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Other than the name recognition, Rolex does not
: offer any technical differences in the
: casing or movements that are at a level that
: you would ever notice in real use.
: Definitely nothing technical that can
: justify them being double the price of the
: other two. So if you choose the Rolex, you
: have to justify the large price difference
: on the image and popular reputation alone.

Quite a statement there.....

With this line of reasoning, there is really no need to buy a high grade watch at all. For a few hundred dollars, a Seiko or Citizen will be more than enough, because "in real use", you won't notice mayor differences. They all tell time, are rugged, can go way beyond the depth that humans can........

Like it or not, you always pay for the name and reputation, that is a well known fact that's valid for all the brands mentioned in this discussion. A more interesting question is "why and how much more" are people willing to pay? Sometimes, there might be a history and several reasons that back that good reputation which makes them more desirable and expensive. If the other brands could get away with it, their prices would be in a different range. Sometimes, far away from the mechanical and technical aspects involved, people buy into a "fantasy", and as silly as it may sound, that also has a price.

It would be very simplistic to say that a tried and true exclusive in-house movement, inside a massive solid case of high grade steel with a triplock crown can justify the price difference. The same is true if you are only willing to look at the other brands by the very common and inexpensive ETA based movements that they use. (BTW, the ETA's get the job done very well).

Ask yourself:
If price wouldn't be involved in the decision, which one would I buy?
That's the only HONEST way of deciding which is the "better" watch for YOU, and if it is worth paying the difference. Everything else is just rationalization.

: For durability and accuracy, the quartz will serve you better than an automatic.

No question about quartz being accurate, reliable and robust. As for the "durability" of quartz, very few wristwatches are over 30 yrs, so only time will tell ............