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Watch prices went up a lot over the past few years. As one example, an Omega Seamaster 300M was ~$3300 retail in 2018; now it's ~$6600. I'm sure that has more t

Watch prices went up a lot over the past few years. As one example, an Omega Seamaster 300M was ~$3300 retail in 2018; now it's ~$6600. I'm sure that has more than a little to do with it.

bamboozled 2y ago
That watch isn't 2x better now either.
- Gigachad 2y ago
  It was never about how much better it was. Watches peak in actual quality in the hundreds. After that it’s just wank.
  - Yodel0914 2y ago
    That's not exactly wrong, but is probably a bit harsh. There are massively diminishing returns in watches, but whether it's "wank" or not depends on what you value. If you're a movement nerd, having a coaxial escapement is pretty cool. Brands like San Martin are really showing just how much of the Swiss industry is hype, though. SM are selling watches for $200 that (movement aside) are as well made as $2k Swiss watches. And TBH, I'd rather have a Seiko NH35 than a Sellita SW200 anyway.
    - piltdownman 2y ago
      San Martin or any of the Atelier Chinoise brands simply do not have the QA/QC or finish/polish of $2k Swiss Watches in almost any case. They push out volume on Rolex steel-sports lookalikes with cheaply printed limited run dials, and are even then competing with 50% off lookalikes cutting corners on the BOM (Pagani Design anyone?). Likes of Sugess do it a little better, but comparing it to a $1-2k Christopher Ward or something is silly. Something a bit more hand assembled and finished like Orient Star is probably where you start seeing value against a swiss RRP in terms of East/West divide.
      - Yodel0914 2y ago
        I’ve owned Seiko, Orient, Oris, Tudor, Omega, Christopher Ward, Hamilton, Tissot, Longines… along with San Martin and Sugess. The SM dive GMT I have has tighter endlink tolerances than any watch I’ve owned, better bezel action than most, and finishing at around CW level. Bracelet build quality is better than SRP-level Seiko or CW. Side by side with a modern Omega, the SM is clearly inferior. Though, honestly, side by side with my early 2000s Omega the SM isn’t that far off, and is better in some ways. You might be right about QC, but then again there are plenty of Swiss watches that ship out with issues. My CW had to go back to the factory when the movement failed - I haven’t had that happen in any Seiko-powered watch.
deleted 2y ago
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Watch prices went up a lot over the past few years. As one example, an Omega Seamaster 300M was ~$3300 retail in 2018; now it's ~$6600. I'm sure that has more than a little to do with it.

bamboozled 2y ago

That watch isn't 2x better now either.

Gigachad 2y ago
It was never about how much better it was. Watches peak in actual quality in the hundreds. After that it’s just wank.
- Yodel0914 2y ago
  That's not exactly wrong, but is probably a bit harsh. There are massively diminishing returns in watches, but whether it's "wank" or not depends on what you value. If you're a movement nerd, having a coaxial escapement is pretty cool. Brands like San Martin are really showing just how much of the Swiss industry is hype, though. SM are selling watches for $200 that (movement aside) are as well made as $2k Swiss watches. And TBH, I'd rather have a Seiko NH35 than a Sellita SW200 anyway.
  - piltdownman 2y ago
    San Martin or any of the Atelier Chinoise brands simply do not have the QA/QC or finish/polish of $2k Swiss Watches in almost any case. They push out volume on Rolex steel-sports lookalikes with cheaply printed limited run dials, and are even then competing with 50% off lookalikes cutting corners on the BOM (Pagani Design anyone?). Likes of Sugess do it a little better, but comparing it to a $1-2k Christopher Ward or something is silly. Something a bit more hand assembled and finished like Orient Star is probably where you start seeing value against a swiss RRP in terms of East/West divide.
    - Yodel0914 2y ago
      I’ve owned Seiko, Orient, Oris, Tudor, Omega, Christopher Ward, Hamilton, Tissot, Longines… along with San Martin and Sugess. The SM dive GMT I have has tighter endlink tolerances than any watch I’ve owned, better bezel action than most, and finishing at around CW level. Bracelet build quality is better than SRP-level Seiko or CW. Side by side with a modern Omega, the SM is clearly inferior. Though, honestly, side by side with my early 2000s Omega the SM isn’t that far off, and is better in some ways. You might be right about QC, but then again there are plenty of Swiss watches that ship out with issues. My CW had to go back to the factory when the movement failed - I haven’t had that happen in any Seiko-powered watch.

deleted 2y ago

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