luxury watch brands omega image
yep
I have always loved buying watches but all my life i have gone with less expensive brands (quartz) I would just like to know what I am buying when I buy a more expensive brand such as omega, rolex, etc. The specs are sometimes identical. why would someone spend so much money?
Answer
Captain Obvious is correct about a few things, but not all.
For the most part, there isn't much of a difference (functionally) between a $50 quartz watch and a $2,000 quartz watch. Quite obviously, there will be a better quality product -- both in terms of aesthetics and finish as well as in terms of reliability and quality of timekeeping. Otherwise, both tell time fairly well.
However, the differences start showing when you are looking at mechanical watches that do not use Quartz, such as Automatics. These watches are mechanical marvels that can do some pretty darn interesting and complicated things. The advantage of an Automatic over a Quartz, of course, is that the good ones are built to last and you can pass it on to your next generation.
In that regard, a lot of the watches may seem the same (i.e. they tell time - duh). However, remember that with luxury watches, you are paying for it as a piece of expensive jewelry and art. The fact that it tells time is secondary.
Therefore, the difference therefore comes in *how* a watch tells time -- i.e. what mechanism (or movement) does it use, how well does it work, what else can it do, how well was it made, who made it, where was it made, what materials were used etc. In that regard, there is a world of difference in the tiers.
You've beginner luxury brands -- Raymond Weil, Longines, Stowa etc. Great watches, very reliable and use standard "movements" with excellent quality construction -- but nothing special. Not particularly expensive (less than $2,000 usually).
Then you have the mid tier brands. Within the mid tier brands, you've the lower mid tier and the higher mid tier brands.
In the lower mid tier, you have Omega, Rolex, Breitling, IWC etc -- around $2,000 - $10,000. About the same as the beginner (mostly), but slightly better quality and finish, and better brand name. In the higher mid tier brands, you get brands like Girard Perregaux, Breguet, and even IWC. Much better quality -- and you start getting into "custom" movements and "complications" that do some really amazing and cool mechanical things, and they are usually between $10,000 - $50,000. Their finish and quality tends to be rather outstanding, and they are not as commonly found.
Both the beginner and mid-tier brands are pretty reliable, and adhere to COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) standards of timekeeping accuracy, even when they don't have to. More than likely, a cheap $50 watch -- or even some of the "branded" $1,000 watch (think Armani or Guess watches) -- will fail at these standards.
Finally, then you get into the truly higher end brands -- Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemar Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, etc. These guys make mechanical marvels, and they maintain the market by producing only a handful of truly outstanding pieces that pretty much take several top notch master watchmakers years to make their timepieces. These can go into the millions. And remember -- in this category, it's less about it being a watch and more about prestige, art, and the fact that you own one of a kind mechanical marvel.
At the end of the day, you must remember that once you leave the functional realm, watches become status symbols, and ergo Veblen goods (i.e. people buy them *because* they are expensive and elitist). You end up with "snob effect", where people want to use exclusive products, and price becomes associated with quality. Unfortunately, the side effect is the "bandwagon effect", where everyone wants to use exclusive products, and the demand for high-priced goods goes up. Consequently, the price of the already high-priced goods goes up.
If it helps, you should check out manufacturers like Parnis [1] or Sea Gull [2] -- Chinese watchmakers that make rather excellent watches comparable to lower end Swiss watch makers at a much lower price point.
Either way, watches are rather interesting, and you'd be amazed at just what's out there. Enjoy!
And here are some examples of "grand complications" --
Patek Philippe -
http://www.patek.com/patek-philippe.html?pageId=44674
Vacheron Constantin -
http://www.vacheron-constantin.com/en2/our-watches/#screen=PRODUCT;productRef=47070-000J-9085
Audemar Piguet -
http://www.audemarspiguet.com/collections/men/jules-audemars-47/equation-of-time-72/jules-audemars-skeleton-equation-of-time-1383/
A. Lange & Söhne -
http://www.alange-soehne.com/cms/en/timepieces/unforgettable-masterpieces/grand-lange-1-luna-mundi/index.html
Captain Obvious is correct about a few things, but not all.
For the most part, there isn't much of a difference (functionally) between a $50 quartz watch and a $2,000 quartz watch. Quite obviously, there will be a better quality product -- both in terms of aesthetics and finish as well as in terms of reliability and quality of timekeeping. Otherwise, both tell time fairly well.
However, the differences start showing when you are looking at mechanical watches that do not use Quartz, such as Automatics. These watches are mechanical marvels that can do some pretty darn interesting and complicated things. The advantage of an Automatic over a Quartz, of course, is that the good ones are built to last and you can pass it on to your next generation.
In that regard, a lot of the watches may seem the same (i.e. they tell time - duh). However, remember that with luxury watches, you are paying for it as a piece of expensive jewelry and art. The fact that it tells time is secondary.
Therefore, the difference therefore comes in *how* a watch tells time -- i.e. what mechanism (or movement) does it use, how well does it work, what else can it do, how well was it made, who made it, where was it made, what materials were used etc. In that regard, there is a world of difference in the tiers.
You've beginner luxury brands -- Raymond Weil, Longines, Stowa etc. Great watches, very reliable and use standard "movements" with excellent quality construction -- but nothing special. Not particularly expensive (less than $2,000 usually).
Then you have the mid tier brands. Within the mid tier brands, you've the lower mid tier and the higher mid tier brands.
In the lower mid tier, you have Omega, Rolex, Breitling, IWC etc -- around $2,000 - $10,000. About the same as the beginner (mostly), but slightly better quality and finish, and better brand name. In the higher mid tier brands, you get brands like Girard Perregaux, Breguet, and even IWC. Much better quality -- and you start getting into "custom" movements and "complications" that do some really amazing and cool mechanical things, and they are usually between $10,000 - $50,000. Their finish and quality tends to be rather outstanding, and they are not as commonly found.
Both the beginner and mid-tier brands are pretty reliable, and adhere to COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) standards of timekeeping accuracy, even when they don't have to. More than likely, a cheap $50 watch -- or even some of the "branded" $1,000 watch (think Armani or Guess watches) -- will fail at these standards.
Finally, then you get into the truly higher end brands -- Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemar Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, etc. These guys make mechanical marvels, and they maintain the market by producing only a handful of truly outstanding pieces that pretty much take several top notch master watchmakers years to make their timepieces. These can go into the millions. And remember -- in this category, it's less about it being a watch and more about prestige, art, and the fact that you own one of a kind mechanical marvel.
At the end of the day, you must remember that once you leave the functional realm, watches become status symbols, and ergo Veblen goods (i.e. people buy them *because* they are expensive and elitist). You end up with "snob effect", where people want to use exclusive products, and price becomes associated with quality. Unfortunately, the side effect is the "bandwagon effect", where everyone wants to use exclusive products, and the demand for high-priced goods goes up. Consequently, the price of the already high-priced goods goes up.
If it helps, you should check out manufacturers like Parnis [1] or Sea Gull [2] -- Chinese watchmakers that make rather excellent watches comparable to lower end Swiss watch makers at a much lower price point.
Either way, watches are rather interesting, and you'd be amazed at just what's out there. Enjoy!
And here are some examples of "grand complications" --
Patek Philippe -
http://www.patek.com/patek-philippe.html?pageId=44674
Vacheron Constantin -
http://www.vacheron-constantin.com/en2/our-watches/#screen=PRODUCT;productRef=47070-000J-9085
Audemar Piguet -
http://www.audemarspiguet.com/collections/men/jules-audemars-47/equation-of-time-72/jules-audemars-skeleton-equation-of-time-1383/
A. Lange & Söhne -
http://www.alange-soehne.com/cms/en/timepieces/unforgettable-masterpieces/grand-lange-1-luna-mundi/index.html
Which brands and types of male watches are appropriate for business?
Rummy Sam
I'd like to buy my boyfriend a nice watch for Christmas. While I'm primarily looking for something he could use at the office (he works in a major personal wealth financial firm), it would be nice if the watch was a bit versatile as to be appropriate in casual situations as well. But this watch will be primarily used for work, where it's paramount that the watch be fashionable and appropriate. I'm looking to spend no more than $350.
I need to know:
1. Which types of watches are appropriate for businessmen, and would work well in casual settings too? (leather bands? metal bands? thick or thin? Chronograph? etc.)
2. Which brands are considered business appropriate? (Armani? CK? Hugo Boss? Lacoste? D&G?)
I'm a bit partial to some of these below, are any of these appropriate?
http://www.amazon.com/Emporio-Armani-AR2022-Black-Lacquered/dp/B004BCMWUO/ref=sr_1_4254?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355264215&sr=1-4254
http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Klein-K2G21161-Silver-Stainless-Steel/dp/B0071N032O/ref=sr_1_4485?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355264016&sr=1-4485
http://www.amazon.com/Lacoste-2010612-Watch/dp/B005ON3IAC/ref=sr_1_4594?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355263906&sr=1-4594
http://www.amazon.com/Emporio-Armani-AR1614-Retro-Silver/dp/B008DUKLYO/ref=sr_1_4709?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355263756&sr=1-4709
http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Klein-Men%60S-CK-K2G21629/dp/B007FTE8P2/ref=sr_1_4731?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355263707&sr=1-4731
http://www.amazon.com/Dolce-Gabbana-DW0486-Genteel-Analog/dp/B002P5LHL4/ref=sr_1_4271?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355264215&sr=1-4271
http://www.amazon.com/Stuhrling-Prestige-384-33152-Quartz-Silver/dp/B009PW9AO6/ref=sr_1_4831?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355265979&sr=1-4831
http://www.amazon.com/Burberry-Mens-Watch-Heritage-BU1361/dp/B000KDK2NC/ref=sr_1_4864?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355266073&sr=1-4864
http://www.amazon.com/Haurex-BC330USB-Maestro-Bologna-Chronograph/dp/B005DYBT62/ref=sr_1_4247?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355265597&sr=1-4247
http://www.amazon.com/Roamer-Switzerland-41-55-01/dp/B002TSAWFO/ref=sr_1_9480?s=watches&ie=UTF8&qid=1355265811&sr=1-9480
I need as detailed a response as possible as I know almost nothing about watches or finance culture. Thanks a bunch!
Answer
If your boyfriend is an I-Banker or works with clients at any time during his work day, I would recommend sticking to actual watchmakers. To explain, while these watches look nice and look good, they are what are called "fashion watches." These watches are only designed and then licensed by Armani, Burberry etc... (And fun fact.. FOSSIL actually makes most of the watches you listed... basically those Burberry, Armani, Michael Kors watches are fancy looking Fossil watches (see wiki link below).
Examples of luxury watchmakers are your Rolexes, Omegas, Tag Heuers, IWC, etc... and the list goes on... a Patek Philippe chronograph will set you back $150,000 to put it in perspective. But seriously, few of us have the means to even drop a $1000 for a watch. While I imagine some of your boyfriend's clients may be sporting car-priced timepieces on their wrists, there are definitely quality watches in the $350 range.
For the price range you gave, I would look into Citizen, Seiko and Tissot. These are excellent watchmakers and their watches are extremely reliable and well made. The Citizen Eco-Drive for instance is one of the best quartz watches on the market. When investing in a quality watch or product in general, a good thing to look for is a company that specializes in doing what they do. I would leave Hugo Boss to men's suiting rather than fine watches.
Stick with a stainless steel face and a brown strap. This is timeless and can be dressed up or down. Black leather strap watches (while black 'goes' with everythings) can look too dressy. Stick with a watch face between 38mm - 42mm. (see the Tissot link below)
Hope this helps!
If your boyfriend is an I-Banker or works with clients at any time during his work day, I would recommend sticking to actual watchmakers. To explain, while these watches look nice and look good, they are what are called "fashion watches." These watches are only designed and then licensed by Armani, Burberry etc... (And fun fact.. FOSSIL actually makes most of the watches you listed... basically those Burberry, Armani, Michael Kors watches are fancy looking Fossil watches (see wiki link below).
Examples of luxury watchmakers are your Rolexes, Omegas, Tag Heuers, IWC, etc... and the list goes on... a Patek Philippe chronograph will set you back $150,000 to put it in perspective. But seriously, few of us have the means to even drop a $1000 for a watch. While I imagine some of your boyfriend's clients may be sporting car-priced timepieces on their wrists, there are definitely quality watches in the $350 range.
For the price range you gave, I would look into Citizen, Seiko and Tissot. These are excellent watchmakers and their watches are extremely reliable and well made. The Citizen Eco-Drive for instance is one of the best quartz watches on the market. When investing in a quality watch or product in general, a good thing to look for is a company that specializes in doing what they do. I would leave Hugo Boss to men's suiting rather than fine watches.
Stick with a stainless steel face and a brown strap. This is timeless and can be dressed up or down. Black leather strap watches (while black 'goes' with everythings) can look too dressy. Stick with a watch face between 38mm - 42mm. (see the Tissot link below)
Hope this helps!
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Title Post: whats the difference between a cheap watch and an expensive brand ie rolex, omega etc.?
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