Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaOmega4
In the Market for my first watch..
Really like the look of the Omega Watches... Not a watch enthusiast by any means but would like a good quality piece.
Omega seems to fit the bill.
I really like the Rolex Daytona as well but its price tag keeps me from pulling the trigger.. don't think I could explain that one to the wife either... Plus Id rather spend less and take a nice vacation.. which is what Im planning on doing.. The watch is for my 1st year anniversary being a married man.
I so far have checked out a couple Planet Ocean's
Was hoping anyone with an Omega could post up what they have a pic if you have it and what you may suggest ...
Also if you know of a great place to buy.. I figure online would be better than a standard brick and mortar shop.
Budget is going to stay at a Firm 5k.. Im ok with buying pre-owned as well as long as its in top tier condition.
Thanks in advance!
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Preface:
Before getting started I want to point out one thing that many first time "nice watch" buyers don't take into consideration: nice mechanical watches like the Omega PO should periodically be serviced. One can get by without servicing them and observe no notable change in timekeeping. The thing is that when a change is noticed, it's too late; the service will shift to being a repair, and it will be expensive.
The other thing is that routine/periodic service isn't exactly cheap although on a PO, it won't be at least $1K+ as it would with some other nice watches (
http://www.omegawatches.com/customer...service-prices).
One can have a local watchmaker do the service. Most all of them are capable, but few can actually do it. Why? Availability of minor parts like gaskets and seals. More and more, major watch houses refuse to make parts of any sort available to independent watchmakers. The big companies do this because they've come to realize that service revenues are a very good source of additional revenue, and a source that has very little cost but for which they can charge whatever they want.
So, unless four to six years from now when the watch needs servicing your water resistant seals don't need replacing, your local watchmaker won't be able to service your watch quite simply because Omega probably won't sell him the seals/gaskets that ensure water resistance.
Omega Watches and some alternatives:
Omega definitely make very good watches, and the PO is just one of them. If that's what you want, by all means get it. As a non-watch enthusiast, there's not much reason for you go "off the beaten path" unless you just want to spend a bit less and get the same or better dive "chops." If you are a diver, that may be of value to do, if you are a "desk diver," you really don't need more than 200 meters of water resistance, and even that's overkill.
If you want to consider alternatives, try to compare "apples to apples."
For example, the only Rolex alternative to the Omega PO Chronograph is a Daytona, but only because the Daytona is the closest Rolex comes to having a dive chronograph. the Rolex alternative to an uncomplicated PO is a Yachtmaster I, Thunderebird or Submariner, assuming you want a dive bezel.
You can certainly find Rolex Submariners for $5K. If you are reasonably good at haggling, you might also be able to get a Yachtmaster I for $5K. (
https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-ya...FUQSHwodZN4BAg) You'll be buying pre-owned either way.
Other excellent alternatives to the Omega PO include:
- Bremont Supermarine
- Aquadive Bathysphere Fleurier 500 (or other Aquadive watches)
- UTS -- wide variety of models
- Pita Oceana -- either version -- I suspect this watch might be too esoteric for you since you aren't "into" watches.
- IWC Ingy
- IWC Aquatimer
- Cartier Calibre de Cartier Diver (on sale right now for $5800 (down form ~$8K), but with haggling you might get to $5K)
- Breitling Superocean
- Tudor Pelagos, Black Bay or my personal favorite the Tudor Sub, which is a vintage Tudor that is Rolex in every way -- including having a Rolex crown -- except the movement.
- Omega's other Seamaster models -- a nice comparison among them is here: http://www.bernardwatch.com/blog/ome...master-models/ . Here's a quick and dirty look at some other Omega PO competitors: https://www.hodinkee.com/blog/heavy-...e-watches-2014 .
- Longines Legend Diver
Red:
Shopping online and shopping in person both have their benefits. I tend to prefer to shop in person because I'm much getter at haggling a discount with a seller when I'm standing there ready to buy. Online sellers are much harder to haggle with, but if one goes to their place of business, one might have better luck. That' snot to say don't try haggling on the phone; it's to say don't have too great expectations if doing so. Obviously, if you just point and click on a website, there will be no additional discount.
Shopping New and at a discount:
The WWW has lots of grey market sellers (GMS) and as you are buying an Omega, there's little reason not to buy from one of them. There are plenty of reputable ones:
I have only purchased one pre-owned watch in my 30+ years of watch buying. When it comes to buying new, I prefer to buy from an authorized dealer (AD), but I have no reservation about buying from a GMS.
Blue:
A bit about the Omega Co-Axial Escapement if you intend to buy pre-owned:
For a common watch like an Omega there's not much advocating for buying new instead of pre-owned, particularly if the seller is one with a rock solid reputation. If there be any caveat about buying pre-owned, however, it's specifically re: Omega and their 2500 series/family co-axial escapement movements. The 2500 series was the first co-axial movement that Omega offered and it was rushed to market. The 2500 series has A, B, C, and D variants and what's different among them is that the D versions work as advertised and the prior versions quite often just plain stopped working for no apparent reason.
Those older versions need to have been "fixed" by Omega to get the to "D-version" standards. That's a repair that was covered under Omega's warranty, but there's no way of telling (without an experienced watchmaker opening the watch) whether the particular piece you are interested in had the work done.
If you are buying pre-owned, just be aware that the pricing on the 2500 series will appear quite attractive to you. If you want to risk buying one, you'll want to do one of several things:
- Make sure you aren't buying an A-C version -- this is the least "headache" way to go and it's what I'd advise for a non-enthusiast.
- Get the specific model number and determine what version of 2500 series is in the watch and then figure out if the repair has been performed. If it wasn't and was never needed, I suggest moving on because there's no telling if/when it might become needed and you can be sure that Omega's warranty coverage has expired.
- Buy an 8500 series PO not have to worry about it at all.
Would
I buy a 2500 series PO? If I wanted a PO (or other Omega model having a 2500 series movement inside), sure. Why? Because I'm a collector who wears one of my almost 60 watches as my daily wearer. That watch gets worn some 250+ days a year. All my other watches get worn when I get back home (fewer than 100 days a year usually) and for just a few hours, such as when I'm running errands or attending an event. Then I switch back to my daily wearer.
Given the way my life works, I could buy a new PO with a 2500 movement inside and the warranty would expire long before -- a lustrum or a decade is not unlikely -- I'd experience problems because my wear frequency is so low for my non-daily wear watches. So for me, the overall cost -- low purchase price + cost of repair + time value of money (a dollar now is worth more than a dollar 5 or 10 years from now) -- could easily be well below what I'd have to pay right now for a new or late model used 8500 series PO.
The other thing that distinguishes what
I'd do from what I'd recommend to a non-enthusiast is that I have plenty of other watches -- some "fine" and some not: Rolex, Breguet, AP, Pita, Tag, JLC, other Omegas, a host of inexpensive watches, etc. -- to use as as a daily wear watch while my 2500 series Omega is being fixed. I'm not going to find myself "doing without" or "put out" to have to wear one of them instead of my PO.
Here are some reference threads that may shed more light on the matter:
If you buy new PO, you probably won't run into the 2500 series issue; the watches that had the issue have long since been sold out of the new watch market. You'd have to come across a seller who happens to have a very, very old "new old stock" PO on hand. As the PO is pretty popular, that'll be hard to do.
Buying Pre-owned in General:
When buying pre-owned, one generally "buys" the seller more so than the watch. That's especially true if you buy from a private seller. There are plenty of reputable businesses that offer very good condition used watches. Some of the GMSes I listed above sell pre-owned watches as well as new ones and they are plenty reputable enough. Here are some other sellers that you can feel comfortable buying from:
- Central Watch -- http://centralwatch.com/ -- Awesome place to buy watches if they have what you want.
- Tourneau -- The prices won't be the lowest but the condition of their used watches cannot be beat. If you see a watch you like on their site, go to your local Tourneau and ask them to have it sent to the store of your choice so you can see it in person. Tourneau is not known for being amenable to haggling, although individuals have done so successfully...I suppose success in that regard depends on the watch in which one is interested.
- Bob's Watches -- https://www.bobswatches.com/ -- Bob is "all about" Rolex mostly, but he has a smattering of other makes.
- Bernard Watch -- http://www.bernardwatch.com/ -- Another seller that is really "into" Rolex, but they are very knowledgeable and offer other makes too.
- Topper Jewelers -- http://www.topperjewelers.com/ -- A favorite among a lot of watchies. Like Tourneau, their listed prices aren't the best you'll see, but unlike Tourneau, you can haggle with them.
- Aaron Farber -- http://www.aaronfaber.com/WATCHES_home.asp -- These folks are geared toward collectors more so than toward consumers. Great watches, but not always the best prices.
Private Sellers of Pre-Owned watches:
On the many watch enthusiast websites, you'll find a host of sellers who have a very good track record for selling decent quality watches. Just bear in mind that despite being "into" watches, a great many of these sellers are not watchmakers and cannot and usually don't have their watches serviced before offering them for sale. That's neither good nor bad; it's just something to be aware of. None of them can offer you a warranty. It's hit or miss as to whether they'll "cop an attitude" if you aren't satisfied with the watch they send to you.
That said, you'll often find the best prices buying from a private seller, but that isn't to say you shouldn't check their prices against the price for a new watch at a GMS. Lots of private sellers expect (or at least list) their watch at prices comparable to new watch prices at a GMS. Most private sellers are open to price negotiation no matter what they write in their sale offer.
eBay:
Read this before you buy on eBay:
https://www.hodinkee.com/blog/hodink...atches-on-ebay .
Conclusion:
I think that's about all that you really need to know except for this: if there's any way to do so, try on the watch(s) you are considering before you actually buy one. The PO is a rather chunky watch, and so are many dive watches. A huge part of the Submariner's appeal (and other Rolex Oyster models as well) is that it's not a chunky watch.
All the best.