Are Baume and Mercier good watches at $1200? - Page 3

A starter watch is a watch you buy at the start of "your" collection. Depending on what you want to spend, it can cost $25 or $25K or more.

At $1200 there are better values to be had. It depends on the style you like. Based on your selection of the Classima, I think you could save yourself quite a bit by going with a Hamilton Jazzmaster in the $500-600 range.

If you want to go German, Stowa is a great watch in the $800 range.

Both more or less have the same guts as a Baume & Mercier (an ETA movement) but are much less expensive, and both are quality dress watches. The Stowa is a little more casual so is an all-arounder, whereas the Jazzmaster is a classic dress watch.

Please do not buy B&M for 1,200.

 

Here is a simple guide.  If you want to spend less than $100 on a watch, buy whatever you want.  If you want to spend more than $100 on a watch, buy whatever you want after reading articles, posts and for sale ads on http://www.timezone.com for about a month.

 

It is really hard to summarize this in a single thread without sounding like a jerk, but mid-range watches are interesting fish, as most of them target folks who do not know what they are buying.  In other words, Baume and Mercier, Bell & Ross, Longines, Omega (well most of the Omegas) and other "mall" stuff, including Rolex, found across the United States are great honeypots designed by very clever marketing gurus.  Those pros are well paid geniuses who blend well-crafted slogans, e.g. "The first watch on the moon," with sexy females to generate profit margins you can only dream about.  Do this for a several decades in a row and you end up with population that associates brands with things they are not. See Exibit A:  How Rolex went from a tool watch one could afford to a watch for tools who can afford it.

 

So please do more research on forums dedicated to time pieces before buying that watch.  If you still want to buy it after getting your know on, at least you'll save some bucks.

Shocked that it took four pages before a watch thread had its first Rolex bash post.

maybe I'm not the 90%... maybe I think the richemont group got a bargain for b&m and fits nicely in the lower tier of their watch brands... maybe I am not THAT impressed that they use an eta movement because I have an idea how much your off the rack eta costs...maybe I am wrong to think the b&m brand has lost whatever reputation it had a decade or so ago... but hey, if you like your b&m and truly, really think its a good "starter" watch for your future collection then go for it.

"Dress watch" is very subjective to many also. Most people I think are OK with pretty much anything in a business environment. My idea of a dress watch is something very simple. My Nomos Tangente is my dressiest watch, but some may even say that because of the subseconds dial that it's not dressy enough as it has an additional complication that is too busy for "dress."

+1 I think you can get a Nomos Tangente for your budget new. It may be too simple for your tastes though.

I would say gateway instead. It's your first of many watches to come probably, unless you find your grail watch and just settle on that one.

 

Can't go wrong with Nomos!  Simple, manufactured in-house, affordable.

"Gateway" seems more appropriate, though sometimes the questioner may want to be a bit more descriptive of what they're looking for. There may also be a few here who's eyes are larger than their stomache in that they think they may buy a B & M or whatever now and then in another year, move up. When that year rolls around (much too quickly the older one gets), they find they have to put off the purchase.

So maybe......we ought to just start a list, for example, of products that represent a great value now and for the forseeable future. A great watch today can remain a great watch tomorrow. One of my favorites is a Tag I bought 16 years ago. It has taken a hell of a beating over the years and still looks great today. Amortize the cost over those years and it was cheap. In that same time frame, I yearned for a Rolex but went for the Tag, almost as a "Gateway". Today, I'm glad I didn't get the Rolex, as I'm not a Rolex type of person.

I'm wearing my B&M Capeland S XXL today and I'm quite happy with it. Watches, as with almost anything, are completely subjective items. Some people swear by certain brands, others wouldn't touch those brands with a ten foot greasy dildo. The question isn't whether or not a B&M for $1200 is "worth it", but rather, is a $1200 B&M worth it to you? You're the one that's going to wear it so you have to decide what you like about it. Is it the design? The movement? The wrist presence? All of the above? At $1200 what you're probably getting is an ETA 2824 movement which is a good workhorse movement that's used by tons of others. Can you find a $500 watch with this movement? Sure. Can you find a $2500 watch with this movement? Probably. You just have to figure out what matters the most to you.

Don't get too caught up with trying to get a watch with an in-house movement because of the opinions of others. The reality is that 99% of the people who see your watch cannot even tell you what an ETA movement is. Even less will judge you for having one. Would you look down on someone wearing a Cartier Pasha for its movement not being in house?

 

If it is important to you, then definitely go with something in house. If not, don't think twice about buying what you like. ETA movements are also a hell of a lot cheaper to service, which is something to think about if you buy used or are planning to hold onto your timepiece for a long time.

 

On a side note, I always chuckle when people knock ETA movements and Rolex in the same post. 

Don't listen to anyone saying BetM doesnt make a good watch. For that price they make a great watch if you like the styling. They use minimally decorated ETA movements, sure, but they are a reliable workhorse of a movement that repairs and upkeep will be easy in the future. They use sapphire crystal and all the ones I have seen are finished nicely for the price point. People who look down on them are simply comparing them to higher end watches and are being dicks if they tell you to spend more. A budget is a budget for a reason, you'll always get more if you spend more!

 

I would also check out Longines, Frederique Constant, Stowa, NOMOS, and Hamilton to name a few. They will all give you good quality for a similar price point. If you're willing to buy used check out Omega. I personally own an Omega, a Stowa, and a Frederique Constant among others and they are all well made.
 

If you go onto WatchUSeek.com you'll find a community that can help show you a new world of watches. I spend most of my time there and you will find less snobbery towards BetM. They know what it is and what it is not. It won't have the cachet of a JLC or Breguet but hey, its not supposed to. It will be a nice looking auto that you'll enjoy.

 

Go with what you like!

Edited by MZhammer - 7/6/12 at 5:45pm

+1 on the Longines. It's a better company (more reputable) and within your price range even if you buy them from ADs (authorized dealers). They make beautiful watches too.

B&M is a fine watch, whether it is to be a "starter" or a keeper. Just please get yourself one of their automatics, $1200 for a quartz watch is...well...a bit overpriced. Would you get a similar quality movement in a Hamilton? Sure, but many people like B&M for a reason. Wear it in good health.

Also, do not give Cartier too much credit as a watch brand. While their Tank watch is a classic, they are more of a fashion brand than a watch brand as far as movements are concerned.

First, none of the brands you list are what most would consider "mall" brands. Mall brands are things like: Movado, Timex, Fossil, Bulova, etc. While I personally don't care for Bell & Ross, I wouldn't say you see them in malls either. Also, every watch brand has "marketing gurus", brands like Omega and Rolex simply have more active ones (or so it would appear). Their advertising is also typically more main stream. While I will admit there are tools who wear Rolex, not all Rolex wearers are tools. Yes, I own one (Milgauss), but my tool status can be the topic of another thread. Rolex (in my opinion) makes an excellent watch. Their movements are robust and well tested, their styling is classic and simply (most of the time), and they nearly all have 100M watch resistance. For most people, they serve as a good choice for those who only want a single "nice" watch. While Omega does seem to release a few too many special editions as of late, they also make a very reputable watch.

What say the assembled masses about direct marketed watches, such as Christopher Ward and a handful of others that operate similarly?