Inexpensive watches with high-dollar style -- poseriffic?

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by eidolon

Inexpensive, you say?

The face is a little big, and normally I don't like text for the date, but that's offset by it being perpetual. That's the cheapest good looking watch I've seen that's utilitiarian, although some Skagens and Seikos are close.

If I can make a recommendation from personal experience, d.freemont watches are spectacular. The New Yorker and Mt. Palomar are especially nice, and the coral Mt. Palomar face is very subdued and attractive in person.

Nice looking watches for the money. I am sorely tempted.

 

[jhao]

I have a Frederique Constant myself, it's an "open heart" model,it have a "hole" ala tourbillon, but it's not a tourbillon, I consider it very good option for the money I paid for it, I´m gonna upload some pictures

 

[jtang]

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I've been struggling with the exact same issue in trying to find a good Panerai style watch.

This watch is beautiful but, being a recent college grad, way out of my price range.

After doing some research, the consensus seems to be that this International Watchman Marine Diver (~$500) is the best quality Panerai 'homage'. Have any of you had experience with the Marine Diver? How is the quality? Is the styling way too similiar to the Panerai?

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by jtang

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I've been struggling with the exact same issue in trying to find a good Panerai style watch.

This watch is beautiful but, being a recent college grad, way out of my price range.

After doing some research, the consensus seems to be that this International Watchman Marine Diver (~$500) is the best quality Panerai 'homage'.

Have any of you had experience with the Marine Diver? How is the quality? Is the styling way too similiar to the Panerai?

I've thought about getting one of these hommage watches before plunging into a real deal panerai just see if I could handle the size on a day to day basis.

What other hommages are there for this watch?

 

[jtang]

Originally Posted by micbain

I've thought about getting one of these hommage watches before plunging into a real deal panerai just see if I could handle the size on a day to day basis. What other hommages are there for this watch?
Check this thread: http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?p=666139 Basically, besides the Marine Diver, there's the Marina Militare then a bunch of ~$100 ebay homages. There's some members who build their own too which don't look too bad. Anybody have any opinions on the Marine Diver?

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

If someone says, "Hrm, that reminds me of Cartier," is that too close for comfort?
It doesn't bother me, really. Personally, I think "God is in the details" and that one's watch should be a personal statement, not necessarily a public one. My first "highend" watch was a Tank Basculante that I got in 2001 or so (it's now discontinued, but it is the tank whose face "flips" around like a JLC) and even though the design is very copied, it's the subtle details that make it worth it, IMO. True, there are probably more "mechanically sophisticated" watches out there for the same price as the Cartier, but I still like everything about it. And, luckily I got a really good deal on it, too.

Mine was like the one below, only with a dark gray silk band instead of croc:

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by jtang

Check this thread: http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?p=666139

Basically, besides the Marine Diver, there's the Marina Militare then a bunch of ~$100 ebay homages. There's some members who build their own too which don't look too bad.

Anybody have any opinions on the Marine Diver?

Do you know if the weight is anything similar to the real deal?

Have you tried www.timezone.com? They look down on hommages quit a bit but there are more than a few members who own them.

 

[jetfight]

I recommend buying swiss made watches with swiss mechanical movements, not cheap asian made movements (mechanical or quartz)...

 

[jtang]

Originally Posted by micbain

Do you know if the weight is anything similar to the real deal?

Have you tried www.timezone.com? They look down on hommages quit a bit but there are more than a few members who own them.

Nope, sorry. Not really sure. Take a look at the IW website, maybe they have the weight listed there.

Originally Posted by jetfight

I recommend buying swiss made watches with swiss mechanical movements, not cheap asian made movements (mechanical or quartz)...

From manufacturer: All of our watches are SWISS made and are NOT Chinese
Fake/Copy watches......No Plastic Parts are used and all parts are Genuine.....
Only ETA movements. ( Grade A Quality ) are used / 2824 / 25J... 2836 / 25J.---GMT----and 17J.

Not really sure what all the numbers mean, but I'm pretty sure everything's Swiss, right?

 

[whacked]

Originally Posted by jtang

Is the styling way too similiar to the Panerai?

Yes, it's basicly a replica.


If I were you I'd look for something else. Panerai Luminors are not the only attractive big spots watches around...

 

[sygyzy]

RE: Quartz

Are you guys aware of a class of watches called High End Quartz? They are very attractive and intriguing.

 

[longskate88]

Originally Posted by jtang

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I've been struggling with the exact same issue in trying to find a good Panerai style watch.

This watch is beautiful but, being a recent college grad, way out of my price range.

After doing some research, the consensus seems to be that this International Watchman Marine Diver (~$500) is the best quality Panerai 'homage'. Have any of you had experience with the Marine Diver? How is the quality? Is the styling way too similiar to the Panerai?
I had one, with the subseconds and the 'sandwich' dial. Damn good watch for the $350, I put a Panerai rubber strap on it and wore it that way. It was a fun watch, just too big for me. PM if you have any questions.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by Twotone

I would wear a Hamilton or Seiko automatic over a quartz "fashion watch" any day. I prefer watches that have a bit of "soul" to them, something lacking in quartz watches. Some of the Seiko 5 automatics can be found well under $100. The are not "poser" watches and are not pretending to be something they are not.

Twotone
This sentiment about "soul" is not only trite, but, in my opinion, also fundamentally incorrect. Most Swiss mechanical watches have inexpensive ETA 2824-2 movements in them. The least-expensive version of the ETA 2824-2 movement costs around $60, and these are just dropped into the watch by many Swiss makers. (Note I'm not talking here about the higher-end makers who "tune" these movements or, in a very few cases, make their own.) I find it difficult to see the "soul" in this. The movements are almost entirely machine-made in the first place.

Now constrast this with the making of a fine quartz movement, like the Seiko 9F series or Citizen A660 movement. These movements are, in fact, almost entirely hand-made by Seiko and Citizen, respectively, not out-sourced and dropped in. The quartz crystals are cut with exquisite accuracy by the best specialists in the workroom. The various parts are carefully selected and assembled. As a result, Seiko can advertise its quartz watches with the 9F (and also 8J) movements to stay within 10 seconds of exact time over the period of one year. Citizen advertise that their Chronomasters (with the A660 movement) will stay within 5 seconds over an entire year. The latter number--5 seconds--is approximately what the best mechanical (hand-wound and automatic) watches gain or lose in one day. (Chronometer designation requires -4 secs. to +6 seconds per day for mechanical watches.) If we are going to talk about the "soul" of an inanimate object like a watch, I'd say the quartz watch in the examples I've provided has more! It is, at the very least, far more hand-made.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that most quartz watches are made with this level of care--but neither are most mechanical watches made with much care either. In both cases, it comes down to machine-construction and robotics.

Originally Posted by jetfight

I recommend buying swiss made watches with swiss mechanical movements, not cheap asian made movements (mechanical or quartz)...
I'd be careful in characterizing Asian quartz movements as "cheap." There are cheap quartz movements--both Asian and Swiss--but so too are there cheap mechanical movements (like the lower-level ETA 2824-2 noted above). There are, however, some extremely finely-made--and hence decidedly not cheap--Asian quartz movements, as noted above. In fact, there are many more, including many others found in Seiko and Citizen watches that hold their time-keeping within 20 sec. per year. There are also, of course, highly-refined Swiss quartz movements--like the best ETA thermolines (with thermocompensation) found in one or two models of Breitling, Omega, and Longines watches.

Incidentally, some of the Asian mechanical movements are easily the equal of the better Swiss mechanicals. Just take a look at some of Seiko's spring-drive and other higher-end watches (like their Credor series).

 

[Toiletduck]

I wanted to get a Stowa, my gf said NO, what the hell is a Stowa? - get an IWC.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Roger

This sentiment about "soul" is not only trite, but, in my opinion, also fundamentally incorrect. Most Swiss mechanical watches have inexpensive ETA 2824-2 movements in them. The least-expensive version of the ETA 2824-2 movement costs around $60, and these are just dropped into the watch by many Swiss makers. (Note I'm not talking here about the higher-end makers who "tune" these movements or, in a very few cases, make their own.) I find it difficult to see the "soul" in this. The movements are almost entirely machine-made in the first place.

Now constrast this with the making of a fine quartz movement, like the Seiko 9F series or Citizen A660 movement. These movements are, in fact, almost entirely hand-made by Seiko and Citizen, respectively, not out-sourced and dropped in. The quartz crystals are cut with exquisite accuracy by the best specialists in the workroom. The various parts are carefully selected and assembled. As a result, Seiko can advertise its quartz watches with the 9F (and also 8J) movements to stay within 10 seconds of exact time over the period of one year. Citizen advertise that their Chronomasters (with the A660 movement) will stay within 5 seconds over an entire year. The latter number--5 seconds--is approximately what the best mechanical (hand-wound and automatic) watches gain or lose in one day. (Chronometer designation requires -4 secs. to +6 seconds per day for mechanical watches.) If we are going to talk about the "soul" of an inanimate object like a watch, I'd say the quartz watch in the examples I've provided has more! It is, at the very least, far more hand-made.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that most quartz watches are made with this level of care--but neither are most mechanical watches made with much care either. In both cases, it comes down to machine-construction and robotics.

I'd be careful in characterizing Asian quartz movements as "cheap." There are cheap quartz movements--both Asian and Swiss--but so too are there cheap mechanical movements (like the lower-level ETA 2824-2 noted above). There are, however, some extremely finely-made--and hence decidedly not cheap--Asian quartz movements, as noted above. In fact, there are many more, including many others found in Seiko and Citizen watches that hold their time-keeping within 20 sec. per year. There are also, of course, highly-refined Swiss quartz movements--like the best ETA thermolines (with thermocompensation) found in one or two models of Breitling, Omega, and Longines watches.

Incidentally, some of the Asian mechanical movements are easily the equal of the better Swiss mechanicals. Just take a look at some of Seiko's spring-drive and other higher-end watches (like their Credor series).

Roger and I have sometimes been known to disagree - but this is one of the most clear headed posts on the subject of watches I have read in a long, long time. The WIS types always say that the quartz watch from the $2 shop is no better than any other. But that is clearly nonsense. You do get what you pay for. A quality quartz watch will last you decades, unlike the junk from the $2 store.

The notion of a watch having a "soul" is obviously advertising hype, and utterly ridiculous. It is a fiction created by the industry to create a religion out of the products they peddle. You never see this level of hype in vintage advertisements from the pre-quartz era - instead the makers brag about superior accuracy. Also the prices of mechanical watches today are utterly ludicrous compared to their (inflation adjusted) equivalents in the pre-quartz era.

I do appreciate mechanical watches, especially vintage ones, but the way the mechanical watch industry has concocted a burning religious fanaticism towards its products fanned by advertising really needs a good bit of debunking.