Victorinox or Hamilton watch

[pkrath84]

I'm a 30-year old with a professional degree looking to put pieces together for a new work wardrobe. I like to keep things simple and classic overall with a bit of modern flare here and there to keep it young. Lately I've been looking into watches and so far I've narrowed it down to two watches, the Victorinox Alliance Mechanical and the Hamilton Thinomatic:



What do you guys think? Any other suggestions? The Vic retails at $750 but can be had for $480 and the Hamilton retails for $895 but can be had for about $595. I'd like to keep it close to $500, but I'd like to hear whether others with more experience believe the Hamilton is worth the extra money spent in the long run.

 

[Christopher Essex]

To me, both watches lend themselves more to evening wear...do you not like white or light-faced watches? I think they may be better for workday wear. Feel free to disagree.

 

[guccihomme]

I've heard good things about Hamilton and I plan on purchasing Hamilton sometime in the future. Watchseek has reviews and a search shows used in very good condition sold at $415 and $385.

I didn't know Hamilton could be purchased at that price (expected closer to 1K). My next 2 planned purchases are Seiko Monster and Orient Bambino, but now Hamiltiom is at the top of my list. For the price of those 2 watches I can have an ETA movement with reviews of +2 sec/day. It fits the bill of a dressy watch.

Thanks for posting the question! I found info I didn't know, as I mostly looked at Jazzmaster.

 

[Ianiceman]

Aesthetically there's not much in it, go with your preference.

Reliability / quality wise, I have a sporty Victorinox weekend beater which is a couple of years old and doing fine.I have no personal experience with Hamiltons but I understand that they have a good reputation

Mechanism - If the Victorinox is a wind-up, that might be a deal breaker as I personally couldn't be chewed to remember to wind it up every day.

And to the point above ... Black is a neutral colour that can go with pretty much everything ... Unless your daily wardrobe leans towards a lot of tan/brown/snuff shoes and belts, in which case a black watch and strap might look out of place.

Both are nice looking watches.

 

[alanautumn]

Get the Victorinox. I have the white dial on bracelet and love it.

 

[a2dan]

I have the Hamilton Khaki Field (brown leather strap/black dial) as a daily wear watch, and the Intramatic (black leather strap/silver dial) as a dress watch. I also have a Tag Heuer Carrera Twin-Time, but find myself wearing my Hamiltons way more often. Hamiltons offer quality ETA movements at very attractive price points. Both my watches keep excellent time and have not caused a bit of problem thus far.

I am deciding between a Linjer briefcase and a Hamilton Navy Pioneer watch for my next indulgent purchase right now... I am obviously biased, but I vote for the Hammy.

 

[Risk_Reward]

The font on the Hamilton is god awful.

 

[pkrath84]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I appreciate the feedback.

I lean towards the black strap and faces, because I feel that black is easier to match with my wardrobe.

Any other reccomendations for my price point?

I really like the Jazzmasters but for my taste, I'm going to have to hold off on that purchase a little bit longer.

 

[Cj52racers]

At this price point I would really look at the Tissot Visodate Heritage. It is an excellent time piece that can be dressed up or down accordingly. Fantastic watch, also an automatic.

 

[pkrath84]

OK, so I just learned about Orient watches and I think I fell in love...



Now I just need to decide, black or white face with a leather strap (pref black)


The white face is growing on me, and I'm thinking it will pair nicely with either a black or brown leather strap. It comes with the bracelet, so I figure I can dress it up and down. Retails for $770, I found it for $333. NOT BAD!

Thoughts?

 

[ncroadwarrior2]

Orient watches are great quality and very unique. I own several. They are all in-house automatic movements. I was going yo suggest Orient watches.

 

[Cj52racers]

I have an Orient Power Reserve Curator and I love it. To me they are the best 100-300 watches there are. However you were talking upwards of 500 and the quality is noticeably better at that price point.

 

[SYQ]

Just checked out Orient watches and they seem to have some nice looking options with automatic movements in the $2XX range. What would you say are the biggest quality differences you see in moving up to the $500 range for watch brands?

 

[Cj52racers]



Just checked out Orient watches and they seem to have some nice looking options with automatic movements in the $2XX range. What would you say are the biggest quality differences you see in moving up to the $500 range for watch brands?

Just to preface this, I own two Orients and I love them both. I think it is really cool they make their own movements in house and they have some timeless designs. However, mine have been off consistently by 15-35 seconds a day and they have not been impervious to scratches on the crystal either. Also, let it be known, most Orient bands (especially the stainless) are brutal quality. This is one area they keep their costs down. With a Tissot or Hamilton you will be getting a sapphire crystal most likely and probably a more accurate movement. 15-30 seconds a day doesn't sound like much, but it does mean you are changing the time every few days... It gets old. For the price though they are absolutely excellent.

 

[ncroadwarrior2]

Orient JDM on Hirsch Modena. This watch has a sapphire crystal. Just for reference.