Buying a New Watch

frowny on 13/10/2015 - 17:35

So I've been looking around for a nice dress watch and so far I've narrowed it down to the "Orient FDB08004B"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti6vTmtaaC4

http://lghttp.23740.nexcesscdn.net/80AC5C/magento/media/cata…

It's a very nice looking watch, not too busy, Orient's mechnical movement. It doesn't have sapphire glass which is a bit of a bummer, but everything else seems good so far.

So my question is, is there any other watches that you could recommend to give me a second option with a price point of about ~$350?

Fashion & Apparel

Comments

  • slknv on 13/10/2015 - 18:57
    +1

    I bought a Seiko while in Japan earlier this year, was about $270AUD on sale at the time - http://www.seiko-watch.co.jp/collections/en/presage/SARY023/
    Nice souvenir of the trip and good for work, sapphire crystal and glass back. I used to spend a lot of money on "prestige" watches but not any more!

    I'm not sure if this model seiko is available in Australia, and if you're going to spend around $350 I would still look for something with sapphire crystal. I have a few non sapphire watches and no matter how careful I am, mine always chip around the edges.

    • frowny on 13/10/2015 - 19:11

      Yeah, that's a lovely looking watch, the cheapest I can find for it is about $440 sadly.

      The Orient I can find for about $190.

    • subywagon on 14/10/2015 - 00:08

      That Seiko watch is rather correct.

    • Kozhutki on 14/10/2015 - 05:02
      +1

      I just did a bunch of research on that watch you linked and I ended up buying it, haha. You should get commission. This is actually my first watch!

  • nubzy on 13/10/2015 - 18:59

    Orient are great watches for the price, excellent quality and automatic for a great price. Not a big fan of that one though, prefer the original or roman numeral bambino models.

  • blitz on 13/10/2015 - 20:15

    Is that a real complication or is it cosmetic?

    • frowny on 13/10/2015 - 21:02

      How do you mean?

    • supnigs super skids on 13/10/2015 - 21:57

      Orient use decent mechanical complications. They regulate quite well.

    • [Deactivated] on 13/10/2015 - 22:07

      It's real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-wL_zm3D1M

      Amazon review:

      An interesting thing about this watch is that its automatic rotor system contains ball bearings, which make for a noisy movement. I thought my watch was broken at first but the ball bearings are what make it noticeably louder than my other automatics; however, the benefit is that it takes little to no effort to "wind" the watch when it's on your wrist and you get used to the noise after a while (it's not that loud when it's on your wrist). The open heart is neatly positioned and adds more flair to an already elegant dress watch, I find myself staring at the escapement when I'm bored. Watch movement is an in-house 21 jewel caliber 46A40, which should provide around 40 hours of run-time.

      My Orient Bambino makes a bit of noise, nothing loud, just noticeable at times.

  • Hotpotcorn on 13/10/2015 - 20:40

    SMART WATCH

  • plmko on 13/10/2015 - 21:26

    Good brand, wear my Orient Subaru STI 2011 watch everyday and always get compliments about the looks.

  • 00 on 13/10/2015 - 22:48

    http://adinawatches.com.au

    Adina is Australia's only watch brand that designs and assembles its complete watch collection here in Australia.

    Adina is producing in excess of 60,000 watches per annum under the Adina brand. All are designed and hand finished in its Brisbane factory.

    • frowny on 13/10/2015 - 23:25

      I'm sorry, Australian made isn't really much of a plus for me in terms of quality.

      Also what movement are the watches? I took a look at quite a few of them and I don't get any information.

      • 00 on 13/10/2015 - 23:38

        "Using only movements from Swiss movement manufacturers Ronda, ETA and other top end watch component suppliers." http://adinawatches.com.au/repairs.html

        This one is my favbut it's $595 retail - may be able to find it at a better price.

      • 00 on 14/10/2015 - 00:14

        An article that may change your opinion regarding Quality and Australian Made:
        http://www.brw.com.au/p/entrepreneurs/how_our_last_watchmake…

        • frowny on 14/10/2015 - 00:16
          +1

          I'm sorry, but that doesn't change my opinion, and should it? It is basically an Australian article praising a local Australian business.

        • 00 on 14/10/2015 - 08:53

          @smileymiwo: craftsmanship vs. assembly line

      • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2015 - 07:22
        +2

        Any country can make poor-quality crap and good-quality crap, it comes down to quality control.

        Most 'Swiss Made' watches are mainly made up of well-made Chinese or East Asian manufactured and assembled components. They add a couple of expensive Swiss-made parts to the movement to satisfy the "at least 50% of the value of the movement" requirement, and perform the final assembly and quality checks in Switzerland to satisfy the other "Swiss Made" requirements and, Robert est le frère de votre mère, you have a high-quality Swiss Made watch.

        They do it because it's cheaper to make the parts in East Asia. That's "cheaper", not "cheap". The consumers don't realise, because everything is well made and the manufacturer stands behind their product. If a Swiss watch fails it's attributed to a quirk of being 'hand crafted'; if a Chinese watch fails it's attributed to shoddy cheap poor-quality manufacturing.

        Some Australian companies make world-class quality products. It's nothing to with being in Australia, but the integrity of the Australians behind the company.

    • Kozhutki on 14/10/2015 - 05:07
      -2

      I appreciate your patriotism however a watch made in Australia would have zero effect on my purchase, and to be honest an Australian-made watch would be the last watch I would buy. I don't believe an equally priced Switz or Japanese watch could compare.

      • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2015 - 07:26
        +1

        You don't think an Australian watch would compare to a Swiss Made watch even though they both share the exact same innards, and the majority of the parts in the Swiss Made watch were manufactured in China?

        You're basically paying for a brand name you think will impress other people.

        • Kozhutki on 14/10/2015 - 17:37
          +1

          Well watches are a fashion accessory so paying for a brand name is definitely an argument, especially if the watch is being compared in the $400+ price range. If you just wanted a watch for the time then you can get a cheap shit Casio.

    • wolffram on 14/10/2015 - 07:28
      +1

      "Adina is Australia's only watch brand that designs and assembles its complete watch collection here in Australia."
      What you mean is the only retail brand. There are quite a few Australian micro brands. #Aegir, #Bauselle, #Rebelde to name just three. Obviously these watches are not what the OP is after, but they are there.

      • 00 on 14/10/2015 - 08:56

        Do the brands you refer to manufacture in Australia?

        • wolffram on 14/10/2015 - 20:28

          Two of the three brands are completely assembled here. Aegir watches are 100 % Swiss movement and German parts, and are designed and assembled totally by Todd Caldwell in Perth. Rebelde are totally designed, assembled and regulated by master clockmaker Nick Hacko in Sydney. Christophe Hoppe is the man behind Bauselle, using a variety of parts some of which are even made in Australia. The watches are assembled in Switzerland though. As the fat man himself once sang; "Two out of three ain't bad."

  • wolffram on 14/10/2015 - 07:37
    +1

    http://www.creationwatches.com/products/orient-watches-252/o…

    Here is a link to Creationwatches. I have bought many watches from them over the years and their service is fantastic. Also, I have several Orient automatic watches, and they are incredible value for money. All their movements are 'in house' meaning they design and manufacture their own rather than buy and use another company's, and they are made in Japan. Most of the cheaper Seiko and Citizen watches use Chinese movements. This is mainly an issue of quality control. I would not hesitate to recommend Orient watches.

    • frowny on 14/10/2015 - 10:00

      Brilliant, I will definitely be using this site.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2015 - 10:08

    Try this:
    http://www.starjewels.com.au/super-specials-watch-jewellery-…

    Star jewellers (Sydney with an on-line store) occasionally have clearance sales on a few watch makes. I bought a $350 Citizen Eco watch for $99 and it is a stunner.
    I flew first-class from LA to Miami a few weeks ago and another passenger who is a watch collector commented on how he liked it.
    [I buy my top-end watches from Dubai. I can buy an Omega for half the Aus cost.

    • frowny on 14/10/2015 - 11:16

      I have been keeping an eye on Starjewels, but none of the dress watches are my style and I'm not a huge fan of their Eco-Drive watches

  • OceaneerGrant on 14/10/2015 - 18:18

    Enjoying the banter but have to confirm yes there are other "Australian" watch brands but Adina is the only one doing 100% designing and assembling here all by qualified watch makers mind you. Quality that is what the brand was founded on and that hasn't altered in 44 years. The movements used are all 100% Swiss made from either Eta or Ronda. As for the Automatics they are using ETA 2824 find another watch on the market using that movement under $500???? AS for sapphire crystals check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH_M3EbFaLk Enjoy!

    • wolffram on 14/10/2015 - 21:22

      I've got a few $500 watches with Swiss ETA 2824-2 movements. The 2824 is the workhorse of the Swiss watch world. I agree though that to get one of these movements in an Australian watch for this price is outstanding. I applaud Adina for this. BTW, Nick Hacko is a qualified watchmaker who 100% designs his watches, negotiates the parts, and hand assembles them in his Sydney workshop. Now of course they are not for everyone. He only makes about 75 per year and at $3000 a piece they are not cheap. But they are what they are.
      http://www.rebelde.com.au

  • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2015 - 20:32
    -4

    Seriously though, 99% of $300 watches share movements with $20 watches. You are throwing money away. If you are going to buy a cheap watch, get a smart watch like an Apple watch, or just buy a Swatch for $30. There is zero point in getting a $300 quartz watch, you either spend up and get a Swiss mechanical watch, or you just get the cheapest watch you like the look of. No point going in half cocked.

    • Matt P on 14/10/2015 - 20:41
      +1

      you can't buy swatches for 30 bucks anymore haha. I went into their Sydney boutique recently and pretty much everything was 100 bucks and up.

    • frowny on 17/10/2015 - 00:24

      The watch I linked is Orient's in-house mechanical movement, which has been highly acclaimed for its price.

      • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2015 - 09:05
        -4

        One of the benefits of a proper Swiss watch is that they retain value or often appreciate. I doubt an Orient would.

        • frowny on 17/10/2015 - 10:20

          But that isn't the point of this post. There is a $200 automatic watch with Sapphire glass that I personally think looks good. I asked around if there was any alternatives to that.

          $600+ is not in my price range, and retaining value is not on my list of priorities.

        • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2015 - 13:29
          -6

          @smileymiwo: $600 won't even get you a look at a good watch. Save your money and get a quartz that you like.

        • nubzy on 17/10/2015 - 14:12

          @thorton82: An Orient is a very good watch for its price and well respected by watch guys. I pity the people spending $200 on rubbish Daniel Wellington junk when they can get a quality, Japanese made in house movement automatic Orient for the same price. They have an element of class and style that you will not get in other watches in this price range.

        • frowny on 17/10/2015 - 14:24

          @thorton82:

          I'm sorry, but at the end of the day not every can spend or want to spend $3000 on a watch.

  • Matt P on 14/10/2015 - 20:47

    Would you consider something like a Tissot? I've always had a soft spot for them and IMO from a brand perspective they hold a bit more cred. Jomashop.com generally has some good deals.

    Do you need an Automatic? Be aware that they do/will need servicing and something like an Orient is unlikely to get cred from the "watch guys". Heck, my Baume & Mercier which is a 5k watch locally doesn't even get a look in most of the time :p

    • frowny on 14/10/2015 - 20:56

      I feel like I definitely want an automatic, I understand the extra care that's needed for them, and I feel like I want to invest into something that will last, and as such, the want for sapphire glass and for automatic.

      • wolffram on 14/10/2015 - 21:23

        Good choice. Autos are real watches. ( now that's not going to get any replies, is it :)

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