Their history is borrowed from a previous existence.
Moratello Group acquired the company in 2006, with a focus on homage watches. Mainly quartz. $600 watches selling for $150-$250 in secondary markets.
Much like Gevril. Overpriced homage watches that don’t sell in department stores, only to be found later on Overstock.com and other clearance houses at massive markdowns.
I have watches from $50 to $7000. Any of them could be passed down, and for a variety of reasons.
Sentimental value aside, my collection of Seiko Cocktail Times would be the low end of the cost spectrum. $250 to $550.
Seiko Cocktail Time (Presage). SRPB41.
Or pick a different color. $320-ish. Stunning dial.
I have dozens of watches in all different prices, and that watch has more comments, compliments than all others combined.
Check out a YouTube video on that model. Web pics are awful.
Or one of the other colors in that dial pattern…. But I think the blue is the best.
SRPJ13 is another pattern from 2022. It’s more subtle, but still stunning.
$400 is really high for a Swatch.
Growing up, their watches were $40-$50. And they were popular. You wore them for a year or two, and when they were too beat up, you bought another one. Anyone could buy them.
Today, they’re $80-$110.
So they drop the Moonswatch. $250 is high, but the economy was better, the watch was a novelty, many people know the Speedmaster was the first watch on the Moon. Omega has marketed the Speedy for 50+ years. Billions of billboards, bus shelters, and magazine ads.
Also, the moonswatch had cool models related to our solar system. People could identify with those models.
Sold like wild fire.
$400 for a plastic Blancpain?
Who, outside of serious watch collectors, knows anything about a 50 Fathoms or any Blancpain watches? If you surveyed 50 people on the street about 50 Fathoms, 50 of them would give you a blank look.
Even the average Swatch customer, when entering the store, will google Blancpain 50 Fathoms to see what the original watch looked like and then figure out the association. And it’s still $400.
Watches are NOT an investment. Get that thru your head right now. If you look at the value of your watch after buying it, you’re going to be disappointed.
There are deals out there. They likely won’t exist on eBay or Etsy. Lots of Mumbai Specials on eBay and Etsy.
What’s your budget?
Look at your finances on a yearly basis.
How much disposable income are you comfortable spending? How willing are you to save for a watch you really want?
Set a goal. And don’t spend any money until you’ve looked at a watch, looked at competitors to that watch, and become comfortable/confident with your research.
I see many, many people that just go crazy, buying stupid sh|t, wearing it for a month, sometimes less, and then trying to sell watches “because they really, really want ____”.
Don’t do that. They’re often frustrated at spending $300 and getting $200 back. Or $500, and trying to get $325. Or $1000 and getting $750 back.
Have some patience. It is not a race. It’s a journey.
“But I really want ____ from this microbrand, they look cool!”
Again, they wear it for a few months and want to get rid of it.
Worse, some of them get modded, many of them horribly. Purple and green bezel inserts. “Where is the original bezel insert?” “I sold it on eBay”. Dumb.
After years of this, they have a collection of crap, they’ve wasted a ton of money and time. “Dude, I have some cool watches though!” Nope. You have an impulsive collection of crap.
I started with a Seiko SKX quite awhile back. Wore it for a long time. Then got a used Orient diver from eBay.
Soon after, I started looking at entry level Swiss watches. Hamilton, Tissot, etc.
I went on vacation, knew that I could get a discount overseas on a Hamilton. And I did. $1000 watch for around $600. I wore that for a number of years. I still have it, it needs a service.
At some point, my finances improved, I started looking at a luxury watch.
Rolex GMT was on my bucket list.
I put my name on the list at my AD. After about 2 years, I became tired of the Rolex waitlist.
I finally saw a Tudor GMT. Tried it, liked it. I waited for the bracelet version of the Tudor, and bought it.
Since then, I’ve added a few more luxury watches. And a few non-luxury watches. A few Seiko Cocktail Times. A Studio Underd0g.
I’m careful. I buy what I like. I buy watches that I know I won’t want to part with.
I wear almost all of my watches. I have a few I wear more than others. I have no urge to shrink my collection.
I have my eye on a couple watches in the future. They’re harder to get, and I’m not in a hurry.
My advice, go to a department store or an AD that has Seiko.
Try on a Seiko 5 diver. SRPD53 (or another color). $225 to $250. You might catch a Seiko sale this weekend.
You don’t have to buy. But try it on. They might have Citizen, look at those. I don’t know Citizen very well.
You should understand the differences between a quartz and an automatic.
Most people start with a diver. The Seiko SRPD divers are good, they’re available everywhere.
Tudor Black Bay GMT. It was my first leap above the $1000 price point for a Swiss watch.
I’d been on the Rolex GMT list for several years. I’d stop into the AD every 6 months.
I can remember stopping in, and they had the Tudor GMT on a strap, so I tried it on, and liked it. A bit more subdued than the Rolex.
So, I waited for a bracelet model, and then bought it. And I’ve been happy with it.
I just do not care to play the Rolex waitlist game. My AD doesn’t play the “you need to spend more to get an allocation game”. They just have a list, and you slowly move up the list. If my AD called and said they had the new green Sub, or a Batman, I’d probably buy it. But the waitlist, I’m just not into it.
And over the years, that first Tudor GMT led to a collection of Tudors and other watches.
I looked at the BB Ceramic. It’s a great watch.
I believe it was the 2nd Tudor ever with a display case back. The first being the Black Bay 58 925, released just a bit earlier in 2021. And, I liked it so much, I bought the 925.
I have the Pelagos 39. Wonderful watch. The t-fit bracelet is fantastic. It’s also great on an Erika’s Original Marine National strap.
Sinn 556. Sinn U50.
Tudor Pelagos 39, or the new FXD titanium black dial, or a BB58 black/gilt.
Oris Diver 65 Cal 400.
Grand Seiko SBGA467
IWC Pilot Mark XX, your Laco might get jealous. IWC Ingenieur.
Nomos Tangomat or Ahoi
Omega Railmaster.
Breitling Chronomat GMT (Tudor movement).
Squale 1521 Classic COSC
Seiko presage Cocktail Time.
It’s a collection of watches SRPB41, SRPJ13 are two examples. Web pics are typically awful, YouTube is better for looking at them.
Orient Kamasu. $275-ish here in the US.
Offers a sapphire crystal over the Seiko 5 SRPD divers.
Sinn 556 MOP.
Nomos Club Campus
Squale Sub-39 Vintage GMT.
Oris Diver 65. (Ask AD for a discount).
Seiko Alpinist.
I put down the Squale and Oris because they are a vintage-style watch. They dress up with a leather strap, much like a Tudor Black Bay 58.
GS worldwide is very quiet about sales numbers.
If someone were so inclined, search r/watches and r/grandseiko and count hits for the 211 Snowflake, and the 413 Shunbun, it’d be interesting to see the numbers year on year.
I had spent the better part of a year looking at Spring Drives, trying to narrow it down, and was feeling overwhelmed. I’d thrown out the automatics and the hi-beats, I’d set my sights on a Spring Drive as my first GS. Flake? Omiwatari? Birch? I couldn’t decide. AD was very patient with me throughout that time.
Web pics of the 413 are awful, I’d discounted that watch early on… until I saw it in the case. And I asked the AD, how is it that I’d never seen that watch before?
AD said that the first 3-ish years when it was US-only, he was selling them before they hit the display case, and almost exclusively to foreigners.
January, when I got mine, my AD said it was the first time they’d ever gotten two, and were able to put one on display.
80 watches in the case, yet the 413 stood out to me.
It is a completely different watch in person. All GS watches are better in person. But the 413, to me, just stands out.
The only thing to tell people is to go visit it in person.
Tudor Pelagos 39
Omega Aqua Terra 38 (pick a color).
Grand Seiko SBGA413 Shunbun It’s over your limit, but ask for a discount, or buy it used.
IWC Pilot Mark XX
I have the 1st and 3rd. Fantastic watches.
Waiting on the Omega in Terra Cotta. The IWC in blue with the bracelet is likely next on my list.
Seiko Cocktail Time. They’re in the Presage family.
YouTube videos. Don’t even look at web pics, they’re usually awful.
I have a GS Shunbun SBGA413, a stunning watch on its own, as well as dozens of other watches.
Seiko SRPB41 easily gets more questions, comments, compliments than all of my other watches combined. It’s not even close.
Crazy part is they’re $320-ish. Comfortable bracelet. 40.5mm. Hardlex crystal, but I’m not wrenching on cars when I wear one.
https://www.theseikoguy.com/presage-cocktail-time/
He’s missing the 5 models from 2022, and the 3 models released this year. Might be more than 3? 2 gold and 1 blue dial.
Another watch to look at:
Sinn 556 MOP.
It’s not a true dress watch, the watch has good lume, but looking at that dial, I’m not sure anyone could say anything negative about it. They do offer another bracelet that looks more dressy than their standard H-link.
Good luck.
Frederique Constant has an in-house movement in watches that hover around $1900-$2100.
Remarkably, they did not copy an ETA2824.
It is beautifully finished.
I looked at them during summer, memory isn’t exactly fresh. I’ve not bought an FC.
FC is owned by Citizen/Miyota. It is not bad, but it means you might see them in department stores. Don’t take that to mean it’s “just a fashion watch.”
Oris is a standalone watchmaker. That is somewhat rare.
They use Sellita SW200’s in their “733” models, and their Cal 400 is an in-house movement. They also have a few small second watches with a 743 (Sellita SW220 movement). I’m not sure what’s in their GMT, but it’s likely a Sellita.
They do some regulation on their movements, and add their own rotor. Whatever they’re doing, I’m impressed.
My 733’s are -4 sec per day, and -5 second per day. It’s not COSC, but it’s close.
The Cal 400 is -1 second per week. That’s getting close to Grand Seiko Spring Drive. And the Cal 400 has 5 day power reserve by using two main springs.
TBH, I like my 733’s just as much as the Cal 400. The Aquis Cherry Date wasn’t available in Cal 400, bought it anyway, and am not disappointed. Stunning dial.
I have a Diver 65 and 2 Aquis. They’re nice. Accurate. The Aquis dials are amazing. The Diver 65 is a nod to old school divers.
Oris watches are available in as many as 4 sizes. 36.5mm up to 43.5mm. Not all models though. But still, it’s nice that they do better than other brands.
I like them a lot. The Aquis uses an integrated bracelet, very comfortable.
Quite possibly the most comfortable bracelets of all the watches I own.
Aquis also has a good mix of polish and brushed. Not too blingy, but just a bit of pop. Aquis also wears a bit smaller than the size indicates.
Both of mine are 41.5’s, and wear closer to a 40. I have 6.5” wrists. My Diver 65 is a 39.5, and is spot on.
I don’t have a pro pilot or big crown pointer, but those are quite popular also.
Oris just announced the Diver 75? Didn’t get to read up on it, the one I saw was orange, a tribute to 1970’s surfers.
Fairly certain you could use it to flag down a cab. If orange is your thing, that watch had it in spades.
Oris AD’s will discount their watches. Depends on your AD.
And, some AD’s have sales.
Ask them, “Is that your best price?” And just wait. The AD will likely reach for a calculator.
Oris, if bought thru an AD, and you register thru MyOris, extends warranty on their watches. Cal 400 is 10 years. Most of the rest are 3? Might be a few that are something else. Ask.
Good luck. Go try on some watches, and decide what you like.
Does it matter what everyone else thinks? Do you really need to categorize yourself?
In your mind, you can be whoever you want, and you don’t have to answer to anyone. Or categorize yourself.
If your goals are to own a vast collection of Casios, so be it.
You like what you like.
Depends on you and your budget. And where you want to go.
If you’re only buying one watch to wear everyday, and the Cal 400 is a financial stretch, get the 733/743. There’s nothing wrong with the Oris 733/743. Yes, it’s nice to have a Cal 400. But I have a Cal 400 and a pair of 733’s, and I wear them all.
I’m assuming you will be wearing it 90% of the time. You won’t need the power reserve. It might be nice to have it, but stay within your budget. No credit cards. Period.
The cost difference to jump to the Cal 400 is just too steep for some people. But… maybe they discount a Cal 400 too. And then you have 2 watches, or even 3 to pick from.
When I got my Cal 400, I had the beginnings of a multi-watch collection, the Cal 400 Aquis 5-day power reserve meant I could wear a second watch for the weekend, and the Cal 400 is still running Monday morning.
I don’t do that behavior very often, so extended power reserve isn’t as important to me as it once was.
Which is why I bought an Aquis Cherry Date. It only comes in a 733. But it’s a stunning watch. And I had to have it.
The Dat Watt might be the watch for you. That’s for you to decide. It is distinctive. Have you ruled out other watches on your list that are around your budget?
I did look up the 743. It’s a Sellita SW220-based small seconds movement. A nod to history.
A throwback to the old Unitas/ETA 6497 hand wound movements with the small seconds at 9 o’clock, and the 6498 with small seconds at 6.
Movements and dial designs started to move to center “sweep” seconds in the late 50’s/early 60’s. But that small seconds look has an appeal to people.
Small seconds movements still exist today. The patents on the 6497 have long since expired, and you can see other companies that produce that design in manual, and later in automatics.
I don’t have a small seconds, but I want one, just haven’t sat down and made a list of which watches to look at.
I can also say that your first serious watch, you’re always going to have a fondness for it as long as you put some thought into it, and decide what you really want. So, make sure it’s right for you. No regrets, you’ve ruled out others near this price range. If there’s a watch above this one that you really want, save for that watch. Don’t hop your way up, that’s a losing battle.
Some people try to sneak up on their first luxury watch. They start with a $75 Pagani, then a $300 used watch, then a $600 microbrand, then a $1000 microbrand, and they end up trying to wheel and deal in used watches, then they have a collection, and they try selling the lot to try to get close to that first luxury watch. They spend years doing this, when if they’d just saved, they could have done it in 2 years. Some enjoy it, some get frustrated.
They won’t sit and save for their first serious watch, and they get trapped in this continual search/buy/sell pattern.
To me, that’s a long and painful path to get into a more serious watch.
I went the other way. Patience. It’s not a race. Be happy with what I have today. I’ll get to add to my collection over time.
The Dat Watt might be good for you. You get to decide that. How long do you intend to wear it before you fancy adding to your collection?
Are you even interested in a collection? Plenty of people are 1-and-done. And they wear the crap out of a single watch for 10-20 years. That’s perfectly respectable. I have friends like that. But a lot of people get the bug. And they start collecting. That….can be perilous for your pocket book. It depends on how you approach it.
I can also say that an Aquis on the street is rare. And almost certainly you’ll never see a Dat Watt.
You might if you went to an Oris event. Or hang out at the AD long enough. But I doubt it.
Some more things if you’re stuck at 90 percent:
Pick a time when there’s no traffic at your AD. Tuesday morning or something. You could walk back into that AD, look them in the eye and say, “I’m still on the fence about the Dat Watt, is there anything more you can do?”
Don’t say anything else. Don’t fidget. See what they say.
And maybe you get another 100 pounds knocked off. I’m actually surprised they were willing to discount the Dat Watt.
Worst case, they shake their heads. I am guessing this is the Dat Watt II limited edition just released a few months ago? The AD might have given you their only discount and that’s it. Smile, and say thanks. It is a limited edition. They probably only have 1, and you’ll never see it again. And they might say those exact words.
If you’re comparing it to another Aquis 733, or a Cal 400, they’ll likely drag out both, or all 3 and put them on the velvet/felt tray and let you decide. My opinion, the Aquis wears smaller than its dimensions. Both of mine are 41.5’s, but they wear like 40’s because of the integrated bracelets.
I’m a skinny twig, I can’t wear a 43.5.
Try them on, one at a time, find a mirror, stand back 5 feet and see which one you like. One of them will stick with you.
When you get to this point, and this is sometimes a BIG ask, ask them to fit it for you. You want to be sure it’s a good fit before paying. Nothing worse than paying, and then getting fitted, and it’s uncomfortable. Ugh. I said this in an earlier post, I’m impressed with the Aquis bracelet. It’s really comfortable. And it has a bit of pop that you don’t get with an all brushed bracelet.
They might get annoyed, but a good AD wants to make sure you’re happy. I’ve only done that once, I sort of felt bad for asking before paying, I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but it was a much more expensive watch. And it fit perfectly, I bought it, and have been happy since.
Good luck.
I quit worrying about everyone else. If they like it, fantastic.
Power reserve. Big diff.
The 733 is 38 hrs.
Cal 400 is 120 hours.
Cal 400 also takes a massive amount of turns to hand wind. AD told me it was 280 for a full charge from a dead watch?
Accuracy.
my 733 is -4 per day. I also have a diver 65 that is -5 sec/day.
My Cal 400 is -1 sec per week. Yup, you read that right.
I have dozens of watches.
This past summer, I added a Seiko 5 Rowing Blazers to my collection (the yellow dial), and 2 weeks ago, another Seiko Cocktail Time SRPK48.
I also have SRPB41, SRPH78, SRPJ13, and SRPD37.
They are relatively inexpensive, yet fantastic watches.