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That is an extremely controversial topic, since there are camps on various sides (Swiss, Japanese, German etc) all of whom profess their products to be superior in some way or the other :D. It just so happens that Swiss watchmaking has got more traction in terms of awareness, market equity, brand awareness etc (no doubt because of a plethora of great products and well marketed companies) as compared to other two camps.

In my opinion and experience, however, there are Japanese and German watches which are in no way inferior and in many ways superior to many of the well known Swiss brands. For instance, Seiko, Grand Seiko, Stowa, Sinn, Damasko, Junghans, Nomos, etc are all brands which are non-Swiss but offer absolutely incredible (and I really mean incredible!) value for money pieces which are at par with Swiss watches from corresponding and higher price brackets - whether in terms of quality, craftsmanship, design or most other parameters.

On the other hand - once you go to the really higher end watches (e.g. Patek Phillipe and upwards), the choice and number of brands in the Swiss industry are much higher as compared to the non-Swiss spectrum.

€179.00 for that? That band looks really cheap and painful for people with arm hair!:)

We will see. Actually the band is the part that is not an exact replica from the original as the original ones in those days were pretty crappy and would therefor be very crappy today as well. The reviews I have seen so far are all very positive about the band. I will let you know.

Jeroen

I would say the overall finesse, quality, finish of Swiss watches are hard to beat. Their watchmaking skill is unbeatable which reflects in their brand value which is much higher too. That reflects on the price too.

Some Japanese brands esp. Seiko/ Grand Seiko are tough competitors for the Swiss I would say in terms of reliability and accuracy. But the Swiss watchmakers have a huge legacy in comparison. That is why many watches hold their value in terms of money for long. Some Swiss masterpieces even appreciate in value!

Many Swiss watches use ETA movements which is owned by the Swatch Group. Brands like Breguet, Omega, Hamiltom, Tissot, Longines etc use ETA movements. They are one of the most accurate in my opinion. I have a couple of Tissot quartz watches and I can tell that they deviate by less than 5 seconds in 2 months which is a far cry from the regular brands! This obviously is the result of technical forte of the Swiss watchmaking industry.

Regards,
Saket

Omega has its own in-house movement, its Nivaflex hairspring comes from Swatch's own company Nivarox, other than that, the Omega 8500 though layouted on ETA 2824, is nothing like it, it has a co-axial escapement, better magnetic protection, better decoration, different parts etc. Some Longines also have moved away from ETA, but yes most do use the 2824.

What is earth shattering here is Breguet using ETA lol: It's a brand in my view, above the holy trinity, they invented most parts of what constitutes a watch today and some flashy complications like tourbillon. Except a short run of 20 affordable pieces in the late 70s financial crisis, which had unmodified ETA movements, Breguet has always used totally in-house made, finished and assembled movement.

Coin-edging, Geneva stripes, engine perlage and black polishing are all the trademarks Breguet puts into their movement decorations. The movement layout may have slight inspirations from the Frédéric Piguet movement as they've used FP movement before in both Blancpain and Breguet but that is a high end movement and not remotely comparable to ETA.

Here goes my humble list:

1. Timex Expedition
2. Timex Torque Series Perpetual Calendar
3. Fossil Decker Series
4. Fossil (forgot the series)
5. Seiko
6. Tommy Hilfiger
7. Citizen
8. Casio G Shock
9. Latest addition last week, Casio Protrek PRG 240 Titanium with triple sensor. I was eyeing this for a long time and took the plunge last week thanks to 20% off at Shoppers Stop.

Other than the digital watches I had as a kid, I got my first real watch, a Titan, gifted by my uncle as reward for my class 10th performance. This watch remains closest to my heart. My latest being an Amazfit Stratos.

My possessions are:
Titan
G-Shock
Tag Heuer Carrera
Tommy Hilfiger
Kenneth Cole
Casio
Amazfit Stratos

In addition, I wish to acquire an Omega Seamaster some day.

My small collection

- Louis Erard and Rado Automatic



Tissots - the bottom is Automatic



Casio Edifice



Panerai Luminor Base- Mechanical



Current Daily- Bvlgari Octo



Cheers
Rohan

Wow. Beautiful watch. I love classic HMT watches. How did you buy this? I am trying to add a HMT Jubilee/Pilot to my collection and so far failed to procure one. Any help in this regard is much appreciated

Usually I find most of the Rado designs slightly bland, but really liked this model.

I should be able to help you get one. I have a guy in Old Delhi who repairs watches and also has a steady supply of used/old watches. Sometimes brand new pieces of long gone models. PM me your number and I'll let you know what he has whenever I visit.

Thanks! I got it off the treasure hunt site called hmtwatches.in ;)
It can be frustrating.
Just another pic on NATO:

Holy Moly!!

What a gorgeous watch. I admire your taste and it looks really classy. In fact i have registered and showed interest in this watch at hmtwatches.in but no notification/reply received so farlol:

Is the strap original?

Enjoy your watch and never sell it off

Thank you! and never gonna sell it for sure :)

As I said, it can be frustrating - after months of stalking I happened to see this on 1st of Jan'20! And the NATO is something I had bought earlier for my other HMT Automatic - my Dad's watch. It suits just fine on Jubilee and I love the way it wears on my wrist.

Yes on 1st of Jan it threw up some surprises of very popular models
1. Janata silver dial
2. Janata black dial
3. Jubilee roman

I got the Jubilee too! :) it's a definite keeper.

Same here mate, I got it from Amazon with 0% EMI. Christmas gift from Santa which I'll accept on my birthday ;)

Keep ticking!
-surjaonwheelz