[pranavmichael]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Guys,
Help me (or make it worse ) for me - for the love of god, I'm not able to make a decision on how to decide between 3 brands - Tissot, Seiko and Frederique Constant.

Okay so i’ll break it down for you watch by watch.

Firstly, i’d suggest you to remove FC from the list or specifically the model you suggested. You get a quartz movement in that model and for that price, the other two brands provide far superior models.

For the seiko, the presage you listed as an option is a solid contender for the price and has a pretty decent movement in it. The calibre 4R38 is very reliable out of the box but not very accurate. But a watchsmith can easy regulate it. Also the power reserve on the 4R38 is rated at 40-41 hours which is pretty decent but sounds less when compared to the tissot’s swissmatic’s 70 hour one but don’t let that bother you too much. Seiko’s movement is a lot better in all other aspects.

Coming to the tissot now. I personally don’t have a tissot in my collection as the brand has never excited me but their movements and build quality are pretty solid. If you like the understated look of tissots, this is the brand to go for.

To conclude, my personal opinion would be to go for the seiko. You get a decent looking watch with an extremely reliable movement that should last you years with proper care. I myself have a seiko SRPD61K1 in my collection and though it is one of the cheaper watches in the collection, it definitely gives good competition to the heavy hitters.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

If you want to explore more options, do check out the Bambino collection by Orient, particularly the Classic, Contemporary and Youth series.

https://orientwatch.in/collections/

Love the watches. Thanks for sharing, while I had heard of the name, hadn't heard of it since long. Prices are good too.

Are these Swiss?

I am not into watches, just a noob, so please excuse my enthusiasm and beginner questions.

[mav2000]

Orient is a subsidiary of Seiko and is basically a Japanese watch company. They are independent, so they have their own movements and collections. Their watches are very good and great value for money. All the best.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by mav2000

Orient is a subsidiary of Seiko and is basically a Japanese watch company. They are independent, so they have their own movements and collections. Their watches are very good and great value for money. All the best.

Does it put them in a lower grade vs Seiko (and Citizen for instance)?

How does one make a comparison between such brands (even if I just limit to Japanese brands) ?

P.s. #noobAlert

Edit: Lemme explain - I have a fabulous (IMO) Citizen eco-drive (product link) that is my go-to watch on a daily basis. For now I was looking to expand it with a dress watch - simple layout, leather strap and from a "better" brand.

In a normal time, this would have opened up to a plethora of choices from overseas, but now those options are limited. Price limits and local choices available led me to a shortlist of Seiko, Tissot and a few more. How does Orient figure against those two (and Citizen) with regards to my case.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Does it put them in a lower grade vs Seiko (and Citizen for instance)?.......How does Orient figure against those two (and Citizen) with regards to my case.

Not really. Orient was a separate company earlier, and came under the Seiko umbrella only in 2001. I'm not a horology Guru, but IMO, their watches are as good as comparable Seiko watches. Most of their watches have a certain minimalistic look, which appeals to a lot of people (including me), and of course the VFM proposition cannot be ignored.

Where Seiko trumps Orient is in having more categories of watches than Orient across a wide price range, and also more watches in each individual category (divers, dress, sports etc.). It also has more authorized sales and service outlets in the major cities.

Where is arindambasu13 when you need him?

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

How does one make a comparison between such brands (even if I just limit to Japanese brands) ?

P.s. #noobAlert

It is the same as in cars - A VW Polo may be better engineered than an Etios, but will fall short when compared to a Corolla. So when looking at a watch brand, look for the same parameters you would look for when buying a car.

In this price category, the resale value is almost non existent so it boils down to prestige <whatever possible> and attributes of the watch <accuracy, sapphire crystal, etc>.

Buy the one that you like most. Orient has a long history and has generally been well regarded. I own two Seiko automatics and have generally been happy even though the accuracy is a bit off <I have one watch with 6R15 and the other with 7S26>

FC will give you only quartz at this price point. That is a question that you need to answer. I have been wearing automatics for a decade now and recently bought a Citizen Stiletto - wanted a watch that I can grab and go without worrying about resetting the time everytime I wear one. Some other collectors won't touch quartz with a barge pole.

Tapish

Also, a question for the others - Has anyone used Dailyobjects? I found a nice teal leather strap for my SARB017 there at a reasonable price (INR 1499). Does anyone have experience with their products?

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Does it put them in a lower grade vs Seiko (and Citizen for instance)?

How does one make a comparison between such brands (even if I just limit to Japanese brands) ?

My current collection consists of only Jap brands, since I find them to be real great value for money, well engineered and accurate timekeepers. Presently, I have an Orient Mako II, Orient Bambino as my daily wear office watch, Seiko SARB033, Seiko SARB017 Alpinist, Seiko Tuna SBBN033, and a Casio G SHock square.

To answer your question, Orient makes fabulous watches at extremely sweet prices. You can pick up any watch in the Bambino series eyes closed. These are reasonably priced, easy to service and maintain, and look brilliant with formal outfits. There are a huge number of models on offer too, pretty sure one or more will catch your fancy. My Bambino keeps good time, and looks and feels like a far more expensive watch than it actually is.

From what I have read and seen, Orient functions as an independent company, and not as a subsidiary of Seiko at all - though it is ultimately owned by the same parent company (Seiko Epson Corporation) as Seiko watches. They develop their own in house movements, and have their own design language which is very different from that of Seiko. In my experience, they are in the same league for the most part with Seiko. With the current price hikes of Seiko, the Orients provide much better value for money, especially in entry level pieces like the Bambino and Mako ranges.

I have never been too enamoured by the Swiss Made moniker and hence, Tissot and FC have not really interested me since I find much better value in the Japanese stalwarts like Seiko and Orient (Citizen has some sweet pieces as well, but have no first hand experience with them).

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Where Seiko trumps Orient is in having more categories of watches than Orient across a wide price range, and also more watches in each individual category (divers, dress, sports etc.). It also has more authorized sales and service outlets in the major cities.

Where is arindambasu13 when you need him?

Ha ha ha, right here sir, but you embarrass me. I am no authority of any kind, just a watch enthusiast just like yourselves.

Agree on your point of Seiko having a much broader range of products, their range is just unbelievably massive across all price and model categories. But, Orient products are really very competent. Both my Mako II and Bambino have been serving me very well thus far. I am not too hung up about super accurate movements (I have my quartz Tuna for insane accuracy!), but more interested in great design and build quality. Seiko and Orient both offer these in spades.

Originally Posted by Tapish

Also, a question for the others - Has anyone used Dailyobjects? I found a nice teal leather strap for my SARB017 there at a reasonable price (INR 1499). Does anyone have experience with their products?

If you are willing to stretch quite a bit further, see if you want to pick up the Strapcode Oyster or Jubilee bracelet which is made specifically for the Alpinist. I have mine on a Strapcode super oyster, and they are built and fashioned superbly. Cost me around INR 4000 directly shipped from Hong Kong. The Alpinist looks like a million bucks on the oyster bracelet and the bracelet is built like a tank. Will last me years and years, even with frequent use.

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

If you are willing to stretch quite a bit further, see if you want to pick up the Strapcode Oyster or Jubilee bracelet which is made specifically for the Alpinist. I have mine on a Strapcode super oyster, and they are built and fashioned superbly. Cost me around INR 4000 directly shipped from Hong Kong. The Alpinist looks like a million bucks on the oyster bracelet and the bracelet is built like a tank. Will last me years and years, even with frequent use.

I did have my eyes on the Oyster for sometime. Alas, Strapcode does not ship to India at the moment and every alternative site lists it around 8k INR. Maybe I'll wait until the next time I (or a friend) travels.

[AVR]

Continuing to build on my blue dial collection, I finally got the Grand Seiko SBGR321 (limited edition of 2500) this week. Like any GS, the finishing is exquisite and the blue dials are breathtakingly beautiful.
Unfortunately am not a great photographer so you'll have to make do with these pics!







Here is my current Blue dial collection:

[PPS]

Originally Posted by RedStallion

Please note that customs on watches have now been increased to ~80 %.

Not too sure about this but could very well be. Was comparing prices on Ethos, a Tissot watch costing 38k in 2018 now costs 53k while a Longines costing 56k back in 2018 now costs 75k!

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

My daily wear is a Casio EFR-519

And my latest daily wear, finally a Swiss Made Automatic

Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80

Note : Since last 4 years I have been using Motorola 360 Gen2 as my daily wear. Amazing watch.

[PADAS]

This is a great thread. One could learn so much about watches. Amazing collections that people have

My humble collection :




Left to Right, Top to Bottom

Apple Watch 3
Titan - My First Watch, almost 26 yrs old
Casio Edifice EX230
Seiko 5 Sports Automatik
Citizen EcoDrive Retro Diver
Rolex Submariner (First copy)
Titan Regalia Black Dial
Citizen Analogue Blue Dial
Casio G Shock Carbon core Guard - GA 2100
Casio G Shock Black Dial - G858
Casio G Shock Mudmaster GG-1000


And the lume shot

[abhi3284]

Just for fun...My CasioOak GA2100 Lume Shot with a Lambo, both in Stealth Matte Black Avatar...

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by pranavmichael

To conclude, my personal opinion would be to go for the seiko.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

IMO, their watches are as good as comparable Seiko watches

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

My current collection consists of only Jap brands, since I find them to be real great value for money, well engineered and accurate timekeepers.

Gentlemen, thank you for your inputs.

To be entirely honest, my heart and soul went for the Orient Star RE-AV0002S00B (link) - I'd buy it any day but honestly I wasn't ready to pay 50k inr for a watch that is being sold at half the price everywhere else.

After several options were evaluated and trials taken, I finally went with a beautiful Seiko Presage SSA341J1, part of their Cocktail series launched back in 2017.



It came with a steel strap which I wasn't very happy so replaced it with a nice leather strap.



Now this itch has been handled, already working on the NEXT purchase on the list for the coming years - a Junghans

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

After several options were evaluated and trials taken, I finally went with a beautiful Seiko Presage SSA341J1, part of their Cocktail series launched back in 2017.


Now this itch has been handled, already working on the NEXT purchase on the list for the coming years - a Junghans

Lovely watch , the Cocktail Time series is indeed a very beautiful series of watches with each of the variants having unique and detailed workmanship. Enjoy the watch!

Junghans is also one of my favourite brands, though I have not seen any in the flesh. Really love their Bauhaus inspired designs. The one with the anthracite dial is especially stunning.