True...
: Now to the guts of the matter. None of the cal
: 1120 Omegas at dealer discount come close
: the cost of a comparable Rolex. I purchased
: my Seamaster 2054.50 three years ago new
: with discount for about $1200. To compare, a
: Sub Date was retail around $4000 (Scant
: discounts if any are available). Thats, hmm
: lets see, kitchen math $2800 difference.
: Although I respect your opinion of the
: movement's used by each company, I simply
: cannot justify the price difference. So,
: when you post comments on the better
: movement used by Rolex, consider that I
: would expect to pay more for the watch too.
: But does it cost Rolex $2800 more to produce
: the movement? No, it does not. What Omega
: does is take a widely available movement,
: have it modified to their specs and mass
: produce watches that are much more
: affordable than Rolex, with features and
: finishes that will Rival any Rolex that I
: have seen. This is no different than many
: other "luxury" watches.
You actually brought up what I see as the real "guts" of the Omega vs. Rolex debate, which is just how much is the Rolex name and movement really worth? This site's founder always noted that most of what you pay for a watch is its jewelry value, not the cost of the movement alone. Even most Rolex owners will agree that Omega braclets and clasps are superior to those from Rolex. Omega uses a domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Rolex uses a flat one with no AR treatment. Rolex does use applied dial markers while the base Seamasters do not, but more expensive Omegas have applied dial markers and can be had at less than half the price of a Rolex Sub Date or Sea Dweller. The Sea Dweller's automatic helium relief valve is a plus, but I don't think it's useful to 99.99999% of buyers.
Even giving Rolex the benefit of the doubt and agreeing that their movements are superior to Omega's modified ETA's, just how much is this worth in terms of real dollars? If a Planet Ocean can be had for, say, $2300 from a good discounting AD, this is still less than half the cost of a Sea Dweller. Is the Rolex movement really THAT good to be worth an extra $2400? That's really what it all boils down to in my humble opinion.
