I like Dan Henry watches and some Christopher Ward’s, but I can’t get past the brand name. Unless its the watchmaker’s name, for some reason I just don’t like Firstname-Lastname watch brands.

 

I don't like tag heuer. I think is the name or some prejuicie or something i read. I don't know

 

Just my personal opinion on TAG as a brand...
If the movements used in their watches is as general and common as ETAs/Sellitas/Ronda, just name it as accordingly. Stop BS by rename it with own "Calibre Reference" to fool buyers that the movements are brand exclusive and can be serviced just by TAG. This is where in my collection, you don't see any TAGs there, since i'm not a brand chaser.
So what if TAG can get tennis players, F1 racers to be their brand ambassadors? If TAG is relying on general/generic components to boost their product and brand popularity as well as sales... TAG is as hollow as any other Swiss "Luxury Marques" that are hollow as well.

 

I haven't bothered with anything from Citizen. Sure they make some decent watches, but for some reason that brand just doesn't get my attention at all. There's usually something from another brand (usually Seiko) that I'd rather get. Same goes for their sub-brands like Bulova and FC.

For the most part micro-brands don't really do it for me either. I think the idea of contract manufacturing kinda makes me a little gun-shy. The one exception lately has been Lorier. I'd love to own a Lorier Neptune someday, but it's going to have to wait.

 

The problem with threads like this is that you get folks defending the brands mentioned. I'm trying to resist the compulsion, but I don't know that I can...

I'm not a fan of the "generic" Bulova quartz watches you regularly find at the mall, or the "run of the mill" Eco-drives. But Bulova and Citizen make some crazy good watches.
Anything with the precisionist movement is awfully cool (though most are fairly large). And this year at Baselworld, they premiered what appears to be the first electrostatic-motor driven watch:
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/citizen-electrostatic-accutron-concept-movement-introducing

And the Citizen Signature Grand Classic rivals most entry- or maybe even mid-level Swiss dress/business casual offerings. Now at half the price.
https://www.watchuseek.com/f21/citi...f21/citizen-signature-grand-classic-automatic-nb0040-58a-nb0040-58e-726278.html

But I too am hesitant on most things from Timex (because so many of their quartz watches tick so loud, and their autos are just repackaged Chinese watches that they're trying to sell for a premium). Sekonda isn't the same as the iron-curtan company which rebranded (really cool) Russian/Soviet watches for British resale, so I agree that they're out.

It's sad how much flak Tags get here. It's true: They're overpriced, overmarketed, and overpackaged. And some WIS I think will never get over the fact that a great independent company, Heuer, was purchased by a middle eastern conglomerate that sold luxury jets and sponsored F-1 racing (with a founder that made money on arms dealing), and then repurchased by the company that loves to put "LV" all over their handbags.
But the Carreras are an awfully good choice for a "can't quite afford an AT" GADA watch. (though prices seem to keep creeping up).

And as for micros-- well, most of the big boys in the sub-$5k range do some sort of contract manufacturing. You just don't know about it because they don't tell you which parts are manufactured in China, whether they "farm out" assembly to a third-party in Switzerland or wherever, and how the final product becomes the final product. (There are also micros that do some, or all, of the assembly in-house. I believe Lum-Tec, Weiss, Ginault, Badger & Blade, MKII, perhaps Nodus, Minuteman, and some others. I don't think that differs that much from what Hamilton or Tissot likely does.)

Oh, and for my irrational biases-- I don't think I'd ever buy an Invicta again. Not that some of the watches aren't perfectly fine, but the majority of the brand's audacious offerings, and the history of the brand's nasty customer service puts me off of the brand entirely.

 

Are there watches you like within the brands that you won't buy because of the brand, or do the designs not appeal to you either?

 

I’m done buying the pricier Swiss brands. I did that a long while back and they just continue to scalp those who will pay crazy prices for steel watches.

Now I have stopped buying Seiko for a similar reason, as they don’t give a crap about QC on their divers, even though they had/have a huge fan base and are easy to mod.

I have purchased quite a few microbrand watches from Zelos and a few others, mostly with ETA or Sellita movements because I’m quite familiar with that movement.

I figure that they won’t be around in 5 years as bigger companies SIL buy them out.

I see it very differently that subcontractors assembling without thought. I see somebody that draws up the ideas really choosing watchmakers carefully as well as using a lot tighter QC control when they have 100-200 updates. Their small reputations very much matter if they ever hope to expand or be bought out by big dollar corporations.

I hope I’m done buying watches. I really like my Ball Fireman and most of my microbrand choices. I don’t think I’ll be buying Aragon again. Just too tall and they drill their lugs too close, so if you want to use NATOs on them.

I have 3 Steinhart divers/GMTs.

I went in on the Hamtun H2 Kraken, with Sellita and meteorite. I’m hoping for the best but if I don’t love it I’ll sell it. I should have stuck with the white dial and Sellita. That’s the best option on that I believe.

I do love the glide-lock system but I’m not paying thousands extra to get it. Plus the 3135 movement is such a pain. We just rebuilt one in a 1999 date just and it’s so overcomplicated and overbuilt for a 3 hand watch. I personally love the simplicity of the ETA 2892-2 series movements but I can be happy with the 2824-2 and SW-200.

The Miyota rotor noise was too much for me, so I sold some watch I loved, a Helson and NTH MilSub.

The NH-35 is fine as long as it’s adjusted. It’s a bit tall but fully acceptable.

I too hate tins of clutter on dials. I’ve sold off most of my chronograph watches. My eyes now require reading glasses so I don’t mind the cyclops on some crystals but like no date just fine.

Other than making sure I really need it and it’s economically viable without giving up the components I desire or can upgrade, that really is where it is for me.


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Tag Heuer. Never owned one just not a fan of their styling or marketing.

I've always thought I wouldn't buy a Rolex but I can't get my mind off of the Explorer 2 Polar... [emoji848]

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There are brands I won't buy, but they're for very specific and well-defined illogical reasons (or logical ones depending on how you look at it.)

Just a sampling:

- Swatch - bad memories from the first time around and don't like their straps or lugs even a little bit.
- Ball - Sorry Webster C. Ball, but you're the poster child for needing to choose some other random name for your brand. Also the design elements are a mix of too-ornate (the RR seconds hand) and too toolish for the price (tritium tube numbers). It's like a denim tuxedo.
- Movado -I hate the museum dial so much that I don't think I'd want to be associated with any brand unwilling to stop production, burn all of the blueprints and pretend like it never happened.
-Jenny - "Jen-NAY"

And that's before situations where the personality or demeanor of the owner is off-putting or the brand is making political or social statements I find problematic.

 

NTH. Never bought one. Never will.


Tapatalk now available over the counter in prescription strength. Claims of increased male virility not assessed by the FDA.

 

NTH. Never bought one. Never will.

Yeah - they're great watches but the owner's a complete dick...

(Just joking - love your work, Doc.)

 

Nixon

 

Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO! Invicta NO!


Ride A Bike.

 

The Victorinox line, can't get past their clunky design.

And some brands names: you will never see me with "Wancher" printed anywhere around my wrist, that's just asking for mockery.

Nicolas

 

Certina, Bulova, Alpina, Glycine, Casio, Tissot, Eterna, Squale, Citizen, Chr. Ward*, Victorinox, Vostok, Fortis.

There's just nothing remotely attractive about the ID of these brands.

* Bring back the Pepsi GMT with Bremont hands and I might change my mind.

 

I struggle with Hamilton. I'm sure they make a nice watch, and are on the more affordable side of Swiss watches, but Hamilton to me is an American watch company, not a Swiss one. I know it's been decades, but I look at my old pocket watches and that's Hamilton for me. Utterly irrational, but there it is.

 

Long list actually : Nixon, Invicta, Zodiac, Ball, C-Ward ...

 

There's lots of brands I won't buy, but I feel it's for a logical reason, lol (e.g., Daniel Wellington)

For no good reason, Tag and C. Ward. I just don't like them *shrug*

 

I have an irrational hatred for Submariner looking watches.
Pulsar. Any non sterile Parnis. Gevril. Devon. Longines. Movado. DW. Cvstos. Ebel. Clerc. Xeric. Zeno. Pvd or dlc coated cases and Glycine.

 

Invicta. Not because of their watches, or packaging, or any of that stuff. I don't mind the watches at all. I hate that fake inflated price, fake sale NOW 75% OFF B.S. they have for all their watches. I hate any company that does this. Just give it a real price, please.

Edit: I guess this is counts as a logical reason, so um... nothing I guess. Sorry.

 

There's no brands I won't buy but I'm at the stage where I want to buy stuff that looks different (e.g., vintage, Vostok). Hang-on, that God awful mutant abomination that is the 55mm-60mm Invictas. I won't buy them.

 

I have an illogical reason that prevents me from buying any watch that would cost more than £500 and even that price is a stretch, £300 would be more comfortable. Now this is the actual selling or street price, not the rrp. A watch could be £10,000 but if I could legally buy one for £300, (maybe £500) I would consider it.

I have a sort of logical reason, but that is probable exclusive to my head and I would not like to inflict that on any other poor soul. Having worked in technology for the whole of my working life, I have a rough idea about how much it costs to make most technological stuff. I am well aware that the initial prototype of "Widget X" can cost $1,000,000 to fabricate, but the next 10,000,000 you make can cost just £10, or $10 including materials, manufacture, marketing and profit, each. OK the figures may change but the rough idea of costings will remain the same.

There are watches on sale today, that were about in my youth, a long, long time ago! So now even taking into account inflation over the years cost 10, 20, 50 times more than they did back then. Yes they may have a very high perceived value, which means you could wait in line and be allowed to buy one and sell it in a years time for pretty much the same amount or perhaps more money. But these are watches! They are not Financial Instruments! I would rather "invest" in something that does something, makes something and employs a load of people.

At the end of the day, the logical explanation is that what we are all mildly obsessed with around here, just tells us what the time is! Maybe if we are lucky it also tells us the date, day, moon-phase, measures random intervals of time and uses something mind boggling clever to keep a very accurate measure of the passing of time over sometimes years. To me that has a value, I have devices that I paid just under Five Quid for that do that very well, like +/- 20 secs a month and will keep doing it for quite a long time if I feed them a new 99 pence battery every 3 to 5 years or so. Some look better than others, weigh more or less and do things like keep the water out. In consideration of that I will pay more, but as I stated up front, my generosity has a limit!

If you reached this far, thank you for reading my attempt to make the illogical - logical :-!:-!

Very best regards,
Jim:-s

 

Invicta. I once bought that classic Invicta sub homage, years ago, to mod it, but sold it. Haven't bought or wanted another Invicta since. I'm not a snob. I love my cheap Accurist, Lorus and Sekonda watches, but there's just something about Invicta that rubs me the wrong way. I realize this may have been due to years of Watchuseek conditioning, and even someone like me, the ultimate non-conformist, might have been affected by all the WUS influence. Kidding, I'm a drone. Anyway.

Lorus? Love the full lume dial field watch I recently bought! It's such an amazing value. I mean, it's a full Lumibrite dial in a classic field watch case. The thing's a torch! What's not to like? Even better, it's less than $40.

Accurist? I think I was the first here to open a thread about the Clerkenwell. It's a gorgeous watch, it really is.

Sekonda? I bought that poor man's Autavia, the Sekonda 3508. It's cheap as chips and looks great.

 

S'pose I could be accused of being name sensitive, such as those comprised of an abbreviated or mashed-up word - usually with an "R" somewhere in the text - some examples - Tockr, Courg, Boldr, etc., there are a few others to add to this list.

I must admit that it is probably very difficult to come up with a cogent, descriptive and attractive name for a watch company these days, but some are so stooopidly lazy I just have to scroll on mucho rapido.

Other irksome details? Google-a-heritage will induce an instant click-off, and don't get me going on naming a watch company after a field in France where gramps dumped his plane.......

What about the "Big R" - rolex? The Milgauss is a real looker, but of the the rest, I wouldn't be seen dead with one, as that would be shouting out all the wrong things; of course, as ever, YMMV......


Cheerz,

Alan

 

S'pose I could be accused of being name sensitive, such as those comprised of an abbreviated or mashed-up word - usually with an "R" somewhere in the text - some examples - Tockr, Courg, Boldr, etc., there are a few others to add to this list.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. It makes me cringe a bit.

 

Invicta and Rolex

 

Good topic, but I think everyone has his own crazy reason. I just don't like the look or the name of few brands.

Seiko(I know that many of you love the brand),looks really cheap to me. IWC, Invicta...

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Really interesting you found Seiko cheap looking. Seiko is the best brand according to the money you paid to a watch but this is my opinion of course.

 

I'm a big fan of Chris Ward watches but I won't buy any more until they change the logo.

 

Should occur any day now, current logo has been there for more than a week... [emoji6]