If you are buying a new watch, would you rather have an in-house movement or you are just as satisfied with a modified or off the shelf movment?
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Hamad
A Watch Collector & Enthusiast
Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Member since
Last active: 6 months ago
18.00 cm
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Predictable answer C) depends on the watch! My rule of thumb:
0 - 500$: off the shelf Seiko or Miyota is fine
500 - 1k: OTS Sellita or ETA is fine
1k-2k: some modification / finetuning / finishing of said Sellita, ETA/Valjoux expected
>5k: in-house /nicely finished movement expected
The 2k-5k category is somewhat of a no-go area for me; i feel I overpay for marketing, brand name - not for the 'man hours per watch'. Nomos being the exception to that 'rule'.
I'm happy with either as long as it is reflected in the price
You're missing option c) don't mind either way
Bought Omega specifically for the movement, and My Seiko's are all in house anyway 👍🏻
I care very little for movement specs so I would prefer a cheaper, off-the-shelf reliable movement that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to service over an expensive in-house movement that would only increase the bill for no benefit whatsoever to my user experience.
My budget means I have to be OK with off the shelf movements.
Even if I had the means, in-house movement means I'd probably have to send the watch to the brand to service & be without it for weeks, if not months.
But, thinking tends to change slightly when you've entered the realm of being able to afford $5K+ watches, so I don't know how I'd really feel if I were able to afford the watches with in-house movements.
C. It depends on the watch.