Frustration

I am reaching to see if I am the only one who is frustrated with the watch world. Maybe I am just delusional and expect too much. I have been looking for a watch under the three thousand dollar mark. This is to be my luxury watch, as well as an everyday watch. I have tried a Tudor Ranger but one matter what i did I could not get a good fit. I purchased a Longines Spirit in 42MM but the noisy rotor drives me nuts. At this price point I should hear the rotor. I don’t hear the rotor on my Mido Ocean Starr 200C which is less than half the price. Lastly I purchased a Sinn 556 A RS. All the reviews I read said how durable the watch is. But I have found the opposite. I scratch that watch by looking at it. Yes I know all watched get scratched but this had been far and way the easiest to scratch. I have no idea where to go from here. I may go back to have a lot of cheaper watches and nor caring about all the specs and longevity. But that is a problem all of its own as well. Because more and more watches are hard to find in person but then when you buy online some places have ridiculous return windows. How am i suppose to know if I like a watch if I can’t try it on and return. They said it has be as packaged from the factory!!! It’s been a frustrating 2 years trying to find my watch of watches. Maybe i am expecting too much from this point or from the watch world. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

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That's frustrating. It sounds like you might have to adjust your expectations if you want to keep enjoying the hobby.

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I agree that i need to adjust me expectations and maybe take a break. The lower my expectations is the higher probability

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Maybe taking a break would help. Also the best way to determine if you like a watch is definitely going to an AD to try it on and see it in person. Also going to shows/fairs is really cool. Discovered the Wind Up Watch Fair for the first time last year in NYC. Really cool to see many different brands get an idea of what they offer.

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The quality of all watches in all price points is wildly variable.

Was willing to spend $3k your beginning point or a hard limit? It feels like from your post that it was the beginning point and you tried to fit what you wanted into that box first instead of looking at watches you liked.

Maybe come at it from a different angle, if so.

If it wasn't, my apologies for interpreting incorrectly.

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The noisy rotor would not bother me at all, some moments are louder than others. Just relax and keep trying, there is no panacea, but you will work it out over time.

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UnholiestJedi

The quality of all watches in all price points is wildly variable.

Was willing to spend $3k your beginning point or a hard limit? It feels like from your post that it was the beginning point and you tried to fit what you wanted into that box first instead of looking at watches you liked.

Maybe come at it from a different angle, if so.

If it wasn't, my apologies for interpreting incorrectly.

3k was a hard limit. I think you are correct. I tried to fit the watch into the box based on price not what I wanted. We’ll said

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Apart from what others have said, I only have one thing to add. The Sinn556 is made with plain old 316l stainless, it's no more resistant to scratches than any other watch. To get into the hardened steel you need to move up to the U50, or 856.

One thing I have come to realize over the years is that it's easy to develop unrealistic expectations, particularly with watches/brands people online praise continuously. When I started getting "into" watches back in '18 you'd be forgiven for believing a Seiko watch would get you laid/promoted/crowned Emperor of the World, based on the way people talked about how amazing Seiko watches were. In reality I've never encountered a Seiko that I was impressed by...

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Looks like you have 3 solid watches to enjoy, figure out what you like the best. Sell the ones you don’t and consider the money you didn’t retain as your experience with that brand and that model. The quest will always continue because nothing will ever be perfect, but I would enjoy the journey along the way.

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The nice thing about the brushed finish of the 556 or the Ranger is that small scratches can quickly be blended out with fine scotchbrite. Quick and easy.

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Could it be you're running into the diminishing returns on luxury watches? I find as you go up, it's less about material quality and more the psychological satisfaction of wearing a particular brand. All that heritage and culture BS. If you're into that.

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The Rotor in my Zulu Time is only audible if I hold it to my ear and shake it. Can you actually hear it during normal wear? In the office or at home with my wife and 1yo for example, there's no way in hell I'd be able to hear the rotor. Or do you just live/work in a super quiet environment?

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I am going through quite the same frustration from slightly different angle. I got into the hobby with the view „naah, this all cannot be just for the show off“. Now, after buying 11 watches in different price points (500-3500eur), different countries, remote and on-site, all I can say, that the chance of getting disappointed after buying another watch is too high.

Things like misaligned hands, broken caliber, notworking automatic winding out of the box (hey, SW200-1), discoloration lume, bad customer service – all these issues I have experienced in 5 out of 11 purchased watches. I guess, my expectation is way too high for watches of mentioned price range.

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First I am sorry to hear you are facing with so many "issues" and probably getting frustrated. I must say ( my opinion only based on what you wrote ) is you have a bit too high expectations. 3k is certainly not small amount for a watch by any means but managing expectations is a must in this price segment. F.e. to not be able to fit the Ranger with T-fit clasp is mindblowing statement for me ( have BB Pro, best clasp in sub 7-8k range easily ), unless we are not speaking about the sizing of the bracelet but general fit of the watch on your wrist. Also expecting Sinn to be scratch resistant is not realistic as you need their hardene steel models ( like @KristianG explained above ). And last but not least to claim the rotor on L888.4 movement loud is also a bit of a strech. I have seen these comments in the past but I own Hydroconquest with L888 movement ( same structure, non COSC ) and have 0 noise issues with the rotor. I also tried Spirit 40mm at the AD when it came out and didn't hear the rotor ( yes if you put it on your ear and spin you will probably hear PP or AP too ). Some movements are "louder" and f.i. I had Kinetic Seiko and sold it fast as that movement is really loud and you could feel the rotor but not the L888. So to conclude you have fantastic trio of watches now and should be proud to own them, many can only dream about such collection. If you still want more from your watch then sell all 3 and either go above 3k mark or buy one cheap alternative with all the flaws and give it a rest for some time. Last thing we need it to loose another watch aficionado 😀

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Thanks for all the input. It seems that my expectations were a bit too high and I’ll need to adjust that and keep on plugging away

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What is the 'fit' issue with the Ranger? And have you put it on a Nato or MN or some other kind of strap, to see how that goes? I wear my Heritage Ranger on an MN these days. Glorious. Comfortable AF.

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I could not get a good fit on the bracelet with the Ranger. It was either too loose or too tight even with the t-fit clasp. I have a 7 inch wrist. I would take a link out for a day and see how it was and it would be too tigh to the point it was tattooing my wrisrt. I but the link back in and it would sit against my hand because it was too loose. I tried this for about 2 weeks before selling it.

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Personally I find the improvements gained between a $300-$600 and watch costing more than $2000 dollars don't bring me enough satisfaction to warrant the additional cost. Anytime I've bought something more expensive I end up selling it as I expect a lot for that significant cost upgrade (likely unrealistically).

Sounds like you may be like myself so maybe just dive into the pool of excellent Microbrand offerings at the lower price point. :)

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@thatguy306 I agree. The only one I was impressed with was the Tudor ranger the Longines and Sinn where a disappointment for the reasons you said. I have been looking at Christopher Watches but haven’t bought anything yet

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Rugger227

@thatguy306 I agree. The only one I was impressed with was the Tudor ranger the Longines and Sinn where a disappointment for the reasons you said. I have been looking at Christopher Watches but haven’t bought anything yet

I had a CW Sealander but sold it. Mainly because they came out with the better logo 2 months after I bought mine. I may order another when they have their usual sale in June/July. Sign up for their newsletter as that sale brings the price down significantly. Note they do that to clear out old stock so if you want one of the new releases likely can pull the trigger anytime.

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@thatguy306 thanks for the heads up

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I second the advice to take a deep breath before the next watch. I was about to buy a 556, but now I’ll think carefully after your comments.

My thoughts on the watches you have. Love the looks of the 556. I tried the Longines but I could not find a good fit as well. I never went the Tudor route, but they always score high on reviews.

I went the pre-owned route and found a beautiful Omega Seamaster 300 Bond. It was definitely less than 3K.

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I guess I just expected too much when trying to buy my first luxury watch. I did love the Tudor. I may just get one and deal with the sizing issue.