Why Budget Mechanical Watches Don’t Make Sense?

Read that myself, seems like Fratello are a bunch of watch snobs tbh

Well Seiko clearly mentions they will be changing the movement during the service. Not just Seiko, most companies these day end up doing this as it is a more quick and cost effective way. To a regular consumer, this is a more quick and cost effective way. There was a good point made during an interview between TeddyB and Grand Seiko CEO, he mentioned the lack of manpower within the watch industry in the current years and how difficult it has to be keep up with hand assembled production lineup. It takes significant time and investment to train your manpower and considering all the cost involved, when you buy a budget mechanical watch these days compromises should be made.

If he wanted the existing movement to be overhauled and serviced, he should have given it to a watchmaker outside. Seiko, Sellita and older ETA movement parts are easily available and he could have gotten done it for the same price outside. If you have a current generation Swatch group watch, the story is a different thing.

Quartz makes more sense for sure if you don't want the hassle of servicing the movement down the line. Or even better just get a smart watch and call it day for under $1000 if you looking for more value with the product you are purchasing.

Comes across as a weapons grade W⚓

They replace the movements because it's cheaper than the man hours it would take to strip down and rebuild it. If he asked for them to do that I'm sure they'd take his money, cos obviously it makes sense to spend $hundreds more to do so.

If it's high end then you can make an argument that keeping it original should be done - or for vintage you wouldn't have the choice as no replacement is available - but basically he's talking out of his ar$e.

Again, context. You can buy a Swiss jobber made of decent parts for £8. A service of a decent ebauche is £100-£200 depending on your watch-person, and if the watch is decent then crack on.

A watch is the sum if its parts, but also not…

To be honest, if I have an NH35 powered micro, then I know (a) the movement is easily fixed, (b) the movement is easily replaced, (c) it’s a functional movement, and (d) this all factors into my decision whether I’m even buying the thing in the first place - perceived value is just that, perceived by the person buying the product. Maintenance should factor into the decision though - I’m still flabbergasted that many people don’t, and then we get tepid takes like this article.

Mechanical movement has many moving parts that work together and wears down over time. You cannot simply replace one or two and expect to work for another x years. So it's more cost effective and long lasting to replace a module or the whole movement much like how you service the modern cars or electronic equipment.

He obviously doesnt know a thing about watches if he thinks mechanical watches under 1k have no place

Well, everybody has an opinion . 😉

Lol, took me a second there to decipher it. Nice one.

So I kinda feel the same as that guy, but before you hate on me, let me give you some context first. I live in Eastern Europe and for most of my life I have experienced cheap watches like Raketa, Pobeda, Orient and the cheapest forms of Seiko. After 10 to 15 years of those watches I can say, for my self, that every bit of those watches are replaceable. You can fall in love with them, some of them have their charm, but the love won't last when they constantly don't work, and you have to service them all the time. P. S. a service may cost more than the watch itself. In comparison when you buy a 1000 plus dollar Swiss watch you feel the quality, not on all of them ofc, but mostly you do. A Longines watch for example is amazing and lasts forever, the movements are great and are forever. So yeah in conclusion, from my personal experience, and speaking for myself, I feel the same as that guy.

Buying any watch doesn't make sense. The rants of someone who thinks that it starts to make sense at +1KUS$ is even more senseless.

I didn't read the article, but I wouldn't mind a new movement. In fact, I'd prefer that to servicing costs that are half the price of the watch (or more, depending on the watch).

This was published yesterday.

https://www.fratellowatches.com/let-me-revisit-that-why-budget-mechanical-watches-dont-make-sense/

He shouldn’t have apologized.

He didn’t want to be cancelled!

The best mechanical watch I own is the Hoglund and Sons Mark 2 Chronograph. An American micro brand that uses the Seagull ST1901 mechanical movement around $270, well made and great value.

You have a valid point.

But there is also the changes and how the companies have approached selling mechanical watches has been changed quite a lot over the past few years. Its not even a case for a new Longines with the L888 movement which is present is 80% of their watches, the service is going to be same as every other Swatch brand with Powermatic movement. After sales service has become a part of their profit too, Swatch is the biggest one to take advantage. From what I have read in other forums, Tudor does this with their in-house movements too even on their website if it says overhaul very vaguely. If you consider the number of employees Tudor or even say most Swiss brands has is around 300 average, its pretty much evident on the need for a quick service solution. Unless you have a vintage or some sort of multiple complication in your movement, swapping out the movement for a new one is going to the standard for mass produced movements. We should be happy that we can still get parts for standard Seiko, Sellita, older ETA and Miyota movements.

https://youtu.be/BTP-LKZeJ20

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I enjoy Fratello

Lmmfao

It is hard to me "see" mechanical watches as disposables. I keep fixing them again and again and again... no matter the price. 😅

Each to his own I guess. My entire collection would be a fail in his view. All of my watches, mechanical and quartz, cost less than $1000 each. And I only regret 2 purchases, a Cadison and an Invicta. Not because they are poor quality, but because I grew tired of them. Also, out of my many "budget" purchases, only one has a hinky movement, my Pagani Design "Arctic GMT." When I set the watch, the second hand ticks about 2 seconds past 12 every time. My version is the original with the Chinese movement. Newer models have a Seiko GMT movement. Still about $125

On the one hand I don’t think anyone should sneer at cheap mechanical watches. They are little wonders that may ignite passion in new collectors / young people.

On the other hand I don’t like it when people sneer at high quality quartz movements as if they are worse than base mechanical movements - when some are really interesting and well made.

People aren’t going into watchmaking. The problem of lack of employees isn’t always low pay, it’s lack of skilled applicants. Also paying someone to disassemble a movement to service it makes little sense when the movement as a whole only costs a handful of dollars.

I work in an industry which requires a high level of technical skill. You pay well and you train. The staff will come first because of the money, then the training and will be long term employees because of the environment. The CEO seems to want to have it both ways if it’s economics vs skilled artisans.

I respect where you are coming from, but can I offer a counter, and feel free to disregard it. Whilst it might seem that the more expensive Swiss watch is of a better quality, a lot of the time it too may have an off-the-shelf movement (ETA, Sellita, SOPROD, etc…). The same kind of argument applies here, but the movement, rather than cost £50-£100, costs £350-£500. The cost of repair is therefore slightly relative to the cost of the ebauche, but the principle is the same. Do we therefore just need to adjust expectations based upon watch value? Absolutely, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.

I get it, on paper a £150 service on a £50 movement is not great (or £50 for a new movement plus whatever labour costs for switch out), but then you have to factor in other variables, and like I said above, it’s a decision only you as the owner can make and should have formed part of the buying decision process. Most people shudder when they see what I buy for pennies, spend pounds on, and then wear as a daily, but that’s how I roll. I appreciate this original article, but mechanical watches are both obsolete as a technology and fascinating as an object. If you want absolutes in terms of accuracy, longevity, functionality, and reliability, you would consider quartz, or a smart watch; no one in their right mind would consider anything with as many moving parts and a “cheap” engine… but hey, this is the internet and I am just one troll.

Thank you for your kind counter. We are talking watches so there is no absolute. In a way that is why all of us love mechanical watches, they are the most efficient machines we have invented, and they last. The movement you have in your watch if you a have a quality movement and for me Eta and Sellita are very much so, that movement will be with you for life. This for myself, is how I feel about mechanical watches, I believe if you are fortunate enough to have one, that watch if you choose so can be with you for the rest of your life.

I have bough my wife 10 years ago a regular Tissot Le Locle for women. It has an eta 2824. She still has the watch and it keeps perfect time. In that time I had several cheap Orients and Seiko where the movements literally died or were of 2 minutes a day

I am afraid you are right unfortunately. In western Europe or the other developed countries this might be the practice. In Romania, this is where I live, there are still some old corner store watch repair shops, let us call them that, where you can get your baterry changed from you quartz watch, or your eta or sellita serviced.

You are right, the movement is “better”, but it’s all relative. I pick up a lot of 30s-50s Swiss jobbers with decent ebauches. A decent tune-up and they run very well. If they keep to within 5 mins after 24 hours that’s not a bad turn around for an 80 year old watch. Call me a hipster, or a romantic, but it is worth it.

If it was a rolex with a old movement thats worth money then i can agree on changing the whole movement out. But its just a seiko i would love to have a new movement the old one is les reliable les accurate and will probably break sooner.

Nothing really to add, but since I read a lot of stuff about watches, saw the revisit column.....must've gotten some feedback.... 😂.

TBH, haven't read the article. Have occasionally read some Fratello stuff. Much the same as Worn and Wound and Hodinkee, same with pros cons. Have very good articles from time to time, yet they will only ever recommend more expensive watches from Big Companies. Because that's who pays their bills and sends them watches to review. Doesn't change the fact they have good stories and still give pictures and impressions of a watch. It's up to the buyer to read between the lines and sift the info.