One thing to bear in mind when considering buying a luxury watch is value for money. In this series of articles, we are going to compare three different watches at three different price points to make sure you have an informed decision when looking to purchase a watch, and to hear what we at Xanco Jewellers think in terms of getting, for lack of a better term, ‘bang for your buck’.

 

Today’s edition consists of dive watches. More specifically a Rolex submariner, Omega Seamaster 300m and a Tudor Black Bay, and for us to give you the main details you need we will rank the watches based on their prices, functions, and aesthetics.

 

Tudor Black-Bay

The Tudor brand, often overshadowed by its sister brand Rolex SA, is not to be overlooked. Its iconic piece, the Black Bay dive watch has presence, enough for people to have a double take when looking at your wrist, and it doesn’t try to be more than it is.  

 

Price

Its price point- fetching around £2,500 to £3000 on the market is what we could consider a bargain. Compared to the Rolex Submariner, where you would be paying more for brand name than anything else, there is money to be saved and a watch to be enjoyed. It holds its value well and there have been no signs on the market unless it is used and abused that it would be worth anything less than £2,250.

Functions

The watch movement, Manufacture Calibre MT5602 (COSC) is a self-winding mechanical movement with a bi-directional rotor system, meaning as long as the watch is being worn it will always stay moving. It has a 70-hour power reserve and is waterproof up to 200 metres which makes it an impressive alternative to other dive watches and has great specifications if you are into your deep-sea endeavours all while looking stylish.

 

Aesthetics

While it is a very stylish watch compared to its competitors, the Tudor falls slightly short for us in this section. It has a heavy case and is 14.8mm thick, which feels a little heavy on the wrist and too big for the Black Bay. We would recommend that you check in on the thickness by trying on the watch beforehand to determine its comfortability on your wrist. While the gold accent details and the splash of red on the bezel give the watch charm and energy, the fact it isn’t as comfortable makes it harder to give the watch the love it deserves.

Rolex Submariner

 

The Rolex Submariner in classic black is arguably one of Rolex’s most historically rich and important pieces in their collection. It is a timeless, elegant, and beautifully proportioned watch, with years of history and celebrity icons sporting this watch. This watch by name the best of the bunch, and when you think Rolex, you think Submariner. Its presence offers both elegance, class, and a modern feel.

 

Price

One thing to bear in mind with the Submariner is that it is a sound investment as far as watches come. The price on the after-market is now £13,500 for a Submariner 126610LN, and this has showed no signs of going down and tends to either increase over the year as historically shown or hold its price very well, so if anything, you have a peace of mind and a great asset!

 

Function

The Rolex Submariner offers the amazing Rolex Manufactured movement 3230 that provides an accuracy of -2/+2 seconds a day with a battery reserve of 70 hours like the Tudor Black Bay. The watch offers your centre hour, minute and second hands with the no date version, but you can also get Rolex’s renowned cyclops lens with the date function as an alternative if you would your watch to tell you the day of the month.

 

Aesthetics

As far as it goes for Rolex Watches, or dive watches in general, the Rolex Submariner is by far one of the best-looking watch you will have in your collection. The oyster-steel bracelet is tapered sitting exquisitely on your wrist and making it a casual and comfortable wear. The bracelet also has a glide lock extension system for the warmer days where your wrist may swell up, ensuring the watch can be worn no matter the weather conditions.  The black ceramic bezel, with its anti-scratch material, is both functional and beautiful, and catches the light gorgeously reminding you that it’s on your wrist. The simple hour markers and shapes on the dial make it easy to read and have a beautiful blue lume when in the dark, so for all you divers, this watch will keep you looking classy underwater.

 

Omega Seamaster 300m 

The Omega Seamaster 300m, worn by the likes of James bond, is one of the watches that is out to dethrone the Rolex Submariner from its title as the king of dive watches. It has years of history and heritage, and its iconic wave pattern is something that makes this timepiece stand out from the crowd, and truly honours the dive watch category it resides in.

 

Price

The Omega Seamaster 300m retails at £4650, but after-market the watch can be found anywhere between £3750-4000 depending on the condition and year of the watch. In terms of investment, they tend to hold their value quite well and sometimes increase, especially with the slowing down of watch production during the pandemic. You can rest assured that you are buying a robust piece for a great price with loads of functionality.

 

Function 

What separates the Omega Seamaster from the rest is the watches movement, Calibre Omega 8800. The movement is tested by METAS (Omega’s own certification) and is a self-winding movement with Co-axial escapement with 55 hours of power reserve. The watch is claimed to be twice as accurate as most master chronometer certifications as it is tested twice, Once from COSC and again from METAS. The watch movement is also equipped with Anti-magnetic material meaning your watch’s time precision won’t be thrown off by any everyday objects such as your phone, laptop, or automatic doors. Moreover, it beats the other watches in terms of depth as it goes up to a whopping 300m deep!

 

Aesthetic

Coming in at 42mm compared to the Rolex Submariners and Black Bays 41mm, the watch is surprisingly comfortable and sits well on your wrist. This is due to the curved lugs making It wearable even on smaller wrists. The iconic wave dial has been upgraded and modernised with laser-etching, giving the dial incredible depth and interest when the light catches the engravings. The bezel has also been upgraded to a ceramic dial, again catching the light brilliantly and giving the watch a flush finish. The Seamaster written in Omega red adds an accent colour that makes the watch pop and the skeleton hands on the dial, while met with controversy, we believe gives the Omega Seamaster a sportier and robust look.

 

In terms of value for money then, we have the Omega Seamaster as the winner! It is incredibly innovative and stands out from other dive watches. The extra testing of the watch to make sure it meets standards is enough for it to be considered a bargain, but the fact that the watch also looks great despite its bigger size means you are getting the most for your money.

 

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