Fresh Start to a Life Long Watch Collection. Did I make the right choice?

[fasthandssam]

Congrats on the job and the fine timepiece! It's a good looking watch from a reputable brand with a long history in racing (I know that is your thing so I think you picked the right watch), and it has a very reliable movement.

Akasnowman hit the nail on head- this is a website filled with watch enthusiasts, and we are going to have our own strong opinions. The important thing is to learn what people are saying about watches and different brands and movements but then make your own decision based on your tastes and desires. For example, one of my dream watches is a Bremont Alt1-P. It is a chronograph like yours and in fact has the same movement (a Valjoux 7750). It also retails for more than $5000 dollars. I know what people on this forum would have to say about spending that kind of money on a watch that has the same movement as their much cheaper Hamilton. But guess what? I still want the Bremont. Something about the watch or the brand or the way it looks just speaks to me. And this phenomenon is the essence of watch collecting- you need to get the thing that speaks to you. Don't just get another watch because it is cheaper or has a certain movement. Get what excites you. And, from your post, it sounds like the Carrera is a very good choice for you. So I say congratulations and enjoy the watch!

And also be careful because this can be kind of addicting. ;)

[StevoNZ]

Congrats on the new job and your new watch. As a new WUS member myself and someone who only purchased his first mechanical recently, I am sure that you will wear your new acquisition long and proud. Like many others above, it's about buying what sings to you and for your own reasons. My first mechanical was an Omega Speedmaster Date - its not the Pro that many would recommend, but I wanted the date complication and I wanted to be part of the the icon that is Omega Speedy, so mission accomplished in my books. Tag is a great brand and your selection is a lovely watch. Welcome to the watch-collecting journey mate!

[Dixan]

I strongly suggest you spend that full amount and get a brand new 8500 Planet Ocean. Even if you spent less, and had, say $1,500 left over, at your age, that difference will get spent very quickly on beer, entertainment, etc. I'd rather spend it all on something that's of tangibly better quality and design. You can get one for right around what you have to spend, after discount off the $6,200 MSRP. I got my first Seamaster Professional at your age, and it is, IMO, the perfect watch to start you on your new life journey. You can wear it with absolute abandon, as I wore mine, and it will still look fantastic a decade on. Skip the TAG. I think you'll be happier in the end. Good luck!

EDIT: Looks like you already bought the TAG? Congrats on the buy, then. It's still a very decent watch, with a strong workhorse movement. Best of luck to you. Now that you've found this place, my guess is you'll be onto your second watch sooner than you think!

[fasthandssam]

You guys are terrible. The next time any of you come announcing that you bought a new XYZ watch, I am going to tell you what a terrible purchase it was, how you could have done better, and the price you paid was laughable!

LVMH makes just as nice watches as The Swatch Group. Omega makes many base ETA pieces. And they are priced the same as TAGs and offer similar discount levels from ADs. Once Omega finishes closing out all their ADs and only sells through boutiques, I'll wait for all of you to start whining about the list prices you are paying for everything!

You guys are seriously a collection of jerks (not to use more appropriate, but banned terminology). Can't you just be happy for the guy, or is it necessary to try and weigh in with holier than thou comments in absolutely every thread?

The guy is proud of his purchase. It's a great watch, with a proud history, that will most definitely last him a life time. A great purchase in other words. And one that I'm sorely tempted to make at present - as I search for my own lifetime watch to commemorate a couple of once in a life moment that's coming up.

Listen, you two definitely have a point. But this wasn't just a thread about a guy getting a new watch to celebrate a career achievement. OP specifically asked for more information about the movement, about TAG, and about whether or not we THOUGHT he had made the right choice. And he is doing so from a perspective of someone who doesn't know a lot about different manufacturers, their quality, and their movements. He didn't ask for everyone to tell him how great it was. And I applaud him for trying to learn more about watches even after making a big purchase.

But opinions and viewpoints were asked for- don't be so defensive when they are provided. Maybe Timeless does want to know that there are watches with the same (or very similar) movement at a lower price? He should still be proud of the watch- as you've said, it will serve him a lifetime.

That being said, I do happen to think that he made the right choice. The watch is of a strong quality, reputable brand, and has historical ties to racing that stand up to any other manufacturer. I also think that model looks cool. So yea it was a pretty good choice. Well done Timeless. :D

[Luminescent]

First of all I think that is an awesome looking watch, so I would say you have good taste in chronos!

The only thing that I would maybe warn you about is the thickness of that watch. Amazon has it listed at 16.5mm and that for me would make it difficult to use as a daily wearer because it would interfere with my shirt cuffs - as in I wouldn't be able to get it under a lot of my dress shirt cuffs. Your mileage may vary but make sure this won't be a problem for you while you are still in Amazon's return window.

I tell you this because I recently made that mistake. I recently bought my first auto chrono, and went with a Victorinox AirBoss Mach 6. I absolutely love the watch, unfortunately it's 15mm's thick and even that causes problems with many of work shirts. I wear business casual so I don't have a problem wearing a sporty chrono in my work environment, but it's at least got to fit under my sleeve. So sadly I may end up flipping this watch because I prefer to wear my watches often and not just relegate some to weekend duty but we shall see.

Anyway, I'm sure case thickness is going to an issue for most all chronos using a 7750 (or 7753 in my case).

[baronrojo]

Sadly the only acceptable watches on this forum are Seiko (anything put out by them), Omega (and not all of them), and "homages". So to the OP...enjoy your watch and exercise your own judgment for the other posts. I come here to talk watches but never to ask for opinions...if that were the case my watch boxes would be full of stuff guys on this forum would like to wear...but nothing I would wear myself.

[NutellaBear]

Listen, you two definitely have a point. But this wasn't just a thread about a guy getting a new watch to celebrate a career achievement. OP specifically asked for more information about the movement, about TAG, and about whether or not we THOUGHT he had made the right choice. And he is doing so from a perspective of someone who doesn't know a lot about different manufacturers, their quality, and their movements. He didn't ask for everyone to tell him how great it was. And I applaud him for trying to learn more about watches even after making a big purchase.

But opinions and viewpoints were asked for- don't be so defensive when they are provided. Maybe Timeless does want to know that there are watches with the same (or very similar) movement at a lower price? He should still be proud of the watch- as you've said, it will serve him a lifetime.

That being said, I do happen to think that he made the right choice. The watch is of a strong quality, reputable brand, and has historical ties to racing that stand up to any other manufacturer. I also think that model looks cool. So yea it was a pretty good choice. Well done Timeless. :D

Yes he asked for an opinion as a NEW watch OWNER with little experience. So half the messages were you "ought to buy X brand because it costs less and uses the same movement." The other half stated what horrible watches TAG makes and that you shouldn't have bought one.

How would you feel being new to watches and having just made a sizable investment in a nice watch to be told that crap? No one would dispute that TAG Heuer makes quality watches that are legimate choices for a first time buyer. You could almost make a list of the recommendations that people make on this forum. First come the Hamilton's, then Rolex, and then a whole litany of Omega's.

These are appropriate discussions with a member that has five or six watches and is game for a more nuanced discussion about the pros and cons of a purchase. As it is though, these points in this thread only serve to deflate the excitement a new watch owner has with his recent purchase.

I thought we were here to foster a love of watches, nurture a more knowledgable consumer, and encourage future collectors?

[NutellaBear]

Sadly the only acceptable watches on this forum are Seiko (anything put out by them), Omega (and not all of them), and "homages". So to the OP...enjoy your watch and exercise your own judgment for the other posts. I come here to talk watches but never to ask for opinions...if that were the case my watch boxes would be full of stuff guys on this forum would like to wear...but nothing I would wear myself.

Oh sorry, you're right! We can't forget to throw in the Monsters, Sumos, Sammies, and various other Orient Citizens from the land of Homages!

[Timeless1098]

Thank you everyone for your input! Another question I had was what is the difference between the omega and Breitling ETA Movements and the tag heuer ones. Do omega and Breitling modify theirs to be a better movement? Or are you paying for brand there too?

I know this fourm is biased toward tags- and I believe whatever the reason may be it is a good one. Everyones opinion counts. I am biased to TAG a little also, like- the fossil quality quartz watches branded to sell over $1000 at ......s. However, this thread is about my particular watch- the carrera day date. I have never seen this carrera day date at an ...... amongst a plethora carreras, grand carreras, and slr's. I even asked for it and the salesman said it was too high in demand to be at an .......

As I stated originally, I wanted a rolex as my first watch. What changed my mind is what INSIDE the watch makes the price difference so substantial. Im sure we all know that people my age have grown up telling time on iPhones. This is accurate down to the second and changes itself with time zones, leap years, daylight savings, etc. so a watch is just jewelry.

That being said, I am a fan of things of mechanical excellence, I feel like they have a soul. I would compare Rolex to mercedes- a brand recognized by anyone. To any car enthusiasts that would understand my analogy; I drive a honda s2000- what would be considered by everyone as a regular accord or civic- ask an engineer and he will tell you an s2000 is the farthest thing from any other honda. I like the mercedes SLS but if price wasn't an issue would make me only a little bit happier than an s2000 that costs a tenth of the price.

Another example: This omega is only marked down about 10% from its MSRP and appears to be a comparable watch to my carrera. Is this a better deal than a TAG? Why?

[Timeless1098]

Honestly, if that's your main criteria, you could have saved a lot of money.

A lot of folks here will recommend that for your first watch purchase (or first few, if you are interested in collecting), you start with inexpensive watches. Your taste will evolve substantially as you learn what you like and dislike about various styles, movements, brands, etc. A $3000-4000 watch to start with can be a very costly mistake. Additionally, modern Tags have very little resale value.

At the end of the day, a lot of us have made mistakes purchasing watches that we later came to regret as our tastes and preferences changed or we learned more about the watch market and industry. Just keep these things in mind before you throw down on a Rolex or Omega for your next purchase.

I don't necessarily buy only for brand, but I don't necessarily buy Hyundai's either. Even if quality is 100% there, brand is important to me but not everything; but most definitely something. Do you drink coca cola or Budweiser? Or wear Nike shoes?

What do you recommend in this price range from some sort of reputable brand?

Tag makes great watches with generic movements and high quality, well-finished cases. There is nothing wrong with them except for the fact that they're somewhat expensive when compared to many other brands that offer the exact same thing. If purchased via a decent gray market discount like what the OP mentioned, they represent a solid choice.


The forum has the anti-tag bias purely due to the value factor, not the fact that the watches themselves are bad in any way. You'll see this same bias against other brands like Raymond Weil and Baume et Mercier. Brands like Hamilton or Tissot will offer the same movements in a comparable case for about 1/4 the cost.

Not concerned about value- more durability; meaning value to me.

Congrats on the job and the fine timepiece! It's a good looking watch from a reputable brand with a long history in racing (I know that is your thing so I think you picked the right watch), and it has a very reliable movement.

Akasnowman hit the nail on head- this is a website filled with watch enthusiasts, and we are going to have our own strong opinions. The important thing is to learn what people are saying about watches and different brands and movements but then make your own decision based on your tastes and desires. For example, one of my dream watches is a Bremont Alt1-P. It is a chronograph like yours and in fact has the same movement (a Valjoux 7750). It also retails for more than $5000 dollars. I know what people on this forum would have to say about spending that kind of money on a watch that has the same movement as their much cheaper Hamilton. But guess what? I still want the Bremont. Something about the watch or the brand or the way it looks just speaks to me. And this phenomenon is the essence of watch collecting- you need to get the thing that speaks to you. Don't just get another watch because it is cheaper or has a certain movement. Get what excites you. And, from your post, it sounds like the Carrera is a very good choice for you. So I say congratulations and enjoy the watch!

And also be careful because this can be kind of addicting. ;)

As a collector of many other things... I know its going to be addicting! More money down the drain ;)

What makes the price difference so high? Few hundred to over ten thousand? Is it just branding? or is there more to it?

I strongly suggest you spend that full amount and get a brand new 8500 Planet Ocean. Even if you spent less, and had, say $1,500 left over, at your age, that difference will get spent very quickly on beer, entertainment, etc. I'd rather spend it all on something that's of tangibly better quality and design. You can get one for right around what you have to spend, after discount off the $6,200 MSRP. I got my first Seamaster Professional at your age, and it is, IMO, the perfect watch to start you on your new life journey. You can wear it with absolute abandon, as I wore mine, and it will still look fantastic a decade on. Skip the TAG. I think you'll be happier in the end. Good luck!

EDIT: Looks like you already bought the TAG? Congrats on the buy, then. It's still a very decent watch, with a strong workhorse movement. Best of luck to you. Now that you've found this place, my guess is you'll be onto your second watch sooner than you think!

My question is what makes it better. WHY should I purchase a planet ocean?

And the extra loot wouldn't be spent on beer (well maybe but I don't prefer to go out and drink). I don't think like a typical 22 year old. When I win money in a casino I regard it as MY money, not money I just won. The extra would most likely be saved or put toward a future purchase.