LACO 42 Miyota Automatic questions

[alexp215]

OK so I finally found the flieger I want, it costs 285 or so from a site I found online. My question is, what is the benefit of buying the Laco aside from the name. I keep my watches on smaller budgets, the most expensive I own is an Orient that I paid 300 for with their 50% coupon from the site, the rest are sub 200 priced. I want an Auto flieger, and I have a 6.5" wrist so the 47mm Ticino is out for me due to size, and I think a Laco would be a good fit.

What's different on the Laco vs the cheaper fliegers out there that run the same Miyota movement?

[Uwe W.]

OK so I finally found the flieger I want, it costs 285 or so from a site I found online. My question is, what is the benefit of buying the Laco aside from the name. I keep my watches on smaller budgets, the most expensive I own is an Orient that I paid 300 for with their 50% coupon from the site, the rest are sub 200 priced. I want an Auto flieger, and I have a 6.5" wrist so the 47mm Ticino is out for me due to size, and I think a Laco would be a good fit.

What's different on the Laco vs the cheaper fliegers out there that run the same Miyota movement?

Hi and welcome to the Laco Forum!

Laco sells a lot of their Miyota B-Uhrs - and you rarely see any come up for sale used. That says something about customer satisfaction. I own a few Miyota powered Laco watches and a few 'cheaper' B-Uhrs I wear in situations where there is a chance of a watch being damaged. What I've noted is that the build quality is better with the Laco and the included strap is of far better quality. The cheap watches are functional and serve their purpose, but a Laco Miyota feels like a better watch that has good value.

In a objective comparison the Laco name wouldn't come into play, however, for some of us there is importance attached to buying a watch from a manufacturer that has a rich history in the manufacture of B-Uhr watches.

I'm curious about what other B-Uhrs you have found with a real Miyota movement that were substantially less expensive than the Laco. Its seems hard to believe that they could be much cheaper. Most Miyota driven watches I come across start in the $300 price range.

One other thing, you would pay even less if you ordered your Laco directly from the factory. The price you quoted looks like you got it from a U.S. based AD. Nothing wrong with buying from one of them, but you should be aware that they are a little more expensive.

[alexp215]

Here's an eBay link I found

Ticino 47mm Automatic Big Pilot Watch Aviator - eBay (item 200568650824 end time Jan-26-11 16:58:00 PST)

They run the same movement but it's too big for me. They also make a 44mm version but it has a subdial at 9 seconds (chinese ST36 Seagull movement a version of the 6497 I believe). The parnis Luminor I have incoming runs this movement so no experience with it yet.

[Uwe W.]

The watch you pointed to is an auction item and has an opening bid of $140 plus shipping. The seller also has the same watch listed with a 'Buy It Now' price of $180 plus shipping, which for me in Canada would be $20.

The Laco Miyota is $228, shipping included.

Based on a fixed price comparison, the Laco is $28 more expensive than the Ticino (maybe slightly more for you because your shipping might be a little less). For that modest difference, the Laco is directly warranted by the manufacturer. What happens if there is a problem with the Ticino? Do you ship it back to the eBay seller who might not be around three months from now? Do you ship it to Ticino who might tell you there isn't any warranty because it wasn't purchased through an AD? Does Ticino even have ADs? (Sorry, I don't have a lot of experience with the brand other than seeing it on eBay).

Of course you could buy the Ticino and get it even cheaper on auction. It looks like a decent watch, but honestly we're not talking about a mountain of money that you would be saving. For me the choice is a simple one: I would go with the entry level Laco that represents a great deal. You'll have to reach you own conclusion and figure out what makes most sense for you, but we're here if you need any more help in making your decision.

[stuffler,mike]

The Ticino looks nice but I doubt Ticino (btw. any idea who is Ticino ?) invests the same love into details as Laco does. If a Ticino offers the best technological engineering as they say they do they would sell like hot cakes. Maybe they do but Laco offers the better case finish and case which then is mirrored in its price.

[alexp215]

Where do I get the Laco for 228? I found it for 287

http://www.timequestwatches.com/id6.html about 3/4 of the way down

[stuffler,mike]

Where do I get the Laco for 228? I found it for 287

Laco about 3/4 of the way down

Laco online shop ? 198 Euro - 19% tax = ??USD. I am sure you will find out.

[alexp215]

That comes to almost the same ammount but I can't get the website to work. I still haven't gotten my 44mm so I'll wait, maybe I'll go for a 44 or 47mm because 42 seems smaller than I'd want, these were big watches and I want it to be a good size for me, but a bit on the larger side.

[parrotttony]

The watch you pointed to is an auction item and has an opening bid of $140 plus shipping. The seller also has the same watch listed with a 'Buy It Now' price of $180 plus shipping, which for me in Canada would be $20.

The Laco Miyota is $228, shipping included.

Based on a fixed price comparison, the Laco is $28 more expensive than the Ticino (maybe slightly more for you because your shipping might be a little less). For that modest difference, the Laco is directly warranted by the manufacturer. What happens if there is a problem with the Ticino? Do you ship it back to the eBay seller who might not be around three months from now? Do you ship it to Ticino who might tell you there isn't any warranty because it wasn't purchased through an AD? Does Ticino even have ADs? (Sorry, I don't have a lot of experience with the brand other than seeing it on eBay).

Of course you could buy the Ticino and get it even cheaper on auction. It looks like a decent watch, but honestly we're not talking about a mountain of money that you would be saving. For me the choice is a simple one: I would go with the entry level Laco that represents a great deal. You'll have to reach you own conclusion and figure out what makes most sense for you, but we're here if you need any more help in making your decision.

Just search on Ticino here and you'll find a guy by the name of tcolucci and he sells the 47mm Ticinos with a Miyota 8215 movement for $145. I've purchased a 44mm with a hand wind Sea-Gull st-3600 movement and the deal couldn't have gone any better. He responded to all of my messages and e-mails within a few minutes. Serious. I'm very impressed with the watch and seller. Very nice guy!!!!!

[Uwe W.]

That comes to almost the same ammount but I can't get the website to work. I still haven't gotten my 44mm so I'll wait, maybe I'll go for a 44 or 47mm because 42 seems smaller than I'd want, these were big watches and I want it to be a good size for me, but a bit on the larger side.

Trust me. The Laco 42 mm on a 6.5" wrist will look plenty big. Other guys here will be able to support that claim. It looks plenty big on my 7.5" wrist. You might find a 47 mm to be a little too much.

What do you mean that you can't get the website to work?