affordable with best fit & finish

[barkatthemoon]

Hi guys,

I see a lot of brands mentioned in this forum: Seagull, Parnis, Tao, Orient, Seiko, Citizen, Bernhardt etc. I'm just curious about the build quality of these brands.

Among those brands, which one has the best fit and finish? (regardless of the quality of the movement) Which one looks like a much more expensive watch than it really is?

Thanks!

[dnslater]

This is perhaps more model specific than watch specific. There are a few affordables from Seiko and Orient that come to mind (Mako, 007 and Sumo) that have great finishing for their respective price points. I suspect larger companies such as Citizen, Seiko and Tissot have access to much more sophisticated tooling than smaller makes which would allow them to put a nicer finish on modestly priced watches. Owned a Parnis that was ok. The only Bernhardt that I owned was good, but was all brushed, which is easier to do.

The Seiko Sumo is one watch that always pops up in these discussions as it has a terrific finish, with nice contrast between polished and brushed surfaces for around $500. The finish rivals watches costing several times more. My Bluering represents a great value at the same price point, but the finish pales in comparison.

[whatmeworry]

I doubt out will be long before someone mentions the Orange Monster but as good a watch as it is I found the weight was too much for it to be that comfortable, so I'll cast another vote for the mid-range 6R15 Seikos (not sure if they are actually truly mid-range but you know what I mean). I adore my Alpinist and it looks and feels like a more expensive watch.

[zippofan]

+1 for Seiko and especially the Alpinist:



It's definitely my favorite Seiko