Aquadive BS100, Seiko SBDX001 or Stowa Prodiver + Halios Laguna?

[Renisin]

I should say no one out side of the wus family would care! People generally speaking are not very knowledgable about watch movements. They look at the exterior and decide if they like it or not. We here can appreciate the finer components that made a great watch. The 300MM is a great watch but sorry to say will be under appreciated by most of the watch buying public,in their mind it will look too much like a Rolex and thus here we go again. Thats why I perfer something unique, with a style all its own, doesn't have to be a Stowa or a AquaDive, there are many others out there that will do the job quite well! I like the fact that I am able to find great watches that have little exposure,that have good looks and ultimately will leave others wondering where I got it,and at a fraction of the cost of their highend counterparts!

The Omega PO 8500 is one hell of a watch, and you paid one hell of a price, enjoy!

It's a watch, I would care. For the money, I think the BS100 should sport a top grade ETA movement, or at least an ETA2892.

I no longer have the MM300, I sold it in order to fund another Rolex wannabe: an Omega Planet Ocean 8500 :))

[ManMachine]

Why should one care whether others care or are impressed? Or wait, watches ARE men's jewelry. Anything that looks remotely like a Rolex sub must be a Rolex wanna be and instantly written off.

On to other aspect - words like "German made" are for marketing. Seeing it too often in the forum posts make one suspicious. Quality and performance needs more specific descriptions than where it is made. Even Invicta watches can be Swiss made. I have a German made automobile, and sometimes I don't know if that's actually a good thing.

[Balidaan]

I like the MM.

[bakuma]

I have a German made automobile, and sometimes I don't know if that's actually a good thing.

As a former VW Golf owner (15+ yrs ago) that made me laugh.

What was the term (maybe coined by Stuffler at TZ)? "Germasian"? Watch aficionados often talk about slippery country of origin designations for finished watches, but maybe we need to watch out for parts,too. If a case is roughed out in China, of Chinese steel, and briefly finished on a CNC machine in Germany, is it "German"?

[jacklister]

I don't have any issue with something actually being Swiss. Not even a little.

I wouldn't pay lots more for things claimed to have 51% of their value related to something loosely Swiss though. You would have to be silly to do something like that.

I agree, IMO, all watch brands should disclose the origin of their components, Aquadive set a standard by doing this, kudos to Aquadive, I think Zixen did that too, anyone else?

BTW, I would go for the Seiko, although the AD is a magnificent piece of engineering, the MM300 is more balanced in terms of design, build quality and movement.

jack

[Renisin]

Where to start,you brought forth so many points. I guess firstly we should consider why would we need to feel like caring or impressing anyone. I myself don't but in todays world we find ourselves surrounded by many people that do, I hate to generalize but must to convey a point. Lots of people who have never heard of WUS own for examples sake, Rolex watches,the reason they bought them was because someone told them that Rolex was the watch to have,ie advertizing! Do they know about Rolex's great watch making history, or that they were one of the first divers out there,some maybe, but most difinitely not. Do they know that their movements are all in house,I have my doubts.They did know it would get attention at the next party. Hey, look what I got, always the same response. If I show up with a watch that looks like a Rolex,in the back of their mind will be he can't afford the real thing, doesn't matter if that watch is every bit as good or better,or has a rich history of innovative design! They won't care!


I don't care to go toe to toe, instead I buy what these folks have never heard of. They don't know what I paid and where I got it, its unique design sets it apart and thus I have eliminated the competition mind set and may even win over a convert.

Brands I like because they offer unique designs Stowa
AquaDive
Damasko
Sinn
Boshette
Halios Puck
Doxa
IWC
Bell&Ross(some would say they are fashion watches)
Panerai
Oris
There are still others out there that draw my attention.

German made, Swiss made, yes one needs to be careful. Many things are not what they seem,I dare say your Beemer has parts made outside of Germany,is it still German? Yes. A team of Germans designed it and German workers assembled it,it may have parts from around the world but it is still a product of Germany!

Do I like Seiko watches of course I do, The Tuna is great watch with a unique look,the GS Seikos are as beautiful as any watch I've ever seen. The 300 MM is well built,top quality movement and finished on par with any of the great watch houses. I consider Seiko to be on par with any of them,but the sad truth is most of the general watch buying public does not. So will I get most bang for the buck with the Seiko or with one of the other brands that I mentioned, with the lower priced Seikos great bang for the buck,but when you get to their highend stuff, not so much.
[

QUOTE=ManMachine;5254560]Why should one care whether others care or are impressed? Or wait, watches ARE men's jewelry. Anything that looks remotely like a Rolex sub must be a Rolex wanna be and instantly written off.

On to other aspect - words like "German made" are for marketing. Seeing it too often in the forum posts make one suspicious. Quality and performance needs more specific descriptions than where it is made. Even Invicta watches can be Swiss made. I have a German made automobile, and sometimes I don't know if that's actually a good thing.[/QUOTE]

[Aquadive mod2]

As a former VW Golf owner (15+ yrs ago) that made me laugh.

What was the term (maybe coined by Stuffler at TZ)? "Germasian"? Watch aficionados often talk about slippery country of origin designations for finished watches, but maybe we need to watch out for parts,too. If a case is roughed out in China, of Chinese steel, and briefly finished on a CNC machine in Germany, is it "German"?

It is a shame that there are no tighter regulations for using the label (Made in Germany) and apparently many so called German brands refer to their products as Made in Germany, while Aquadive 100% CNC cuts the watch cases, case backs and bezels from a slice of a rod of German made surgical grade 316L stainless steel, then the parts are brushed and hand polished in Germany. Same with Bronze cases or any other alloy, where the raw material is bought in Germany and machined from 1 block to a complete watch case, thisv video in the link below shows how an Aquadive case is machined from the block. This really what makes an Aquadive so special:Aquadive does not rely on imported stamped blanks with no certificate of origin that are then final finished in Germany.

Please excuse me for my English
http://www.aquadive.com/making_of/brcase.wmv.

[Inq]

So is Aquadive German Made or Swiss Made after all?

[bakuma]

That's good information to see, but please know that my comments concerning "Germasian" watches and the sources of machining and materials were made in general terms and not intended to apply specifically to Aquadive or Stowa.

It is a shame that there are no tighter regulations for using the label (Made in Germany) and apparently many so called German brands refer to their products as Made in Germany, while Aquadive 100% CNC cuts the watch cases, case backs and bezels from a slice of a rod of German made surgical grade 316L stainless steel, then the parts are brushed and hand polished in Germany. Same with Bronze cases or any other alloy, where the raw material is bought in Germany and machined from 1 block to a complete watch case, this video shows how an Aquadive case is machined from the block. This really sets Aquadive apart from others because Aquadive does not rely on imported stamped blanks with no certificate of origin that are then final finished in Germany.

Please excuse me for my English
http://www.aquadive.com/making_of/brcase.wmv.

[Aquadive mod2]

So is Aquadive German Made or Swiss Made after all?

Please be more specific, according to which laws, Swiss, German or US laws? the answer does not mean anything to the savy WIS, because you guys want in depth information and that is disclosed in detail on the Aquadive website www.aquadive.com/makingof.html, I think one the topics of this thread was that the label alone does not really tell. Please correct me if I am wrong.

A few details will be updated as the information on the website are from November 2011, here you go, you are the first to know, the rest remains as is.

1. all dials are now 100% made in Switzerland, from the blank to printing to applying SL
2. mesh bracelets are made in Germany by the largest German mesh bracelet manufacturer
3. Even the Spring bars are made in Switzerland


Please note that the NOS models are 100% made in Switzerland, meaning that case, case back, dial, crystal, hands, movement,bezel, gaskets, straps, spring bars were made in Switzerland 50 years ago, unless a new Swiss ETA movement was recently fitted.