Tech-N-Things

Every once in a while, the stars align, and you get this once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience something great, and you actually go and do it. You wrestle with yourself and doubt yourself the whole time, but deep inside, you know this is your chance, and you take it. Now, I’m not saying that you apply this logic all the time. This is where wisdom comes in. Sometimes you even need a partner with you to help keep things in perspective, like a spouse or best friend. This way, something that seems good might be seen from another’s perspective, and they can give you sound advice. In most cases, something comes up, or a prescription is shared or offered that makes you step back and decide against it. Sometimes it’s for the best. And then sometimes everything points in the direction your heart wants. It’s not against your faith, your wife is supportive of the choice, and most importantly, God has provided you the ability, finances, and opportunity to do it.

So when I went to New York yesterday on business, I took the opportunity to visit a store I’d always wanted to visit but had never been brave enough to do so. I knew if I went in and saw the Seamaster in person, I would want one. But on this day, I knew I had the finances to get it, which made it even better. I took my wife anyway for a voice of reason. The experience was so good and welcoming. Nobody treated you like you didn’t belong there. My wife and I had regular clothes on, no flashy items to ring the bell that we could actually afford to be there. In fact, I wanted them to assume I didn’t. I wanted a reason to justify my fears about going into such a store. But to my surprise, I was treated more like a person than I am at a common store. They didn’t follow me around thinking I was there to take something, nor did they pressure me to buy. They spent more time appreciating me as I did the watches. All the while, other people who looked like they were ready to buy the whole store were treated the exact same way they treated me. Absolutely no difference between the Wall Street brokers and the fancy-dressed Italians from Italy to watch the FIFA games. Nobody got more attention than anyone else. We were all treated as valued customers. All were offered seats, beverages, and the like. All were given time and access to all the watches they wanted to see or put on.

I took my time looking over all of the watches and price differences, but I knew that I wanted one—the one I’ve wanted most of my life. It was the one I kept putting off since I grabbed my first high-end watch, the IWC Top-Gun. It was the Seamaster 300 with the 8800 caliber. This Master Chronometer Certified piece was one of the most accurate watch types in the world, still, even after all these years on the market and movie screens.

We know the name, we know his game! He has been in most of our lives across generations. Always played by different actors, but the name remains the same: James Bond 007. This is what set the Omega Seamaster on the map, and it’s been one of the most recognized and respected watch types in the world.

Omega, thanks to their overall history (greater than Rolex) and movements (also greater than Rolex), Moon landing connection, and respected connection to the Olympics, is always seen by a great many people. But having the movement behind them and the quality only helps continue that respect and is what keeps bringing me back to them. Their automatic movement precision is class-leading in the world, giving even Rolex cause to fear.

Speaking of Rolex, most people will wonder, “Why not just go with Rolex?” And I get it. It’s one of the most recognized brands in the world. Their no-date and GMT watches run $12k-$23k. Spending $7k on the Seamaster and $12k on the IWC Top Gun could have scored me a Rolex, but that means I would only have one watch, not two high-end watches. And two is better than one high-end watch, at least in my logic. I also now feel, after buying the Seamaster and the IWC Top Gun, that the Seamaster, even with the cheaper cost of $7k, was a better purchase because of the 8800 movement, way better warranty, steel band, longevity, and even the quality of the box.

So in a lot of ways, spending more just on the IWC kinda left a bad taste in my mouth when they weren’t as certified as the Omega and had a weaker movement precision inside it, yet cost almost double. So that reminded me of Rolex. In fact, when I think about the two, the Seamaster 300 white face is just a better watch where it counts. It’s a better history, more reliable in movement, and better longevity thanks to it’s cablier 8800 release system. Rolex Submariner don’t match this quality and yet they want much much more. Most people believe people pick Omega because they can’t get afford or wait for a Rolex. Most of those people snobs that have the watch without any true understanding about what is does, only it’s name. I was blessed to picked and have knowledge and contacts to get the Rolex. I chose the Omega because if what it’s about, what it should be about….movement, accuracy, longevity, and history. And all four of this area belong more to the Omega. And that’s before you get to the overprice, lack of true innovation in its submariner or GMT in the last decade, and the overall tactics of fomo used by the company. Sure it has a glide lock system in place for the metal band and a wetsuit extension but again, so does th Omega. It has Sapphire crystal and Ceramic Bezels all in place, too. But where this thing shines the most is the face. The details in the face, in my opinion, are superior to what is offered by Rolex, especially for the price difference.

The faces come in different colors, and I love the hands and the space gaps they have to allow the hour hand to be seen. All the details, from the waves to the raised pearl indicators for the hours (which have more definition and rise than the Rolex’s), are quality personified! And just as I mentioned above, they have better certifications for movement and being Swiss-made. So nothing is being gained outside of the prescription for 15k-22k. Even the Seamaster 8800 has been built for less wear and tear on its parts and needs less servicing, with the same 5-year warranty because of the steps and sure innovation and reliability in their engineering process of the Caliber.

At the end of the day, Rolex wasn’t going to do it for me anyway because I had done the homework to know the difference upfront. And having an overrated price tag, a waiting list, and nothing to back it up that is truly different from the Omega would only result in the Omega Seamaster for me, especially this one with the Panda white dial that reflects into silver depending on the lighting (I absolutely dig this fact!).

Finally, the feel. I really appreciate the way the watch feels on my arm and its size. Yet another thing I personally hate. I want nothing to do with a 40mm watch face. It’s too small in my opinion for a high-end watch. It’s also flatter, which is something I hate as well. At 42mm, it contours my wrist so well. Having the Glidelock system, as mentioned, is just the icing on the cake throughout the day. And the clasp for the band is sick as well. I don’t like any clasp that requires two steps to unbuckle, like Rolex subs do. Even the glowing multicolored hands for the night view are sick, and something not many do with the multicolors. I was even given the black band to swap out for free. Basically, I have no doubt that I can pass this along to my son and his sons or daughters. This watch is historical and yet contains the future of automatic movement and Swiss mastery. This is why I went with Omega, not Rolex. It’s not because I can’t afford or even need to wait for it. The Omega Seamaster White face 8800 Caliber is just better.