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M'Bob
·At the risk of stirring a huge debate…
I like both brands and their history but if I had to choose between modern Omega and modern Rolex it would be Rolex anyday (unless it’s the classic Moonwatch). I might be in the minority here but I really feel that Omega is butchering almost their entire catalogue.
For example, the 300M is nowhere near the watch it was 20 years ago. It might now be more advanced on every level but it’s too big, too thick and looks absurdly huge on any wrist in my opinion.
Same thing for the Planet Ocean range. The first Planet Ocean was an amazing dive watch, it was already a chunky and masculine piece but they’ve made it even bigger and thicker. Additionally, they blinged it up which made it lose its tool factor.
I am in the market for an automatic chronograph and would love to buy a Speedmaster but the thickness of the co-axial Speedmasters is a complete travesty, as a brand I would be ashamed of releasing such products. These watches may have better specs on paper but as far as wearability is concerned they get smoked by the Daytona or Zenith El Primero.
Omega also constantly churns out limited editions that, more often than not, don’t seem that desirable and you can find them in stores even years later. Especially the Bond (over)branded ones are totally ridiculous, I really wonder what grown man would buy and wear such a thing?
To me it doesn’t seem like they have a plan and go for quantity over quality, jumping at whichever bandwagon fashion dictates, with watches changing shape and color every other year. Rolex definitely also does things wrong but they keep their designs more consistent and their catalogue less cluttered, which (marketing aside) is also a reason why they’re so popular I think.
.First, huge debates are fun, that’s a big reason why we’re here.
Next, ALL major watch companies have “ blinged out” - that’s the current fashion, Omega can hardly be singled out here. And, yes, even though a Rolex has kept many of their styles consistent over the years, they are so shiny and graphically cluttered as to be undesirable, at least to me. And I have a number of examples from the 50’s and 60’s, so hardly a hater.
The Omega limiteds have been the butt of many jokes, and there have been quite a few misses. But, let’s give credit where it’s due: some are great, and at least they often appear to consider their collector base at times.
Finally, the reason Rolex is so popular is because they have become an enduring status symbol...it has nothing to do with design or quality.
