Why not quartz, like my wife's gen TAG?

[jeff g]

OK, my comment about 'Soul' is kind of silly.

Because I too, own a couple of Gen Quartz chrono's. They keep good time of course...but I don't wear them and I don't really like them. (Why did I buy them?)

Looks. Nice thin cases, etc.

But you know what I don't like about them most?

They way the second hand goes...TICK......................TICK....................TICK.

I hate that.

[kanerich]

This stuff has been argued to death, and it seems to me a fairly pointless exercise to take the high ground based on rationality when it comes to arguing about stuff people want but really don't need which is ultimately all this is, subjective preferences. Nobody needs gen luxury watches or even rep luxury watches, quartz or mechanical. Fine, quartz makes "more sense." Do you also want to take on everyone about eating steak instead of soy, drinking cognac instead of malt liquor, driving something other than a used Honda Civic, whatever? Smoking, drinking, the utility of religion, etc.?

There aren't high quality quartz reps because the rep makers don't feel like there's a market for it to make it worth the trouble. There's not a lot more to it. You're frustrated there aren't enough people who feel the same way as you do to create a viable market for something you want, that's understandable but that's all that it is, there's no right or wrong attached to it.

[Davey]

Who would want a quartz movement over good, reliable classic ETA? Perhaps the same people who would choose a Volkswagen over Audi

I think Bytor has hit the nail on the head there! lol!

[scottie333]

So, how about it? If the genuine article is quartz, why should I pay MORE for an automatic which is guaranteed to be less accurate and likely to have problems a quality quartz unit will never have.

Chris

For the same reason that some people bought cars from LOTUS in the 70's and 80's. They were unreliable (they broke down frequently) compared to other British cars at the time (e.g. Dolomite Sprint etc.) but they were mechanical works of art. The LOTUS Esprit is a prime example...

We're not here for the boundless love of mechanical beauty alone, not even a little bit.

Speak for youself, not all of us...

Who would want a quartz movement over good, reliable classic ETA? Perhaps the same people who would choose a Volkswagen over Audi?

I also agree...

I don't really care much about my avatar one way or the other. I think it's funny, end of story.

That about sums you up...

As they say "Get a Grip!" LOL

Scott.

[thatgrip]

This stuff has been argued to death, and it seems to me a fairly pointless exercise to take the high ground based on rationality when it comes to arguing about stuff people want but really don't need which is ultimately all this is, subjective preferences. Nobody needs gen luxury watches or even rep luxury watches, quartz or mechanical. Fine, quartz makes "more sense." Do you also want to take on everyone about eating steak instead of soy, drinking cognac instead of malt liquor, driving something other than a used Honda Civic, whatever? Smoking, drinking, the utility of religion, etc.?

There aren't high quality quartz reps because the rep makers don't feel like there's a market for it to make it worth the trouble. There's not a lot more to it. You're frustrated there aren't enough people who feel the same way as you do to create a viable market for something you want, that's understandable but that's all that it is, there's no right or wrong attached to it.

I basically agree. I honestly said my peace about wanting to have a cool watch from a cool company on my wrist. I only started getting "rational" when a few members decided to sniff haughtily at my question and start throwing around aesthetic reasoning, completely ignoring the totally shallow end of the pool we ALL inhabit by wearing high priced knockoffs. I can shovel the sh** like anybody here (except maybe TTK whose sarcasm and intellect are killers). But I want discourse which doesn't devolve into stuff like how Mondrian really had it going on with all those colored squares, or Picasso's Red Period is exquisite.

The reason for my delving into the subject of quartz's is due to 1. my lack of knowledge, 2.the insanity of looking for old threads similar to the one I started. I wanted opinions from a representative group of this massing of watch fanatics. The more responses I've read, the more I'm turned on by the auto watches. I can start to feel my fingers elongating...breathgrowingshort...teeth getting longer pain...have to pant ...need to howl. Basically, I'm screwed by the answers to my own question. Thanks to By-Tor, I have some confidence I won't need to crack open the case immediately and start screwing things up.

Anyway, thanks for the response. Well said.

[thatgrip]

For the same reason that some people bought cars from LOTUS in the 70's and 80's. They were unreliable (they broke down frequently) compared to other British cars at the time (e.g. Dolomite Sprint etc.) but they were mechanical works of art. The LOTUS Esprit is a prime example...

Speak for youself, not all of us...

I also agree...

That about sums you up...

As they say "Get a Grip!" LOL

Scott.

Thanks for the honest response without getting in my face. Out of curiosity, what about the TIMEX question? Would you really consider spending a buck and a quarter on, say, a stainless rep of a 1950's watch with auto movement? Perhaps I overstated the group's collective social status motivations. Sorry for that.

Bit confused by the bit about my avatar and the reasoning behind it. There do seem to be many of folks on this board that care an awful lot about an inch and a half picture which serves little purpose beyond amusement/titillation/information. Yours is pretty cool; I like the classic atomic logo.

cheers,

Chris

"The tv business is...a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason." Hunter Thompson

[kanerich]

I basically agree. I honestly said my peace about wanting to have a cool watch from a cool company on my wrist. I only started getting "rational" when a few members decided to sniff haughtily at my question and start throwing around aesthetic reasoning, completely ignoring the totally shallow end of the pool we ALL inhabit by wearing high priced knockoffs. I can shovel the sh** like anybody here (except maybe TTK whose sarcasm and intellect are killers). But I want discourse which doesn't devolve into stuff like how Mondrian really had it going on with all those colored squares, or Picasso's Red Period is exquisite.

The reason for my delving into the subject of quartz's is due to 1. my lack of knowledge, 2.the insanity of looking for old threads similar to the one I started. I wanted opinions from a representative group of this massing of watch fanatics. The more responses I've read, the more I'm turned on by the auto watches. I can start to feel my fingers elongating...breathgrowingshort...teeth getting longer pain...have to pant ...need to howl. Basically, I'm screwed by the answers to my own question. Thanks to By-Tor, I have some confidence I won't need to crack open the case immediately and start screwing things up.

Anyway, thanks for the response. Well said.

It's funny, but I bought my wife a rep ladies datejust, she really liked the way it looked but she was annoyed by the fact that it would stop. I bought her a used Tag quartz for $150 at the local secondhand shop, which after a polishing, rebrushing and a new battery it was 98% good as new. She wears it as her daily beater and loves it. So I understand the phenomenon. I would also point out my experience is part of the problem -- there really are not that many high end quartz watches that you can't buy for a few hundred bucks used, especially if you're going to use it for a beater anyway and don't mind a couple of scuffs. So why get a rep?

As far as fighting with the "mechanical watches have soul" crowd . . . I know you know already, but it's a waste of time. It's an emotional visceral thing anyway, so once someone buys into it so you're not going to carry the day with argument no matter how good it is. It's like trying to talk a devout Christian into embracing atheism by explaining to him the logical flaws of his faith, or "proving" to a loving parent that his daughter is, empirically speaking, rather ugly. Ain't gonna happen.

Regarding the shallow pool we inhabit by wearing high-priced knockoffs . . . most of the old-time, regularly posting members own gens in addition to rep. It is because they love mechanical watches but can't buy 20 of them that they buy reps. A lot of us basically started off because we thought it would be a lark to check out what fakes are like compared to our gens, and got hooked when we saw how good they can be. So I'm not sure that's necessarily a fair characterization. The posers who just want fake bling to show off at clubs, etc. don't stick around long, they get their watch and leave.

I have to admit I am a little puzzled by your comment that rep makers put mechanical movements in reps of quartz gens. the reverse might be true, but that hardly ever happens. To be honest, there are very, very few quartz gens that people are really interested in -- maybe the quartz SMP, Breitling Colt, Sinn UX but the best known reps everybody wants are mechanical watches with no quartz variants -- Moon watch, Submariner, Navitimer, Luminor Marina. If you check out the "big-box" rep websites like Trusty's or Wo-Mart, they have quartz reps of common quartz gens, like Cartier Tanks, Omega Constellations and the like. There just aren't that many quartz gens to begin with.

[thatgrip]

It's funny, but I bought my wife a rep ladies datejust, she really liked the way it looked but she was annoyed by the fact that it would stop. I bought her a used Tag quartz for $150 at the local secondhand shop, which after a polishing, rebrushing and a new battery it was 98% good as new. She wears it as her daily beater and loves it. So I understand the phenomenon. I would also point out my experience is part of the problem -- there really are not that many high end quartz watches that you can't buy for a few hundred bucks used, especially if you're going to use it for a beater anyway and don't mind a couple of scuffs. So why get a rep?

As far as fighting with the "mechanical watches have soul" crowd . . . I know you know already, but it's a waste of time. It's an emotional visceral thing anyway, so once someone buys into it so you're not going to carry the day with argument no matter how good it is. It's like trying to talk a devout Christian into embracing atheism by explaining to him the logical flaws of his faith, or "proving" to a loving parent that his daughter is, empirically speaking, rather ugly. Ain't gonna happen.

Regarding the shallow pool we inhabit by wearing high-priced knockoffs . . . most of the old-time, regularly posting members own gens in addition to rep. It is because they love mechanical watches but can't buy 20 of them that they buy reps. A lot of us basically started off because we thought it would be a lark to check out what fakes are like compared to our gens, and got hooked when we saw how good they can be. So I'm not sure that's necessarily a fair characterization. The posers who just want fake bling to show off at clubs, etc. don't stick around long, they get their watch and leave.

I have to admit I am a little puzzled by your comment that rep makers put mechanical movements in reps of quartz gens. the reverse might be true, but that hardly ever happens. To be honest, there are very, very few quartz gens that people are really interested in -- maybe the quartz SMP, Breitling Colt, Sinn UX but the best known reps everybody wants are mechanical watches with no quartz variants -- Moon watch, Submariner, Navitimer, Luminor Marina. If you check out the "big-box" rep websites like Trusty's or Wo-Mart, they have quartz reps of common quartz gens, like Cartier Tanks, Omega Constellations and the like. There just aren't that many quartz gens to begin with.

I guess my original question which referenced my wife's Link was based on the men's quartz version. I thought it to be the same model as the rep TAG I've seen on a couple of dealers' websites. But, the rep apes a different Link model - an automatic. In fact, I thought the men's Link was exclusively quartz except for the chrono. So my question is foolish. As you said, almost all the interesting genuine watches are mechanical, so what be the point of a knockoff with a quartz drive? It's accurate but where's the interest? I ride the fence on external vs. internal beauty. My wife's watch is, to me beautiful and understated. Knowing that an exceptional design encases a generic quartz movement hasn't left me cold. Bizzarini's are spectacular cars with small block Chevy motors. They are gorgeous but reliable, without the internal beauty/challenge of an Italian engine. Still, a V12 Ferrari engine is a work of art. I'm fairly certain once I see an ETA gearset up close, in the flesh, I will be stoked.

As far as my proletariat-verbal-warfare-against-The-Man, because I know where my superficialities lie and have known a handful of people unaffected by status, it seems amazing that the board is free of artiface. Since I was a sprat, I've loved cars (and later watches). This was due to a. the nice ones are shiny, pretty and look fast/sleek b. People look cool, impressive driving/wearing them. Why I still like cars and watches hasn't changed all that much. So when a reponse to my thread ranges into a monologue about 15 meter sloop racing and chess grandmasters, it's obvious I'm not the only one affected by perceived status. But given some of the responses from members, perhaps I've overstated the case. I didn't mean to make anyone angry by my suppositions and deductions, true or false.

[crystalcranium]

I'm not quite sure how we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe you should consider changing the avitar???! I don't think the Spiderman outfit is the problem. It's that dangeling participle.

Perhaps my language was inflamitory. Most of the infered ire in my response was aimed at chitown's post. When I said the mechanical watches we collect here were "highbrow" and stated my passion for them calling certain quartz timepieces souless, you took offense. Sorry for that. As for being in the same "we're all phonies boat", personally, I collected replicas because they afforded me the opportunity to own mechanical chronographs and adjustable ETAs for a fraction of the price of a brand name, not simply to impress my friends and co-workers with a watch they wouldn't know anything about anyway, you know......the "best watch in the world is a Rolex" crowd.

I honestly thought the best way to answer your question about "where are the quartz replicas of great looking mechanicals" was to state "we've been there....done that." It wasn't a put down. I suppose your OP struck me as a bit challenging and my reaction was "you're willing to wear a quartz rep,...happy shopping on Canal Street" was a little intolerant. Sorry. It's just that damn avitar......it makes me so mad......

[thatgrip]

I'm not quite sure how we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe you should consider changing the avitar???! I don't think the Spiderman outfit is the problem. It's that dangeling participle.

Perhaps my language was inflamitory. Most of the infered ire in my response was aimed at chitown's post. When I said the mechanical watches we collect here were "highbrow" and stated my passion for them calling certain quartz timepieces souless, you took offense. Sorry for that. As for being in the same "we're all phonies boat", personally, I collected replicas because they afforded me the opportunity to own mechanical chronographs and adjustable ETAs for a fraction of the price of a brand name, not simply to impress my friends and co-workers with a watch they wouldn't know anything about anyway, you know......the "best watch in the world is a Rolex" crowd.

I honestly thought the best way to answer your question about "where are the quartz replicas of great looking mechanicals" was to state "we've been there....done that." It wasn't a put down. I suppose your OP struck me as a bit challenging and my reaction was "you're willing to wear a quartz rep,...happy shopping on Canal Street" was a little intolerant. Sorry. It's just that damn avitar......it makes me so mad......

Many thanks for your kindness. As ever, when you get to the heart of the matter, differences have a way of being understandable and expected. I enjoyed the back and forth, actually. Having 3 little ones and few truly great friends, I've little in the way of good back and forth. Still, I am sorry to have spoke too glibly about people's motives regarding watch collecting and tinkering.

Now, as for the Avatar, I suppose the jiggly bits could be, uh...in bad taste. But as I'm looking at the myriad of booby pictures as avatars and wrist shots, Spiderman can at least say his painted member is sublime.

[teddy boy]

Well , let me say this...

I got my Tag after high school. It's a great watch. Deep down, however, I always wanted a Rollie. My great-uncle has one, my uncle has one, but I don't. I couldn't scrape together $3000+ for one, so I kept wearing the Tag. Eventually, I stumbled upon the world of reps. I bought a cheap auto Rolex in Mexico and thought it was awesome. From there, I found the original RWG, and got directed into the world of high-end reps. I got fascinated by the mechanical movements and the different brands, Rolex, Omega, etc.

The interest in me has never been the accuracy of the watch, but the "style" of it. I like utilitarian, stainless, tool watches. I don't care for gold or diamonds. I like to putz around with them. Make sure I can swim with them.

It's the same with my car. I drive a 1957 Volvo 444. My wife drives a 2006 Montana. I like to change the oil in the Volvo and adjust the drum brakes. My wife thinks I'm crazy, too.

Anyone who belongs to the forum whose wife doesn't think them crazy, please raise your hand. I know that my wife thinks I'm crazy about watches and bicycles. but she also considers me harmless enough.

[World Traveller]

I stumbled upon this old thread and found it interesting. I'd expect to see people looking down on Quartz watches on some of the more elitist watch forums but RWG has always struck me as a really "down to earth" group despite our obsession with a material item like watches.

crystalcranium, check out the Citizen Campanolas and tell me these watches lack soul.

Who would want a quartz movement over good, reliable classic ETA? Perhaps the same people who would choose a Volkswagen over Audi?

A better analogy might be someone who buys an Infiniti or a Lexus over an less reliable German make (e.g. Audi). The German car may have more character and tradition built into it, but the Japanese car will be more reliable and will have flawless electronics (increasingly important on modern vehicles). Of course a lot of this is just image and marketing, since many of the parts are in fact manufactured for german cars in Asia. BMWs are made in South Africa, USA and Mercedes are made in USA....some of the best Japanese cars are designed in the USA.