Aqua Terra Quartz Movement

[damoos91]

I'm a college student on a budget thinking of buying one since i love the look and the price is relatively inexpensive. What can you tell me to persuade me either way? Are there other similar watches I should look at? thanks! -Jordan M.

[salty_snack]

For what it is I would say it's rather expensive. If you want the best on a budget then you'll have to go to japan... More specifically seiko. The SARB line is top notch and has a real movement and the grand seiko is unbeatable for the $.

Nomos or sinn would also be a better choice in that price range.

[joe100]

A new ATQ is $2700 retail...

For that you could have a nice used DJ

[SearChart]

I thought the Quartz Aqua Terra's and 300M divers were discontinued?

Nothing wrong with quartz imo, I got a €2100,- Cartier Tank solo (quartz) last year when I was 18.
It is a great way to get into serious brands.

[damoos91]

thanks guys. I already have a Seiko but im in the market for something swiss made

[salty_snack]

Originally Posted by damoos91

thanks guys. I already have a Seiko but im in the market for something swiss made

Don't get hung up in the "Swiss made" aspect of watches. An aqua terra with a quarts movement is nothing special, Swiss made or not. And don't kid yourself, a "Swiss made" aqua terra has plenty of Asian made parts.

Furthermore, no one should care where a quartz movement was made. They are a dime a dozen for all practical purposes.

If you move to in-house movements either Japanese or Swiss you'll wind up with a much nicer, higher quality watch. $2k for an aqua terra quartz is a waste of money IMO, fortunately for you it's your money to waste as you see fit.

What seiko do you have? The company makes some amazing high end stuff and some ok lower end stuff. That said there is very little the two share and might as well be different companies altogether.

[Docar]

Originally Posted by salty_snack

Don't get hung up in the "Swiss made" aspect of watches. An aqua terra with a quarts movement is nothing special, Swiss made or not. And don't kid yourself, a "Swiss made" aqua terra has plenty of Asian made parts.

Furthermore, no one should care where a quartz movement was made. They are a dime a dozen for all practical purposes.

If you move to in-house movements either Japanese or Swiss you'll wind up with a much nicer, higher quality watch. $2k for an aqua terra quartz is a waste of money IMO, fortunately for you it's your money to waste as you see fit.

What seiko do you have? The company makes some amazing high end stuff and some ok lower end stuff. That said there is very little the two share and might as well be different companies altogether.

This comes across as more than a little snobbish.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by salty_snack

Don't get hung up in the "Swiss made" aspect of watches. An aqua terra with a quarts movement is nothing special, Swiss made or not. And don't kid yourself, a "Swiss made" aqua terra has plenty of Asian made parts.

Furthermore, no one should care where a quartz movement was made. They are a dime a dozen for all practical purposes.

If you move to in-house movements either Japanese or Swiss you'll wind up with a much nicer, higher quality watch. $2k for an aqua terra quartz is a waste of money IMO, fortunately for you it's your money to waste as you see fit.

What seiko do you have? The company makes some amazing high end stuff and some ok lower end stuff. That said there is very little the two share and might as well be different companies altogether.

As I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with a quartz premium brand watch, yes a mechanical version is more desirable.
OP: it is a great way to get into serious brands (especially for students like you and me), try to get some discount if you purchase your Omega at an AD

[salty_snack]

Originally Posted by SearChart

As I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with a quartz premium brand watch, yes a mechanical version is more desirable.

This was true in the 70s and maybe into the 80 but is absolutely no longer true today. Back then the quartz movement was new and innovative, everyone was trying to develop their own and they actually put some care and took some pride in making it. Today there are very few worth while high end, high accuracy quartz movements and the movement in the quartz AT is not one of those.

If you want to drop $2K - $3K on a case and braclet with a cheap $5 movement in it be my guest, I'll stick to mechanical. Furthermore, Omega cheapened up the materials of the quartz AT to further decrease their cost and increase the already massive profit margin... a quick search will confirm this.

If you going to do it then its worth doing right... a quartz AT is not the right way. For that kind of cash there must be a dozen or more better, more worthwhile watches available.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by salty_snack

This was true in the 70s and maybe into the 80 but is absolutely no longer true today. Back then the quartz movement was new and innovative, everyone was trying to develop their own and they actually put some care and took some pride in making it. Today there are very few worth while high end, high accuracy quartz movements and the movement in the quartz AT is not one of those.

If you want to drop $2K - $3K on a case and braclet with a cheap $5 movement in it be my guest, I'll stick to mechanical. Furthermore, Omega cheapened up the materials of the quartz AT to further decrease their cost and increase the already massive profit margin... a quick search will confirm this.

If you going to do it then its worth doing right... a quartz AT is not the right way. For that kind of cash there must be a dozen or more better, more worthwhile watches available.

If you are a young student that likes premium brand watches and you don't want to get a used one, there is only one option and that is quartz or you'll get something from a less known brand (which you probably don't want.)
Yes there is a big profit margin, but so is there on mechanical watches with their annual price increase that never ends.

You are right, a quartz watch is not innovative, nor is it beautiful or valuable.
There is a massive gap between an AT with the co-axial and the quartz movement, so if you want an AT and don't have the money for a mechanical one then go for the quartz, what's wrong with it if you dig the watch? You can always get a high-end mechanical watch when you've got a great job after university.

[salty_snack]

Originally Posted by SearChart

If you are a young student that likes premium brand watches and you don't want to get a used one, there is only one option and that is quartz or you'll get something from a less known brand (which you probably don't want.)
Yes there is a big profit margin, but so is there on mechanical watches with their annual price increase that never ends.

You are right, a quartz watch is not innovative, nor is it beautiful or valuable.
There is a massive gap between an AT with the co-axial and the quartz movement, so if you want an AT and don't have the money for a mechanical one then go for the quartz, what's wrong with it if you dig the watch? You can always get a high-end mechanical watch when you've got a great job after university.

Agreed. Everyone needs to start somewhere. Fortunately there are some truly worthy timepieces that are available at a reasonable price. I don't want to beat the Seiko drum to much but they have some very nice watches at really good prices. The same can be said for a hand full of German brands and even a few Swiss ones that don't seem to have such a huge "Swiss made" mark-up. I just hate to see when young gentlemen take an interest in something such as watches and go about it in a wrong way. I've seen a few quartz Omegas in the wild including an AT or two. What always comes to mind is "Why quartz? Either he is a cheap a**, ignorant, or a wannabe poser."


Oh and second hand watches are a GREAT GREAT GREAT place to start!!!!!!!!!!

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by salty_snack

Agreed. Everyone needs to start somewhere. Fortunately there are some truly worthy timepieces that are available at a reasonable price. I don't want to beat the Seiko drum to much but they have some very nice watches at really good prices. The same can be said for a hand full of German brands and even a few Swiss ones that don't seem to have such a huge "Swiss made" mark-up. I just hate to see when young gentlemen take an interest in something such as watches and go about it in a wrong way. I've seen a few quartz Omegas in the wild including an AT or two. What always comes to mind is "Why quartz? Either he is a cheap a**, ignorant, or a wannabe poser."


Oh and second hand watches are a GREAT GREAT GREAT place to start!!!!!!!!!!

You're right there are indeed some great watchbrands that make mechanical watches for say under 2 grand (NOMOS Glashütte would be my choice).
But I'm not so sure about Seiko, their lower end watches (like my €300,- automatic scuba diver) are great but they don't give you this high-end feeling that you'll get with an Omega for example, and Grand-Seiko is far beyond reach financially wise.

As for the premium quartz stuff, it's not about getting a quartz version of a watch so you can show off the watch while you didn't pay a full price like you would for the mechanical version. (not for me atleast, as I would never brag about a watch or anything else. Snobbery isn't very nice.)


Second hand watches are indeed a great way to start, but not for all of us.
I'm personally not very fond of second hand luxury items and I'm not sure whether I'd ever purchase a second hand watch or something similar.

[GTS Dean]

I have a Breitling Aerospace Ti that I bought used and it has been a really great buy. It is my "beater" watch for my heavy construction biz, or when traveling to places where I don't want to be too flashy.
____________________________
TT OysterQuartz
SS/Black "U" Daytona
TT GMT II-C
DD OysterQuartz
Breitling Aero
Omega Speedmaster Pro

[robisan]

You can try Tags or Oris, they are inexpensive, reliable and swiss made.

[kieselguhr]

Are you dead set on an Aqua Terra quartz? Aqua Terra's are nice for sure, but for that price you could pick up something used that is far superior.
I personally would spend maybe 1500 on a vintage speedmaster.
As a college student I can't imagine you have a lot of disposable income to blow on a watch.

[DCheeta]

Buy a pre-owned Speedmaster or mechanical AT. Theres nothing wrong with a pre-owned watch. Hell, I only have one watch that I bought brand new.

But buying a quartz watch for more than a couple hundred dollars seems like a rip-off to me. It feels like paying $2000 for a Timex. You're only paying the $2000 to have the Omega name on the dial, which from a certain perspective could be seen as more snobbish than wanting a mechanical watch.

I have some quartz watches that I love - Luminox, Swiss Army, Tissot, etc - but they were all purchased for less than $400.

In the end, nobody can tell you how to spend your money, and nobody can tell you what to like. But for that price please consider a mechanical watch!

[jshepard]

I wouldn't settle for a quartz watch at that price point. Unless of course quartz is really what you want. If you just want a swiss brand I'd rather get a mechanical Hamilton or Longines, both have good history and you can get a decent automatic cheaper than an Aqua Terra Quartz. Or I would just save up for an Aqua Terra Automatic. For the money you are dropping, don't settle.

[Chewbacca]

@OP

can't go wrong with quartz smp. its a very very nice entry to omega and very reliable. pay no more than $1000 used. you get the classic smp look without the service costs and it'll last decades. a classic handmedown when you're older and goes with almost any attire, hot tub, golf game and house party. i still have my very first swiss quartz, a Heuer 1000. yes, a tag quartz but cost per wear is the cheapest of any swiss make i've owned and its very comfy. $20 every two years for batteries and maybe a movement cleaning every 7 years. good luck

[jw0n]

I completely agree with a used, mechanical speedy. But if you broaden your horizon a little bit, there are fantastic, value-for-money Seikos out there which you can consider as well. Another one I've had my eye on recently is the Longines Legend Diver, which is about in your budget, I believe. More importantly... get something you really like, because you have to live with it. E-props don't mean very much after awhile :)

Good luck!

[tavv160]

Not sure what the budget is, but if you want something that has good value for money, have a look at Nomos. German, mechanical and in-house.