Rolex wear/tear durability v. Omega

[H.W. Frank]

First post: I have a 2009 14060M COSC Sub, and count it as one of the greatest pieces of gear I've ever owned - rugged, beautiful, less than 1 sec/day gain, etc.. Still, started thinking about acquiring a second piece, and had gotten halfway towards deciding on a black dial Omega Seamaster 300M [212.30.41.20.01.002], until I saw a neighbor's at a party recently. Blue dial SM, 10 years old, and just looks like hell -- bezel faded to gray, dial washed-out looking, second hand faded from red to white, bracelet sloppy. By contrast, pictures of 10-year-old subs show a watch that still looks outstanding. So, question to anyone who has experience with both makes: do Omegas decay that much faster than Rolex in general, and in particular, does the SM compare poorly with the Sub in durability? Thanks in advance for any experienced feedback. Regards, HWF

[Tools]

Omegas and Rolex are both rugged watches. They will stay as nice as anybody cares to keep them and can be rebuilt to like-new whenever they need it..

Omega haas recently made the corporate decision to go "all co-axial" and have pulled their line from some dealers to make it more exclusive.. To me, this means that early Omegas may start to become more collectable and prices will rise....However, Rolex is still king there and unlikely to be pushed from that perch.

Your friend with the trashed Omega just didn't take care of it..

Here is one of my Seamasters from 1962.. It's an old slow beat movement but still performs within a couple of seconds per day... It used to be a daily beater, but now, most of it's wrist time is only on Formal Nights.......

[DSJ]

My SMP still looks great almost 10 years later:

[Widows Son]

Originally Posted by Tools

Omegas and Rolex are both rugged watches. They will stay as nice as anybody cares to keep them and can be rebuilt to like-new whenever they need it..

Omega haas recently made the corporate decision to go "all co-axial" and have pulled their line from some dealers to make it more exclusive.. To me, this means that early Omegas may start to become more collectable and prices will rise....However, Rolex is still king there and unlikely to be pushed from that perch.

Your friend with the trashed Omega just didn't take care of it..

Here is one of my Seamasters from 1962.. It's an old slow beat movement but still performs within a couple of seconds per day... It used to be a daily beater, but now, most of it's wrist time is only on Formal Nights.......

Beautiful Seamaster. I have a ver similar looking Seamaster Deville. It indeed makes a great dress watch.

[esm]

did you ask your neighbour what he had done with his seamaster? That could be the reason why it looked like hell....

[B. Doggy]

I think Omega's look great! There's just a special place in my heart for Rolex though.

[gone-rolex-mad]

I,ve been wearing my SM for a good year and a bit. Its my daily beater, I wear it for work, which can be quite rough on watches, and through the long hot summers spending may a day at the beach. The SM has weathered very well, apart from a few swirls and a tiny ding or two on the case it looks a s good as new. I guess it just depends on the wearer. Although I don't baby the SM I do take care of it, some people treat their watches recklessly and as a result they end up wearing an od bit of tat.

[bounce]

Here is a picture of my 9 year old Seamaster that I sold early last year, the only thing I would say about it is the end of the second hand had faded from red to orange.
I missed it so much after 3 months without it I bought another one, I personally think they are very rugged watches.
If I had to choose one watch it would probably be the Sub though.

[karmatp]

Omega makes a fantastic watch, just look at some pics of some 30-40 year old Speedmasters. I love Rolex sport watches but every collection can use a nice Seamaster or Speedmaster.

[SEK John]

My friends two tone GMTIIC is about 2 years old. He is hard on watches and its pretty beat up...including many scratches on the supposedly hard to scratch ceramic insert. Didn't stop me from getting a Rolex to go with my Seamaster.

[KarlFr]

Rolex and Omega are equal quality in my opinion ... vintage or new ... they're all rugged but occassionally suffer from ageing

[gmh1013]

I Have a 3 to 1 ration of Omega over Rolex....you could be 2 P.O.'s for the price of one Sub now days.
I have had the Blue dial Bond and sold it ...the Elec Blue and kept it. and a Speesmater
and a 120 SM.
The Elec Blue was sent of for it first 5 year tuneup 2 months ago and Im wating its retune.
Service wise I would give the nod to Rolex by a wide margin....Swatch group needs to get their act together and Until Omega gets the service up to standards I wont be buying anymore PLUS Im not that crazy over the C.A. movement that I've heard negative remarks about .

[Perdu]

Seamasters are very tough, but I have noticed that the blue bezel on the Bond models, as they are called, is prone to fade with UV over time. I've also seen the red tip on the seconds hand turn orange over time. The SMP clasp is prone to scratching because it's a large smooth surface but a ScotchBrite solves that.

That's a stunner, David.

[Rscmaine]

I've owned a half a dozen SMP's over the years and noticed that they seem to be softer and much more prone to scratches than my Rolexes - whether new or vintage - great watches, but magnets for perma dings.

I have also seen the fading you describe - especially on the red - Omega simply dips the second hand in paint to get the red, and the paint they use is susceptible to UV fading.

Great time keepers, but they can easily look much older than their years IMHO.

[landroverking]

I hate to hurt you Omega fans feelings.... But none of my Omega's (3 Speedmaster Pros, 2 Speedmaster Auto's and an Omega Chronometer) have held up as well as Rolex's... More dings and dents! Just dropped the Speedie Pro last weekend and had to order a new bezel today. The SS just seems softer(thin).

[Perdu]

The steel Omega uses is not softer than Rolex steel.

[Mystro]

I own both and see no difference in durability. Its the owner that makes the difference. The Omega clasp on the SMP picks up more noticeable scratches because of its design but is easily cleaned up with a scotchbrite pad.


Pic of my 12 year old Serti Sub and 6 year old SMP. Both watches look brand new.


Sold the SMP for a new PO.

[slevin kelevra]

My brother has had 2 SMPs, the latest one being fairly new. I looked at it closely the other day and was shocked to see the amount of scratches on the bracelet and clasp. And he is someone who takes care of things IMO.

Not had my Sub long enough to comment on the durability.

[Denver Dick]

The red tip of the second hand fades over a period of 5 or more years? So, what prevents the replacement of the second hand during periodic servicing? Both Rolex and Omega watches are great. I think Rolex has a few extra things going for it, but not nearly enough to justify the huge difference in price. It sounds like that neighbor with with beat up Omega does not worry about how it looks. If he did, he would have gone in for a refurbishing. But, come on . . . making an issue out of the little faded red tip on the second hand (which would probably cost $25 to replace during servicing), that's reaching big time.

[H.W. Frank]

Thanks all for the responses, particularly for those accompanied by photos of SMP's with several years under their belts. Think I'm back in the SMP market.

[landroverking]

Originally Posted by H.W. Frank

Thanks all for the responses, particularly for those accompanied by photos of SMP's with several years under their belts. Think I'm back in the SMP market.

Please understand I was not down grading by any means the Omega Speedmaster Pro, that has just been my luck with the brand. I love Speedmasters and wear one 3 or 4 days a week.

[Strut99GT]

I also have an SMP and think it's fantastic. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.

[chriseskew24]

In the past two years I have bought 3 Omegas and 3 Rolexes all that is left is two Omegas for some reason??? I just like there feel better. I like a thicker more rugged band in which I belive the Omega wins every time. IMHO

PS. I have not compared the new Rolex glide lock so can not comment on that.