A story about my first Omega, then Rolex shortly after..

[Lakris]

Hi guys! First post on TRF!

I've been fascinated with watches and mechanical ones in particular for as long as I can remember. Had a lot of joy with some entry-level Seiko's in my youth. Late last year I decided it was time to invest in a proper watch, one that would follow me through life and eventually be passed down. My father has an old DJ from the 70's which he bought abroad for $200 and he has carried it with pride ever since.

I started doing research and was quickly drawn to dive watches. Eventhough not being a diver myself, the sturdiness and technical capabilites intrigued me. You can bring a dive watch on a plane, but you can't bring a pilot's watch down to 300m.. Probably mute points, but feelings are sometimes illogical. I was also drawn towards clean looking dials. Eventhough chrono's are useful, it feels a little bit sad that the only noticable moving part of the watch (secondshand) is confined into a small dial within the dial. The clean look of dials without date complication also was alluring.

After a lot if initial research I had limited it down to the Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial and the Rolex SubC nodate 114060. Boring and obvious choises some might say, but to me - pedigree and history is important. I would like to be able to buy a Picasso-like painting by some talented street artist and cherish it as much as a Picasso, but someting about human nature does not work like that. We take comfort from a well-established reputation of excellence.

The reason I went for the Omega 300 was the following:
- Exciting technology with Co-Axial and antimagnetic and 60hr powerreserve.
- Lovely vintage feel, being a remake of the original 1957 Omega Seamaster 300

I was also a bit "afraid" of buying a Rolex and the possible reactions I might get from people around me not simirarily interested in watches. Rolex has a lot of stigma attached to its brand, and eventhough it might be childish of me to think like that, it was a thought nonetheless.. I believed the Omega might go slightly more under the "radar".

After 3 months of honeymoon bliss with my 300 I found myself still reading about the 114060 every day.. I simply could not forget about it. I talked about pedigree and history previously and I really started to appreciate how Rolex remained true to their designs and principles. One thing that bothered me a bit about Omega was all of the hit and miss watches they have put out in the last 50 years. I fully understand that some like them, but compared to Rolex it seems that Omega has bent to the will of the day-to-day market (especially during the "Quartz-crisis"), a bit to their own detriment.

I bought the 300 mostly due to the history back to the 50's, but when looking at the evolution since, well it is a bit messy.. Rolex however stood by their design and looking back, most will agree it was the right decision. I was also thinking a redesign of a classic will never be a classic in its own right. The Sub is however a classic that has evolved in small increments over time, careful to never stray too far away from its origin.

So I then made the decision to buy the 114060 before I got too attached to the Omega, and as of this moment (had the Sub for 3 weeks) I'm convinced it was the right decision for me. It is everything I want from a watch. Clean look, excellent finish, virtually bombproof, intruiging history, impressive pedigree etc.

I will now sell the Omega (don't really need two no-date divers) and the 114060 will be my daily wearer, hopefully into the sunset

Pictures of both watches:

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]