i turn 40 soon... (warning lots of pics in this thread)

[I-B]

...and surprise surprise, i will buy a watch to commemorate this "ahem" event. Of course a lot of options come to my mind. First i was thinking of buying a golden watch, but then i remembered how i already spent so much cash in the past on watches i never wear (Daytona Everose, President day-date,blablabla), so that option was left for what it is rather soon. I will put the shortlist i made (for now) here, together with the pro's and con's of the watches. Also i will open a poll where you can vote for a watch. This is not a "help me choose" poll, but a rather indicative poll. I value your opinion but it won't have any effect on wich watch i will choose in the end. My shortlist has always 2 models who "fight" a versus battle, here we go....

Wempe Diver vs Rolex Sea-dweller


Wempe pro's =
-superior in finish
-superior in build-quality
-under the radar
-cheaper than Rolex
-superior quality of the bracelet

Wempe con's=
-conservative design
-position of the springbars is too close to the case, need to make extra holes to fit a strap

Rolex pro's=
-Rolex
-design
-recognisable watch
-overall quality and worldwide support from AD's

Rolex con's=
-Rolex
-design
-recognisable watch
-might look like you bought it in Thailand or in the Grand Bazar of Istanbul

GS SBGV005 vs GS SBGV007


GS pro's=
-TC HAQ
-free of maintenance
-great dial's (especially the 005)
-under the radar

GS con's=
-i have to buy online, no AD near
-no lume
-quirky date-change
-too much under the radar?


Omega Aqua Terra vs Wempe sports



Wempe pro's=
-eat's Omega for breakfast when it comes to finish
-just look at it
-al the pro's that i mentioned before on the diver

Wempe con's=
-also the same as the diver

Omega AT pro's=
-well, it's close to the perfect watch IMO

Omega AT con's=
-overclassed in finish by the Wempe
-not sure i like the arrow-minute hand

Well, that was it for now, i did not go in to the technical details cos they all are ok by me. Don't forget to vote, and all other watch-suggestions are deeply appreciated!
Thanks for reading,
kind regards,
I-B
(ps : i hope i did not made too much fails in spelling, i'm no native English-speaker/writer)

[-JP]

Rolex or Grand Seiko. You cannot go wrong.

[mlcor]

It appears you can vote for more than one...not sure if that's what you wanted. Anyway, Sea Dweller or SBGV007 for me. Or both. The Wempe does nothing for me, looks kind of generic. I suppose you could say that about the Rolex, too, but at least it's a Rolex, plus without the cyclops, it's a bit more under the radar for non-WIS. I like the SBGV005 dial...except the stark white date window would tweak my OCD every time I looked at it. The 007 doesn't have that problem. The Omega isn't one of my favorites.

P.S. Your English is fine!

[I-B]

It appears you can vote for more than one...not sure if that's what you wanted.

i tried to change it, but i could not find how to. Perhaps you get only one shot to place a poll?

[mlcor]

i tried to change it, but i could not find how to. Perhaps you get only one shot to place a poll?

Dunno. Anyway, I voted for both.

[I-B]

. Anyway, Sea Dweller or SBGV007 for me. Or both. The Wempe does nothing for me, looks kind of generic. I suppose you could say that about the Rolex, too, but at least it's a Rolex, plus without the cyclops, it's a bit more under the radar for non-WIS. I like the SBGV005 dial...except the stark white date window would tweak my OCD every time I looked at it. The 007 doesn't have that problem. The Omega isn't one of my favorites.

P.S. Your English is fine!

My biggest beef with the Rolex is that in my country it's mostly associated with being a pimp/criminal or fakes. People here are really modest, but when they see a Rolex (everyone knows Rolex) the first question always is : "is it real?".
I wish you did not mentioned the datewheel of the SBGV005, i did not notice it before, but now it just pokes me in the eye

Now the Wempe's, they are really the kind of watch you need to see in person, the way the are built is just stunning. In the Wempe store i was able to compare them with other brands that costed the multiple of the Wempe, and they stood the test, or even won the test...

[mlcor]

I wish you did not mentioned the datewheel of the SBGV005, i did not notice it before, but now it just pokes me in the eye

Sorry about that...

[I-B]

Sorry about that...

Thou art forgiven.
Easier for me to choose like this (at least, that is untill the WIS here start to bomb me with great alternatives that i forgot to think about)

[MarkO]

Am I correct in thinking that someone makes the Wempe models for them or they made by Wempe themselves?

[I-B]

Am I correct in thinking that someone makes the Wempe models for them or they made by Wempe themselves?

They make them for themselves. They are actually "shop-watches". IMO their goal is to attract new people in to the world of "fine" watches. They are over 135 years established, and they are part of the "Glashütte"-collective...