Cheaper and Better Than a Rolex DateJust? | Watchfinder & Co.

if you're making a run at the top spot you've got to take on the Alfa and right now that's Rolexes they just it's been a long time coming but Omega is finally ready to try and take its crown back from the young pretender and is going to try with this the Aqua Terra it's cheaper but is it better [Music] the Rolex date just is credited with the scarcely believable accolade of introducing the self-changing date complication as late as 1945 it's scarcely believable because mechanical watches were relatively speaking entering their twilight years at this point before the post 1980s rebirth and it had taken up until then after many centuries of development for someone to think of putting the date on one but that's how it happened and Rolex is credited with achieving it it's simple yet effective which pretty much sums up Rolexes whole mantra no fuss no frills just well-made well engineered watches Omega was a different kettle of fish back then originating some 57 years before Rolex it was a company that at that point focused heavily on tradition both in form and in function the brand routinely won accuracy competitions but not at the expense of aesthetics taking great care in styling his watches with pride this pride was to be a makers downfall however stalling it in the race to bring a professional-grade dive watch to market a problem compounded by the over engineering of its follow-up extreme diver and culminating in the loss of contract after contract to his rivals Rolex with its no fuss no frills approach brought plain effective simplicity to the market and beat out all the competition who were held back by tradition and heritage and all the usual things the strangle innovation where Omega carefully fashioned cases and dials to be beautiful as well as functional Rolex leaned on standardized parts with basic construction and thus had an incredibly speedy turnaround on new releases before Omega could react quartz technology hit the scene and while Rolex tried not to deviate too heavily from what its customers were already used to a sensible cost-saving and marketing strategy Omega went all out determined to prove it was still relevant embracing change with open arms it did not go well the affordability of quartz watches rendered omegas efforts massively uncompetitive and while Rolex entered the realms of the luxury mechanical watch Omega struggled to keep its head above water and it's been recovering ever since the resuscitation of Omega has been long and painstaking not helped by Rolexes continual growth and dominance even to this day despite a very different world to the one it first made its name in Rolex continues to keep things simple with a small selection of watches centered around a singular recognizable aesthetic you know where you stand with Rolex so despites omegas history despite his accolades it's been an uphill struggle to catch up the brand suffers what so many do a glut of models that vary wildly in design that struggle to generate a cohesive whole it's easy to get lost in the many variants of variance of variance until you just don't know what you want anymore but among the detritus a few diamonds shine bright and this Aqua Terra is one of them at 4,000 pounds it's immediately 1700 pounds cheaper than the equivalent Rolex enough to buy a Norris divers 65 and change you might think that this comes at the detriment of quality but you'd be pleased to be wrong Omega has given the Aqua Terra a level of fit and finish that keeps the Datejust extremely honest the caliber 8900 is a superb jumping-off point because it offers so much specification as well as being able to actually see it and it being very nicely finished it's also chronometer rated anti-magnetic to 15,000 gauss has a free spring balance with silicon balanced spring - in barrels with 60 out-power reserve and bi-directional winding and the watch is as well executed outside as it is inside dressed with as many finishes as you can think of sunburst grained polished bead blasted you name it it's there and the color scheme I expect you've noticed that too the rich blue flashing from deep Navy to a striking royal under light gently contrasts against a mid gray dial that pitches darker and lighter depending on the angle it's unusual to say the least but distinctive and by comparison the Rolex feels rather bland add to that a blue rubber strap with polished steel end links stitching and a mock weave and the Omega presents a lot of new ideas all in one watch but is it too much it's hard to say in an instance but could the layers upon layers of finishes the textures and shapes and patterns the curious contrast and color all be fatiguing in the long run Rolex has done so well by sticking with simplicity while Omega has failed in the past by pushing too hard to demonstrate its capabilities the whiff of familiarity in that respect is hard to ignore the question is will this time be any different it's getting hard to ignore the term eiga is making watches that have the potential to be class-leading I know Rolex will certainly be taking note this Aqua Terra is a bold attempt to give Rolex a bloody nose a demonstration of the superiority a maker once had only time will tell if it can fulfill that promise discover more exceptional watches at watch find adopt coat UK if you enjoyed this video please like and subscribe if there are any other watches you'd like to see reviewed please let us know in the comments below

Channel: Watchfinder & Co.

Views: 723,113

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Id: loegknGsxB8

Length: 6min 54sec (414 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 14 2018