ORIS vs Hamilton

[Richtea1970]

Hi,
First dip in the watch forum.
It’s my 50th this year and promised myself a decent watch. It’s the first decent one since my TAG F1 back in 2005!

I originally thought about another TAG but it looks like the lower end TAGs aren’t particularly well regarded now? So I’ve had my eye on a ORIS Aquis date for quite a while which I was pretty much decided on. However whilst browsing I’ve come across this Hamilton at a (apparent) decent discount at Watchshop;

https://www.watchshop.com/watches/mens-hamilton-kh...

Completely different design I know, but I really like it.

Does anyone have any opinion on the £700 Hamilton vs the £1200 ORIS?

Many thanks

[GC8]

Oris for me.

[wibble cb]

Oris for me, no contest.

[romeodelta]

Take a look at the Longines HydroConquest too.

[GC8]

Im struggling to articulate this, which is why my earlier post is so brief. Id lump Hamilton in with Rado and Tissot: theyve all had a difficult past. Tissot and to a lesser degree Rado were more important and made watches of far higher quality than they do now, as a result of Swatch meddling/positioning. Hamilton were an American brand who became Swiss - they make a good Swiss entry level proposition with a 40mm Khaki 2824 automatic from Creation, but anything over £300-odd and they dont make sense. Hamilton is owned by Swatch too, but oddly they seem to be being elevated whilst a former giant like Tissot is reduced to selling plastic balance half-Chinese tat*

* I know, I know, but it is more than half Chinese...

[GC8]

romeodelta said:

Take a look at the Longines HydroConquest too.

Definitely better as a cheaper option, but Hydroconquests are now double their original price and no longer represent the bargain that they used to. I have two, a red Mk2 with a 2892 (originals with the ugly dial were 2824s) and a column wheel 7750 chrono, which probably cost less than an entry level automatic now.

This said, the replacement cost for my 1,000m titanium Oris would now be £2,550 for a watch whose last list price was £1,290. Theyre all at it.

Edited by GC8 on Saturday 26th September 09:31

[Richtea1970]

Cheers all.
Looks like the Hamilton isn't particularly good value for money then.
The Longines look nice, where do they sit build wise, compared to the Oris?

[Gio G]

I really fancy an Oris for the future. I know a few Swiss colleugues at work that really like them. They seem to be great value.

Would like one of these, maybe on leather or rubber strap..

https://www.oris.ch/en/watch/oris-hangang-limited-...

G

[GC8]

A 41mm HC with a conventional bezel is £950. A chrono is £1,600. Increase the size to 43/44mm or opt for a ceramic bezel and the prices reach just under £1,900.

I researched a lot of different model for an insurance renewal recently.

[EX51GE R]

Gio G said:

I really fancy an Oris for the future. I know a few Swiss colleugues at work that really like them. They seem to be great value.

Would like one of these, maybe on leather or rubber strap..

https://www.oris.ch/en/watch/oris-hangang-limited-...

G

I recently bought one, it's a very very nice watch...

[Gio G]

EX51GE R said:

I recently bought one, it's a very very nice watch...

Looks great!!!

G

[GC8]

Looks excessively large.

[Richtea1970]

EX51GE R said:

I recently bought one, it's a very very nice watch...

That's a great colour.
It does look big though, trying to say this in a non offensive way, but do you have small wrists?
Or is it a big watch, as I'm not sure I could pull off one that size!

[EX51GE R]

My wrist is 6.1 inches so yes on the small size! However it doesn't appear that big in the flesh, i think the picture exaggerates the size a little.

Marc.

[-crookedtail-]

I would choose the Oris Aquis, great watch. I particularly like it on the rubber strap. One thing if you're not already aware though, is that they have integrated lugs so it is not straight forward to swap out to different straps.

May not be an issue but something to look out for - I don't often swap out the straps on my watches but like the option too

[liner33]

Personally I feel that Oris is an expensive way to buy a sw200 , I'd look at Christopher Ward instead . The higher price Hamiltons with the H10 movements are a step above imo and you get an awful lot of watch for the money, I don't see the same value with Oris

[Richtea1970]

liner33 said:

Personally I feel that Oris is an expensive way to buy a sw200 , I'd look at Christopher Ward instead . The higher price Hamiltons with the H10 movements are a step above imo and you get an awful lot of watch for the money, I don't see the same value with Oris

Excuse my ignorance because as I say, I haven’t bought a decent watch in years.
Could you give me an example of what SW200 and H10 are, so I know what I’m looking for/
Many thanks

[GC8]

The Sellita movement is a copy of an ETA 2824. The IP is in the public domain and Sellita were a subcontractor to ETA, making these movements.

The SW200 is not a lesser movement. It’s a non-point in my opinion an CW are not a viable alternative.

[liner33]

The SW200 and the H10 have similar accuracy but the H10 has a 80hr power reserve as opposed to a 38hr reserve of the SW200, the latter is a workhorse movement and nothing wrong with it but its commonly found in watches around £700 , i expect more for a £1500 watch personally.

[GC8]

Is the H10 not a similar 2824 with a lower amplitude and a plastic balance?

I would consider the 80hr movements to be nasty and inferior.