Longines or Tissot
Discussion
The other half is offering to buy me a watch for a present up to around £500. I've decided to put a few hundred towards it and have found two that I like. (Although the Longines seems difficult to find at the price on this particular add). I know nothing about movements, quality etc, so at the moment it's down to what I like the look of. (The watch has to be knew rather than second hand).
http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Tissot-Couturier-Gents...
http://www.cohenandmassias.com/product/longines/co...
Any advice on quality and longevity appreciated.
http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Tissot-Couturier-Gents...
http://www.cohenandmassias.com/product/longines/co...
Any advice on quality and longevity appreciated.
My everyday watch is a Tissot Couturier chrono quartz. It has picked up a few minor scratches in the 5 years I have owned it, as you would expect, but it has been completely accurate and reliable. It looks and feels like a smart, quality item. The bracelet is beautifully made, feels like it would last a lifetime and would not be out of place on watches at 10 times the price.
I’m delighted with it and would buy another Tissot without hesitation.
I’m delighted with it and would buy another Tissot without hesitation.
Elroy Blue said:
I know nothing about watches. What are the important differences between quartz and automatic.
Quartz is battery powered and will tick once per second. The automatic is mechanical and the movement of your wrist winds it. That movement I think is 21,600 beats per hour so will tick 6 times per second (almost appearing to be a smooth, fluid motion).Sharted said:
If you are not set on a chrono have a look at the Tissot Visodate Milanese.
I bought the black face on a black leather strap then found the milanese which I loved. Have since added a mesh strap and wear frequently.
Handsome watch. Though I think the OP is after a different look. I bought the black face on a black leather strap then found the milanese which I loved. Have since added a mesh strap and wear frequently.
OP, if you aren't bothered that much about watches and don't know the difference between automatic and quartz, buy the quartz. It will be more accurate, will keep time if not worn for a few days and won't need servicing much (if at all). It will need a new battery periodically, which is a minor expense.
Elroy Blue said:
Doing a little bit of Googling suggests that an automatic movement is the same as an old kinetic watch I own. I never had a problem with that, so wouldn't object to another.
Seiko Kinetic? That's a quartz watch with a battery which is charged by the movement of your wrist.
Elroy Blue said:
Doing a little bit of Googling suggests that an automatic movement is the same as an old kinetic watch I own. I never had a problem with that, so wouldn't object to another.
An automatic movement is a mechanical one that is wound by wrist movement. Great if you wear a watch daily, don't mind it being less than accurate and you're happy to spend money having it serviced about every 5 years. A quartz is battery operated, boringly accurate and low maintenance.To attempt a car analogy - automatic watches are a Porsche 911 with a manual gearbox, quartz watches are a Nissan GTR.
Personally I only wear automatic watches, but I am a bit interested watches.
As others have said, if you're not "into" watches, get the quartz. Simple rule of thumb is, if you don't know why you'd want one over the other then you want the battery one.
The difference in accuracy is, in very broad terms: quartz expect to be accurate within 1/2 second per day, it will probably be much better than that. It will also be consistent at whatever it is - if it gains 10 seconds in one month, it will gain 10 seconds every month. Automatic, hope for accurate within about 5 seconds a day but don't be disappointed if it's out by 10 or so. Also don't expect it to be completely consistent - some days it will gain or lose more than others.
The differenc in servicing is, in very broad terms: the maker will advise you to have either serviced about every 5 or 6 years, for which they'll charge you a fair slice of cash. If you ignore them and never have an automatic serviced then, by the time it gives problems, there will be wear and damage to the movement which will cost even more to repair properly. Thanks to forthcoming changes by the Swiss watch industry, if parts need replacing you may well find you can ONLY have the work done by the maker's service network, at their prices. With quartz, even a maker's "service" often consists of taking the movement out, throwning it away, and fitting a new one. So it doesn't matter at all if you cause wear by over-running the service interval until it stops.
With a quartz you'll obviously be looking at a battery change every couple of years or so, but that can be done by any good local watchmaker at a fraction of the dealer's prices and is a chance to have a (genuinely useful) check of water resistance done.
The difference in accuracy is, in very broad terms: quartz expect to be accurate within 1/2 second per day, it will probably be much better than that. It will also be consistent at whatever it is - if it gains 10 seconds in one month, it will gain 10 seconds every month. Automatic, hope for accurate within about 5 seconds a day but don't be disappointed if it's out by 10 or so. Also don't expect it to be completely consistent - some days it will gain or lose more than others.
The differenc in servicing is, in very broad terms: the maker will advise you to have either serviced about every 5 or 6 years, for which they'll charge you a fair slice of cash. If you ignore them and never have an automatic serviced then, by the time it gives problems, there will be wear and damage to the movement which will cost even more to repair properly. Thanks to forthcoming changes by the Swiss watch industry, if parts need replacing you may well find you can ONLY have the work done by the maker's service network, at their prices. With quartz, even a maker's "service" often consists of taking the movement out, throwning it away, and fitting a new one. So it doesn't matter at all if you cause wear by over-running the service interval until it stops.
With a quartz you'll obviously be looking at a battery change every couple of years or so, but that can be done by any good local watchmaker at a fraction of the dealer's prices and is a chance to have a (genuinely useful) check of water resistance done.
It's quite possible for a mechanical watch to run for 20 years or more without a service. Chances are, when it does need a service, it won't need any parts, just a proper clean and lube, which is relatively cheap. No reason why a mechanical watch shouldn't outlive the owner.
A quartz watch will need a battery change every couple of years. A Kinetic or Ecodrive type will need a new rechargeable battery every 5 to 10 years. Every time the watch is opened for a battery swap, there's the chance that something bad will happen - damaged case, dirt ingress, slip with tweezers or screwdriver.
The mechanical parts of a quartz watch are generally lower spec than a fully-mechanical watch, plus there are electronic parts to go wrong too. Once the supply of spare movements dries up, it's dustbin time.
Some of my mechanical watches are 80 years old, and still going strong. The quartz watches that I bought new ended up being scrap after 3 or 4 battery changes.
A quartz watch will need a battery change every couple of years. A Kinetic or Ecodrive type will need a new rechargeable battery every 5 to 10 years. Every time the watch is opened for a battery swap, there's the chance that something bad will happen - damaged case, dirt ingress, slip with tweezers or screwdriver.
The mechanical parts of a quartz watch are generally lower spec than a fully-mechanical watch, plus there are electronic parts to go wrong too. Once the supply of spare movements dries up, it's dustbin time.
Some of my mechanical watches are 80 years old, and still going strong. The quartz watches that I bought new ended up being scrap after 3 or 4 battery changes.
It isn't snobbery. Longines and Tissot may once have occupied a similar market position (and I own a very high quality Tissot diver, way higher is quality than anything they make now), but theyre both owned by Swatch and Tissot have been moved downmarket massively.
They even qualify as Swiss watches now.
They even qualify as Swiss watches now.
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