Swatch watches, any good?

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miro44

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Oct 28, 2007
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After losing my last watch, I' m in need of another one, but don' t want to spend too much on one.So, I walked around in town a bit, and checked out the Swatch store.They looked pretty nice, but of course, I can' t say that, since I only saw them through the glass.I really want to go buy myself one on monday, but first wanted to know what you guys here think of them, has anyone had any experience with them?
 
I had a Swatch. For the money, it was just a basic watch, I felt it was better than the common Timex. Seemed to be more like a Lorux. It was a analog watch, i.e. it had hands, and as with every analog watch I've owned, it broke.

But like Timex, Casio, etc, I am under the impression that Swatch offers some watches that are very good. The good ones just cost more.

There are Swatch collectors, so I suspect that says something about the watches, too.
 
They're not much of a watch really, and are more show than substance. But you can say that about a lot of stuff really.

For the money, you might as well buy a wenger, they last longer and usually have much better features. I think they're still made by the swatch group, but the brand is kept a touch more quality specific.

Not a lot of people know about Invicta, that's a pretty decent watch for not a lot of dough.
 
For anyone on a budget, you can't beat the value and quality of a Timex or a Wenger. Going up a step, look at Seiko or Citizen. (Invicta has some decent stuff, some flash, and some bargains - but iffy quality conrol and very frustrating "customer service".) Swatch has some cool designs and that's the basis of their appeal (especially for collectors). For a decent time keeper, you can do much, much better.
 
OK, thanks for your input guys.I did check out some other brands now, I think I might just save up for a Seiko.Any other opinions on the swatches though?
 
I did a quick search of the Swatch movements (the insides). Such a search will probably help in the decision process, as these people often discuss the longevity, precision, etc. of the watches.

They are ETA movements for analogs with the usual cost cutting "don't surface finish what isn't necessary". Rememeber that there only a few watch movement makers in the world, and ETA is a major supplier to many of the European watch makers, as well as some asian makers.

Personally, if the price was only $20-30, I'd give one a try. There seem to be a lot of watch sales, so I'd wait for a sale before springing for anything higher in price.

That is how I got my Swatch. A low price did the trick till the Seikos and Citizens were on sale. Used the Swatch at work till it died (I used to paint alot and other such watch disfiguring activities at work).
 
Swatch is all about style. If you like the looks of one and it's not too expensive go for it. The more expensive Swatch watches are more expensive for reasons other than what's inside.
 
Swatch watches, although primarily fashion pieces, ARE quality Swiss timepieces. They're actually what saved the Swiss watch making industry in the 80's. On a watchie website somewhere, they did a comparison on a Swatch automatic versus some high-priced Swiss watch (forgot what brand). They showed that although the Swatch had greater "instantaneous" consistancies, over time, the Swatch had very similar accuracy to the much more expensive watch.

That being said, check out Wenger and Citizen for great inexpensive watches.
 
Just a quick plug for Swatch watches:

I bought my first Swatch in 1987. It was a plain black basic model. Battery life was great, and over time, the brand grew on me more. I bought several other Swatch watches over time. All were very simple looking and not artsy or flashy. They all functioned great, had great battery life, and proved to be very durable. In 2000, the batteries were removed from my Swatches when I switched to a Timex Turn-N-Pull alarm model. I still pull out my Swatch Automatic for special occasions.
 
Swatch are still a fantastic bargain, though I always preferred M-Watches ( made by Mondaine and sold through Migros in CH) Timex are excellent as well.
 
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