Rolex Explorer II or Omega Seamaster?

[DocDave]

I know, I know. That's like asking Honda or Toyota, Ford or GM, etc. But anyway...

After seeing [MENTION=3886]drocpsu[/MENTION] wearing his Seamaster, and [MENTION=3421]Vicious49[/MENTION] posting a helpful link about the watch, it started me thinking it might be time to invest in another time piece. [MENTION=2341]LesserBlackDog[/MENTION] posted some great images of his Rolex Explorer II which also started me thinking about looking out for a Rolex. Trouble is, how do you decide between the two?

So why not post up a thread on Dappered and see what others think. Is this a superfluous discussion/thread? Totally.

Is it fun to virtual shop and chat about watches? Definitely.

So in the realm of a used Seamaster vs. a used Explorer II, does one watch come out on top? Or in the end does it all come down to personal preferences? If you already had a watch from one manufacturer in your collection, would you double up or expand and get something new?

[Me27]

I would go with the explorer II simply because I think it looks cooler. Both are very great, no wrong choice there, seems more like a personal preference thing to me. I am sure you could really go down the rabbit hole with this and get into the minutia of comparing every conceivable aspect of the watches. But at the end of the day I slightly prefer the look of the Explorer so I would rather look down and see that on my wrist.

[JBarwick]

From a GMT to GMT standpoint, I find the Explorer II pulls off the GMT function better than the Seamaster GMT. I like the numbers on the bezel of the Ex2 instead of on the watch face. Comparing Seamaster to Submariner, it would be a tougher choice though I am a Crown Fanboi so I would go Sub.

[Evenflow]

Without actually looking, a used Explorer 2 is going to run quite a bit more (2-3x) than a used Seamaster. I have one of the late 90's Seamasters, and it's a great watch that could probably be had lightly used for a grand. Used Explorer 2's are 4 or 5 grand.

[flatbear]

a seamaster 300m or a seamaster planet ocean?

[DocDave]

[MENTION=13026]Evenflow[/MENTION] yes! I did a quick and dirty search on WatchRecon and you're 100% accurate on the price. I had no idea the price difference would be so great. Any ideas as to why?

[MENTION=14142]flatbear[/MENTION] good question. I'm thinking 300m.

[winghus]

I know, I know. That's like asking Honda or Toyota, Ford or GM, etc. But anyway...

I think it's more of a "BMW or Mercedes" thing versus the car brands you used, lol.

[ryn]

I don't know much about watches, but it seems to me that it would be helpful to have some philosophy when it comes to collecting. I think first you should ask yourself are you, and do you want to be a collector in the same sense that people collect stamps? or do you want to approach it from a style perspective and consider how it fits into your wardrobe?

I think collectors often try and go for some sort of completeness. This can of course mean having all divers or having one diver, one GMT etc. You can also do this with brands, but unless you are really into a brand, I don't suggest going this route.

The style approach would consider aesthetics more than anything. This is mostly how we approach most topics on threads. Questions like, which looks better? How often will I wear it? Is it visually different than what I own?

Watches are a bit different then when it comes with this than say shoes or pants. They are small accessories, versatile, durable and forgiving. So basically you can't go wrong, except if you have a watch that you end up never wearing because you always prefer another that you already have. I would prioritize stylistic diversity over brand diversity.

[JBarwick]

[MENTION=13026]Evenflow[/MENTION] yes! I did a quick and dirty search on WatchRecon and you're 100% accurate on the price. I had no idea the price difference would be so great. Any ideas as to why?

[MENTION=14142]flatbear[/MENTION] good question. I'm thinking 300m.

From a brand new standpoint, Rolex doesn't offer discounts these days vs. Omega which you can likely get a discount on. Looks like you can get a Omega Seamaster 300m from Jomasshop for <$4K but the Rolex will cost $7-$8K depending on if you go through an AD vs. gray market dealer.

That is sort of my problem with Omega is that you said Explorer II and we had to guess between white dial vs. black dial. Omega we had at least 20 options to ponder over and who knows how many special editions from the past you could select from. The only time this is a pain with Rolex is the DJ range which has a ton of options and dials

[Token]

[MENTION=13026]Evenflow[/MENTION] yes! I did a quick and dirty search on WatchRecon and you're 100% accurate on the price. I had no idea the price difference would be so great. Any ideas as to why?

[MENTION=14142]flatbear[/MENTION] good question. I'm thinking 300m.

The price difference exists because Rolex has a (significantly) better brand image compared to Omega. There's more prestige associated with a Rolex, so even people who don't care or know anything about watches might still want to purchase a Rolex for other reasons. Especially on the secondary market, Rolex retains value much better than Omega does (for the most part).

As for Explorer II vs. Seamaster, it comes down to personal preference. Once you get into that price range, you're paying thousands of dollars for marginal improvements or features, so I think it's hard to make an objective case for either. The Explorer II doesn't really speak to me design wise so if I had to choose between that and a Seamaster 300 I'd take the Seamaster. If it was Sub vs. Seamaster I'd have a much harder time choosing.

[Alex.C]

In choosing a watch for my tenth anniversary last year, I went with the Seamster, albeit a modified version that IMO combines the best parts of the old 300m (slimness) and the Planet Ocean (bezel) It helped greatly that the Omega was much cheaper. Freed up enough money for us to spend 3 weeks in Italy. Happy wife, happy life an all that.

[DRM]

This is really more like debating between an Acura and a Mercedes. Both are very nice products and you could be happy with either, but the Rolex is about twice the price and far more prestigious. Put another way -- if you could theoretically buy either for the same price, which would you go with? If the question is which is a better value, it becomes a different conversation.

[ajs116]

That is sort of my problem with Omega is that you said Explorer II and we had to guess between white dial vs. black dial. Omega we had at least 20 options to ponder over and who knows how many special editions from the past you could select from. The only time this is a pain with Rolex is the DJ range which has a ton of options and dials

Ah, the paradox of choice

[LesserBlackDog]

I may be biased but for me it is Explorer II any day of the week and twice on Sundays. IMO there is just something about that austere white dial and black hands that really sets the watch apart from any other Rolex (or any other luxury sports watch, for that matter), while remaining versatile enough to wear with anything from business suits to t-shirt/shorts.



The only (relatively recent) Seamaster that does a lot for me is the discontinued sword-hands Seamaster Professional. I shouldn't be buying any more watches anytime soon but I'd be tempted if I were to find a quartz model in good condition for a good price.

[devastitis]

Not a huge fan of the ex2 bezel. Combine the ex2 dial/hands with a sub or planet ocean bezel, and I'd know exactly what I'd ask my fiancée to buy me.