Watches

Most watches look better in picture. Went to windup and lemme tell ya, when you handle the “budget” brands you realize why they’re budget. Sharp corners, bad finishing, terrible tolerances in bracelets, etc. But sizing is a whole other animal. I finally got to check out some breitling/longines/that tier releases of the last couple years in person and they’re garish and cruder than I thought. Disappointment. I think they’re really hoping on a blind buy based on images and sizing. Most of these wear extremely poorly compared to 90s and 2010s models.

I’ve been wondering about that. Their marketing materials are really, really good in recent years. Looks so impressive. But there’s something a bit generic too…

I am considering a Legend Diver or Pilot Majetek next year, and I’m just gonna have to find one in person because I’ve seen and heard conflicting opinions and think it might be model-specific.

I don’t think they look good online either. If they were $300 I’d be excited about them but there are far more interesting watches for the same price

I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that reaction to the Zulu Time. I saw all of the images and videos and thought it looked incredible. Stopped by a local jewelry store to have one of my wife’s rings resized, and they happen to carry Longines!

Excited, I ask to check out the green bezel Zulu Time they have. And I gotta say… it just didn’t feel great in person. The finishing is very underwhelming and the proportions of it just don’t feel as good. It’s so much thicker and less graceful than it looks in pictures. I also thought the movement felt pretty grainy and cheap.

You're not alone. They look like fashion watches largely due to the fact that their cases are thick, bracelets feel cheap and don't offer OTF adjustment, and the quality of the materials is lacking.

This might be insulting to Longines owners, but I only own two watches, a Seiko Turtle and Rolex Explorer. I feel the same quality holding my $300 Seiko Turtle next to a $1,500 Longines. Meanwhile, my Explorer from 2006, which I wore every day for years and absolutely beat up before buying my Turtle, still feels premium despite the hollow center links. I think it's largely due to the tolerances on the Rolex which make the bracelet feel more "solid" while attached to the watch.

If you hold the cheapest Tudor or Omega next to the most expensive Longines, the quality difference is immediately noticeable. GS and Zenith are also better in the case department but their bracelets are just as terrible in quality and feel (😭).

Weird, I had the exact opposite experience with the Zulu time. Wasn’t really in my interest or on my radar until I took a look at the AD in person and it blew me away. I’ve had that same experience with other watches though, it all depends. Usually the ones I hype up in my mind for a while tend to be underwhelming once I see them, and ones I’m not too interested in blow me away in person.

I’ve had this with many brands. Never seen a Longines in person but interested to see if I have the same effect. Hamilton and Seiko have both done this for me in both directions for many models (I.e some I hated actually look amazing in person and vice versa). It makes me want it see anything in person before I commit to buying it b

Longines are glorified mall watches.

Actually this common across many brands, especially that offer sunburst dials… Just depends on the photography. That’s regardless of type of dial actually. Photography/ colour grading of their images.

There’s a whole video dedicated to Omega Aqua Terras on YouTube by WatchAdvisor who goes over this exact issue when showcasing colours of watches.

Not to say that there may be genuine cases of these discrepancies from what we’re shown and then what we get.

I bought a Longines before I bought a Christopher Ward. If I had done it the other way around, I wouldn't have bought the Longines. There are sharp edges on the case, and the bracelet is unbearable. It looks good, but the finish and comfort were disappointing.

I picked up the conquest in green 2023 and I think it looks substantially better in person than it did online, ymmv

I feel like Tudor I am way more impressed person.

Grand Seiko I was kinda underwhelmed in real life for some reason something wrong with me

For me it doesn't happen. The Zulu time looks absolutely stunning in person, super sexy. But sometimes watches do look way better in pictures. For me the datejust looks super boring in real life, but in pictures it looks very good

Some watches look better in media, other's look better in person.

I think Captain Cooks for example look only aright in photos but gorgeous irl. It's so thin, and the colors are so nice, it just feels good.

Contrarily, I found that the rhodium plating on the dial and hands of the Spirit models doesn't shine on pictures as much as it does on wrist. That may be because I have a black dialed model but it's by far my most legible watch.

Agreed, and this extends to watches in general. Unless it's a Rolex, nobody cares what's on your wrist

Agreed.. For the longest time I wanted a blue dial Longines Conquest.. When I saw it in person, I lost all desire for it. Felt more like a greyish blue than the royal blue I saw in pics.

They still have some models that look incredible in person. But that Conquest really disappointed me.

Ended up getting a Tissot PRX auto. My first white dial.

I just picked up the 39mm Zulu time anthracite bezel (steel and gold model) and I absolutely love it. Depending on the light the bezel looks black and other times a dark, coffee brown. The details to me are better than Tudor for the price point. Frankly this watch hits all the design points for me to the point where I’m wearing this watch more often than some of my “more luxurious” watches.

First time I handled a Seamaster, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. It didn’t have nearly as much dimension as the pictures.

I feel 100% the same! The actual watch is always a letdown compared to pics. More so than any other brands.

i understand this, but it only seems to be the case when watches are super hyped up. I got the zulu time before it reached peak hype and think its easily one of the most beautiful watches for the price. Not if it would have had the same wow factor if i'd gotten it later on. I have an smp300 white dial and it's a great watch. But it doesn't look as good as reddit and youtube would make me believe. it's eye catching for sure, but i honestly think the zulu time is a prettier watch (reinforced by the amount of compliments my zulu time got, whereas my smp300 has never gotten one).

​

It could also be the setting you viewed them in. I know when I look at omegas from the super nice displays in the boutique, the luxurious vibe and lighting makes me more attracted to the watch. When I view longines often in the middle of a Macy's or something, it might feel underwhelming just because the environment isnt premium itself

I don't think that's the case.

You're not alone. They look cheap, clunky, and underwhelming in person.

Tbh I reckon most watches I hype myself up online disappoint in person… and conversely ones you never thought of can just hit you in the store and look awesome

I've owned 3 Longines pieces. For the price, I find them amazing value. Especially if you go for second hand.

They cut costs on finishing of the cases in particular. But they make up for it with movements and solid bracelets. Their dails are generally pretty plain.

At their price point I think they are a stand out. Hard to beat some of their pieces. The conquest range is a great Gada watch, their vintage diver is very nice on the wrist, I love their avigation big eye pilot and their Zulu range gives great GMT specs for the price.

Their only problem is they try too hard to hit everyone's expectations, why their spirit range is a bit so so and their hydro conquest is missing something.

Open one of them up, you'll be surprised how upscale the movements look.

Yeah I felt the same. The zulu looked great in pictures. The first time I saw it in person, I still think it looked better than the other Longines offerings, but nowhere near the ads

https://preview.redd.it/7baap3vfma0c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91c3f77cebde9cf944b27ec96a4c593c5e448379

That’s why I go vintage.

I find this happens a lot to me. I've been a big fan of grand seiko based on videos and pics of them, finally got to see some last week and was disappointed by their case size/design. Seemed like the watch case was too bulky compared to the dial. The night birch movement though I was really impressed by when I saw it.

I have the exact same feeling with Longines every time! I see their release, read about it, more often than not watch some videos about them and then head to the AD.

Every time it’s the same feeling / reaction like “meh” or “this is a bit underwhelming”. Sometimes I even thought why does this give me a “cheap” vibe.

I know that comes off as arrogant but I really don’t mean it in that way. These are expensive watches from a storied brand. I often thought that I get this feeling because of the fonts they use and the bracelets.

I had the same reaction when I saw the Seiko Alpinist green dial. Gorgeous online, kinda meh in person.