# Is Oris the best "value" swiss maker



## gillmanjr (May 17, 2012)

From my experience with watches (see my sig below for everything I've owned) I think I've come to the conclusion that Oris is the best value proposition in the business (with Ball being a close second). I'm talking in terms of a brand that has a VERY long history, tremendous quality level, and a price point that significantly undercuts the competitors. Seems to me that Oris' quality is equal to Omega in every way, in fact I would say some of their components are even better (ie their bracelets) and yet they are 1/2 or even 1/3 the price of similar Omega models. I chalk this price difference up to name recognition, plain and simple. What do you guys think?


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## chris slack (Sep 3, 2013)

i would suggest glycine and davosa for best value,price to quality ratio is excellent for both.


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## gillmanjr (May 17, 2012)

chris slack said:


> i would suggest glycine and davosa for best value,price to quality ratio is excellent for both.


Davosa? Never heard of them. Just looked them up and the company itself started in 1993... I'm talking about brands here that have significant history behind them, I don't think you can include them in a conversation with Omega and Oris. Glycine maybe, though I've never owned one so can't comment on quality.

There are a lot of micro brands that I really love and think are tremendous in terms of quality vs price, but again, non of them have the history. Squale is one of the few that has some history behind it, but it is still nowhere near as old a company as Oris or Omega, not even close.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

Got to agree with you about the quality and VFM of Oris watches.


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## Sopur (Mar 13, 2015)

I come from the area where Oris are made. I love those watches, and yes, the price/ value seems quite good.
Attached a picture of my Millenium watch 😃
Kind regards
Sopur

:[email protected] Tapatalk won't let mi post pictures..

Gesendet von meinem D5503 mit Tapatalk


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

Ten years ago you'd be close to right, that's when I was selling them.


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## gillmanjr (May 17, 2012)

Watchbreath said:


> Ten years ago you'd be close to right, that's when I was selling them.


Why ten years ago and not now?


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## evanPGH (Jun 29, 2012)

I haven't owned a ton, but probably a dozen or so watches in the same ballpark from varying makers.

Based on what I've had, I think their non-chronos are the best value, but there's simply too much of an up-charge for the chrono models, IMO.

I completely agree about the bracelets. I was stunned when I first held my TT1, it's bracelet would be right at home on a watch with a doubled price tag.


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

gillmanjr said:


> Why ten years ago and not now?


Dig up the prices then and you'll see.


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## Toothbras (Apr 19, 2010)

I've owned one Oris, a blue diver-date, and agree to was a heck of a watch. The reason I joined this site was to pm a member who was selling his. Paid $600 for it, wore it for awhile and realized 44mm is too big for me, and easily sold it for $600. I'd call that a heck of a good value!


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

It would appear Epos is the brand.


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## mpalmer (Dec 30, 2011)

Oris is excellent value for their level of finishing. Comparable to Tag Heuer non manufacture mechanical offerings, for a price not inflated by copious advertising.

Revue Thommen (even some manufacture movements) is also a nice value...


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## balzebub (May 30, 2010)

Oris is great value, I would also rate Longines, Certina, Mido right up there as well. 

sent using a flying carpet


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## blingking (Dec 20, 2009)

After buying my first Oris watch, I think brands under Swatch Group such as Hamilton and Tissot provide very good value.

This is due to the financial muscle of their parent company.

It will be hard for independent watch manufacturers to provide "value" without taking something away.


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

Check out Nivrel.


blingking said:


> After buying my first Oris watch, I think brands under Swatch Group such as Hamilton and Tissot provide very good value.
> 
> This is due to the financial muscle of their parent company.
> 
> It will be hard for independent watch manufacturers to provide "value" without taking something away.


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## Bubbalouie (Mar 20, 2015)

I have to agree that Oris is a good value for the money. One of Oris' strengths is being an independent company instead of being owned by one of the watch groups. I have owned several in the past, and I would love to have one in my collection again some day.


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## Cybotron (Dec 7, 2006)

I would agree but also give the nod to Frederique Constant


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## Lelocle (Jan 3, 2015)

gillmanjr said:


> From my experience with watches (see my sig below for everything I've owned) I think I've come to the conclusion that Oris is the best value proposition in the business (with Ball being a close second). I'm talking in terms of a brand that has a VERY long history, tremendous quality level, and a price point that significantly undercuts the competitors. Seems to me that Oris' quality is equal to Omega in every way, in fact I would say some of their components are even better (ie their bracelets) and yet they are 1/2 or even 1/3 the price of similar Omega models. I chalk this price difference up to name recognition, plain and simple. What do you guys think?


IMO Oris is probably the worst offender in terms of what you get vs price. A generic ETA/Selitta movement, sapphire crystal. And? I can get a Tissot with that and pay half.

take your Oris Aquis for instance. I would rather get a nice Orient or Seiko diver. Much better value.


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## Lelocle (Jan 3, 2015)

Bubbalouie said:


> I have to agree that Oris is a good value for the money. One of Oris' strengths is being an independent company instead of being owned by one of the watch groups. I have owned several in the past, and I would love to have one in my collection again some day.


They sell watches with generic movements found in other swatch group owned companies.

i don't know. Oris to me seems like a watch trying to be something more than it is. A Hamilton.

omega, Breguet, Blancpain, all owned by the Swatch Group. Why is that bad? Are you saying an Oris is better than an Omega or Breguet?


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## gillmanjr (May 17, 2012)

Lelocle said:


> They sell watches with generic movements found in other swatch group owned companies.
> 
> i don't know. Oris to me seems like a watch trying to be something more than it is. A Hamilton.
> 
> omega, Breguet, Blancpain, all owned by the Swatch Group. Why is that bad? Are you saying an Oris is better than an Omega or Breguet?


While I do love Omega, I could say the same thing about them. They are trying to be something more than they are: Rolex. Which means they want people to pay twice the amount of money for a watch because it says Omega on the dial.


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## philskywalker (May 28, 2009)

I think Oris and Fortis are neck and neck, trailed by Hamilton IMHO


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## microrotor (Jul 12, 2009)

Hamilton has to be on the "value" list as well.


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## braith7 (Mar 21, 2011)

Lelocle said:


> Are you saying an Oris is better than an Omega or Breguet?


Comparing Oris to Breguet would be Apples and Oranges. But Oris and Omega is fair enough.

I think Omega is a tier up from Oris still, but Oris is bridging that gap through continual in-house development and the increasing amount of exposure from great releases we've just seen.

Even as a loyal Oris fan, I think Omega deserve to be seen as a tier up - they have -

1. Long standing associations with historic and pop-culture icons (NASA, Bond...)
2. Great desirable movements - Lemania, Co-Axial...
3. A marketing budget the size of the GDP of a small country - which they put to good use through sponsoring targeting events, associations with Celebrities (which they have done a great job of selecting - although I dont get why anyone would want Nicole Kidman being linked to their brand, but thats just me) 
4. Pulled out of malls and shopping centers and opened Boutiques increasing the perceived exclusivity for owners and potential buyers alike.

For true Apples and Apples - compare an Omega chrono using a 7750 (like a Speedy Auto Date - do they still make these?) to an Oris chrono using the same - personally I'll take the Oris  (I'd wager that the Oris is better looking (subjective I know), better finished, and costs less - Omega might be a better brand still but Oris is still better value in my book).

For me, if Oris developed a variation on their Oris111 movement for their everyday, sportier watches (like Tudor has just released), the resulting watches would be on par with Omega's equivalents.


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## Kreggyaol (Aug 12, 2011)

Ive owned one hamilton pilot watch and had nothing but problems. Crystal was poor quality and the finish was very basic. Also, it fogged up when it rained. The leather band it came with was even worse quality. Paid about the same as my Aquis. The Aquis has the best band Ive ever had. The hands and crystal are much better. Even the box it came with was much better. I would rate it slightly better than the Doxa 1000t i had but a notch below the sinn U1. But at 1/2 the price of the sinn its a better value.


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## John MS (Mar 17, 2006)

I don't know if we could ever determine who the Best Value Swiss Brand is. Too many possibilities. I do know that their watches are attractively designed, finished well and they fit great. I would say that Oris is way up on the list.


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## manofrolex (Jul 9, 2012)

I owned one a while back and I thought it was nicely built at a very reasonable price.
The movement aside from the red rotor are not decorated which can be a bit of a let down but I found myself attracted to the big crown pilot chrono.

I have to say I have never seen a Davosa in the flesh (yes recent brand) but their world traveller chronos with 7754 are super well priced.


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## Robotaz (Jan 18, 2012)

Oris is the best value, to me. It's subjective, but it works for me. 

I can understand others disagreeing though.


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## mark1972 (Feb 28, 2015)

Oris has tremendous bang for the buck. I have only one but its the only watch that has never needed servicing.... 8 years strong. Big fan!


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## adamcb (Feb 27, 2015)

Going to partially agree with @cybotron about Frederique Constant.

For sport watches, I think Oris wins the value equation. Brilliant, clean designs that are pretty timeless (especially for the sport watch category that can go a little crazy). Good reliability. Competitive resale (bad, but at least equal compared to other brands at the same price point).

For dress watches, Frederique Constant gets my vote. No one is doing in-house movements with the level of detail on movements and dial faces as FC. Don't know about resale, however.

Love my carbon fiber TT3. I will never part with it!









Adam


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## jimmy9 (Jun 12, 2011)

philskywalker said:


> I think Oris and Fortis are neck and neck, trailed by Hamilton IMHO


you have a serious watch collection, wow!! &#55357;&#56832;


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## weigojmi (Jul 22, 2013)

Lelocle said:


> IMO Oris is probably the worst offender in terms of what you get vs price. A generic ETA/Selitta movement, sapphire crystal. And? I can get a Tissot with that and pay half.
> 
> take your Oris Aquis for instance. I would rather get a nice Orient or Seiko diver. Much better value.


I'm certain you have never owned an Oris or you're not being honest with yourself about what other than movement constitutes a high quality watch (subjective looks aside).


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## Lelocle (Jan 3, 2015)

weigojmi said:


> I'm certain you have never owned an Oris or you're not being honest with yourself about what other than movement constitutes a high quality watch (subjective looks aside).


Here in Thailand. Never. I couldn't justify the price. They sell a simple Big Crown pointer date for almost, $2,000. Then maybe a 20-30% discount. It depends.

Then also, their collection is I don't know. Don't like it at all. Those proprietary rubber straps. Yuck.

Maybe they're good watches but Hamilton isn't so overpriced.

Best value watch, probably Hamilton. Not Oris. For me.


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## Ajax_Drakos (Aug 20, 2014)

My vote goes to Hamilton. There are some many nice watches I've seen from Hamilton that are worth buying and under $1k.


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## weigojmi (Jul 22, 2013)

Lelocle said:


> Here in Thailand. Never. I couldn't justify the price. They sell a simple Big Crown pointer date for almost, $2,000. Then maybe a 20-30% discount. It depends.
> 
> Then also, their collection is I don't know. Don't like it at all. Those proprietary rubber straps. Yuck.
> 
> ...


Fair enough. The proprietary part is admittedly questionable...but the rubber quality and craftsmanship is second to none. Same for the ss bracelet quality. You can get an Aquis or F1 for under $1K. Quite worth it IMO.


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## Robotaz (Jan 18, 2012)

Lelocle said:


> Here in Thailand. Never. I couldn't justify the price. They sell a simple Big Crown pointer date for almost, $2,000. Then maybe a 20-30% discount. It depends.
> 
> Then also, their collection is I don't know. Don't like it at all. Those proprietary rubber straps. Yuck.
> 
> ...


lol


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## ALF1961 (Apr 14, 2015)

Oris is one of my favorite brands regardless of price point. Armand Nicolet comes to mind as another "best bang for the buck" brand.


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## rosborn (Oct 30, 2011)

Lelocle said:


> Here in Thailand. Never. I couldn't justify the price. They sell a simple Big Crown pointer date for almost, $2,000. Then maybe a 20-30% discount. It depends.
> 
> Then also, their collection is I don't know. Don't like it at all. Those proprietary rubber straps. Yuck.
> 
> ...


If you don't like Oris maybe your time would be better spent in another subforum of WUS.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ShaggyDog (Feb 13, 2012)

Maybe Oris but definitely Hamilton has to be up there in terms of best value Swiss watch brand.


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## dmb359 (Apr 8, 2015)

I think Oris and Hamilton are both great value brands. Hamilton has a lot of styles I really like under $1500.


I think I just talked my self into going watch shopping today, lol.


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## Norms76 (Mar 28, 2015)

I'm thinking seriously about buying the Oris Aquis Date on a rubber strap, does anyone own one? Are they any good? Reviews seem good but I'd like to know if anyone here rates it?


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## gillmanjr (May 17, 2012)

Norms76 said:


> I'm thinking seriously about buying the Oris Aquis Date on a rubber strap, does anyone own one? Are they any good? Reviews seem good but I'd like to know if anyone here rates it?
> 
> View attachment 3646002


I have one, orange marker version. Its a tremendous watch for the money. And the rubber strap is fantastic, so is the clasp. For around $1k you really can't get a better timepiece IMO. To my eyes it is comparable in every way to an Omega PO and I would bet that most people who aren't WIS would never guess that the Omega is 4x the price.


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## Chrlee3000 (Feb 27, 2012)

Hello all,

I have said this in a previous post a few years back that I believe that Oris provides a tremendous 'Bang For Your Buck Watch"! 

They combine great design, with well made and well finished products. I can't say for certain that they are the BEST value out there, however Oris deserves to be mentioned in any such conversation. At this I only have one Oris (47mm Small Second Date Blue) I have had it for several years, it is a rugged watch that looks great (IMHO) and keeps fantastic time. I don't know what more I could expect from any watch. That said I would not quite put Oris on par with Omega for instance but so what. Oris makes great watches period, the fact that they do it and have a reasonable price point is icing on the cake for me. 

Best,


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## WatchOutChicago (Oct 28, 2013)

This is an interesting thread to read. I've been looking at Oris as another sports watch to pair with my Explorer II and my Seiko SKX007. Do they use any ETA movements or generally Selitta?


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