Posted: 9/10/2026 10:20:04 PM EDT
[Last Edit: GreyDuck][Edited]
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I’ve been half heartedly looking for a vintage Brosnan Bond era blue Omega Seamaster. Today I was at small watch shop and he had one in the used display box. It showed some honest wear, but for its age overall I’d chalk it up to a good patina. The only thing I didn’t like was it’s a quartz. I mentioned it to the watchmaker/owner and he said he has an automatic that looks almost identical. He looked through one of his safes for a few minutes and couldn’t find it. At this point a handful more customers had come in. He told me he’d text me pictures when he found it. And I left. I haven’t heard from him as of yet. Im not against a quartz, but in my head I guess I really had only considered getting an automatic. So my question is, the price on the quartz is $1800, which seems high for a quartz in general, but probably fair for a Seamaster. The automatic is $2400, which is better than most on chrono24, but he couldn’t actually find it, so I haven’t seen it. Plus I have my doubts that he’ll look very hard. Will I be happy with the quartz, or will I just wish I waited for the automatic? |
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| Brosnan wore a Quartz in Goldeneye. It came with a laser. I've never seen that option, but I'd snag it up if it did. |
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Modern life is one steep, perpetual tax on the mathematically impaired
Modern life is one steep, perpetual tax on the mathematically impaired
| I have as many quartz as autos and only 1 manual. Quartz are great for grab and go. I have quartz for all occasions. A dress Tudor monarch to a $30 Timex Expidition for outdoor stuff. My Tudor was $1100 and i am totally ok with that. $1800 for a cool watch that you like. Go for it. |
| I too have a few quartz watches. I also have a lot of automatic watches and outside of the 2 Seiko dive watches I have, the servicing of those watches (although not very often) is rather expensive. I have an Omega Seamater Professional Automatic Chrono that is a great watch. Quartz watches are worth considering and I wouldn't hesitate to buy an Omega Seamaster Quartz watch if I was happy with the price. |
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If I were fetting a Seamaster it would be an automatic. Quartz is more practical for all intents and purposes though. With some of the harder to find watches it is difficult to be as picky. The real question is whether you would be happy with it, or if you'd feel as though you settled. |
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Originally Posted By AK-12: If I were fetting a Seamaster it would be an automatic. Quartz is more practical for all intents and purposes though. With some of the harder to find watches it is difficult to be as picky. The real question is whether you would be happy with it, or if you'd feel as though you settled. Agreed. Quartz does a better job at practically keeping time but that is only one aspect of watch collecting. If I was getting a Seamaster it would be auto, I couldn't give you a good explanation of why, especially before the in-house movements. One thing I've learned about myself is that if there is even a seed of holding the auto version in higher regard in my mind then I will never be satisfied with the quartz. All that being said, my favorite watch happens to be a Tag Quartz that thing is just a work horse. |
| Quartz can be more accurate, but may not hit all second markers right on even in a “high end quartz”. Plus battery changes every 3-4 years. I’d go automatic just for those reasons. I do have a couple of quartz though, some of the newer solar quartz make more sense to me. |
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Thanks for all the thoughts, i really appreciate it. I was traveling today, but decided to stop by the shop first thing this morning before I left town. He still hadn’t found (looked for) the automatic, but I was already leaning toward the quartz anyway. After playing with the movement a little bit, I decided I really liked it. The jump hour is really cool. I have a modern Seamaster as well, and this one wears a lot lighter. After a day of wear I’m very happy with it. Attached File |
| I WANT to like my auto more than my quartz, but the auto loses 15 seconds a day (within specs) and the Q is always on time. |
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Originally Posted By FredMan: I WANT to like my auto more than my quartz, but the auto loses 15 seconds a day (within specs) and the Q is always on time. Losing seconds is the worst, as it's not as simple as stopping the watch for a few seconds to sync things up. It does seem like the mechanical snobs are a bit suppressed in this forum relative to a few years ago. |
History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which Trump is always right.
Modern life is one steep, perpetual tax on the mathematically impaired
Modern life is one steep, perpetual tax on the mathematically impaired
Yeah I won’t think of a quartz personally. But everyone is different.
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"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"
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I got this watch (black) new in 2009. Still ticking away and on my wrist right now. I sometimes wish that I went auto but really it's still cool and movie authentic. I passed on a sub at the time because it was like $700 more.... 
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