Federico Iossa ranks 57 watch brands

I stopped after his review of Rolex, but thanks anyway.

 

Said Rolex quality was a "C." I have a yellow gold ref. 1803 from 1968 that was my Grandfather's. It was last serviced in 1977. I got it in 1985. Keeps time as well as it did for me when I was in college. (I kept it at home; not in the dorm, of course)

I think he's way off. I understand that this is subjective, but hey everyone has an opinion. And, yes, I have other brands on his list, a "C" for quality?

 

He’s an idiot IMO.
I’m on an FP Journe waitlist without spending a dime.
He’s pissed at Vacheron because he had a service disagreement with them (who knows, pethaps VC was in the right? Always two sides to a story. Right?) so ranks VC below Moser and Omega??
Complete moron who’s opinion of watches is worthless to me.

 

I think the ratings are pretty much where they need to be. Rolex is king regardless of what people think, they are independent, self-owned, and dominate people's minds... And if you take one apart, they are very well made. what is not to like. If you look at a Patek, its all precious metal, with very fine hand details that almost nobody can see or note, which accounts for the cost and rarity. I was surprised by Nomos, and TAG... I think the folks running Tag Heuer now are doing way better. If I were them I'd break the brand into two separate ones - Tag Heuer, and Heuer... with Heuer being the higher-end watches... Lange are also really good technical watches. Suprised that Breguet was not represented... ? Or RM?

 

Remember: This guy is a salesman who makes videos to get traffic to his store/website. He's always going to heavily promote watches he tends to stock.

 

Didn't rate Breguet at all....big miss and lost credibility.

 

Steve,

Get the watch cleaned and oiled. There is the potential that the degraded oil and dirt build-up will cause increased wear on the movement parts (think oil and filter change on a car). It's a straightforward job that doesn't require the manufacturer's involvement, just a reputable independent watchmaker.

Regarding the ratings, they are his opinion and, for the most part, are not unreasonable. I appreciated his take on things and the context he provided. I don't agree with some of his opinions but that's why I have my own opinion.

Regarding the "C", I think 'quality' is a poor choice word; 'finish' would be more reasonable. This assessment has little to do with timekeeping; your cellphone beats all of these. Rolex makes excellent watches but they are truly working watches - durable, reliable, etc. They have really good design and are finished well only where needed. This point can be interpreted as a knock or a complement. I've always thought of them as good, honest watches. At the moment, they are the 'flavor of the month' which has driven up prices. Omega is on par with them and I think he rated them similarly.

Considering he sort of gave Patek an A- (hinting at certain independents) the comparison is reasonable. Especially with some of the context he provided. However, the others he put at A aren't better than Patek. I also thought it was interesting that he didn't rate Breguet but I'm not very familiar with what they presently produce.

I'm assuming the implied A- for Patek (and probably the others on the A list) is in comparison to the watches of George Daniels / Roger W. Smith.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. Rob, that channel is generally fun - especially the older (earlier) videos explaining the history and context of clothing stuff and various materials and manufacturing quality assessments. I found the shoe stuff very educational. I'm curious if their driving gloves are worth the price - it would be fun to have nice gloves that match my car's color scheme.

 

Rob,

A more entertaining review:

 

Put Breguet in the S**** category for some reason.

Did not see VC ranked.... or did I miss it?

 

Rob,

Breguet is in the Sh*te (not avoiding the filter - that's the category title... :^) ). He basically said Breguet (the man) is essentially god. The company hasn't done anything interesting or innovative in years and isn't (presently) worthy of the name.

I have no opinion as I am not aware of what they have done in the past 20 years. That said, I. K. Brunel was Abraham-Louis Breguet's apprentice. I don't yet own a watch by A-L Breguet, but I plan to.


Shark01,

VC is with AP and Patek on this list.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Ap = Van Cleef? Yeah no thanks.

 

Art,

Thank you for your comments; very much appreciated. All good points.

Remember, Grandpa's 1803 in '68 was $350.00. It was a gift so my impetus for doing anything to the watch is low. I am a stickler for authenticity........even something as benign as a cleaning and opening up the case back is something I have never done although I know it is necessary. (A cleaning/oil/calibration is roughly $900 at my local AD. I will certainly have it done in next year. Is that a reasonable price? I will not replace the dial, hands, crystal or crown and in no event have the lugs or any part of the watch polished/buffed)

To your point: yes, opinions are just that, but I guess I have no idea where this guy is coming from. I have an Omega Michael Schumacher chronograph that, again in my opinion, is not even close to my Rolex, AP or IWCs. I like the watch, yes, but it has an almost toy like feel compared to the others. And by that I mean quality and/or 'finish' as you said. He gives the Omega the same quality rating as a Rolex? I must be missing something? Maybe he should compare similar reference #s of one brand to similar references of the other brand; i.e., time only to time only; tourbillion to tourbillion, etc.

In any event, I guess it really all boils down to what you like and opinions are just, opinions.

Thanks again.

Best,
Steve

 

Hi Steve,

For an AD $900 is probably reasonable (others here may be better at answering this). However, I'm not a fan of going to the dealer for older stuff. I'd prefer if I knew which watchmaker was working on my watch. The independents use Rolex parts but you are handing the watch to the person who comes recommended to you. The likely cost savings is merely a bonus.

Regarding delay of service: If not in use, it can sit as long as you want (in most cases). However, your post seemed to indicate that you wear/run it regularly. Think of it as not changing your engine's oil in 30,000 miles. You may get away with it but lubrication may be insufficient to prevent wear.

I think you are looking at the reviews incorrectly, possibly backwards. They discuss what these brands are doing now as a whole, today. Not in the past and not individual types. The obvious example of this point is Breguet.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Art,

Thanks.

As I indicated at the outset, I stopped watching the video after the Rolex review which was the first. Perhaps I should have listened to a few more reviews.

-Steve