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People spend a lot of cash when getting luxury watches, so it is perfectly normal to want to get the most value for money by buying the best watch in the market.
There are many brands of luxury watches in the market, each with its peculiar offerings. Thus, it becomes somewhat difficult to select the best out of these brands.
Among these numerous brands, there are two that get dragged into the debate for superiority. Most fashion enthusiasts and watch collectors have reasons to go back and forth on which brand is best, Omega or IWC.
Omega and IWC are two of the foremost and reputable names in the luxury watch industry. They have many watch collections that feature exquisite designs and high functionalities. These collections of watches have, in the past years, built and maintained the reputation that these brands now enjoy.
Therefore, it is no surprise that watches collectors and fashionistas have difficulty selecting the better brand between the two. This article seeks to solve this problem. The article will review the two watch brands, discussing the different aspects of their offering to select the better brand.
History
IWC was started in 1868 by an American Florentine Ariosto Jones. The company then grew from that point and is currently under the Richemont Group today. IWC made history as one of the brands that made stainless steel watches.
At the time of its establishment, IWC took a different turn from the use of expensive materials for watch manufacture and switched to stainless steel.
Apart from its history with stainless steel watches, IWC also made watches that gained popularity and traction around the fashion world. One of these watches is the Ingenieur, which IWC made with legendary watchmaker Gerald Genta.
This timepiece ranks as one of the best watches ever made in the industry and arguably the best and most popular watch made by IWC.
On the other hand, Omega has a lot of history and reputation in the luxury watch industry. The brand started a bit earlier than IWC, in 1848, when Loius Brandt decided to go into watchmaking. The brand operates under the Swatch Group, alongside brands such as Longines, Blancpain, and Breguet.
One of the remarkable pieces of history that the Omega brand has is that its watch is the first to be on the moon. Buzz Aldrin wore its Speedmaster Moonwatch during the space mission that landed on the moon in 1969. Ever since, Omega has owned the bragging rights for the first watch on the moon.
Another bit of repute came to Omega when James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan) wore an Omega Seamaster in the first 007 movie, GoldenEye.
Ever since, the Omega watch has been the official watch of the 007 films, up to the most recent, Spectre, where James Bond (now played by Daniel Craig) wore the Omega Spectre Limited Edition Watch.
With this bit of reputation and history, you will agree that the two watch brands are reputable names with a remarkable history in the luxury watch business.
Movement and Quality
When it comes to quality and movement mechanism, both of these brands have employed the latest impressive technologies in manufacturing their timepieces, as you will see below.
IWC has a reputation for shifting the technological and innovational boundary in watchmaking. The brand has been creating complicated movement mechanisms for some time now. As far back as 1993, the company designed and manufactured the most sophisticated watch in the industry.
The watch has a split-second feature, tourbillion, perpetual lender, and minute repeater feature. Another innovation that IWC has introduced into the industry is the use of bronze alloy in making watches. This material finds its use in creating a good looking patina as the watch ages.
The brand is also responsible for introducing Ceratanium, which is a fusion of ceramics and titanium. This material also goes into making heavy-duty and lightweight watch cases. The material also ensures the durability of IWC watches, and other luxury brands have adopted the material.
On the flipside, Omega has the hype for creating high quality and functional timepieces. You may have heard of the durability and long life of Omega watches. Co-axial escapements technology is responsible for it.
The movement mechanism decreases the friction between the watch’s inner components, reducing the possibility of wear and tear occurring. This will, in turn, result in a durable and long-lasting watch.
Omega has also started replacing the old movement mechanism in their older models with the co-axial escapements technology. This will improve the performance of these models.
Almost all of the Omega’s timepieces are COSC-certified, meaning that the watches have the highest level of accuracy attainable by a watch. Also, Omega has quartz caliber tested and certified by COSC.
This is a very special and rare prestige, and only Omega holds the record for having quartz caliber certified by COSC.
With regards to movement and quality, it is evident that Omega emerges on top. While IWC uses some of the best and innovative materials, Omega focused more on internal mechanisms. As a result, it holds the record for one of the most accurate timepieces in the industry.
It also lasts long due to its co-axial escapements technology. Lastly, it holds the record as the first watch brand to have its quartz caliber tested and certified by COSC.
Style and Variety
Both of the watch brands have popular collections featuring stylish designs. Starting with IWC, some of its collections include Ingenieur, Big Pilot, Da Vinci, Vintage, and Portugieser collections. Each of these collections has designs that make them perfect for some class or set of people.
For instance, the Big Pilot collection is for aviators as it sports a multiple time zone bezel. The Portugieser collection is perfect for navigators as it has an elegant and sophisticated look that navigators are popular for.
The Ingenieur collection features a rugged and technical look, something that engineers and technicians can relate to. A Portofino collection features a more laid back design and an Aquatimer collection for water sports and professional divers, featuring a high water resistance feature.
In the same vein, Omega also has popular collections of watches. They include Seamaster, Speedmaster Chronograph, Planet Ocean, Aqua Terra, Constellation, and De Ville, among many others. And like IWC, these collections are ideal for some people based on their design and features.
The Seamaster, as the name suggests, is for sailors and seamen who seek to control the tides of the sea. It is also for professional divers and lovers of water sports.
The Omega Constellation series mimics the subdued beauty of a group of stars. You will love it if you are on the lookout for a timepiece with subdued elegance.
The Speedmaster collections are befitting for racing and technicians as it sports many technical designs, while De Ville is a series that blends well with both formal and informal occasions.
It is safe to say that both of these brands have impressive watch collections with exciting designs. However, Omega has more watch collections than IWC, giving fashion enthusiasts more options to choose from.
Popularity
Both of these watch brands are popular, but one is more popular than the other. In this case, the Omega brand is the most popular brand between the two. Omega holds the second position as the most popular watch brand in the world. IWC, on the other hand, sits in the tenth position.
This is a clear cut victory for Omega over IWC. It is more popular than IWC, as it sits in second place after Rolex.
Warranty
The warranty policy of a product says a lot about the durability and responsibility that the manufacturer is willing to take for the product. In the luxury watch industry, most of the models have a two-year warranty period.
However, Omega surpasses the tradition by stamping a whopping five-year warranty on all of its products. If you purchase your Omega watch from their website, you can enjoy a warranty extension bonus that extends the warranty period to eight years.
IWC, on the other hand, sticks to the industry tradition and offers a two-year warranty period. However, buying on the IWC website gives you access to its warranty extension bonus, too. This is another clear cut victory for Omega. It has a better warranty policy and offers a longer warranty period for its watches.
Price
When it comes to price, both of these watches are pricey and worth every dollar they cost. Omega Watches’ entry price is around $2,400, while that of IWC watches is around $4,000. This is another area where Omega watches trump IWC watches. With Omega, you get more for less.
Conclusion
Because of the impressive features that they possess, watch collectors and fashion experts have had a hard time deciding which is better between Omega and IWC.
This review discusses many aspects of each brand’s offerings and discovered that Omega offers better features and offerings between the two brands.
