Is the extra price worth it?

You will notice more on the finishing and quality of the piece.

And maybe accuracy and power reserve.

Other than that.

Not much.

Go handle some. There's a difference but it's up to you to decide if the difference is worth it. I like the difference in pricier pieces but I also enjoy affordables.

There is a lot of quality differences between most watches from £500 -£5000 above that it becomes a lot more about Brand than quality.

Best way to find out is go and try a few on in the metal and you will feel the difference. But basically they do the same job a £500 200m diver and a £5000 200 diver should work the same but the quality should be a world apart

Luxury goods are all about emotions. Is a steel watch ever worth several thousands of dollars? No, of course not. It probably cost a fraction of that to produce. Just like luxury clothes, bags, cars, boats, instruments, etc. It's all about the abstract perceived value the consumers are willing to infuse into and pay for said objects. "Worth" is entirely subjective and different for everybody.

Visit a Tag boutique to try the Aquaracer in the metal. Only you can decide if the watch in your hand provides 7 times what the Seiko does. Some people will see a difference worth $3500. Others won't.

I would suggest doing a lot of research first. Don't just go out and buy a more expensive watch because it's more expensive, and therefore should be better. I'd suggest really going out there and looking at watches of different price points to get a feel for what you like, actually go try them on and seem them in person if possible. A big factor in cost revolves around the finishing and the movement. So for example the new Aquaracer 300 has a TH31-00 movement which is a Sellita movement made specifically for Tag by their AMT division, really nice stuff. Which compared to the Seiko 4r34 in the SSK001, isn't a fair comparison. The Seiko is a great watch, but you really need to look at the details to see why there are price differences. But you might not care about any of that, and many people don't. That's why there are price ranges for everyone. Good luck.

Good reply. Btw. I drive an X5

Go hold them in your hand. If you can't tell the difference, and if the pricier option doesn't make you feel something extra, don't spend the extra money.

From my experience - 2-3k price tag and its exponential growth in quality from 2-300 price tag. Past that and it’s a lot of preference. My Tudor BB58 is only slightly worse in finishing than my 7k Rolex. But my BB58 is miles better than my Seiko diver.

Higher end watches have a look and feel that sets them apart. It's not even close imo

In this particular example, you will notice a huge jump. As someone mentioned, at this price range, the improvements are very clear. In this particular case, the new Tag Heuer aquaracer is an immense diver at the price, with an 80HR COSC movement, night and day vs the Seiko 5, a bracelet with micro adjust, again, night and day over the Seiko, AND a very solid unidirectional ceramic bezel with an excellent wave dial patter than in hand looks absolutely stunning. Tag Heuer in this case is giving perhaps the Tudor and Omega buyers something to think about.

Just try to see as many in person before making a purchase. Pictures don't always tell the whole story.

You will.

Accuracy and comfort through finishing and aesthetically. I have a handful of Seikos up into GS, the levels are different.

For me and this example I’d hang/save for a bit longer and get into a tier or two above the Tag, the difference will completely blow your mind and wrist at that level. I think the Seiko is def a notch below the Tag, but the difference between the two above is there, but not as great as the next level or mid tier to Rolex, GS, IWC, or Breitling etc….

The Seiko to Tag would be like small difference from Tag to Tudor, not much, but Seiko to mid tier will knock your socks off until you are ready for high/haute horology and independents.

Yeah. I noticed the quality increase from Seikos.

Yes, there is a different. In terms of watch quality materials and workmanship, a $5,000 watch isn’t 10 times better material and workmanship than a $500 watch that looks similar, unless $5,000 is just as easy to part with as $500. Then there is the psychological aspect. Imagine the difference in the sense of self confidence you would have walking into an important meeting wearing a well tailored $5,000 suit compared to a $500 suit you bought off the rack at Macy’s. It’s like that.

It depends how into watches you are. That's the simple answer.

The Average Joe on the street and even a number of people who think they're into watches, are all about the surface details. Just about ANY shiny new watch is really nice to them, and they will often say, "Hey, I reckon my San Martin is as nice as {insert watch worth 10x more}!" because what they see in front of them is as nice - to them - as an expensive watch. They can't perceive the differences. To them, it's the same. But the more you get into watches, especially when you begin to notice finer details about materials, finish, the performance of the watch, and so on, you see the differences are more than just skin deep.

The TAG Aquaracer is a banger! Most decent jewelers will carry them, likewise with Omega, Longines, Tudor… go out, try them on, and take your time! Once you go up, the bug bites harder😅

To me there are 3 factors to where you see benefit on your extra money: Internal, External, and Brand Name.

The internals we can generalize as being costing roughly 200$-500$ (maybe 200$ for a seiko movement and 300$ or 350$ for the Tag, just a guess). But go and research the base movement of the Tag as it is probably ETA or Sellita. Then you can see what the internal movement's worth is roughly on EBAY roughly see what they are sold for.

Subtract the difference in price of the two movements from the difference in price. What you are left with, pretend it is a 2000$. Is that extra 2000$ for the Tag worth the external appearance and brand name/heritage?

So even closer analyze, lets say is the external polish, and design, and shine, worth $1000. Do you think the Tag's external appearance on the dial and case that much better than the Seiko's, in your eyes?

Then is it worth wearing the Tag name to parties, company events and having people ask and you say "It's a Tag". is it worth it to your clients. Is it a good conversation starter? Do you place 1000$ value on the Tag name, in your mind for your current life situation?

So internal you ca subtract out easy, but external and brand name emphasis is based on your eyes and mind, if it is worth the remaining difference in price. For me personally my limit is $2000 dollars out the door with tax etc for a watch total. Because most of the watches I look at the movements cost 250$ on ebay. That means the remaining 1500-1700$ is just for brand name and external cosmetic or case design.

I would go to a place where you can get hands on with some different pieces.

In my experience if you were to plot quality vs price on a chart it would grow proportionately with the price until (very roughly) the $/£1500 mark. After that there is quality improvements but I don’t think it is proportionate to the price. At this point I don’t think we’re buying the watches purely off the value it offers. That’s why brands like Longines and Christopher Ward are so hot at the moment, they sit right in this sweet spot of being bang on the money.

Forget about the amount of money on the price label, buy what you love 😄

IMHO there is no logical comparison between the two watches mentioned apart from they both tell the time (probably one more accurately than the other) and can be taken in the water.

Personally having Tag watches myself and many within the family I believe them to be excellent quality, have been 100% reliable and a pleasure to own.

Whether the Tag is ‘worth’ multiple times more than the Seiko can only be a personal decision but it is the watch I would much prefer to own.

I just got the blue non-GMT Aquaracer yesterday, and despite being my first watch in the >$1k range, it feels worth every penny I paid for it.

Most of my watches are Casios and G-Shocks, Seikos, microbrands like Dan Henry, and AliExpress watches. And while I can't really say that the Tag is 10x better than my San Martin that costs 1/10th the price, there's just something about this new model with the wave pattern dial that brings pure joy every time it hits the light (this isn't as visible on the black dial btw, so just be aware).

The balance of the watch on my wrist is also a league above my Seikos. I'm not sure I'll ever look at my Prospex diver the same way again, the thing is an unbalanced tank compared to the Aquaracer. 😅

Not at retail for an Aquaracer if that is what you are considering. They tend to lose about 40% of their value on the second hand market so I would wait a little and find a reputable dealer and you can get one in great condition for a much better value than new. That being said there is a big difference between the sub $500 watches and $3k plus. You will appreciate the higher lever of finishing and how solid they feel.

It's more about the feeling of accomplishment you get owning an expensive piece. People get expensive ones for milestones, but that's not to say a seiko isn't a great watch either.

The biggest change I noticed is the accuracy of the watch when going up in price. Another small note is seikos sometimes have quality control issues with bezel alignment.

That being said, never go into debt when getting a watch. They're luxury items that are more for sentimental reasons.