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ckm5
210
Oct 20, 2018
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No, just no. For this price, you can get a significantly better quality Swiss watch. If the last Glycine I got is any indication, you are better off getting a Swiss made Invicta for 1/2 as much - Glycine is about the same quality. Or any Swiss made watch with an ETA movement would be better quality. Edit - if you are looking at this, buy the Massdrop Oris instead - it's only a little more for a significantly better watch.
aderrrrrk
21
Oct 22, 2018
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ckm5I don't see how the Oris Artelier's SW220 is a better movement than the SW330 in the Glycine.
Plus, the movement isn't the most important thing in a watch, and maybe some people like this watch because of its design and history in the Vietnam War. If it weren't for the history of a watch, no one would be wasting $3000+ on a speedmaster pro for example. And in my opinion, the Oris is ugly and large.
Even ignoring the history, looks, and brand name, I'd argue that the Oris currently on massdrop is a worse value than the Glycine.
Plus, the movement isn't the most important thing in a watch, and maybe some people like this watch because of its design and history in the Vietnam War. If it weren't for the history of a watch, no one would be wasting $3000+ on a speedmaster pro for example. And in my opinion, the Oris is ugly and large.
Even ignoring the history, looks, and brand name, I'd argue that the Oris currently on massdrop is a worse value than the Glycine.
ckm5
210
Oct 23, 2018
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einsteinNo, I work in tech - just got burned by the crappy quality of Glycine under Invicta ownership. Personally, I don't think ANY new Glycine is worth more than $250 if that. As far as Oris quality, I've only handled one at a dealer, so I can't speak to the quality of that particular model. The ones I have seen were pretty good, enough that I would consider buying one at the right price.
My goto brand is Mido (specifically the All Dial collection), but I also have Ocean7, Rado, Omega and others in my collection - see this post https://www.massdrop.com/talk/1875/state-of-your-watch-collection/2184353 Needless to say, I've had a lot of watches over the years (maybe a 100?) and I also have rebuilt a number of watches (couple of Seiko bullheads, a vintage Titoni and two Bulova Accutrons), so I've seen some amount of internals. I'm also a part-time machinist, so I understand how metal is machined and I can tell that Glycine is cutting corners in their finishing process. As a small example, the edges are not deburred to the same level as pre-Invicta - it's more similar to a Chinese knockoff (sharp edges & all) than a 'real' Swiss-made watch.
The MD Glycine I bought was just about the worse ripoff I've ever seen. It's painfully obvious that Glycine is now just an Invicta with a fancy brand (I have a pre-Invicta Glycine for compairson...). Which is a shame as some Glycines I looked forward to owning....
I'm just trying to help others avoid the same fate, but like the rest of you, I'm just a random internet person, so my opinion is worth what you are paying for it ;-)
My goto brand is Mido (specifically the All Dial collection), but I also have Ocean7, Rado, Omega and others in my collection - see this post https://www.massdrop.com/talk/1875/state-of-your-watch-collection/2184353 Needless to say, I've had a lot of watches over the years (maybe a 100?) and I also have rebuilt a number of watches (couple of Seiko bullheads, a vintage Titoni and two Bulova Accutrons), so I've seen some amount of internals. I'm also a part-time machinist, so I understand how metal is machined and I can tell that Glycine is cutting corners in their finishing process. As a small example, the edges are not deburred to the same level as pre-Invicta - it's more similar to a Chinese knockoff (sharp edges & all) than a 'real' Swiss-made watch.
The MD Glycine I bought was just about the worse ripoff I've ever seen. It's painfully obvious that Glycine is now just an Invicta with a fancy brand (I have a pre-Invicta Glycine for compairson...). Which is a shame as some Glycines I looked forward to owning....
I'm just trying to help others avoid the same fate, but like the rest of you, I'm just a random internet person, so my opinion is worth what you are paying for it ;-)
aderrrrrk
21
Oct 24, 2018
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AleskbI agree that for $600, this glycine isn't a great deal. I don't even own this watch. I'm just saying that it's not a terrible deal and there's no way that the oris is better
Prosperi1
1
Oct 24, 2018
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ckm5Hey thanks for the input. Looking for a cool watch for my 25 year old (read Brooklyn cool) son who (like me) loves watches. Can't afford to go any higher than about $250 but I'm OK with very good used. If you have any suggestions, please contact me at mindyprosperi@gmail.com 10/24/18
Thanks!!
ckm5
210
Oct 24, 2018
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Prosperi1Depends if you want an automatic or not and if you care if it's Swiss, if it has to be new and what style of watch you are looking for. Also how careful/abusive the wearer is likely to be.... There are a lot of choices.
Orient & Seiko make great and pretty cheap automatics. If you are OK with a quartz watch, Victorinox, Mido, Sector, Tissot and Citizen all have great, pretty cheap nice quartz watches. Sector's line of Swiss made quartz watches in particular are pretty awesome and you can sometimes find a bargain Tissot. A lot of Swiss companies make both automatic and quartz versions of the same watch, with the quartz version being 1/2 to 1/4 of the automatic price....
If you want something really unique with a great technology story, an original Bulova Accutron or a first generation Pulsar LED watch are great, historically significant vintage watches and still relatively affordable (but make sure you get a working version, they are unfixable). With everyone sporting huge watches these days, I've seen some San Francisco hipsters starting to wear smaller vintage watches with cloth straps.... I have a Titoni Airmaster from the 60's which has that vibe.
If it has to be Swiss, there are a number of 'second tier' makers that have great watches, sometimes you can get a new or used bargain. Among them are Certina, Festina, Mido, Titoni, Eterna, Zodiac, Doxa, etc. Or a Tissot, which are good quality even if they are everywhere.
IMHO (and this is very much personal preference) I typically look for things like sapphire crystals, good water resistance and indicators of a quality construction (solid end links, machined buckles, applied numbers on faces, etc). Also exotic materials like titanium & ceramic are much harder to machine so are generally found in better watches. I'm also hard/careless with my watches, so I stay away from anything delicate and prefer 'diver' styles. That said, I also value being able to fit my watch under a dress shirt, so if you look at my watch collection, you'll see a number of 'thin' watches specifically for that reason....
Also, while a totally different category, Garmin makes a great series of smart sport watches which few people know about.
Orient & Seiko make great and pretty cheap automatics. If you are OK with a quartz watch, Victorinox, Mido, Sector, Tissot and Citizen all have great, pretty cheap nice quartz watches. Sector's line of Swiss made quartz watches in particular are pretty awesome and you can sometimes find a bargain Tissot. A lot of Swiss companies make both automatic and quartz versions of the same watch, with the quartz version being 1/2 to 1/4 of the automatic price....
If you want something really unique with a great technology story, an original Bulova Accutron or a first generation Pulsar LED watch are great, historically significant vintage watches and still relatively affordable (but make sure you get a working version, they are unfixable). With everyone sporting huge watches these days, I've seen some San Francisco hipsters starting to wear smaller vintage watches with cloth straps.... I have a Titoni Airmaster from the 60's which has that vibe.
If it has to be Swiss, there are a number of 'second tier' makers that have great watches, sometimes you can get a new or used bargain. Among them are Certina, Festina, Mido, Titoni, Eterna, Zodiac, Doxa, etc. Or a Tissot, which are good quality even if they are everywhere.
IMHO (and this is very much personal preference) I typically look for things like sapphire crystals, good water resistance and indicators of a quality construction (solid end links, machined buckles, applied numbers on faces, etc). Also exotic materials like titanium & ceramic are much harder to machine so are generally found in better watches. I'm also hard/careless with my watches, so I stay away from anything delicate and prefer 'diver' styles. That said, I also value being able to fit my watch under a dress shirt, so if you look at my watch collection, you'll see a number of 'thin' watches specifically for that reason....
Also, while a totally different category, Garmin makes a great series of smart sport watches which few people know about.
Aleskb
449
Nov 7, 2018
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aderrrrrkI understand, but for having owned a DC-4 Purist for a year, and held several Oris watches in the steel, I can tell you the quality feel and finish level of the laters were far superior to the ones I experienced on my Airman. So I disagree with your later point and, personnally speaking, for having gone the Glycine way and lost a LOT on resell even though I had grabbed it on MD for 600 USD, I'd go with Oris any day and any time at the same price point!
von_habe
20
Mar 1, 2019
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ckm5Well I can agree that this particular watch is not worth the money but the airman purist I got is of great quality and to be honest I don't see why u hate glycine so much.
If it's because it's oned by Invicta I will just tell you that Ferrari is owned by Fiat and it does not really matter. The owner can decide about the strategy pricing etc. But the manufacturing and style remains as glycine is pleased.
If u think of it this would not make sense for Invicta to buy a premium brand and make it a little worse. Cuz they would have two Invictas with different naming.
ckm5
210
Mar 1, 2019
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von_habeI have a pre-Invicta Combat 6 and it's 100x better. That's why - the quality has gone down immensely, but the price has not.
Market segmentation & branding is a thing, that's why Protor & Gamble make a hundred varieties of toothpaste with 30 different brands....
P.S. I collect & restore cars, don't get me started on that ;-)
(Edited)
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