San Martin vs. High-End Brands: What Are You Really Sacrificing?

Products from San Martin like their steel cases sapphire glass crystals and fine finishes may give the impression of mimicking brands like Rolex and Omega. With the offerings at San Martin the question highlights itself what feature are you compromising on the more affordable option?

The main compromise is the refineness of the watch movement. Higher-end houses like Omega and Rolex will develop their watch movements in-house and develop the movements with more reliability and longativity. In contrast San Martin will use a more generic movement that is more prone to variances in reliability so the difference may be subtle. With more practice and time reliability will be more expensive to service more frequently.

The difference in the finishes of the watches while existent is shorter the gap than many believe. With a more dominant brand if you look closely at the watch you will see a a more crisp and deeper finish. But a rough and nice finish is better than a cheap finish and that is why there is a reputation preceeding San Martin Watches.

When talking about value you can not measure the value of the “genuine” aspect. Value of the brand names that are high-end houses such as Omega are Rolex watches is a combination of their history or the watch itself and the brand value. In comparison San Martin is the better value and that is the crux of the sale to many but the perceived watch value is lost to some.

Longer branded prestige and service networks may be sacrificed to an extent. In general more affordable brands presnet a service network that is more streamlined and efficient whereas more expensive brands will have service networks that are more expensive and elaborate.

What is the trade-off? You lose heritage elite-level finishing and brand recognition. You gain strong materials solid performance and excellent value for the price.

The question is not which is better but what do you value more — the name on the dial or the experience on the wrist.