Andrew Morgan Watches (For Your Ears Only)
Jul 9, 2026 · 20 min · 9 segments
Many must-have pieces have become a lot more expensive, so today I’ll be highlighted five of those overpriced pieces, showing you how much more you can get for your money and also introducing…
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is the little big watch that could, helping a generation of wannabe spacefarers live out their dreams one tick at a time.
What's going on with the price, though? The latest reverse panda edition, sorry, black on white, is knocking on the door of £9,000, and that's just getting on to be too much.
It's a hard one to justify when a watch that looks just like it goes for 300 bucks, even if it does have a lacquer dial.
Does anyone actually know why that makes it more expensive, especially when you can get a Seiko with an Urushi lacquer dial for, like, 1,500 quid? It is hard to find a direct comparison for this watch, since other manufacturers seem to treat mechanical chronographs like James Corden treats peace and quiet, but it's definitely not impossible to bring a lot more to the table for the same and even less spend.
So if I were being snarky, I'd say the best alternative to a Speedmaster Moonwatch is a Speedmaster Moonwatch right after someone else just bought it, but that would be an unfair way to play this game.
So instead, let's jump across to the International Watch Company, voted best Swiss watchmaker by the Luftwaffe six years in a row.
It's in that gaggle of Patek Philippe wannabes like Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Piaget, and pretty much all of Richemont's roster of watchmakers.
It's definitely a step up from Omega, however, a fact just two seconds and a pair of working eyes will corroborate.
This is the Portugieser chronographe, formerly known as Portuguese, but now a bit more Danny Dyer.
In this blue-on-white panda in eyeshadow configuration, it looks positively sumptuous.
The gleaming 3D markers set upon the frosting top leave you wondering if it's cake or not.
It's a simple approach, but the next-level quality of every element leaves bystanders in no doubt that its owner is in possession of both taste and wealth.
The funny thing is that it's cheaper than the black and white Speedmaster by £1,400.
The movement may not be as exciting to look at, but it's both more functional with self-winding and nicer to use with the column-wheel chronograph control.
It's also a tiny bit smaller at 41 millimeters instead of 42, although with the big dial, it doesn't feel that different.
So that's what you can get for about the same money, but how about even better for less? The Moonwatch's chronograph may have stripped down to show off its private parts, but ultimately it's still a plain Jane chronograph caliber with good old stop, start, and reset.
So how about some flyback action? A flyback chronograph is the watchmaking equivalent of a soft-close toilet seat, allowing a smooth transition from one timed event to another.
When you go back to a standard chronograph, it feels clunky and unrefined, and your friends end up wondering why you slammed their toilet seat down.
The Longines Spirit Flyback at £4,250, that's less than half the price of the Speedmaster, has such a flyback function.
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch is the little big watch that could, helping a generation of wannabe spacefarers live out their dreams one tick at a time.
What's going on with the price, though? The latest reverse panda edition, sorry, black on white, is knocking on the door of £9,000, and that's just getting on to be too much.
It's a hard one to justify when a watch that looks just like it goes for 300 bucks, even if it does have a lacquer dial.
Does anyone actually know why that makes it more expensive, especially when you can get a Seiko with an Urushi lacquer dial for, like, 1,500 quid? It is hard to find a direct comparison for this watch, since other manufacturers seem to treat mechanical chronographs like James Corden treats peace and quiet, but it's definitely not impossible to bring a lot more to the table for the same and even less spend.
So if I were being snarky, I'd say the best alternative to a Speedmaster Moonwatch is a Speedmaster Moonwatch right after someone else just bought it, but that would be an unfair way to play this game.
So instead, let's jump across to the International Watch Company, voted best Swiss watchmaker by the Luftwaffe six years in a row.
It's in that gaggle of Patek Philippe wannabes like Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Piaget, and pretty much all of Richemont's roster of watchmakers.
It's definitely a step up from Omega, however, a fact just two seconds and a pair of working eyes will corroborate.
This is the Portugieser chronographe, formerly known as Portuguese, but now a bit more Danny Dyer.
In this blue-on-white panda in eyeshadow configuration, it looks positively sumptuous.
The gleaming 3D markers set upon the frosting top leave you wondering if it's cake or not.
It's a simple approach, but the next-level quality of every element leaves bystanders in no doubt that its owner is in possession of both taste and wealth.
The funny thing is that it's cheaper than the black and white Speedmaster by £1,400.
The movement may not be as exciting to look at, but it's both more functional with self-winding and nicer to use with the column-wheel chronograph control.
It's also a tiny bit smaller at 41 millimeters instead of 42, although with the big dial, it doesn't feel that different.
So that's what you can get for about the same money, but how about even better for less? The Moonwatch's chronograph may have stripped down to show off its private parts, but ultimately it's still a plain Jane chronograph caliber with good old stop, start, and reset.
So how about some flyback action? A flyback chronograph is the watchmaking equivalent of a soft-close toilet seat, allowing a smooth transition from one timed event to another.
When you go back to a standard chronograph, it feels clunky and unrefined, and your friends end up wondering why you slammed their toilet seat down.
The Longines Spirit Flyback at £4,250, that's less than half the price of the Speedmaster, has such a flyback function.
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