Rudiger Watches Review – Style and Quality
For some reason, there aren’t a lot of German watchmaking companies; the Germans seem to prefer building cars to timepieces and leave the watches to the Swiss. There are a few, however, and they’re worth checking out. Rudiger watches haven’t been on the market long, but they’ve quickly established a reputation for making a quality timepiece with modern styling at an affordable price point. If you want something with solid European engineering but you want to shy away from the Swiss watches that everyone else is wearing, you might want to see what the brand has to offer.
Read on for the full Rudiger watches review.
Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary
Rudiger Watches Build Quality
The build quality of Rudiger watches is good, though not exceptional. Cases are stainless steel. The watch faces are protected by mineral crystal which, while good, is not as scratch-resistant as sapphire crystal. Water resistance is good, with most models being rated to 50 meters or better.
Part of what makes Rudiger watches affordable is that they are all powered by quartz electronic movements, rather than mechanical movements. The quartz movements used are mostly made by Miyota, a division of Citizen, in Japan. Others use movements made by Seiko.
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Given that this brand is relatively inexpensive and the company is fairly new, there’s not much in the way of technical innovation to be found in the brand. Instead, the company focuses on styling and creating a functional timepiece using proven, tried-and-true technology. For now, they’re leaving the innovation to other companies, who are likely to charge far higher prices for their watches.
The styling of Rudiger watches is modern and bold, with oversized cases, contrasting colors, and unusual arrangement of features on the watch face. At this price point, you’re not going to find gold, though many models do feature gold-tone stainless steel. A few women’s models have a few diamonds decorating the bezel. Colors are somewhat traditional, with white, gold, silver and black being predominant in the company’s designs.
You’ll find sports models with chronograph features as well as time-only dress watches. Date complications are also available on some models. Displays are all analog, despite the quartz movements. You’ll find that there are Rudiger watches designs that make them suitable for all types of wear – daytime, business or evening.
Rudiger Watches Care and Maintenance
The care and maintenance should be minimal and fairly straightforward. As all models are powered by electronic quartz movements, you will need to have the battery replaced approximately every two years. When having this done, be sure to have the watertight seal examined and/or replaced. You will want to store your watches in a cool, dry place and keep them away from extremes of temperature or strong magnetic fields. Either of these can damage the movement and prevent it from working properly. With proper care, you should find that your watch will run well for years to come.
The warranty is good, but unexceptional; the company warrants their products for two years from the date of purchase against defects in materials and craftsmanship. Most companies in the watchmaking industry offer a two year warranty; we estimate that 90% of all watch warranties are for two years, so the warranty, while unexceptional, is about average.
You will find that as luxury timepieces go, pricing for this brand is reasonable, being priced in the hundreds, rather than the thousands, of dollars. These days, it seems that companies are always trying to outdo one another to see who can charge the highest prices for their timepieces. It’s a nice change to see a company target a more reasonable price point.
You’ll find that prices range from about $300 to about $800 or so, making them quite affordable when compared with other European watch brands. With a bit of looking around, you can find them discounted, as well. Collectors aren’t yet taking much interest in the brand, as they tend to favor mechanical watches rather than those with electronic movements, so it’s not likely that these watches will appreciate in value over time. That could change, particularly if the company decides to start making automatic models at some point in the future. For now, just accept that they offer a good value and a nice looking timepiece at a great price point.
If you’re trying to find the brand for sale, you’re most likely to find them at better jewelry stores in major cities. The brand is not yet widely distributed, though that will likely change over time as the brand becomes better known. A few department stores may carry them, as well. You can also find them at a number of retailers online, and that would present your best chance to buy at a discount.
Online retailers have less overhead than their brick and mortar counterparts, which puts them in a better position to offer discounts. We’ve seen them offered online at prices as low as 60% below the suggested retail price, so that would certainly make it worth while to go online and take a look.
Rudiger Watches Summary
There aren’t a lot of German companies making watches right now, and that makes them somewhat appealing, if only because they’re a bit unusual. The Rudiger watches brand isn’t yet particularly well known, so if you’re seen wearing Rudiger watches, you’re likely to draw people into conversation. You’ll find that Rudiger watches offer good build quality, modern styling, and an acceptable warranty. As a bonus, Rudiger watches are sold at a pretty appealing price point, and some buyers are likely going to want to buy more than one as they’re quite affordable as luxury watches go. They’re not particularly cutting edge, but Rudiger watches offer good value and decent features at a great price.