Omega Skywalker X-33

[~dadam02~]

There's been quite a few ana-digi threads recently having never owned one before its now not going to be long until another box is crossed off. This is really nice looking, will try to get to an AD to view our in the flesh. Price is not so great however.

[IVK]

I tried one on recently and loved it. Very nice on the wrist and function-mungous.

Ive now got one on order, will report back here when it arrives. Once it does get here it'll be a straight fight between the Skywalker and my aerospace for ani-digi duties.

Well mine arrived today and what a brilliant watch it is, I'm really happy with it.



Martyn put together a fantastic review here for a bit more info. My initial impressions?

- it wears superbly for a big watch, even on my sub 7" wrist
- it's obviously very light because of the titanium, but has a real quality feel
- it has fantastic legibility with the white hands against the dark dial
- it comes in a bloody massive box!

I just need to sit down now and work out how the functions work.

[Tenko]

Saw the blue LE today in T3 WOS. Like the blue but the fabric NATO strap that it comes on is a bit meh! Think the black with the bracelet is a nicer watch. When I asked the sales assistant if they had the black in stock, they told me that it doesn't come in black sir

Price was £3100

[pstruck]

My attention has turned to these and I'm really keen to try one. Hopefully a good pre-owned one will pop up somewhere as I'm not prepared to pay the full new price.

I've read about the size and it wearing smaller than the stats suggest, but what do owners feel about the weight? Just how light is it? I like to feel a watch on my wrist, to be able to feel that it is a quality, robust item, but not for it to be too heavy. My slight concern with titanium watches is that they feel too light and this effects the perceived quality.

[JasonM]

Don't worry, I handled Derek 'Luvwatch's example the other day and was presently surprised, not heavy but not flimsy light either, just right, it's the bracelet that makes or breaks ti watches in this regard and it's a really nice one, the watch is very legible too, Derek tried to pretend he knew the functions but was making stuff up in the end 😀 . Great watch.

[LuvWatch]

Don't worry, I handled Derek 'Luvwatch's example the other day and was presently surprised, not heavy but not flimsy light either, just right, it's the bracelet that makes or breaks ti watches in this regard and it's a really nice one, the watch is very legible too, Derek tried to pretend he knew the functions but was making stuff up in the end  . Great watch.

I know my Mission Elapsed Time from my Phased Elapsed Time

[pstruck]

it's the bracelet that makes or breaks ti watches in this regard and it's a really nice one.

That's good to hear. I have limited experience of ti watches, but I have have felt disappointment before at an overly light, tinny and rattly bracelet and clasp. When forking out the sort of money these go for I would certainly hope that it felt a quality piece.

[Valekk]

Saw that watch in an AD and good feeling when I tried the bracelet version, I'd say its a good alternative

[RobDad]

I want to 'get' high end Ana-Digi watches like this, but when you can buy an excellent G shock example, on bracelet, with radio controlled timekeeping, solar powered, and a movement you can drop onto a tiled floor all day (with automatic hand realignment) plus the usual 200m WR, led lighting etc - all for about £300 - I don't get it at all. Sure, I know the Breitling and Omega examples are much smarter looking, Swiss etc but the Japanese have them licked technologically - imho - at a (much) lower price point. These aren't really water resistant enough for a swimming pool, and I'm sure would struggle with G shock levels of abuse - I just don't get it (and I have handled this model and previous X-33's -even the Z-33 - 'in the flesh'. I guess I like my gadgets cheap and Japanese!

[MartynJC (UK)]

Some notes.

Maybe it is the R&D costs involved for the specific ESA space program? Combined with limited unit production runs of the X-33 compared to Casio runs. I think there are quite a few Casio watches flight qualified including the Timex ironmaster.

http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...space-missions

Maybe it's cause we are paying govement procurement prices (wink)

btw the alarms alone put the x-33 so much above the competition and temperature compensated quartz movement- I don't think there is a strong timing signal in the ISS or MIR3 that rotates around the earth every 90mins.

I agree though it's a bl@dy expensive watch - but less than half the price of a Rolex that keeps perhaps 1sec/day - strange hobby we have

have to be a little careful of the 200m wrt watches with negative pressure and exploding crystals

[petespendthrift]

Anyone put off by the water resistance, fear not. The watch has a resonance chamber (diaphram) underneath the vented case back. This is for the very loud alarm and by design has to be made out of flexible metal. The 30 Meter rating is only because at depths beyond 30 Metres the flexible metal would bend inwards under pressure and squash against the battery and movement. In terms of being sealed against water ingress it is capable of much greater depth and will not leak if used in water. I swim and shower in mine daily and have had no problems. This is common for many watches ie. The difference between a Rolex GMT and a Submariner is the thickness of the case back. One has a rating of 300m the other 100m but the same crystal and seals are used.

Also whilst a Casio may be rated to 200m there is a chance that, with their typically thin pressed steel case back, that they will not hold up well in the long term. If one fails Casio will of course provide you with new one for free under warranty as they cost them virtually nothing. In normal use they are unlikely to fail as very few people test them to their limits. Omega have to stand behind their premium products to a greater extent so are more conservative.

Finally, Solar and Kinetic watches may not need regular battery changes but they still require regular maintainane just like any other watch or they will fail (water ingress, poor timing, electronic malfunction, dried oil on moving parts etc). The only benefit is that you are more likely to decide when they need a service rather than the battery end of life. However, plenty of warning on the modern battery quartz watches these days. Therefore are they the solution to a problem that does not exist? Also Atomic technology is a way of making automatic daily corrections to what is otherwise a cheap and not very accurate quartz movement. If no signal is received then they will just be a standard 20 sec per month Quartz. I'd rather have a high quality Quartz that is just accurate.

[bitfield]

The 30 Meter rating is only because at depths beyond 30 Metres the flexible metal would bend inwards under pressure and squash against the battery and movement. In terms of being sealed against water ingress it is capable of much greater depth and will not leak if used in water.

I'm confused. So is it 30m water resistant or not? Or is it just that the alarm won't work below 30m?

[petespendthrift]

There is no technical reference to back this up but my conclusion is that depths beyond 30m might crush the alarm diaphram against the battery/movement and cause damage. This would be a problem long before the watch leaks as achiveing basic sealing of watch cases is not a problem for Omega. The need to be used in space, proposed by others as a reason for low water resistance, seems unlikely as plenty of watches can be both waterproof and capable of surviving a vacuum. After all standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is only 15 PSI and the vacuum of space would be zero meaning only 15PSI difference. The low water resistance of the original Speedmasters would likely have related to the rather thin and flexible Hesalite crystal.

Either way, normal surface swimming, snorkelling, showers etc. are not an issue for modern high quality watches. 30M or otherwise. Watches with extreme depth ratings have beefed up crystals and case backs to prevent case deformation or breakage as this will occur before they leak if well maintained.

[Qatar-wol]

Either way, normal surface swimming, snorkelling, showers etc. are not an issue for modern high quality watches. 30M or otherwise. Watches with extreme depth ratings have beefed up crystals and case backs to prevent case deformation or breakage as this will occur before they leak if well maintained.

Certainly I've showered almost every day with mine. I mean, I shower every day, I just don't wear this every day! And on one of Eddie's standard 20mm NATOs, it's 75 grams!

[RobDad]

In regard to G shocks, I don't believe the 'thin steel backs won't make it to 200m' line, they seem to be warn by many divers with impunity and there is video of a standard frogman at 1000m online!
You can also throw them onto a solid floor with abandon, and all my solar/atomics synch nine nights out of ten. Anyone who thinks they are all marketing and no substance hasn't owned one!

[rushroon]

Anyone put off by the water resistance, fear not. The watch has a resonance chamber (diaphram) underneath the vented case back. This is for the very loud alarm and by design has to be made out of flexible metal. The 30 Meter rating is only because at depths beyond 30 Metres the flexible metal would bend inwards under pressure and squash against the battery and movement. In terms of being sealed against water ingress it is capable of much greater depth and will not leak if used in water. I swim and shower in mine daily and have had no problems.

I always thought the Skywalker X-33 the perfect travel watch let down by the poor WR. If you swim with it and have no problems then maybe I will be brave the next time I am on holiday!! Thanks for the information.

[bitfield]

I always thought the Skywalker X-33 the perfect travel watch let down by the poor WR.

Well, it's WR to 30m, as we've established.

That being so, unless you're going to swim deeper than 30m, it's all good.

[petespendthrift]

Rob, I can honestly say that when I bought my X33, I never once thought maybe I should get a G Shock instead and I also never thought it's a bit too expensive so I will have to give up that bad habit I've picked up of deliberately throwing my watches at solid floors with 'abandon'. The rest of what you said is not really representative of what I actually said.

For some people a watch is just a watch that needs to be cheap and reliable but for most on this website there is some interest in the finer points and the movement in the X33 is an example of a top quality Quartz built from top materials with cutting edge technology. They are a world apart from a bog standard cheap Quartz. Although we all tend to have the 'only a quartz' attitude the chances are that the top Quatz movements are more expensive to develop and make than the high quality mechanicals. The cases and bracelets and other parts are made to the same standard as equivalent mechanicals. Many of us can appreciate both Mechanical and Quartz and would like the premium brands to offer full selections of both.

Casio are excellent cheap watches cramed with technology made possible by the economy of volume production. Waveceptor is a clever way of improving accuracy on a cheap movement that would otherwise only be accurate to a variable quality control ranging from quite good to relatively poor (compared to what Quartz is capable of). They are full of features but the basic watch movement is quite pedestrian. There are very few high end quartz watches in production.

I fully expect my X33 to last a lot longer than any Casio G Shock I have owned and it to survive any treatment I would give one. As it's not a divers watch I will not dive in it but fully expect it to survive all normal water activities. The flexible alarm diaphram limits it to 30m of pressure but I never expect it to actually leak. It is a 'tough' watch. Omega could probably include a better explanation in their technical details but perhaps their marketing people don't fully understand how many of us assess our potential purchases. Water resistance ratings are more complex than 'will it leak or not?'. They would no doubt sell more if they explained that.

[RobDad]

All fair points, didn't mean to come across as massively negative about the x-33, I think they're very nice. However, I tend to wear that kind of 'do it all, alarm and all the bells and whistles' watch as a traveller/beater so it is a watch 'sector' I don't really 'get'. Doesn't mean I'm remotely right!!
My point about the chuckability is this tough element of quartz which I rather like. Hammer in nails, but it on the bedside table or on the side of the sink, with no worries of dropping it. Didn't mean to come across as a prat!

[petespendthrift]

You did not come across as a prat (I hope, as I speak to people in a similar manner regularly!) and there are other forums on the internet where everyone agrees with each other and there is no lively debate making for some pretty boring interactions. Luckily here with true Brit character we can be opinionated and speak our minds without fear of upsetting anyone.

If it makes you feel any better, I have a very negative opinion of the Z33 which appears to have pointless features that would be redundant to a professional pilot and very poor timezone/UTC implementation - the one thing on it that would otherwise be useful. All wrapped up in some very dubious styling. The X33 and Z33 are clearly from two very different design teams, the Z33 team appear to have not actually consulted any pilots in it's design. Probably has great build quality though.

[geoffcotton]

It really is a beautiful watch.

[geoffcotton]

That's a stunning looking watch. I love the functionality.

(Not my photo)

I tried one of these on today and as a big ana-digi fan, I must say this blows everything else out of the water.

Ok, it doesn't look as cool and smart as the Aerospace but boy it outperforms it (and as you may know I am a massive Breitling / Aerospace fanboy).

The readability of the digital displays even in strong daylight is awesome (without the backlight) and the range of functions is mind-boggling.

The push buttons make the functionality very easy to access.

Being titanium it was super lightweight and very comfortable and secure on the wrist.

For me, the biggest impression was the legibility of the displays - really fantastic.

Finally, I felt it was well priced (relatively speaking of course!).

Sorry no photos, and sorry to just ramble, but I thought it was worth a little thread for those who may be unsure or unaware of this Aerospace-killer!

Adrian.

[RAJEN]

[QUOTE=geoffcotton;3902737]That's a stunning looking watch. I love the functionality

It really is.

[ach5]

Well look what arrived today, 3 years after I started this thread!

[Mr Curta]

Well look what arrived today...

Well done, I hope that it fully lives up to your expectations! It's no secret that I'm a sucker for all iterations of the X-33, I narrowly missed the Solar Impulse on SC this week otherwise I'd have four of the damn things now...

[minkle]

I got one a couple of weeks ago.. very pleased but did have to sync the seconds hand to the digital display today, not sure why it had changed.
Next is to master the alarms.

[MFB Scotland]

Well look what arrived today, 3 years after I started this thread!

Lovely Adrian. I nearly traded with Christian but I love my Aerospace too much.

[Omegamanic]

I got one a couple of weeks ago.. very pleased but did have to sync the seconds hand to the digital display today, not sure why it had changed.
Next is to master the alarms.

If you work out the alarms let me know! I haven’t spent the time to work it out, and I’ve had mine for quite some time now ;)

- - - Updated - - -

Well look what arrived today, 3 years after I started this thread!

Fabulous watches for used money. Enjoy!

[rushroon]

One of my favourites - amazing watch. Looks great, wears a lot smaller than it is and has superb functionality. So many timers!!

[huytonman]

ithere is an omega app that helps with the functions, the alarm setting is a bit complex and isnt explained clearly anywhere, I eventually worked it out and made it a custom function...so now one button press which is nice!

[ach5]

ithere is an omega app that helps with the functions, the alarm setting is a bit complex and isnt explained clearly anywhere, I eventually worked it out and made it a custom function...so now one button press which is nice!

Omega X-33 app

EDIT - link to App Store won’t copy properly on my iPad, but yes there’s an excellent app

[emo72]

sorry lads dont if it was mentioned, why is it called skywalker? the second hand looks like lukes saber?

[Caruso]

Congratulations Ach5. I started out watch collecting with digital watches and ended up making the transition to 'proper' i.e. mechanical watches. My X-33 is the digital I keep coming back to most often despite also having a Breitling Aerospace also.

[thenikjones]

Congratulations, I do like that. The hands on the original X33 never appealed - I am very much an Aerospace and B1 man - but I do like the look of this one a lot. Enjoy it.

[notenoughwrists]

Damn it!!! How have I missed how cool this looks... I’ve been an ana-digi fan more recently and now, well.... I NEED one of these!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mr Curta]

Well done, I hope that it fully lives up to your expectations! It's no secret that I'm a sucker for all iterations of the X-33, I narrowly missed the Solar Impulse on SC this week otherwise I'd have four of the damn things now...

Doh!




Joining this trio in the collection.

[Foxy100]

I feel a big urge to have one of these, I blame Ryan for showing me one at a GTG three or four years ago and Andy Tims for showing me his on Saturday. And his X33, fnar fnar.

[Mr Curta]

I feel a big urge to have one of these, I blame Ryan for showing me one at a GTG three or four years ago and Andy Tims for showing me his on Saturday. And his X33, fnar fnar.

It was Carlton-Browne that started me off, he showed me his in a pub and I was rather impressed. I liked his X33 as well.

[petespendthrift]

I’ve been wearing mine for a few years now as my daily watch including snorkelling, swimming, showers, hot tubs and it’s still in great condition. I absolutely love it still. It’s such good build quality and such great functions (absolutely unique and purpose driven). I can’t fault it. The perfect traveller’s watch.

But for reasons that I don’t understand, I never see these watches for sale anywhere. They are really rare. Presumably Omega don’t intend anyone to buy them...

[rushroon]

Totally agree - wonderful watch that curiously does not appear to be talked about much even although it’s perfect for travelling and general daily duties. Supremely accurate too - my own is running at around 2s out per year!

Good to see you also subject it to water use and it stands up well.

[MrBanks]

I've always really like these and now reading this thread I want one even more!

[MartynJC (UK)]

Oh well. After a bottle of white on a summers afternoon. Just bought the Solar Ltd Edn with 20% off in the sale from Berrys. Let’s hope the battery isn’t 2 years old! Due in on Tuesday.

[Lostintime]

I am beginning to get interested in this model. Look forward to your review and impressions.

[MartynJC (UK)]

I am beginning to get interested in this model. Look forward to your review and impressions.

Check the ‘review’ section for my review of the non-limited edition. :-). All the best Martyn.

[Foxy100]

I feel a big urge to have one of these, I blame Ryan for showing me one at a GTG three or four years ago and Andy Tims for showing me his on Saturday. And his X33, fnar fnar.

And lo...