Reply With QuoteThank you for that useful walk through. I am leaning towards the GMT myself but i'm waiting for the new Moonphase Speedmasters before I finally make my mind up
I commented on this thread yesterday that I would be visiting the Omega Boutique in Regent St today to try and see the new Planet Oceans:
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...a-planet-ocean
So after a few hours talking to a client about kidnapping response and preparedness (sometimes my job can be interesting, this is one of those occasions), I made my way to the boutique hoping that they would have the 39.5mm version I had been reading about on the train:
https://monochrome-watches.com/small...et-ocean-600m/
I own a first generation Planet Ocean and have mentioned on this forum a few times that I believe it to be superior to the (previous generations of) Submariner in most ways. Bracelet and clasp more substantial and feel tougher, timekeeping on my PO roughly -1 per day, very bright lume. It was one of the first premium watches which grabbed my attention, mainly because of the bright orange bezel and has now been in my collection for 8 years IIRC.
When the second generation of POs came out I decided that I wanted one, the previous chronograph had never interested me but I loved the look of the 9300 powered 2 register version, until I say how thick it was. Anyway, I tried on the (at this time) new three handers and was disappointed by the thickness of them, especially on the bracelet which seemed to exaggerate the size, especially on the 45.5mm version. Despite trying to buy one on several occaionsons, the thickness always put me off and I never ended up buying one.
45.5mm on rubber
42mm on rubber
45.5mm on bracelet
My opinion on the second generation of PO remains that they got the proportions wrong, for me at least.
So back to today. As soon as I got to the boutique I spotted a couple of the new POs in the window, caught the attention of the brick outhouse who was guarding the treasures within and asked to see some of the new models. Here are some brief thoughts.
Initially the following were brought out for my perusal:
43.5mm Black & Orange
http://www.omegawatches.com/watches/...1530442101002/
They only had the bracelet version, which is a shame as I like the look of the rubber strap. The dial is gloriously shiny, whether that's a positive or negative is personal to wearer but I liked it. Much of the discussion about this particular model has been around the bezel, specifically, the orange section. The black section is ceramic, however, the orange section is to quote ablogtowatch 'silicon nitride rubber blended with ceramic', I was intrigued to see how it felt in comparison to the rest of the bezel. After much prodding with my finger nail, it seems that it feels like very hard rubber but not quite. Its very hard to explain, but, on the whole I like it. The colour is striking next to the rest of the ceramic bezel.
The watch is thick, very thick. It is hard to know how it would wear as this one was on an unsized bracelet. What I will say is that Omega have been very clever with the end links; they are similar in construction to an older Rolex bracelet in the way the last link fits into the endlink. The result of this is that the bracelet angles downwards closer to the case (see my 8500 bracelet pic above for what is now avoided) when pulled snug, or I assume when properly sized.
I also tried the blue version of the 43.5mm bracelet watch, more on colour below, but it seemed slightly smaller than the black/orange, a trick on the mind due to colour and lighting I suspect.
I then tried on the 39.5 in blue.
http://www.omegawatches.com/watches/...1530402003001/
Firstly the colour, its very very dark. In the shop lighting it seemed almost black, not the slightly metallic blue from the website. TBH I am not 100% on the blues that Omega use in ceramics, again its personal opinion, but I prefer a blue like the Hour Vision Orbis, more shimmering that flat.
I thought this would be the size I would prefer, however, I'm not sure. I had been wearing my 14060 which is 40mm, so .5mm larger. The PO felt a little porky, fat with a small face. It also seemed quite small when I tried it on.
Finally I tried on the GMT
http://www.omegawatches.com/watches/...1533442201001/
https://monochrome-watches.com/omega...ve-pics-price/
I did not like the look of this when the Basel shots came out, however, in person I think it looked spectacular. The contrast on the bezel is great and the between the strap and case really popped.
Being on the strap and deployant clasp I was able to adjust it to fit snuggly to my wrist. To my surprise the 17.04mm (yes the all important .04mm) felt great and slid under my cuff with no problem. FYI I was wearing a CT slim fit shirt, so no baggy cuffs.
This was my favourite of the bunch on looks alone, but as I don't really travel abroad or need to track time zones, an extra £1K on an already expensive watch would be daft, but then again I currently own 11 watches so any purchase is a bit daft.
Some general points.
The bracelets now have micro adjustment, impossible to test without sizing the bracelet but similar to the 300 Master Co-Axial, which is a good thing.
All are METAS certified. Similar to COSC but tested once cased with a tolerance of 0 to +5. The sales rep said that each watch can be traced via the METAS website to show you exactly how it performed during test.
http://www.omegawatches.com/planet-o...r-chronometer/
Anyway, enough rambling. Conclusion I want one, which one I don't know. I would like to see the titanium version, even then, I suspect that the volume of choice may ultimately stop people from buying, after all, if you are going to spend over £4K you don't want to choose the wrong one. I am rambling again so I will leave it there. Hopefully someone will find this helpful.
Thank you for that useful walk through. I am leaning towards the GMT myself but i'm waiting for the new Moonphase Speedmasters before I finally make my mind up
Phil, you're a star.... thanks for taking the time to share your pictures and thoughts, good to know they are hitting the shops now, wonder how long I can hold out before I buy one.
From looking at your pictures I could happily have all three of them, financially that isn't happening though
Thanks for that.
I like that black and orange one the best and it's probably the best size for me though I wish it was a couple of mm thinner. Interesting to see how it feels on the rubber strap.
Just out of curiosity, what size is your wrist?
Just over 7" but quite flat. The caseback of the watches has been changed so they sit more snug to your wrist, combined with the new end links and micro adjustment should mean a very comfortable watch.Originally Posted by catflap
Grand account there plus v good pics. Thanks :-)
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Lovely account and thanks for the effort and thanks for the pics as well. 43.5 is a good size. I have the current PO GMT and the size works very well.
Yes Sir, very helpful especially about the size and wearability aspects.
Thank you.
Great post, the blue PO is definitely heading up my list of wants, Thanks for posting.
I think I will take a trip to the AD this month when I am allowed to:-) Looks good I was worried about the dial size in the smaller size, will have to try in person.
Superb review Phil, thanks!
I personally don't like the thickness of the watches, I just can't wear something that's more than 15mm thick.
The GMT bezel is wrong IMHO. Where the ceramic changes colour on the 9 o'clock side, the join or transition is intersected by the edge of one of the numbers (number 8). I'm a big Omega fan but on the GMT it looks wrong. Rolex do a much more tasteful bezel.
Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
Thanks for that, great post. Like you I have an early orange PO and what I like about it is I've yet to find a strap or bracelet it doesn't suit.
I'd be interested in looking at the blue version mainly as the 42mm blue Titanium PO is without doubt my favourite Omega. I really must pull my finger out and track one down.
Having previously owned both the 42mm and the 45.5mm versions I have to agree my current Goodplanet GMT at 43.5mm is the ideal size
Excellent write up, thanks for taking the time. I think most of us are eagerly waiting to see the new PO. The main reason I bought my SubC over the PO back in 2014 was because of the thickness of the PO. I just thought it wasn't everyday watch friendly. Seems they're still too thick although I'm keen to see the 39.5mm but at £4,400 the Sub seems a better buy, to me anyway.
I recently snagged a new orange bezel 8500 42mm in a recent sale (£1100 off RRP) and I'm glad i did get the 42mm as anything larger would have made my 7" wrists look silly.
Thanks for the write up of the new models. 43.5mm would probably still be too large for me. I wish the shiny bits on the case could be brushed instead as I always felt they were begging to be a scratch magnet. Not a fan of the rubber on the bezel on these new models - surely that will perish/get worn? I'm liking the concept of a small er PO - would love to try the 39.5mm model.
M.
This rubber insert on the bezel will look like shit in several years.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
don't think I'm a fan... just somthing about the 1st gen that i like better!
That GMT looks a chunky monkey
great post/review
I know the shops are super brightly lit, but generally all the models look so shiny and have, what I consider an imbalanced heft/chunkiness to them, that I feel Omega are trying too hard - with the result that these are just too blingy. They just lack any sense of elegance and under-statedness.
Not much in the current Omega range (save for X-33 skywalker) that interests me. And I'm quite a fan of the brand & my vintage Speedmaster Mk 2 regularly gets worn.
Really good post. Im quite interested in the new PO line, especially the GMT but wasnt sure about the bezel. Great pics of all the watches you tried on.
The bezel action feels great on these, the previous version felt far to clicky, not smooth at all. All of the ones I looked at felt firm and very smooth. I'm not sure what they have changed but it's a big improvement.
I like the look of them but does remind me of the Explorer 2 and i much prefer that.
Thanks for the review hopefully when I pick up my Seamaster from a service I'll be able to try a few on, I'm liking the orange and black strange the insert has rubber instead of ceramic I'm sure Omega struggled with Orange ceramic before and ended up using an aluminium insert in the 8500 until the orange liquid metal version came out.
The black and white bezel is really stunning
Good photos & info. Like most of the Omega range for me though, bloated, like a colourful skyscraper for the wrist. They bleat on about the latest tech, magnetism, materials, new timekeeping, meh.
Having had one of the first models with the Orange bezel ,I've always been a fan of the PO and looking at these I'm still a fan
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the review, really informative. I'm looking forward to trying one as I found the 8500 model far to thick and am hoping these will sit better on the wrist.
Phil. Very useful information. Not so sure about the thickness but they certainly look intriguing. I think a trip to my local boutique is due.
I keep looking at these but as noted above by a couple of people they seem far too deep?
I've a 21 year old "Bond" SMP that looks positively small now :-)
Deep? Or you mean tall?
Yours is a better description.
I've a Dreadnought Voyager, which is a significant tall ;) watch but these seem a bit much?
I'm not a small bloke and have fairly big hands and wrists but I'm not into the current fashion for bigger and bigger watches (although as my eyes deteriorate this may change!)
14 posts in 10 months and that's your contribution
I just can't get on with the PO thickness. The original model is the best in terms of size IMO. I'll have a look at these new models but even the blue doesn't appeal as I expected unfortunately.
Last edited by W44NNE; 2nd August 2016 at 22:25.
All those watches look gorgeous, and I've always found the Omega watches very comfortable, even my PO Chronos.
the only one I'm unsure about is the one with the orange inserts on the bezel. If you were to put me in a corner and say "go on, you must take one" I'd go for the GMT based on your photos.
id love to get a look in the flesh, but as the wife often reminds me, you can't whistle without an upper lip!
Nice review. GMT looks a lot better than the photos seem previously, maybe a little too in your face. 43.5mm PO could be interesting but I'll be waiting for the pre-owned
Great hands on write up thank you. I have an 8500 42mm which I love although find it a bit chunky and heavy as a daily wearer (despite being on a Hirsch performance strap for the summer).
I am not sure I like the orange rubber bit as I fear it will age differently to the rest of the bezel and I am not 100% convinced that the splash of colour is in the right place for me.
If I was after a replacement for mine (which I am not) then I would be very tempted by the all black or all blue 43mm versions.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Popped into the Boutique at Bluewater today, no new models as yet, said they expected to have them in by the end of the month.
Anyone know a dealer around London that has these to go take a look at? Could travel to Guilford too
They look like a caricature of the first PO's. Fail.
Super write up Phil! This is why I love this site.
Anybody seen accurate
pricing on these going by stuff on line it looks like nearly £5k for 45mm on bracelet?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The Omega site has a 'show price' option.
£4,400 for 39.5mm and 43.5mm - odd but true.
Great post,
If you ever think of selling that Stowa LE , let me know!!
Long gone I'm afraid.Great post,
If you ever think of selling that Stowa LE , let me know!!
Posting Permissions
