Reply With QuoteNice little run down there. I think you have a nice pair, certainly much better lookers than the later Aqua Terra models.
The Aqua Terra 41mm 2500 was my first luxury watch, back in 2004.
The white/pearl dial with cobalt blue hands for me was the best color combo.
Only flaw of this watch may be the movement that looks a bit tiny at the caseback.
In 2015 i bought the only possible inverse color scheme of my original aqua terra: blue dial and silver index/hands.
I like this watch but the dial looks very busy compared to the previous model.
But recently i saw the new Aqua Terra models and I think they look worse, busier dials and you need to have light blue accents with the blue dial model (no more clean dials).
The crown has a conical shape?!looks horrible for me.
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Nice little run down there. I think you have a nice pair, certainly much better lookers than the later Aqua Terra models.
The white and blue combo always looked good, and had no obvious problems. You can perhaps imagine them wondering if the dial itself was a little plain, presenting a large expanse of white - enamel would have worked well. Perhaps this lead them to think about some texture.
But the moment they introduced the teak dial, they started to have problems resolving the date window, as there were now three elements fighting each other. In the generation of teak dial you've shown, the date window looks a little unfinished, a jagged hole in the dial. They tried a few different solutions, and have been sawing legs off that particular table ever since. Somehow the teak 'decking' never quite turned the watch into a Nautilus, though the 'Skyfall' generation blue dial was a beauty, and the gloss black very smart, while the watch itself was quite thick. The grey dial in some lights looked excellent, but too often a little dull.
In some ways, the early ones made the most sense. I used to own the old quartz model shown below. However never has a quartz movement made less effort to hit the markers, due in part to the long second hand, and accuracy was not particularly impressive for a quartz. It was also slightly oversized, though very close to Rolex's Oyster Perpetual 39. The next version was better sized, in fact perfectly sized, and on the quartz the movements hit the markers much better. But by that time they'd gone down the teak dial rabbit hole, and before long they discontinued the applied indices, independent hour hand quartz (one of the best overall combinations), and started messing with polishing the centre links.
I'm starting to think there is no such thing as the 'perfect' Aqua Terra, perhaps there never will be.
Last edited by Itsguy; 1st September 2017 at 09:16.
I love my AT (which is the generation prior to the latest release) however I can never get pictures to do it justice. Stunning watch in the flesh IMO
Looks fantastic on a nice leather as well
I feel the same about the early quartz models. While not perfect, mine made a nice complement to my other sportier watches, and I don't recall any concerns about timekeeping. The improvements made since aren't to my taste, and for a company that has executed the best date window I've seen (on the latest SMP) the ones on the ATs do leave something to be desired.
Have you seen the blue markers on the white fac version in real life yet?
I haven't decided how I feel about the overall styling but the pearly glow from the markers is mesmerising!
I'm trying to find one of these in a quartz right now (with applied indices) without much success. I had a grey dial one before, but I suit a lighter dial colour.Originally Posted by Cyclone
I love my AT (which is the generation prior to the latest release) however I can never get pictures to do it justice. Stunning watch in the flesh IMO
Looks fantastic on a nice leather as well
I have come close to buying an AT on a few occasions, but my biggest complaint is that on the just-discontinued model, they rounded off the points of the hands. Having designed the hands to be especially "pointy" I can see no reason to round off the tips - which somewhere in my OCD brain, implies imprecision.
And now they have ruined it even further by using horizontal striping on the dial - when did you ever see a yacht with plank-runs across the beam? The world has gone mad.
I really like the new models, especially the white dial with orange details which for me is my favourite aquaterra so far.
This for me is perfect.
Nice pair you have there though OP, I like all of the Aqua Terras so far Tbh.
I have owned a few ATs over the years including both 2500 and 8500 variants.
I know people generally love the blue one but I swapped the dial to black.
My favourite version so far and controversially I actual prefer the date window without the border.
I'm resuscitating this thread as I saw some of the new ATs for the first time today in Regent Street. The dial is rather clever, due to having a mixture smaller and larger, or possibly just shallower and deeper grooves, some or all of which disappear as you look from different angles, creating different thicknesses of stripe and other effects. It's subtle but you would notice it when turning your wrist to look at the time. It worked best with the white dial, while the black and blue dials worked less well than the old one for me. The bi-metal with white dial comes together surprisingly well. It was hard to judge the impact of the conical crown, as they were all pulled out which spoilt whatever effect that had. Overall though they looked considerably sportier and more nautical, though also less sophisticated to me, and well... a bit cheaper looking to be honest! No longer the perfect all rounder, much more Aqua than Terra.
I've owned 3 Aqua Terras and sold them all. Several years ago I was v. fortunate to buy a 36.2mm blue-dialled co-axial in mint condition. My only criticism at the time was the bracelet, which to me would've looked better with some polished parts, something like the 1610/930 found on the SMP 2254.50. I also found it a bit rattly. I sold it because I'd set my heart on the rose gold/steel white- dialled version that was discontinued and hard to find. I eventually found, but never really bonded with it.
Fast forward a couple of years and the new version with lined dial came out. I liked it, and when an 18 month old 38.5mm grey dialled version came up for sale I snapped it up. I kept the watch for a. ouple of years but let it go, Much as I admired the quality and the excellent timekeeping I ran out of enthusiasm for the watch. I found it slightly too thick, it seemed to work OK on a thick padded alligator strap but when I put it back on the bracelet I couldn't get along with it so I sold it.
Thst's 3 I've owned and 3 I've sold. The one I really miss is the first one, the blue- dial 36.2mm. I regret selling it and I've tried to buy it back from the ciurrent owner. The 36.2mm co-axial versions are quite thin on the ground so it's not an easy watch to find.
The Aqua Terra is the spiritual successor to the original 1950s Seamasters with the thick lugs, I like the concept but like most Omegas I think it's overpriced. The latest model looks OK, but I think I preferred the last version with the vertical lines better. Unlesss I was getting a decent discount I'd be reluctant to buy one new, I'd dip a bit deeper into the piggy bank and buy a 116200 Datejust instead......that's another watch I owned and regret selling!
Paul
I think that's a stunning looking watch.I have owned a few ATs over the years including both 2500 and 8500 variants.
I know people generally love the blue one but I swapped the dial to black.
My favourite version so far and controversially I actual prefer the date window without the border.
Just classy and right.
The new models look good, but this titanium Blue Planet is hard to beat.
Really like the look of that one. Very distinct combination of hands and dial.The new models look good, but this titanium Blue Planet is hard to beat.
Indeed this is a stunner but sadly is priced at a significant premium over the SS models. This is around £5.3kThe new models look good, but this titanium Blue Planet is hard to beat.
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Tried this one on at the weekend. The first of the new models that I have seen.
It certainly is a beauty. The Ti bracelet is stunning and the dial shows what Omega is capable of. A keeper for sure....The new models look good, but this titanium Blue Planet is hard to beat.
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Seem to be noticing more and more AT's at the mo
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