Does anyone have the ''Solar Impulse''?
Does anyone have the ''Solar Impulse''?
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I've owned a Gen 1 X33, and Aerospace rep minutes and a B1. Sum up:
X-33
- genuinely unique design, looks like nothing else
- loads of features, most of which I didn't use
- Ti means very light for its size. Didn't quite work for me (I've concluded Ti is not my thing)
- second hand hits the markers all the way round
- love the backlight
- Love the space connection- the box is made from the same material as EVA spacesuits
- VERY loud alarms
Aerospace
- mine was Ti, and too small and light
- single pusher is neat but fiddly. I wear on my right wrist, and I had to take it off to use some features
- alarm not so loud
- typical 90s Breilting design with the overriders (which I happen to really like)
B1
- big chunk of a watch
- easy to use the functions
- the caseback is a thing of beauty
- the geared action of the bezel is a an engineering marvel- I never got tired of playing with it
- dial colour options are a bonus (the blue is really nice; mine was grey)
I did like them all. If I had another, I'd probably go for the X-33 gen 1 with a gen 2 crown and movement.
I have the Skywalker but given a choice would pick Solar Impulse
My main caveats with the Omega multifunction thermocompensated quartz watches discussed in this thread, are COST and rather poor battery life (24 months or less depending on backlight and usage functions).
For these reasons I do not have a Skywalker in my collection. Also the dial cutout looks like Hello Kitty’s head. Once someone pointed this out to me, I could not unseen it ever again.
Personally, I prefer the likes of Breitling Aerospace, Airwolf and B1 (Albeit the last 2 also suffer from lousy battery life).
Takes about ten minutes to change the battery.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I had one, 4yrs ago, and flipped it here.
I now have a WTB up for one.
Dunno why I sold it. It was so cool looking, felt pretty indestructible and is a little different.
It had too many functions for me - but overall it is a cracker. Handsome and versatile. Like me.
Also the box is stupid and massive. Also like me.
I have had about half a dozen aerospaces, all variants and sizes. I always flip them on.
Lack of backlight on the earlier 40mm versions is a shame - would be perfect then.
Newer ones, I find the clasp on the bracelet to catch badly on clothes and stuff - it is angled at one end and leaves it sort of pointed. Plus 22mm lugs which I generally dislike.
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I've tried Gen1, 2 and 3 + solar impulse. Now just have a Gen2 and don't plan to sell. I have a spare battery in blister pack when it's needed then will send back to Omega for a service where they swap the pushers, seals - it already has the 1666C TC movement so no need to swap. It keeps superlative time (maybe +5sec/annum).
Martyn
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
If the X-33 had decent WR, I would still own one.
Great watch - one of the best in terms of tool functionality. Only con is the WR but I realise some have swam fine with it. Battery is easy to change.
The external echo chamber is holed anyway and would not be subjected to any pressure at any depth. The problem is the actual back of the watch (underneath the echo chamber) is just sitting there, kept in place by the echo chamber with a simple thin o ring. Add to that I am not sure about the crown and the pushers either.
And a rating of 30 metres is not allowing you to dive at a depth of 30 metres. It’s one of the absurdities of the rating. In old parlance 30m is splash proof. The fact that they may be capable of more (as demonstrated earlier) doesn’t mean they are designed to.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I’m not sure why you would want to go undersea with one, that’s what divers watches are for. It wasn’t exactly designed with depth in mind but can certainly put up with being caught in a tropical downpour.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
It's a convenience. It's not about going scuba diving with it, but more about what would happen if you forgot to remove it as you prepare to dive in the pool. It's the difference between a watch for the working week and one for the weekends/holidays.
It's fine as it is but I'd wear mine on holidays too with pleasure if I could.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Who in their right mind only takes one watch with them on holiday?
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
TBH I wouldn't take an X-33 on a beach holiday at all as there are space watches better suited for that, like a G-Shock. But it is the grab-and-go for a great many trips away.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I had a Skywalker for a couple of years and is was one of the best watches I have ever owned - except the water resistance which worried me. I think Omega could have put a bit more engineering in to achieve the same design spec but with 100M water resistance. If necessary a slightly less loud alarm would have been a worthy trade off if required to achieve the water resistance. It is in all other respects the ultimate watch of it’s type.
The benefits are peace of mind in the event of an accidental or deliberate dunking and to make it the ultimate travel watch. Because who wants to have to keep taking their watch off and putting it somewhere safe when travelling? Sooner or later it will get left behind on a shelf in a hotel bathroom far far away. Or you arrive at the beech and realise it is still on your wrist so have to leave it with your towel when you go swimming. Or you just want to wear it whatever your activity because it is a sports watch and you like to have it on your wrist not in a drawer. Etc.etc. Then there is the crossover to the sailing version. Who wants to wear a splash proof watch worth a few thousand on a sailing yacht?
Anyway, I still far preferred it to the Brietling Aerospace I also once owned. Much better functions and much easier to use. The Aerospace crown is very neat but what a pain to use!
And before anyone counters with the argument that it is a watch for space use, I would say, astronauts spend most of their careers on the ground where they also encounter water everyday and besides that, every other manufacturer manages to make sports watches that have adequate water protection these days - even the cheap ones so it is just making excuses. Just like the dogmatic argument that pilots watches don’t need water protection - as if pilots never leave the flight deck or do they take their watch off on completion of their duty?
Maybe NASA and ESA forgot to specify the WR rating.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Bloody hell, I just bought a Junghans Max Bill. It looks great but turns out there’s no alarm. How am I going to wake up on time when I’m on holiday? FFS
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Not sure there are any solar watches which would work for 36 months (Omega's stated battery life of the original X-33 when not using the light or alarm) in an environment where you couldn’t be certain to have a convenient sun-facing windowsill or sufficient artificial light aboard your spaceship or space station. The mission timer records up to 999 days, and you don't want to oversleep on your voyage to Mars due to a flat solar battery…
WR has been done to death and is a valid “con”, albeit not one that prevents people from owning a mechanical speedmaster, but there you go. The thin titanium case back that amplifies the alarm to the minimum 80dB required isn’t conducive to a deep depth rating. The alarm was part of the spec, which Apollo and Gemini astronaut Tom Stafford claimed he wrote, whereas a deep depth rating wasn’t, so… Omega designed it thus.
But it’s pointless suggesting today what Omega “should have done”… this was designed almost a quarter of a century ago, for astronauts. As the inscription on the back states, it was fit for its purpose then, and remains so today…
Another “pro” to get back to the topic… Seamaster curved-end straps seem to fit perfectly:
Another issue (but it must be me only as most posters show multiple straps) is how difficult it is to fit the bracelet… too effing tight!
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I have the poor mans versions, and the elephant in the room
I now have a hankering for the Skywalker after reading the thread.
What's the alarm like on the Tissot?
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Here
A good post. Out of interest, what made you change your mind on the WR?
I’ve not read of any modifications that were done to the Regatta version.
A yachting crew member must surely be expected at some point to be in the drink.
By that rationale, I would have no concerns in swimming or snorkelling in mine.
Therefore, the perfect holiday watch.
This is the crux of it, it’s a tool watch designed for a specific purpose to very specific standards. That’s why I like it flaws and all. It’s not designed as a do everything watch. Watching an astronaut perform a battery change in zero G is so satisfying. If I want a solar watch with good wr and a range of features I’ll wear a Garmin!
Weirdly was just in Peter Jones and the cashier, a lad probably no older than 22 recognised my x33 commenting ‘You don’t see many of those, your Speedmaster’
I rarely get comments on watches least of all the x33 which is difficult to see what it is unless you know.
After reading this I just made a new purchase. Seamaster 120m ana-digi...
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I had one of those when I first got into watches. Was amazed at the 120m wrt. Wore it in the bath and it flooded. So took it back to the AD the next day and switched for a Seamaster Quartz. I haven’t looked back since. They had an X-33 sitting in the window but I couldn’t afford it.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
Funnily enough, the WR bothers me less on this one as it's less tool watch in style anyway.
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