closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 51 to 96 of 96

Thread: Any pro's and con's for a Omega X33 ?

  1. #51
    Master gunner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    4,805
    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    Great watch. Only flaw is lack of water resistance.
    X33 with 100m WR would be lovely.

  2. #52
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    North and South.
    Posts
    30,579
    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'.

  3. #53
    Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    London
    Posts
    3,211
    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.

  4. #54
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    Does anyone have the ''Solar Impulse''?
    I prefer it to the standard Skywalker.

    Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH

  5. #55
    I have the Skywalker but given a choice would pick Solar Impulse

  6. #56
    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).

  7. #57
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    Takes about ten minutes to change the battery.
    Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH

  8. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    Takes about ten minutes to change the battery.
    Yep and about £2

  9. #59

    Any pro's and con's for a Omega X33 ?

    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.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  10. #60
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else
    Posts
    12,336
    Blog Entries
    22
    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

  11. #61
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Cambridgeshire
    Posts
    674
    Quote Originally Posted by dougair View Post
    Yep and about £2
    *Cough* make that £22 if you lose a single titanium grubscrew whilst changing it ;-)

    -- Tim

  12. #62
    Grand Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Wakefield, West Yorkshire
    Posts
    22,498
    Quote Originally Posted by in_denial View Post
    *Cough* make that £22 if you lose a single titanium grubscrew whilst changing it ;-)

    -- Tim
    Don’t lose them! Always work on a tray, in good lighting, with the right magnifiers. Decent tweezers and a blob of rodico will help.

  13. #63
    Master John Wall's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Shropshire cuds.
    Posts
    2,726

    Any pro's and con's for a Omega X33 ?

    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    Does anyone have the ''Solar Impulse''?
    Me too
    I also prefer its splash of colour to the Skywalker

    Last edited by John Wall; 29th April 2022 at 08:00.

  14. #64
    Master sweets's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Bristol - UK
    Posts
    6,031
    If the X-33 had decent WR, I would still own one.

  15. #65
    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.

  16. #66
    Master John Wall's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Shropshire cuds.
    Posts
    2,726
    Quote Originally Posted by rushroon View Post
    ….Only con is the WR but I realise some have swam fine with it…
    Wasn’t there a thread that someone had taken theirs diving with no ill effect ?
    Last edited by John Wall; 21st May 2022 at 13:46.

  17. #67
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ashford, Kent
    Posts
    28,935
    Quote Originally Posted by John Wall View Post
    Wasn’t there a thread that someone had taken theirs diving with no I’ll effect ?
    I believe that was Ralphy...
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  18. #68
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else
    Posts
    12,336
    Blog Entries
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by sweets View Post
    If the X-33 had decent WR, I would still own one.
    Are you swimming to 30m depth? I did read the X-33 is only rated to 30m as the external echo chamber will buckle at greater pressures. The ESA tests are worth a read to show what they can withstand.
    “ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG

  19. #69
    Master gunner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    4,805
    Quote Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK) View Post
    Are you swimming to 30m depth? I did read the X-33 is only rated to 30m as the external echo chamber will buckle at greater pressures. The ESA tests are worth a read to show what they can withstand.
    Maybe it's just the perception of the depth rating. I've always read 30m as "be careful in light drizzle".

  20. #70
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ashford, Kent
    Posts
    28,935
    Quote Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK) View Post
    Are you swimming to 30m depth? I did read the X-33 is only rated to 30m as the external echo chamber will buckle at greater pressures. The ESA tests are worth a read to show what they can withstand.
    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.

  21. #71
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    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

  22. #72
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ashford, Kent
    Posts
    28,935
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    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.
    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.

  23. #73
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    Who in their right mind only takes one watch with them on holiday?
    Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH

  24. #74
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    North and South.
    Posts
    30,579
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    Who in their right mind only takes one watch with them on holiday?
    That'll be me
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  25. #75
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ashford, Kent
    Posts
    28,935
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    Who in their right mind only takes one watch with them on holiday?
    Good point, well made

    But since my days are not scheduled like they may be at work, I'd need to carry at least a second watch all the time, and leave the X33 unattended when swimming.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  26. #76
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    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

  27. #77
    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    That'll be me
    Did you miss the words ‘in right mind’? :-)

  28. #78
    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?

  29. #79
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    Maybe NASA and ESA forgot to specify the WR rating.
    Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH

  30. #80
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Mainly UK
    Posts
    17,287
    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

  31. #81
    Quote Originally Posted by notenoughwrists View Post
    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.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Interesting. In the 10 years I have owned my 42mm Volcano Black Aerospace I have never have the clasp catch on clothing or anything for that matter..

  32. #82

    Any pro's and con's for a Omega X33 ?

    Quote Originally Posted by petespendthrift View Post
    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?
    No issues using the crown in my Aerospace. Granted, pushers are easier to operate but have found negative claims regarding the single rotating crown operation of the Aerospace greatly exaggerated

  33. #83

    Any pro's and con's for a Omega X33 ?

    Quote Originally Posted by dougair View Post
    Yep and about £2
    True but quite frankly at the retail prices of these watches they should be Solar.

    Should not be difficult by Swatch Group/Omega to upgrade these to support solar charging. Changing batteries every 2 years is so 1975…

  34. #84
    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:






  35. #85
    It's just great, flaws and all…


  36. #86
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ashford, Kent
    Posts
    28,935
    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.

  37. #87
    Master Jon Kenney's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    SE Asia
    Posts
    4,420
    I have the poor mans versions, and the elephant in the room







    I now have a hankering for the Skywalker after reading the thread.

  38. #88
    Grand Master Carlton-Browne's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Berlin, London and sometimes Dublin
    Posts
    14,907
    What's the alarm like on the Tissot?
    In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.

  39. #89
    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    I believe that was Ralphy...
    Here

    Quote Originally Posted by petespendthrift View Post
    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?
    A good post. Out of interest, what made you change your mind on the WR?

  40. #90
    Master John Wall's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Shropshire cuds.
    Posts
    2,726
    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.

  41. #91
    Quote Originally Posted by Tokyo Tokei View Post
    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:





    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!

  42. #92
    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.

  43. #93
    Master gunner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    4,805
    After reading this I just made a new purchase. Seamaster 120m ana-digi...

    Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

  44. #94
    Master Jon Kenney's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    SE Asia
    Posts
    4,420
    Quote Originally Posted by Carlton-Browne View Post
    What's the alarm like on the Tissot?
    It wouldn't wake the neighbours, but good enough on the bedside table or on the wrist.

  45. #95
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else
    Posts
    12,336
    Blog Entries
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by gunner View Post
    After reading this I just made a new purchase. Seamaster 120m ana-digi...

    Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
    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

  46. #96
    Master gunner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    4,805
    Funnily enough, the WR bothers me less on this one as it's less tool watch in style anyway.

    Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information