Hi all. Recently bought the Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military and thought I’d share my opinion. This is the standard 42mm version available via Steinhart (I got mine from ChronoMaster - great service) for £330, not the Gnoman numbered 39mm version.
I don’t have callipers, but size wise you are looking at 42mm case, 49mm lug-lug, 22mm lug width and about 13mm thickness.
Have to say I’ve been really, really pleased with this watch. It has the ETA 2824-2 Elabor grade movement, and accuracy wise I’m getting about -35 secs over 7 days on the Time Stamp app. The bezel action is solid, tight, 120 click; its aluminium with the full 60 minute markers and a lume pip. The bracelet is really good quality at the price: solid linked oyster bracelet, solid end links and screwed links, tapering from 22 to 18mm. Clasp is signed on both the safety press and the underside of the milled clasp itself. The crystal is a domed double AR coated sapphire, and WR is stated as 300m. It came in a nice presentation box too. For the £330 I paid I feel I have acquired a really solid, good quality and accurate watch, which is a nice feeling.
Aesthetically I love it. I’m partial to no-date watches for the symmetry, and I also prefer sports watches that have matte dials and painted indices, as opposed to the slightly blingier look of glossy dials and applied indices. The proportions of the dial are perfect, and the handset is really well done. Another reason I chose this over other models is I’m not fussed by Mercedes hands. These things are of course just subjective personal taste - things that happen to work for me.
I also like Steinharts font and logo; the main rival to this watch for me was the Squale 1545 Militaire or Maxi Dial - but I just couldn’t get past the cartoon logo and the doubling up of the name ‘Squale’ on the dial. The OVM just has a more ‘serious’ look about it.
I was concerned about the rumoured straight lugs of the Steinhart, but I think that has been overstated and I have not found them to be a problem at all. The watch sits very nicely on the wrist. For reference mine is 6.75” at the absolute most, maybe even 6.5” to be honest.
Are there any negatives? Well of course. A divers extension on the bracelet would’ve been nice, but obviously not essential. The lume which looks nice (old radium) is only average. Prior to this I had an SKX and we all know what a punch Seiko divers pack lume wise; the OVM doesn’t match up. It’s not bad, it’s just not at that Seiko level.
Then there’s the elephant in the room - the homage factor. A problem for some, not for me. In particular this model is a homage to a vintage watch that only enthusiasts will even be aware existed (as opposed to the plethora of modern sub homages out there), and a watch that is certainly unattainable to most including myself. That in itself makes it more of it’s own thing - homage or not, you don’t see many watches like the OVM day to day. I’ve only had the watch a month and two people have told me how nice it is. I’ve had other, more expensive watches for years and never had a single comment. Obviously we don’t wear them for attention, but I do think the black/yellow and symmetrical aesthetic of the watch is eye catching.
Overall I think this watch is a tremendous value proposition in terms of what you get for your money, as a well as a damn nice looking watch. It’s one of those ones I look at for the sake of it for ages, then realise I still don’t know what the time is! Always a good sign. With the build quality at the price I’d certainly consider another Steinhart, and because of the excellent personalised service I’d certainly use ChronoMaster again.
Cheers, here’s some pics
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Nice write-up and pics - looks a cracking watch, especially at this price point, although not to my personal taste.
I've been impressed with both Steinharts I've owned, for similar reasons to those set out here and agree that you have to go a long way to beat them for the money.
I'm a Steinhart fan. I've had an ocean one for about 6 years now, used as a beater it goes on when I'm doing DIY or mowing the lawn etc. It's not suffered any make of note except a small scratch on the clasp done in the first week...I then put out on a NATO. Case etc is good. They are fabulous vfm and straight up decent, quality watches.
Mind there are other decent watches at summit prices. I was just handling a fake batman with ETA movement, the quality of the finish is scarily good for £200.
lovely looking watch
Great write up OP.
For those interested, the 39mm OVM is back in stock today.
http://www.gnomonwatches.com/ocean-v...omon-exclusive
Be quick if you want one...
Smart purchase. Well built, reliable, good customer service, strong retention, high legibility, lovely ('stolen') design.
These watches make it hard to mentally justify spending the 4 figure prices on other brands.
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I quite agree, great value for such a well finished watch.
Yeah deffo agree with the four figure price thing.Originally Posted by stefmcd
I had a TAG F1, calibre 5, very nice watch. Cost me £1450. But when I think about it what, realistically did it have over the Steinhart? It had a nicer bezel - ceramic, laser engraved. And better lume. But then, the Steinhart has a superior bracelet - it tapers and has screwed links, which the TAG didn’t, and the clasp is at least equal if not better. They have the same movement, sapphire crystal etc. similar dimensions. There really isn’t a lot in it to say one cost £1120 more than the other!!
Congratulations, they're great value watches and solidly well made. My only advice, don't take it off the bracelet, it was a right, royal pain in the doo-dahs to reattach it to the case.
Mine says hello.
Very nice watch for the price.
Lovely looking well made watch that I would guess gets a but of attention due to its style "inspiration "
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I think the thing is most people have a vague understanding of what a modern Rolex Sub looks like, so if you were to buy a Steinhart Ocean One black or an Invicta Pro Diver for example they may confuse those watches with one until they had a closer look. But nobody other than watch enthusiasts really have knowledge of what a Mil-Sub is, and as such the OVM gets taken more at face value for being its own thing. Even if you try to explain ‘its a homage to an old Rolex’ it’s pointless. In reality most people barely notice the watch on someone else’s wrist at all - you could have a £15k Rolex or a £100 Seiko on for all most people care.
Thanks for the pointer. Was checking their site all of April. Will be a great holiday watch to add to the collection.
It's a valid point, there are Steinharts in the current line up that are direct copies of current Rolex watches and I think those are the ones which bring in the homage or even worse direct copy criticism. Personally, I think the watches that pay homage to long out of production watches, like the Vintage Red for example and the OVM are what they are with a modern twist to them and people seem more comfortable with those.
Interestingly, just like the old Rolex idiosyncrasies between the different dials and bezel inserts etc, the same thing has happened to Steinhart over the past 10 years or more with 5 different Vintage Red watches and 4 different OVMs and even more if you include the new 39mm model. This has started a collectors market in its own right with people selecting certain versions to hunt out and some even look to complete the set.
With all the limited and exclusive editions sold only by certain outlets or made available to small groups of people on watch forums and Facebook groups, the brand is very strong indeed and has one hell of a following.
I would also add, name another brand were you can communicate directly with the owner, I personally have had several exchanges with Gunter and he is also an active participant on the various FB groups.
Enjoy the OVM, it looks great.
Last edited by Wallasey Runner; 3rd May 2019 at 11:56.
Thanks for the excellent review! I've always wanted the Steinhart OVM but was put off by the size (my wrist is around 6.5 inches). I'm also not a fan of the traditional mercedes hour hand on most divers and this Steinhart fits the bill perfectly.
The 39mm OVM is now available at Gnomon on the link provided above. I ordered one yesterday.
Yep I had the same concern re the size, my wrist is roughly the same size as yours. Bit the bullet and have no regrets; it doesn’t wear big at all - don’t get me wrong it’s a substantial watch, but not an oversized one. It just has the appearance of an attractive and solid sports watch.
Patience, my friend. In a few years 4 will have become 5 and your problems will be but a distant memory.
Thanks for the write-up. It certainly looks a good value proposition. Interesting read, cheers!
Great choice. Interesting read.
They are a great looking watch. Loving mine.
Last edited by j111dja; 3rd May 2019 at 22:46.
I have a 42mm OVM (first version with the "black dial") from off here.
Never worn it as I got a 39mm gnomon which was swiftly put onto a nato and does duty as my work watch along with an Omega F300.
I wore a 14060M for a few years then foolishly sold it. The OVM is a nice alternative though.
My OVM 39 arrived this weekend. Feels just right..
Having enjoyed wearing my Seiko Pepsi Turtle on a Strapcode Jubilee, and seen how good the Steinhart GMTs look on a Jubilee I decided I would consider a Jubilee for my 42mm OVM Mk III.
First of all, I had a look at the Strapcode option. Unfortunately I was rather put off by the very bright, blingy shots they have on their site. Those centre links definitely look polished to me, as well as the watch appearing much shinier than in real life. The cost is about $87, plus shipping, so not too expensive and I know their quality is good, from my Turtle.
I then payed a visit to Steinhart and saw that while their jubilee was a touch more expensive, but it was completely brushed and had a better looking, branded clasp. Unsurprisingly it looked an altogether better match with case. After a few more checks on Google Images, it was the shot below,which persuaded me to click the buy button. I think it looks very nice, and it does away with that strange end link gap on their Oysters. It also seems to work better with the straight lugs, which put some people off the brand. I'll post my own shots once it's fitted. €95 all in from Steinhart's site.
I have had 4 Steinhart and all of them were very good for the price.
Im not too keen on the divers but I would buy a 39mm with ceramic bezel if they make those these days.
I think the guy on combat dealers program often wears a Steinhart watch on the TV show
That turned out to be a very timely thread resurrection. I was looking for a fuss free diver for general duties. The Gnomon 39mm version looks to do the job, so an order has been placed. My first Steinhart, and the only non-Rolex in my collection. Looking forward to trying it out on it’s arrival next week.
I couldn’t agree more
I have a Steinhart Marine watch and it’s superb. It’s probably my most accurate automatic to boot.
The OVM is a strange watch for me.
It’s looks great in pictures and is a homage to a watch that I can only dream of owning...
but for me it was the only watch I have ever bought that as soon as I opened the box I know I would not wear it. I put it up for sale less that a hour after the postman had been.
I found the proportions wrong, it’s too large (and I wear watches up to 47mm), the lug width was too wide at 22mm and it looked cr@p on a grey NATO as the gap between the case and strap was also too large.
I realise I must be in the minority but my first impression took me by complete surprise.
It’s a shame as in the pictures I still think it looks good.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 21st September 2019 at 15:58.
How are you getting on with it?
I got it and loved the look. Quality wise it was not the best. As an example my SBDC053 is finished better. I had a problem with turning the bezel on the OVM39 which was way too tight. Contacted Steinhart Germany, but they were not interested and told me to contact Gnomon. Gnomon were not the best and pretty condescending to deal with. I ended up sending it back to Gnomon for a refund.
Hoping you have better luck with the OVM39 and my experience was just an anomaly.
Me too!
My jubilee for my OVM has arrived from Germany, and I was impressed by the fast delivery, as well as with the bracelet.
It came very well wrapped in plenty of plastic stickers. The package includes end links for Ocean One 42mm cases and the larger 44mm watches. However, as I found when refitting my oyster bracelet, fitting the jubilee was a painful and long process. The springbar holes in the lugs seem to be small and narrow. Getting the supplied springbars to fit took an age. I suspect that this would be easier if I had a tweezer style double springbar tool. Put it this way, it'll be a long time before I swap out the jubilee.
Below are a couple of shots, which show the excellent fit between the lugs, the brushed appearance and the great flexibility. Individual links are easy to remove, having screws and the four micro-adjustments on the clasp make establishing a perfect, comfortable fit straightforward. Overall it gives the watch a slightly vintage appearance and while still overall it remains a heavy watch, the better fit than the oyster bracelet makes it a better wearer.
That looks really good and in keeping with the watch’s vintage vibe. Is it the case that the oyster bracelet was difficult to remove? My watch is due to arrive from Gnomon tomorrow, and the first thing I intend to do is put it on a NATO.
For me the jubilee option catapults this watch up a notch or two - away from the slabs of stainless steel - I really like itMy jubilee for my OVM has arrived from Germany, and I was impressed by the fast delivery, as well as with the bracelet.
It came very well wrapped in plenty of plastic stickers. The package includes end links for Ocean One 42mm cases and the larger 44mm watches. However, as I found when refitting my oyster bracelet, fitting the jubilee was a painful and long process. The springbar holes in the lugs seem to be small and narrow. Getting the supplied springbars to fit took an age. I suspect that this would be easier if I had a tweezer style double springbar tool. Put it this way, it'll be a long time before I swap out the jubilee.
Below are a couple of shots, which show the excellent fit between the lugs, the brushed appearance and the great flexibility. Individual links are easy to remove, having screws and the four micro-adjustments on the clasp make establishing a perfect, comfortable fit straightforward. Overall it gives the watch a slightly vintage appearance and while still overall it remains a heavy watch, the better fit than the oyster bracelet makes it a better wearer.
I’ve a Ocean One 39 GMT that was supplied on the Jubilee. I’ve never worn it on the oem bracelet.
I don’t recall it being any more difficult to remove than anything else I’ve had that’s fitted with solid end links. I use a Bergeon 6767 spring bar tool.
Thanks for that. I have the same Bergeon tool, so should be right.
I was talking about difficulty fitting the bracelet not removing it. I found the oyster just as difficult as the jubilee. I don't think it's my lack of deftness, as I don't usually have problems changing straps, and there was another Ocean One owner who mentioned he'd had problems too. Maybe the 39mm is easier than the 42mm.
Thanks also for the appreciative comments, I agree the jubilee does make a difference and a pleasant change.
Last edited by dkpw; 26th September 2019 at 10:46.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Just arrived. I quite like it.
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Nice one.Just arrived. I quite like it.
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In fairness I’ve not tried to refit the Jubilee back on mine.
Looks good. Would be interested to see it on the NATO. May grab one of these for a decent looking holiday/beach watchJust arrived. I quite like it.
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Used to hsve the grey dial one. Looked best on a Phoenix nato I thought.
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