Review: Omega Seamaster 300m Ceramic 2019 43.5mm VSF (lots of pics)

[micksmith1987]

Ok, so this is a bit late, but I hope some folks here will find it useful. As it was the case of 300m Sedna Gold, I was really interested in knowing how good the VSF version is. So I ordered it from Puretime in February, but because of the virus, I was not able to pick up the parcel from my other place for months. I picked it up yesterday and here comes the review.

Some disclaimers:
1. This is the VSF v1 (I know that Puretime has a v2 with some sort of a leather strap available).
2. I don’t own the gen – I have tried it on several times at ADs, but a gen was not available for a direct gen vs. rep review.
3. This review comes from an Omega fan – I own a gen Moonwatch, SM 300m, Speedmanster, used to have two reps of SM 300m and rep Planet Ocean. I am not an expert, but I believe I know a bit about Omega reps/gens.
4. To show you the quality of this rep, I put it next to several gens: all my Omegas plus Submariner plus custom made Seiko diver.
5. My photography skills suck big time, but I think I captured most important shots.
6. FYI, my wrist is 16-16.5cm.
7. I ordered this watch just to do a review, so this very specimen will be available for sale in M2M later on today.

QUICK SUMMARY:
This watch is awesome. Definitely NWBIG. Nobody is able to tell the difference between VSF and Gen on the wrist from 1 foot away. If put right next to a gen, from 1 ft it’s impossible to say; if an Omega expert sees in from 5 inches, yes, there is a tiny tell but I still think you need to be scrutinizing the watch very closely to find it. The moment when you hand the watch to an expert, he will know immediately because of the open caseback and movement. But it is one of the best reps I’ve seen in my life.

REVIEW:

1. Case. IMHO impossible to find any flaw. By the way, I fell in love with ceramic cases. The watch is super light despite its size.
2. Bezel + insert. Very very good. It’s hard to compare as I don’t have a gen here, but it seems pretty much spot on. I prefer the insert on 2018 300m, but this one has its own appeal too. When it comes to how the bezel works/clicks, I think there is a tiny difference. It feels a bit less firm than gen Seamaster and a bit better than a Seiko.
3. Crown. My initial impression was that the rep crown was not super refined/polished, but a quick look at the gen shows that gen is the same. Now, here comes the biggest flaw of the rep – the moment you unscrew the crown, you know it’s a rep. It is flimsy, Omega’s crown always feel super solid.
4. Hands. Great, I don’t see any flaws here. I know some folks say that hands are not as refined or polished as gen. Maybe. If you look at them under a microscope, then yes. On the wrist, they are identical.
5. Dial. I think the print quality is much better than on 2018 300m. I don’t see any major problems. To my old eyes, it seems that the hour markers suffer from the same mistake as 2018 300m – they are a bit too “domed”, but again, damn, it might be just an illusion because I knew it was a rep. Color is spot on.
6. Lume. Color-wise it is great. Loads up as quickly and lights up as brightly as gen, but lasts shorter. I would also say the light is a bit less “crisp” than gen.
7. Strap and clasp. Wonderful, just like the gen. Keep in mind that my wrist (on the photos) is 16cm and I used the first strap hole. I think it should work for 19-20cm wrists.
8. Open caseback. I think it is much better than 2018 300m. If it wasn’t for the tiny difference on the bridge/lever, it would be close to perfect.
9. Nato strap. It feels a bit different than gen, but I might be biased – I am not a big fan of nato straps. Just FYI, on one of the buckles it says 007 – the strap must be a Spectre production leftover.
10. Crystal. Hmm I’d say it is 99% gen.
11. Feeling/sounds/fit quality etc. It sounds a bit different/loose than gen 300m. Perhaps a good watchmaker could make it more stable. It’s not noisy, it’s actually quieter than gen moonwatch. The dial moves a bit when unscrewing/screwing in the crown.

FAQs:

1. Is it as good as gen? No, but it is freakin’ close. The only thing that I don’t like is how the crown works.
2. Shall I get 2019 ceramic or 2018 300m? Depends. I think this one is a better rep. If you ask me, 2019 is the ultimate sports watch. 2018 can be a dress watch or a sports watch, depends how you wear it. 2018 looks good with a suit even on the rubber band. But 2019 is freakin’ awesome. I fell in love with it. I tried it on several times at ADs and did not like it that much. I tried it on at home today, sitting in my garden, gosh, it feels good. It is not a business attire watch. It won't go well with a suit, but anything casual and this watch is perfect!
3. Is it too big for me? I have a 16cm skinny wrist and 2018 is a perfect size. At the AD, I thought it was too big. But: today it felt great. I think it is perfect of 16.5-17cm. It is a bit tall, but still very comfortable.
4. Is it worth it? Yes, 100%, every penny. By the way, I just checked that a gen at AD costs approx. 8.5k USD, so same as Rolex Sub no-date. In my opinion, this is way too much. I won't buy it gen; 2018 300m is at 4k, and I think it's worth it. 8.5k is way too much.
   
   
   Hope you enjoy the review
   M.
5. And, of course, PICS:

Gen for reference:
Details:



Strap/buckle:
How it sits on the wrist:


With its older brother:

With its direct competitor:

With a Speedmaster and a Seiko:

 

[Therion666]

Wow, that's a great thread, thanks for your time and effort! You've really nailed it with your observations. It looks perfectly acceptable on your wrist. What is the tiny tell? Is it the slight misprint on the dial ( text and logo not perfectly centered between the waves)?

 

[Touliloup]

Thanks for the great review ????
I own a 2019 rep and I think the straightaway tell is the lume color, on mine it's much more yellow than a gen (especially in indoor/poor lightning condition)

Sent from my Mi 9T Pro using Tapatalk

 

[micksmith1987]

think the straightaway tell is the lume color, on mine it's much more yellow than a gen (especially in indoor/poor lightning condition)

The lume color on my specimen is (imho) exactly as the gen; the tell for me is the shape/dome of the hour markers; they are a bit too high (maybe a fraction of a mm)

 

[Robin.Hood]

Great Review!! I was about to write review between seamaster 2018 vs. 2019 and your writing is great enought to explain everything.

Btw, the He value on the right close without gap?
Mine tilts just a bit, not perfectly close to case.

 

[Applewatchenthusiast]

Pleasant reading. Thank you for sharing - it sure looks great! By the way is that Sub of yours genuine?

 

[micksmith1987]

By the way is that Sub of yours genuine?

Yes, it's gen, picked it up from AD in Feb. 2020;

Great Review!! I was about to write review between seamaster 2018 vs. 2019 and your writing is great enought to explain everything.

Btw, the He value on the right close without gap?
Mine tilts just a bit, not perfectly close to case.

On mine there is a gap, but it is not tilted. On gen 2018 there is a tiny gap between the valve and case, too.

 

[imranbecks]

The crown guards to me is the tell. Other than that it looks good. Tried on the gen months ago and I really liked it.

Its odd though that the nato strap has the 007 logo on it. The shape of the nato strap buckle is wrong too. Seems VSF is reusing the Spectre strap for this one..

 

[botsyboy]

The crown guards to me is the tell. Other than that it looks good. Tried on the gen months ago and I really liked it.

Its odd though that the nato strap has the 007 logo on it. The shape of the nato strap buckle is wrong too. Seems VSF is reusing the Spectre strap for this one..

Crown guards on the ceramic is not a tell as they are perfect buddy. It’s an issue on the steel models but not this. I’ve owned the gen and still have the rep and this is very very close to gen.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[micksmith1987]

It’s an issue on the steel models but not this.

Yup, I think the CGs here look good. Funny thing is that on steel models the CGs on reps look different from gen but only in photos. In flesh, when rep and gen are next to each other it's difficult to see any difference (at least to my old eyes...)

 

[botsyboy]

Yup, I think the CGs here look good. Funny thing is that on steel models the CGs on reps look different from gen but only in photos. In flesh, when rep and gen are next to each other it's difficult to see any difference (at least to my old eyes...)

Agreed plus the vsf crown is not correct to gen either which makes the cg look shorter. Gen crown is stubbier than vsf.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tuxified]

Definitely NWBIG. Thanks for the share mate!

 

[sneaks123]

Thank you very much for your in depth review! I am buying me first rep, and are trying to decide between this or the VSF V2 Omega Spectre 300.

 

[Carlitto#1]

Very nice review! Thanks for sharing.

 

[YellowFin]

Nice one - wear it in good health!

 

[romeospadre]

looks awesome, would love one with the SS strap though. Its under serious consideration.

Thanks for the review, love it beside the no date Rolex

 

[Alex22]

very beautifull. the normal diver 300 does not drive me crazy but this is really nice. is on the list of new big names but what is missing to be a super rep? is the movement reliable (also repairable)?

 

[miami_YG]

Thank you THANK YOU for this review and comparison. I am about to buy my first Omega rep (owned a gen 2018 AT for a while and miss Omega in collection). I am deciding between the 2018 42mm Sedna gold and this 43.5 ceramic... The size is important, but weight more--I can't find anything on weight other than it's "lighter." Do you think it's 30% lighter? 50%? Thanks!

 

[BOSSK]

Great review mate, have tried this on a few times at the AD. This looks like a very close replication so we’ll done VSF.

 

[micksmith1987]

Thank you THANK YOU for this review and comparison. I am about to buy my first Omega rep (owned a gen 2018 AT for a while and miss Omega in collection). I am deciding between the 2018 42mm Sedna gold and this 43.5 ceramic... The size is important, but weight more--I can't find anything on weight other than it's "lighter." Do you think it's 30% lighter? 50%? Thanks!

Hard to say, probably it's 20-25% lighter, but keep in mind it is a 43.5mm vs 42mm watch. And another thing is that both are on a rubber band, so the weight is not that much anyway.

Both reps are great, but 43.5mm 2019 ceramic is a superrep and 2018 300m has some minor flaws. My advice is 2019 ceramic