I'm just going to give a 'small' review of the 42mm and 45mm Ceramic Planet Ocean reps. There is a lot to cover with these and I'm sure there will be comparisons next to the gen in the coming weeks. I'll let those who have lived with the gen for a while give a more thorough comparison and correct any errors here. Mainly I'll just give a rundown of the rep quality with some comparisons to gen, and also how is fits in with the current quality of reps and the old PO reps.
The Gens
45mm and 42mm. These don't need much of an introduction, anybody who has any interest in Planet Oceans will have heard all about them by now.
42mm Gen
45mm Gen
The Reps
45mm and 42mm Reps
45mm
42mm
42mm (next 6)
Down to the Details:
The Bezels:
The bezels themselves are pretty solid with good feedback on each click. The teeth are pretty accurate to gen. The gen finishing is probably a little more refined on the coin edge but these are pretty well replicated. The bezel inserts seem pretty good in colour and texture. Correct colour as gen. It's difficult to see in photos but the 45mm bezel seems to have a little more attention to detail in the numbers, with them being closer together and more compact as gen. The 42mm seems a little more spread out (bigger gap between the 4 and 0 for instance) and the 5 in 50 just seems a little too big for the 0. It is minimal but it is there. It could be a little neater on the 42mm. We'll get onto the pearl later
42mm
45mm
The Dials:
Both dials are very nice, the 45mm has a little bit more attention to detail again in the logos and markers than the 42mm. There isn't much in the difference, but the 45mm has slightly cleaner and crisper cut to the hour markers. The hour markers on the gen have a slightly bevelled edging with the 45mm having a slightly steeper bevelling than the 42mm. This is replicated pretty well on the reps, the 45mm has the edge in the slightly sharper cut markers and lume infill than the 42mm.
The dial itself on the gen is almost black grainy matte finish. The reps are matte black/charcoal, a little bit more drab than the gen, they lack that very slight pop that the heavier matte grain gives on the gen but again it's close.
Omega lettering is simply better on the 45mm rep, it has a much more accurate to gen shape and size, the 42mm seems to be a bit blocky/bulky with the bulkier O being the main standout. It's thicker than the gen or the 45mm rep. Why this is I do not know, since the gen 45mm and 42mm share the same logo/lettering size. They could've just used the logo from the 45mm rep!.... but again these are very small parts, nobody is going to really notice unless examining closely.
No happy feet this time on either, except for the odd one that escaped into the wild during QC. The hands seem accurate, it had been mentioned at one stage that the 42mm had a slightly too long hour hand. I'm not so sure, I've examined gen pics again and it is minimal if it is, certainly less than a mm. It isn't noticeable at all. The dial print quality is pretty good, with the 'Seamaster' lettering in red and the print of the other lettering being crisp and clear.
The Datewheel. The windows are accurate, with the 42mm having no chamfer and closer to the 3 marker, the 45mm has the correct chamfered edging and is spaced correctly. The date wheel itself is slightly off the gen. Font is correct, it is a touch too weak though and is white on black, the gen being a raised glossy silver on black. Not a massive difference but still could be better.
Gen dials:
Gen 45mm
Gen 42mm
Rep dials:
42mm Rep
45 mm Rep
45mm
42mm
42mm
45mm
42mm
The Case and Caseback:
The case on both 45mm and 42mm is pretty accurate, the brushing lines and polishing lines on the case are probably not as crisp cut as gen but not too much of a difference. The case sizes are pretty close to gen in height. I don’t have a calliper close by to measure but doing it the crude way the 42mm rep is about 16mm in height and the 45mm is 17mm in height. The gens are 15.7mm and 16.5mm respectively. Just to note the 42mm wears fairly tall, this is a similar case to the gen which when comparing to the old PO is almost top heavy.
Gen Case and LHS
Rep Case and LHS
Gen Case and RHS
Rep Case and RHS
The crown/He are fairly accurately sized and finished this time. The 45mm crown being wider but less tall than the 42mm, as is the case on the gen. Also the markings on the He and crown are fairly accurate.
What is more concerning is while the 45mm crown screwdown felt really solid with about 8-10 half turns, both 42mm didn't, with about 2 half turns on the silver 42mm and 3 half turns on the red 42mm. Why is this something that could possibly be a concern later?? Well anyone who is familiar with the older PO's, specifically the 42mm V5 will be aware that the tubes were really prone to stripping. I certainly hope this isn't the case here, but these 42mm screwdowns have a striking resemblance in feel to the old version. Not the best, considering most reps I've tried recently were substantially better in this regard.
The caseback is a strange one, I'm very happy with the rotor, I'm not too fussed about the eta 2836 masquerading as an 8500. The 8500 is obviously a masterpiece of design and finishing. We have nothing in the rep world that can compete with it on any level.
The rep looks pretty good when viewing it through the display window, it's never going to pass for gen, but the rotor Geneve waves and engraving look pretty cool. The liquid metal on the 45mm caseback was a mistake, and adjuste dto fiye' on the movement holder was interesting, but again this is something which can barely be seen with the caseback on, and then only if you are really looking for it. In truth, these are minor issues, the front of the watch is much more important.
Gen Caseback
Rep
The Bracelet and clasp:
The bracelet has some very good and very bad aspects. Good are the endlinks which are very nicely cut and fit snugly to the case. The screwed links are are great and feel pretty good quality surprisingly. I was sure I'd strip one or two during resizing but they actually screwed in pretty well and felt pretty close to those on my gen AT. Time will tell if the threads hold out and it might also be a good idea to use some threadlocker if using the bracelet long term.
The clasp doesn't jump out at me as being great quality, it's rather crudely cut and in some way almost feels cheaper than the rest of the bracelet. One of the 42mm clasps will not stay closed, the other 42mm is more solid and works fine. The 45mm clasp seems a little more solidly built.
Gen Bracelet:
Rep Bracelet:
The clasp:
The clasp engravings aren’t the best. On the gen the 42mm is obviously a little thinner than on the 45mm. On the reps the engravings are a little shoddy, with the 45mm being engraved too deep, but still looks good. The 42mm is too shallow and not bold enough.
Gen 42mm Clasp:
Gen 45mm Clasp:
Rep clasps:
The AR, Pearl and Lume:
The AR on the 42mm is unusually good for a rep, it’s actually pretty close to my old gen 2500 caliber PO. Maybe just a slight bit less transparent, but it is very low on reflections and it looks to be some of the best AR I’ve seen on a rep. The gen has a slightly more bluish tint but it is close. I’m not sure how durable the 42mm AR will be long term but it certainly looks the part.
This above makes it all the more perplexing as to why the 45mm then has no AR at all or very very minimal inner AR. I’m still trying to make out what it is! On some views it looks to have a very slight bluish tint on the inner part of the crystal. That could be just reflections from the gasket though. Either way, the 45mm AR is non existant. It is neither close to gen or even the 42mm rep. I’m not even going to speculate as to what happened in this case. I’m sure the details will come out in time but it is something that needs to be corrected.
Rep 42mm
Rep 45mm
Comparing AR
The pearl:
The pearl is better centred than it used to be, at least on the 45mm it is. On the 42mm it still has a tendency to be a little lowish in the triangle but they are both a huge improvement over old PO’s. It’s still a little too big in diameter vs gen and is more flush to bezel in some cases than others. The better placement itself just improves the look immensely.
The Lume:
The lume is pretty good actually, I’m sure the strenght on full charge is not as intense as the gen but they’ve done a pretty good job, with the correct lume colours in the right places. The addition of the good AR and superlume helps make the dial pop much better than the previous PO.
Gen Lume:
Rep Lume vs Old gen PO
Some thoughts and conclusions:
Overall this is a nice rep with some great features such as screwed links and good endlinks, AR and superlume, but it is let down by just a lack of attention to detail that could have made it a fantastic Omega rep. The missing AR on the 45mm and the clasps, and some dial/bezel details on the 42mm could have been improved prior to release.
It’s still a great purchase and no doubt many will be very happy with it. For the price it has a great deal of features that you’ll be hard pushed to find outside of the rep world. I guess the newer reps on release in the past year with finer attention to detail and better finishing have raised the bar significantly. This doesn’t quite reach those heights but is still good value for money and looks a quality piece on the wrist.
Edit: // I'd like to give thanks to Jidonsu for allowing me to use some of his fantastic gen CPO pics for comparisons.
The Gens
45mm and 42mm. These don't need much of an introduction, anybody who has any interest in Planet Oceans will have heard all about them by now.
42mm Gen
45mm Gen
The Reps
45mm and 42mm Reps
45mm
42mm
42mm (next 6)
Down to the Details:
The Bezels:
The bezels themselves are pretty solid with good feedback on each click. The teeth are pretty accurate to gen. The gen finishing is probably a little more refined on the coin edge but these are pretty well replicated. The bezel inserts seem pretty good in colour and texture. Correct colour as gen. It's difficult to see in photos but the 45mm bezel seems to have a little more attention to detail in the numbers, with them being closer together and more compact as gen. The 42mm seems a little more spread out (bigger gap between the 4 and 0 for instance) and the 5 in 50 just seems a little too big for the 0. It is minimal but it is there. It could be a little neater on the 42mm. We'll get onto the pearl later
42mm
45mm
The Dials:
Both dials are very nice, the 45mm has a little bit more attention to detail again in the logos and markers than the 42mm. There isn't much in the difference, but the 45mm has slightly cleaner and crisper cut to the hour markers. The hour markers on the gen have a slightly bevelled edging with the 45mm having a slightly steeper bevelling than the 42mm. This is replicated pretty well on the reps, the 45mm has the edge in the slightly sharper cut markers and lume infill than the 42mm.
The dial itself on the gen is almost black grainy matte finish. The reps are matte black/charcoal, a little bit more drab than the gen, they lack that very slight pop that the heavier matte grain gives on the gen but again it's close.
Omega lettering is simply better on the 45mm rep, it has a much more accurate to gen shape and size, the 42mm seems to be a bit blocky/bulky with the bulkier O being the main standout. It's thicker than the gen or the 45mm rep. Why this is I do not know, since the gen 45mm and 42mm share the same logo/lettering size. They could've just used the logo from the 45mm rep!.... but again these are very small parts, nobody is going to really notice unless examining closely.
No happy feet this time on either, except for the odd one that escaped into the wild during QC. The hands seem accurate, it had been mentioned at one stage that the 42mm had a slightly too long hour hand. I'm not so sure, I've examined gen pics again and it is minimal if it is, certainly less than a mm. It isn't noticeable at all. The dial print quality is pretty good, with the 'Seamaster' lettering in red and the print of the other lettering being crisp and clear.
The Datewheel. The windows are accurate, with the 42mm having no chamfer and closer to the 3 marker, the 45mm has the correct chamfered edging and is spaced correctly. The date wheel itself is slightly off the gen. Font is correct, it is a touch too weak though and is white on black, the gen being a raised glossy silver on black. Not a massive difference but still could be better.
Gen dials:
Gen 45mm
Gen 42mm
Rep dials:
42mm Rep
45 mm Rep
45mm
42mm
42mm
45mm
42mm
The Case and Caseback:
The case on both 45mm and 42mm is pretty accurate, the brushing lines and polishing lines on the case are probably not as crisp cut as gen but not too much of a difference. The case sizes are pretty close to gen in height. I don’t have a calliper close by to measure but doing it the crude way the 42mm rep is about 16mm in height and the 45mm is 17mm in height. The gens are 15.7mm and 16.5mm respectively. Just to note the 42mm wears fairly tall, this is a similar case to the gen which when comparing to the old PO is almost top heavy.
Gen Case and LHS
Rep Case and LHS
Gen Case and RHS
Rep Case and RHS
The crown/He are fairly accurately sized and finished this time. The 45mm crown being wider but less tall than the 42mm, as is the case on the gen. Also the markings on the He and crown are fairly accurate.
What is more concerning is while the 45mm crown screwdown felt really solid with about 8-10 half turns, both 42mm didn't, with about 2 half turns on the silver 42mm and 3 half turns on the red 42mm. Why is this something that could possibly be a concern later?? Well anyone who is familiar with the older PO's, specifically the 42mm V5 will be aware that the tubes were really prone to stripping. I certainly hope this isn't the case here, but these 42mm screwdowns have a striking resemblance in feel to the old version. Not the best, considering most reps I've tried recently were substantially better in this regard.
The caseback is a strange one, I'm very happy with the rotor, I'm not too fussed about the eta 2836 masquerading as an 8500. The 8500 is obviously a masterpiece of design and finishing. We have nothing in the rep world that can compete with it on any level.
The rep looks pretty good when viewing it through the display window, it's never going to pass for gen, but the rotor Geneve waves and engraving look pretty cool. The liquid metal on the 45mm caseback was a mistake, and adjuste dto fiye' on the movement holder was interesting, but again this is something which can barely be seen with the caseback on, and then only if you are really looking for it. In truth, these are minor issues, the front of the watch is much more important.
Gen Caseback
Rep
The Bracelet and clasp:
The bracelet has some very good and very bad aspects. Good are the endlinks which are very nicely cut and fit snugly to the case. The screwed links are are great and feel pretty good quality surprisingly. I was sure I'd strip one or two during resizing but they actually screwed in pretty well and felt pretty close to those on my gen AT. Time will tell if the threads hold out and it might also be a good idea to use some threadlocker if using the bracelet long term.
The clasp doesn't jump out at me as being great quality, it's rather crudely cut and in some way almost feels cheaper than the rest of the bracelet. One of the 42mm clasps will not stay closed, the other 42mm is more solid and works fine. The 45mm clasp seems a little more solidly built.
Gen Bracelet:
Rep Bracelet:
The clasp:
The clasp engravings aren’t the best. On the gen the 42mm is obviously a little thinner than on the 45mm. On the reps the engravings are a little shoddy, with the 45mm being engraved too deep, but still looks good. The 42mm is too shallow and not bold enough.
Gen 42mm Clasp:
Gen 45mm Clasp:
Rep clasps:
The AR, Pearl and Lume:
The AR on the 42mm is unusually good for a rep, it’s actually pretty close to my old gen 2500 caliber PO. Maybe just a slight bit less transparent, but it is very low on reflections and it looks to be some of the best AR I’ve seen on a rep. The gen has a slightly more bluish tint but it is close. I’m not sure how durable the 42mm AR will be long term but it certainly looks the part.
This above makes it all the more perplexing as to why the 45mm then has no AR at all or very very minimal inner AR. I’m still trying to make out what it is! On some views it looks to have a very slight bluish tint on the inner part of the crystal. That could be just reflections from the gasket though. Either way, the 45mm AR is non existant. It is neither close to gen or even the 42mm rep. I’m not even going to speculate as to what happened in this case. I’m sure the details will come out in time but it is something that needs to be corrected.
Rep 42mm
Rep 45mm
Comparing AR
The pearl:
The pearl is better centred than it used to be, at least on the 45mm it is. On the 42mm it still has a tendency to be a little lowish in the triangle but they are both a huge improvement over old PO’s. It’s still a little too big in diameter vs gen and is more flush to bezel in some cases than others. The better placement itself just improves the look immensely.
The Lume:
The lume is pretty good actually, I’m sure the strenght on full charge is not as intense as the gen but they’ve done a pretty good job, with the correct lume colours in the right places. The addition of the good AR and superlume helps make the dial pop much better than the previous PO.
Gen Lume:
Rep Lume vs Old gen PO
Some thoughts and conclusions:
Overall this is a nice rep with some great features such as screwed links and good endlinks, AR and superlume, but it is let down by just a lack of attention to detail that could have made it a fantastic Omega rep. The missing AR on the 45mm and the clasps, and some dial/bezel details on the 42mm could have been improved prior to release.
It’s still a great purchase and no doubt many will be very happy with it. For the price it has a great deal of features that you’ll be hard pushed to find outside of the rep world. I guess the newer reps on release in the past year with finer attention to detail and better finishing have raised the bar significantly. This doesn’t quite reach those heights but is still good value for money and looks a quality piece on the wrist.
Edit: // I'd like to give thanks to Jidonsu for allowing me to use some of his fantastic gen CPO pics for comparisons.
