Ok, so I’ve wanted a PO Chrono for a long time, but there haven’t been any good ones out there, wrong sub dials and pusher spacings and date windows have been the bigger faults.
A few months ago some new ones popped up at the AD’s and they looked much better, so I pulled the trigger on one from PureTime.
This edition is much better than the previous attempts, the sub dials are almost correctly spaced, the Chrono pushers are almost spot on, case size and finish is better and the dial looks very good, I don’t know what factory this is from.
The sub dial at 3 is still a faux though unfortunately.
The dial:
It looks even better than my Noob CrPO, no crooked markers, text is aligned almost perfectly.
The fonts are probably a bit too thick compared to gen, date window and 6 marker are slightly wrong, but hardly noticeable at wrist distance.
The pearl and bezel:
I haven’t looked at all the gen versions of this, but the ones I’ve seen have the pearl centered in the triangle like on my Noob CrPO, so I guess this is a tell. Other than that the bezel is ceramic and of the same quality as the Noob, text printing again is probably a bit too thick, but it looks and feels good, turning of the bezel is smooth and firm as on the Noob and it lines up nicely.
The case:
Big and heavy! Quality is on par with the Noob, nice brushing and polishing, size seems to be fairly accurate.
Movement:
Decorated 7750. Except from the rotor and the plate under it there isn’t much added.
Bracelet:
It seems to be almost the same as on my Noob CrPo, with some minor differences, the links are exactly the same, same feel and weight, some minor differences on the clasp, and the solid end links are of course much thicker.
So on to the problems.
The first thing I noticed when i unwrapped it and released it from it’s plastic crib was the top pusher falling out and tumbling to the floor. Well, not a good first impression I thought. Then I held it up and examined it and the first thing that stood out was a terribly crooked crystal. So, clearly some elbow grease was needed here to get this in wearable condition.
I went for the crystal first, I don't have a press or any tool for that, so I placed the case with crystal down on a thick notepad, then placed a thick dictionary on top of the and applied even pressure while rotating/wobbling a bit, the crystal popped into place at once!
Here you can see the crystal, Leaning Tower of Pisa! Also notice the thickness of the case compared to the Noob CrPo, they are almost the same thickness with the Noob's bracelet and clasp added!
I was a bit nervous about the pusher, because I’ve seen some horrendous mounting solutions before, but looking at the banished pusher I guessed it was fastened by a standard C-ring or C-clip, and I presumed the lost clip must be in the case or movement somewhere.
Opening up the watch and taking out the movement, very carefully, and shaking lightly and rotating around didn’t reveal any little clip of any sort falling out, I thought it must have not been installed in the first place, which would have been weird, because the pusher would have been loose all the time at the TD. After looking around for a while I found it stuck to my magnetized screwdriver, undeserved luck! Notice the clip I'm talking about still attached to the other pusher.
I managed to get it back on the pusher with a tweezer after many many tries and lots of swearing, the pusher has to be pushed fully in and the little rim the clip goes on is just barely out beyond the casing, with my household garage tools this was a nightmare, but I got it in place finally.
The clip is microscopic!
Large glass of wine.
On the wrist and in working order, feels and looks good, a couple minutes fast it seems though.
Compared to the Noob on the wrist
You see how massive it is in comparison here
Compared to two of my favorite Pam’s and the Noob
Pam 243 on top, they are about the same thickness, but the Omega feels quite a bit larger and it is heavier, and especially top heavy.
AR is good, on par with the Noob, a bit bluish tint, the sky is reflected in this photo though so it's not representative of the hue.
And with my favorite rep at the moment, the PAM 531.
Thanks for looking and until next time!
Snapscan
A few months ago some new ones popped up at the AD’s and they looked much better, so I pulled the trigger on one from PureTime.
This edition is much better than the previous attempts, the sub dials are almost correctly spaced, the Chrono pushers are almost spot on, case size and finish is better and the dial looks very good, I don’t know what factory this is from.
The sub dial at 3 is still a faux though unfortunately.
The dial:
It looks even better than my Noob CrPO, no crooked markers, text is aligned almost perfectly.
The fonts are probably a bit too thick compared to gen, date window and 6 marker are slightly wrong, but hardly noticeable at wrist distance.
The pearl and bezel:
I haven’t looked at all the gen versions of this, but the ones I’ve seen have the pearl centered in the triangle like on my Noob CrPO, so I guess this is a tell. Other than that the bezel is ceramic and of the same quality as the Noob, text printing again is probably a bit too thick, but it looks and feels good, turning of the bezel is smooth and firm as on the Noob and it lines up nicely.
The case:
Big and heavy! Quality is on par with the Noob, nice brushing and polishing, size seems to be fairly accurate.
Movement:
Decorated 7750. Except from the rotor and the plate under it there isn’t much added.
Bracelet:
It seems to be almost the same as on my Noob CrPo, with some minor differences, the links are exactly the same, same feel and weight, some minor differences on the clasp, and the solid end links are of course much thicker.
So on to the problems.
The first thing I noticed when i unwrapped it and released it from it’s plastic crib was the top pusher falling out and tumbling to the floor. Well, not a good first impression I thought. Then I held it up and examined it and the first thing that stood out was a terribly crooked crystal. So, clearly some elbow grease was needed here to get this in wearable condition.
I went for the crystal first, I don't have a press or any tool for that, so I placed the case with crystal down on a thick notepad, then placed a thick dictionary on top of the and applied even pressure while rotating/wobbling a bit, the crystal popped into place at once!
Here you can see the crystal, Leaning Tower of Pisa! Also notice the thickness of the case compared to the Noob CrPo, they are almost the same thickness with the Noob's bracelet and clasp added!
I was a bit nervous about the pusher, because I’ve seen some horrendous mounting solutions before, but looking at the banished pusher I guessed it was fastened by a standard C-ring or C-clip, and I presumed the lost clip must be in the case or movement somewhere.
Opening up the watch and taking out the movement, very carefully, and shaking lightly and rotating around didn’t reveal any little clip of any sort falling out, I thought it must have not been installed in the first place, which would have been weird, because the pusher would have been loose all the time at the TD. After looking around for a while I found it stuck to my magnetized screwdriver, undeserved luck! Notice the clip I'm talking about still attached to the other pusher.
I managed to get it back on the pusher with a tweezer after many many tries and lots of swearing, the pusher has to be pushed fully in and the little rim the clip goes on is just barely out beyond the casing, with my household garage tools this was a nightmare, but I got it in place finally.
The clip is microscopic!
Large glass of wine.
On the wrist and in working order, feels and looks good, a couple minutes fast it seems though.
Compared to the Noob on the wrist
You see how massive it is in comparison here
Compared to two of my favorite Pam’s and the Noob
Pam 243 on top, they are about the same thickness, but the Omega feels quite a bit larger and it is heavier, and especially top heavy.
AR is good, on par with the Noob, a bit bluish tint, the sky is reflected in this photo though so it's not representative of the hue.
And with my favorite rep at the moment, the PAM 531.
Thanks for looking and until next time!
Snapscan