We watch addicts always keep asking ourselves: What's going to be my next watch? Well I _knew_ I was going to get Planet Ocean the day first reps came out. Being a huge Omega fan I knew I couldn't live without this one, it was love at first sight.
Too bad the first and second generation replicas were more or less flawed...so it was going to be... waiting game.
The 3rd generation PO finally did it for me. I decided to pull the trigger because I've seen how the new generation "Bond" SMP's have become: Slightly inferior compared to the old batch. Since the rep is now in good shape who knows what flaws we'll see in the next rep generation? We all know how the rep factories f*ck up things. Fix one old problem, introduce 2 new ones, etc.
Next question was going to be: Orange or Black? Before my purchase I was reading a TRC thread about this. People were going back and forth about it... and after 10th page TTK put it nicely "Enough talk, go ask the queer eye for the straight guy... it must be the Orange!!!" :lol: In the same thread Nanuq said "live a little, choose the Orange!" Man, that sounded like the official marketing slogan!
So I was convinced by these two fine gentlemen. Black PO looks equally massive and nice but it really looks like just another conservative diver watch. It's the orange color what's synonymous with PO and it's what makes this watch original and different. So orange it was going to be.
Does it have flaws?
Yep, it's a rep - not a genuine $2.500 watch. Of course it has flaws: the pearl isn't perfect but it's not really noticeable except from the enlarged pictures. The engraving "Planet Ocean" is also missing from the clasp and anal retentive rep nerds could probably find something else with a loupe, too. But who gives a rat's ass, really? Go and buy the genuine for 2.5K if minor things like this bother you. I'm sure it's reps like this that cause grey hairs for the luxury watch management people. It's definitely good enough for me.
PT asked if I wanted the PLANET OCEAN engraved on the clasp but I decided against it. No big deal and the manual engraving wouldn't probably look like the original, anyway. Excellent option and customer service nevertheless - and it proves how hard PT tries his best to get the most accurate models for us.
The caseback is gorgeous with the traditional SeaMonster. Diver's extension clasp works like it should. It opens up and closes very nicely.
This used to be a typical flaw with the SMP replicas. Bezel is also tight and nice. Didn't count the clicks but I believe it works like it should. Another flawless watch for me... wonder why other people always run into problems with their reps...
I chose Precious Time for two reasons:
1. He ships from UK which means guaranteed no customs risk for EU citizens.
2. Me and PT have been chatting quite a lot in WT about everything watch related. Like I said PT does his best to bring the best watches for us and he's all around nice and friendly guy. I'm glad to support him. Everything went smooth as silk, the watch was in 100% condition when arrived. Instead of pestering the dealers with stupid questions I always try educate myself properly about the different rep models so I know what I want before I even contact them. Then I just send the payment and start waiting for the shipment. Probably makes me a ideal customer, eh?
The watch arrived yesterday morning, packaged extremely well. It took me at least 5 minutes to find the watch behind all the paddings and stuffings.
I wasn't disappointed. First impression was "This is HEAVY as sin!" Around 175 grams with all links intact. It was a pleasant surprise to notice that it has similar solid, convincing feel as my two other Omegas (Bond SMP and Venus Speedmaster). Another perfect watch for my big wrist and frame - a real Smashing Pumpkin'!!! Nanuq says the orange color was a bit too pale in his PO... but as you can see Nanuq doesn't know what he's talking about. From these two pictures we can clearly see how perfect the color is compared to the genuine article:
After the normal bracelet polishing / oiling and resizing I put it on my wrist and it's still there. And I can't imagine takin' it off now...at least not for quite a while.
I have worn the genuine and I swear this feels just as heavy, convincing and solid. I would say this is the same quality as the famous "Bond" Seamaster rep without exaggerating anything. The funny thing is, the sweep is smoother in the rep because genuine PO was designed to have lower bph in order to achieve longer power reserve. Genuine PO has a beat rate of 25,200 beats per hour compared to our sweet'n'smooth ETAs at 28,800 bph!!! So it roughly means 6 ticks per second vs. 7 ticks per second...thus the smoother sweep in the rep. Go and compare it to the gen if you don't believe me.
The orange color makes this a fun and sporty watch, in that sense it's similar as Rolex "Pepsi" GMT... Not too "dressy" but brisk, crisp and cool. The pictures definitely exaggerate the "noisy" and loud color effect. The orange color isn't as flashy and screaming on your wrist as you could imagine. But of course there's the black version for more conservative folks... and for senior citizens like Clive and Gran who couldn't imagine wearing a orange wristwatch. :lol:
So now I have the Planet Ocean that I always wanted. But what's going to be my next watch, then? Perhaps the lovely IWC GST... Bond Co-Axial GMT or something new from the Speedmaster line? I don't know yet, but that's just what makes this hobby so damn addictive.
Enjoy the pics. I'll enjoy my watch... and warmly welcome it to my Royal Omega Family.
