- 4/4/09
- 2,140
- 90
- 48
This project began last August, when I fortuitously found, and then won, an online auction for one of the infamous Vietnamese SM300s. The subsequent build is described in this thread.
While I was very happy with the watch, there was always the nagging thought that I was just one part (one very big and expensive part!) away from what would essentially be a genuine watch. For the past two years, I’ve been on the lookout for either a vintage SM300 in good shape, or a Watchco SM300 for a good price. Never heard of Watchco? The company used to be Omega’s authorized parts distributor and service provider in Australia, and has made a tidy profit from building and selling ‘NOS’ SM300s out of readily available, genuine parts. I know there are big arguments over what separates franken from gen, but consider this: If you owned a vintage SM300 in terrible condition and sent it to Bienne for a full-on restoration, the watch you would receive after a couple of months would look identical to a Watchco Seamaster.
To recap: A gen is assembled by Swiss hands, a NOS is put together by Aussies, but you, the enthusiast, can only manage a franken—even if all the parts are exactly the same. Process over content. It’s just like organic food!
It took less than a month after completing the franken that I decided to go for the full Monty, and order the genuine case. That was mid-September. Since then, postal hell.
The original package was lost, and the re-order was massively delayed. Communications with both CousinsUK’s support and various post offices have been… suboptimal. Even now, I’m still waiting for the Royal Mail to process my lost package claim. I get tired just writing about it, so let’s move on to the actual watch.
So aside from the incomparable feeling of owning a gen (fine... a 'NOS'!), why was I so eager to spend big bucks on a replacement case? I’ll boil it down to two things: I wanted a go-anywhere watch with water resistance I could count on, and I really wanted the SM300’s awesome lume pattern:
Check on both counts!
As originally written, this was where I was supposed to compare the rep versus the gen case (as is my wont). I’ve decided to move the comparison to its own thread, and keep this one moving along. Onto the pretty pictures:
Once again, the gorgeous Calibre 552—the most beautiful, mass-produced automatic movement of all time (along with the rest of Omega’s mid-500 series). There’s not much to say about the build this time around. Basically, the guts were transplanted from the VN to the genuine Omega case. The stem had to be shortened, as the crown was protruding a bit. The end.
As you may have already noticed, I did get a new 20mm 'Milanese' to go with the case. At the risk of hitting my quota for superlatives, Omega still makes the best mesh bracelet on the market. Very solid, very shiny. The big, screw-down crown comes with the case and is correct for later Seamaster 300s.
Same dial and hands as before. Omega no longer offers the No-Date dial as a part for sale, which is a shame. If you want one, be prepared to search longer and/or or pay more.
Sharp bezel teeth. Lovely.
The view from below. I never trusted the water-resistance of the VN rep, since I couldn't get its caseback to screw in properly when the gasket was in place. No such problems here. Engravings are arguably nicer than those on the original Seamaster 300 caseback.
Lastly, some variations on a versatile watch:
Looking Mil-spec, on olive drab NATO.
Classic, understated 1171 bracelet.
Into the 1970s, with flashy shark-proof mesh. LHOOQ's choice!
