strapline wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:59 pm Great write up, Rich, really enjoyed it. On balance I think I prefer the matt dial older model too, although the enhancement to the newer movement would be worthwhile. Such a fine looking watch. Love the thin bezel an its compressed 20,30,40,50min arabics. The steroid-lite HE valve is SO much more subdued than the Seamaster 300M. Then there's the beautiful silhouette of the bracelet. I'm a big fan, enjoy.

Des

This is very true. The silicon balance and hairspring are probably the most important upgrades. If they could do that and keep the thinness of the older movement that would be great.

I like the thin bezel reminiscent of the '57 too.

Yep, the helium release valve just dissolves into the case as it should. Out of sight and mind but there for those that need it.

missF wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:57 am Great post! Thanks for taking the time to put it all together. I love this because I've learned about a line of watches i didn't know any thing about, and also got your personal opinions on things like movement, design, influences.

A thought of mine (i may be well off course of course) is that when you have any successful line of watch that you are growing and developing as a company, the tendency is a need to add 'more' or 'something new' with every iteration. That could be new materials ('oh that ceramic bezel is so shiny!''); new pops of colour ('hey look, some pops of colour!'); new dial effects ('oh look, sunburst dial!')... But those new iterations aren't 'better' - apart from in the advertiser's sales blurb. They're just different. I love the fact that you've gone back down the line and found the watch that is for you. And i think the one you have chosen is the essence of a great watch line.

Wear it with lots of happiness

The biggest change in this direction came with the introduction of the ceramic dial in a limited edition in 2009. This cranked up the shiny factor and they have only gotten shinier since then.

I think you are right about the pressure to change things.

Thanks for the kind words!

I swear I didn't plan this and I didn't even see the article until last night. Notice the third watch. Although this is the 42 mm he mirrors my thoughts pretty much. Glad I beat the Fratello rush!

Here is another article about the entire Planet Ocean line that is pretty good. It also has a nice pic of several examples through the years.

StrapMeister wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:42 pm

rkovars wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:37 pm I found a couple of the rubber straps but they are pretty expensive at this point. I may just bite the bullet and grab one though. I bought a spare link that I ended up not needing so a return there will free up a few dollars in the fund drawer.

Is that a Forstner or another brand?

It's actually a "bitsa" bracelet, i.e., bits of one and bits of another.
I bought a bracelet from eBay and a Geckota bracelet from WatchGecko.
I used the end links from the eBay one and fitted/used the Geckota bracelet.

It looks really good Great work matching up the parts.

gwells wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:38 am also, i really like the OEM rubber strap with the white version.

I am partial to the original rubber strap like this one.



But I do like the look of the more modern strap on your example.

Dancematt wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 2:30 pm Great post. I bought a planet ocean for £1400 just after the recession of 2008, it was slightly shop soiled but not too big a deal. I semi enjoyed the ownership but sold it due to the nature of the steel which seemed to scratch very easily as did the anti reflective coating on the outer side of the crystal then came alot of talk about that movements reliability and potential to just stop working.

I often thought the watch looked far too expensive to really use in all situations and babied the hell out of it. It's definitely the best looking era for the planet ocean, it's a shame the way the design has gone but I suppose it opened Omega up for more retro looking divers to also fit in the range.

I am not a huge fan of the antireflective coating on the outside either. But ultimately, the crystal will get swapped in a service anyway so that became a lower consideration on the list.

I have never been one to baby my watches so I don't really think about it. I wore my 1675 daily for about 20 years or more and did everything in it. I would reach up into aircraft equipment racks etc and not think twice about it. I have kind of kept that ethos throughout the years. When I get a new watch, in my mind, it becomes just my watch and I don't really think about the value anymore. It also helps that I bought second hand so it was never 'new off the lot'.

One thing that is true about the internet is that it has a long memory and many things over time tend to get conflated. Omega did have a lot of trouble with the 2500A released in 1999. These ran at 28,800 and were very susceptible to shock. A large enough hit would cause the movement to seize. The 2500B released in 2003 still had some issues but far fewer than the A. I have read that the changes from A to B affected the 'start torque' of the movement when it ran at the full 28800 beat rate. For this reason they lowered the beat rate to 25,200 for the C revision which was what was in the newly introduced Planet Ocean in 2005. But, like I said, the internet has a long memory and the older issues with the A and B started to be attributed to the C too.

rkovars wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:19 pm

gwells wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:38 am also, i really like the OEM rubber strap with the white version.

I am partial to the original rubber strap like this one.



But I do like the look of the more modern strap on your example.

i wonder if the white dial makes a difference in that. it has a slightly less rugged look than the traditional dark dial, and the more formal, refined rubber works. it may have a "clunky" look with a more traditional rubber strap. and the opposite may be true of yours, it might look too insubstantial.

gwells wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 10:50 pm

rkovars wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:19 pm

gwells wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:38 am also, i really like the OEM rubber strap with the white version.

I am partial to the original rubber strap like this one.



But I do like the look of the more modern strap on your example.

i wonder if the white dial makes a difference in that. it has a slightly less rugged look than the traditional dark dial, and the more formal, refined rubber works. it may have a "clunky" look with a more traditional rubber strap. and the opposite may be true of yours, it might look too insubstantial.

You could be right but I think if I were truly honest with myself it probably has more to do with the one I posted is the one they used in the movie

I have had my Artem sailcloth on it and it looks great. The Artem isn't too far off from the black OEM strap like the white one you have.

Amazing post and I second many of the thoughts behind purchasing the watch! I was wondering if you have had any success finding a rubber band? I too am on the search. Thanks again!

Nice write-up -- enjoy it.

cgiampietro wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 11:29 pm Amazing post and I second many of the thoughts behind purchasing the watch! I was wondering if you have had any success finding a rubber band? I too am on the search. Thanks again!

Nothing aftermarket so far. They all appear to be made for the current version and the lug holes are in different places. I need to get in touch with my local watch maker and have a look through the parts catalog.

For now I have been wearing the Artem sail cloth strap and a CW black and orange hybrid strap which looks really good.

A basic black NATO also looks really good. So does the newer Artem orange stripe. Of course the bracelet is pretty killer too.

@cgiampietro Finally success! After several fits and starts (I have a small pile of failures sitting on my desk) on locating an aftermarket strap for the PO I hit the jackpot. It has the same look as the original OEM strap (which is what I was really looking for) and it was a very reasonable price. I had found a couple of OEM straps that I would have pulled the trigger on if I would have been sure they would fit but after all of my research I wasn't convinced that there wasn't still a difference in hole placement between the 2900.50.91 and the 2200.50.00 (which is what I have).

I took a flyer on a strap from an eBay seller called ewatchparts. The listing is for 22MM Rubber Watch Band Strap For 45.5 mm Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean XL. Now this in itself isn't a done deal as the pile of straps that don't work attests to. However, what made me look twice at this strap was a sentence in the description - It is made for 45mm or 45.5mm Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean XL Chronograph which has 22mm lugs. I had never seen once specifically called out for the chronograph. Low and behold this one is perfect! All for $25 US! I am going to replace the tang with an Omega OEM tang for the look but the tang that comes on the strap is good and looks like the OEM one without the branding.

If anyone has trouble locating this strap let me know.

rkovars wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:00 pm

cgiampietro wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 11:29 pm Amazing post and I second many of the thoughts behind purchasing the watch! I was wondering if you have had any success finding a rubber band? I too am on the search. Thanks again!

Nothing aftermarket so far. They all appear to be made for the current version and the lug holes are in different places. I need to get in touch with my local watch maker and have a look through the parts catalog.

For now I have been wearing the Artem sail cloth strap and a CW black and orange hybrid strap which looks really good.

A basic black NATO also looks really good. So does the newer Artem orange stripe. Of course the bracelet is pretty killer too.



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I bought a black/orange CW hybrid for my 2023 PO but the 22mm is too big and I’m loathe to start hacking away at the strap…the lugs on mine are 21mm which is rather frustrating. I’ll be flogging off my Omega NATO bought for the PO and worn twice…I can’t do NATOs.

21mm will be a pain for many aftermarket rubber straps. I know that Artem does make 21mm in their sailcloth straps. Zealande makes some really high end rubber straps specifically for the PO models with 21mm lugs but they are pricey. I did a quick eBay search and there are a few options available mostly for deployants though. Good luck on the search.

The trouble I had finding a strap is that usually the springbar hole was too far forward in the strap (too close to the fitted end) so that when I put the strap on the watch the fitted end wouldn't seat to the watch leaving a gap that wouldn't secure the end of the strap to the watch. The strap would just swing freely.