Planet Ocean Chrono Ti arrival
Discussion
To be honest, modern Omega were not really my thing anymore, without trying to sound like a nob I had grown out of 'high street brands' to a certain extent.
But a Planet Ocean Chronograph Liquidmetal popped up (titanium, 45.5mm) and I thought why not have a punt. I suppose I was curious to see why I was paying all this money for Blancpain and Breguet etc and was wondering about Omega, a level lower in the Swatch heirachy; they have received a lot of flak for seemingly pushing their prices up to Rolex levels for little perceived change. I wanted to know if there was a justification.
Blown away would be an understatement. I had one of the very first original POs with an orange bezel and this is ahead in every tactile and aesthetic way, it is just better (I also had a blue 'Bond' Seamaster before that and the PO improved on that). The in-house movement is a joy to feel, listen to and watch through the back; I know it's machine finished but who cares, it's a huge leap from bought-in and modified ETAs. Operation of the chronograh is both firm and silky, the watch jumps the hour if and when changing time zones like a GMT (so no quickset date) and the chronograph is very readable with hours and mins on the same pinion/register - I like that style.
Details like the orange 'plongeur' minute chrono hand mean I have spent the evening staring at the laquered dial taking in the details, fiddling with the bezel, with the clasp and diver extension. The AR coating is unlike any I have seen before, it's as if the crystal isn't there. I suppose I haven't bought a new watch for a long time, the game moves on quickly and ou miss the innovations going pre-owned all the time.
I tried the PO Chrono on in steel a while back and found it too big, too clunky, too tall and too heavy. Suddenly in titanium it all makes sense, the height isn't an issue as the weight isn't there. I've had a bracelet Royal Oak Offshore on all day and this is so much more comfortable to wear, it's great! This is the flagship of the PO range and it's not hard to see why, it's a triumph.
So in short - I'll hang on to this for a while and see if I wear it. I think I will, it has a lot of presence! The last watch I bought new was a Zenith Stratos Striking 10th... this watch murders it in every way apart from movement novelty. I sold the Stratos as it was too big at 45mm but both this and my FF are 45mm+ as well so it was just that watch I didn't mesh with, their bulk is better disguised. Here it is on my skinny 6.75" wrist.
But a Planet Ocean Chronograph Liquidmetal popped up (titanium, 45.5mm) and I thought why not have a punt. I suppose I was curious to see why I was paying all this money for Blancpain and Breguet etc and was wondering about Omega, a level lower in the Swatch heirachy; they have received a lot of flak for seemingly pushing their prices up to Rolex levels for little perceived change. I wanted to know if there was a justification.
Blown away would be an understatement. I had one of the very first original POs with an orange bezel and this is ahead in every tactile and aesthetic way, it is just better (I also had a blue 'Bond' Seamaster before that and the PO improved on that). The in-house movement is a joy to feel, listen to and watch through the back; I know it's machine finished but who cares, it's a huge leap from bought-in and modified ETAs. Operation of the chronograh is both firm and silky, the watch jumps the hour if and when changing time zones like a GMT (so no quickset date) and the chronograph is very readable with hours and mins on the same pinion/register - I like that style.
Details like the orange 'plongeur' minute chrono hand mean I have spent the evening staring at the laquered dial taking in the details, fiddling with the bezel, with the clasp and diver extension. The AR coating is unlike any I have seen before, it's as if the crystal isn't there. I suppose I haven't bought a new watch for a long time, the game moves on quickly and ou miss the innovations going pre-owned all the time.
I tried the PO Chrono on in steel a while back and found it too big, too clunky, too tall and too heavy. Suddenly in titanium it all makes sense, the height isn't an issue as the weight isn't there. I've had a bracelet Royal Oak Offshore on all day and this is so much more comfortable to wear, it's great! This is the flagship of the PO range and it's not hard to see why, it's a triumph.
So in short - I'll hang on to this for a while and see if I wear it. I think I will, it has a lot of presence! The last watch I bought new was a Zenith Stratos Striking 10th... this watch murders it in every way apart from movement novelty. I sold the Stratos as it was too big at 45mm but both this and my FF are 45mm+ as well so it was just that watch I didn't mesh with, their bulk is better disguised. Here it is on my skinny 6.75" wrist.
Dominic H said:
Good review of another well thought out acquisition
I lucked out TBH... I came, I saw, I bought without any thought at all, my first day looking at the tz sales corner! Only in the post 'hiding the transaction from Mrs Yeti' panic did I actually think it might be a good addition to my collection. It's a damned fine watch and in lightweight Ti with the nice chrono layout it's going to get some wear hopefully.
Makes me feel very tough having such a big watch
The latest Planet Oceans are awesome watches. Yes the RRP is massive in comparison with the earlier versions but the quality is now top notch. Little things like the quality of the dial and the screw system rather than crappy pins to remove links.
Regarding the retail price though, it may gave gone up a lot but a non chrono Planet Ocean in steel is still £1750 less than a steel Rolex Submariner with a date and side by side you'd be hard pushed to tell where the extra value is (in my opinion.....). Yes the Sub will hold it's money better, but putting all that to one side these new Planet Oceans seem like a good buy to me.
Regarding the retail price though, it may gave gone up a lot but a non chrono Planet Ocean in steel is still £1750 less than a steel Rolex Submariner with a date and side by side you'd be hard pushed to tell where the extra value is (in my opinion.....). Yes the Sub will hold it's money better, but putting all that to one side these new Planet Oceans seem like a good buy to me.
AlexWF said:
Regarding the retail price though, it may gave gone up a lot but a non chrono Planet Ocean in steel is still £1750 less than a steel Rolex Submariner with a date and side by side you'd be hard pushed to tell where the extra value is (in my opinion.....). Yes the Sub will hold it's money better, but putting all that to one side these new Planet Oceans seem like a good buy to me.
It will be interesting to see whether that statement is still true in 5-10 years time. Anyone with any watch knowledge knows Rolex are mass produced great quality tool watches and no more, the fact they hold their money and increase their desirability is down to excellent marketing (and the fact they are fine watches - but so are many others). I'd be interested to see if Omegas marketing machine can bring them up to the next level, it's a process that takes decades...As you say, side by side; case quality, bracelet quality are as good as each other. Movement quality, 4 year warranty the Omega has the edge. But 'desirability', whatever that is... Rolex has it, I would never be without one. In every measurable way (bar WR rating - irrelevant for a non-swimmer!) my Sea-Dweller is trumped by the new PO Chrono. If I had to choose one to keep and one to lose, it'd be the Rolex staying every time. Bizarre
Very nice. Was looking at one in the Omega store in Bluewater a few weeks back. Didn't realise they now offer POs in 43.5mm now, in addition to 42 and 45mm. I still prefer the 42 on my feminine wrists!
Still, a lovely watch Yeti and I would go as far as saying the quality beats my seadweller!
Still, a lovely watch Yeti and I would go as far as saying the quality beats my seadweller!
yeti said:
the chronograph is very readable with hours and mins on the same pinion/register - I like that style.
Suddenly in titanium it all makes sense,
Totally agree on the chrono layout; very intuitive way to display elapsed time, especially longer durations. Suddenly in titanium it all makes sense,
The usual 30min scale on chronograph subdials was used as it made reading off the minutes easier as you could use intervals twice as big as a 60 scale, but this meant that a) it was on a different scale to the rest of the watch (i.e. 30 divisions per revolution as opposed to 60) which makes it less intuitive to read, and b) You need to reference the hour hand to determine whether you are at 2hrs15 or 2hrs45 for example.
Sinn half-tackled the problem with their U1000 having a 60min chrono dial, they enlarged the subdial to nearly the dial radius so they could distinguish the individual minutes.
Yeti - do you find it easy enough to read off elapsed minutes accurately? It seems that the intuitive scale helps in large part as even from the picture you can tell it's probably at 52 minutes without reference to the minute markers.
Titanium is such a good material for watches I think.
AlexWF said:
Regarding the retail price though, it may gave gone up a lot but a non chrono Planet Ocean in steel is still £1750 less than a steel Rolex Submariner with a date and side by side you'd be hard pushed to tell where the extra value is (in my opinion.....). Yes the Sub will hold it's money better, but putting all that to one side these new Planet Oceans seem like a good buy to me.
That's where the extra value is, the branding – they're both mass produced items, so fit and finishing will likely be on a par with one another.andy_s said:
Yeti - do you find it easy enough to read off elapsed minutes accurately? It seems that the intuitive scale helps in large part as even from the picture you can tell it's probably at 52 minutes without reference to the minute markers.
Yes, although haven't tried it in anger yet; it is a small scale but eaiser than a general chrono register I think, the hour hand seems to give it a reference... I have a LOT of chronos so you sometimes don't know at a glance whether your scale is 30mins, 45mins or 60mins. The hour hand means you know it's 60mins. I have the same read-out style on my Duometre although the register is twice the size which makes it easier to use.andy_s said:
Titanium is such a good material for watches I think.
I found this watch too unwieldy for me in steel. Ti was THE major selling point to me. It's not Breitling Aerospace light, but a huge difference in comfort and wearability; the height and bulk disappear. It's also Grade 5 so should be harder than the usual watch grade used - we'll see how it wears longer term, Ti is often reported as scratching/marking easily.It's a handsome bugger as well with the blue-grey bezel and laquered dark blue dial. Subtle but very pleasing.
bry1975 said:
Yup Grade 5 should be far superior to Grade 1 or 2 which is classed as commercially pure.
Apparently, from wiki-pee:Grade 5, also known as Ti6Al4V, Ti-6Al-4V or Ti 6-4, is the most commonly used alloy. It has a chemical composition of 6% aluminium, 4% vanadium, 0.25% (maximum) iron, 0.2% (maximum) oxygen, and the remainder titanium.[6] It is significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium while having the same stiffness and thermal properties (excluding thermal conductivity, which is about 60% lower in Grade 5 Ti than in CP Ti).[7] Among its many advantages, it is heat treatable. This grade is an excellent combination of strength, corrosion resistance, weld and fabricability.
yeti said:
To be honest, modern Omega were not really my thing anymore, without trying to sound like a nob I had grown out of 'high street brands' to a certain extent.
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I got the Planet Ocean 42mm black classic dial for my 21st birthday ,5 years ago and its a fabulous watch. I cant believe how thick the new model is compare to the old one and as my PO isa keeper ,Im not interested in the newer model. Though i do appreciate the upgraded movement etc
Dominic H said:
It's not that kind of forum Dom. 
Are you in Town this week?
Good review of another well thought out acquisition Lewis!
I'm here, chief.Are you in Town this week?
Good review of another well thought out acquisition Lewis!
Edited by Dominic H on Thursday 21st November 08:08
Landed this afternoon!
Do you still have my mobile number?
Could head over tomorrow afternoon or next week?
Just ordered one of these. Should be in mid-December. Much prefer the steel weight of auto omegas.
http://www.chrono24.com/en/omega/planet-ocean-soch...
Love the matte bezel with colour details.
http://www.chrono24.com/en/omega/planet-ocean-soch...
Love the matte bezel with colour details.
Junior Bianno said:
Nice. Not wanting to out you, but I'm sure I remember you commenting on a thread that 42mm was the absolute max size a watch should be be. That is definitely a change of heart - it's huge. I've got a non-chrono 45.5mm PO and it's massive - the chrono is much bigger!
I think I said I thought 42mm was optimum (wearing 42mm right now); but I have a 45mm Blancpain and 45mm Panerai and have had the later 9 years so my feelings are not clear cut The 45mm Zenith Stratos I bought was too big - all watches wear differently. It didn't stay
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