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| Joined: | Sun Sep 21st, 2008 |
| Location: | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Posts: | 2724 |
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....These wathes are quite rare at the AD's here, and with Christmas fast approaching things aren't going to get any better. After trying on the orange strap version, I knew the mesh was the way to go. The AD made some enquiries, and only one was available from the importer. It was snooze or lose......
Rather than attempting to write another review, I'm just going to post some (cellphone) pics with comments. We spent the weekend at our beach apartment, so took it along to bond with the new kid on the block. Forgot to take my camera.....
The packaging is quite attractive and the box is covered with wetsuit neoprene - a nice touch.
The overall quality and finish is superb. The operation of the bezel (after depressing the orange button) is the best in the business. The grip is fantastic. The bezel ring is sapphire, so virtually scratch resistant, as is the crystal. I think the sapphire is stronger than the ceramic used on the Rolex nowadays, albeit duller in appearance. The lume of the hour markers and the numbers on the bezel are equally impressive, glowing bright blue at night.
The mesh on this watch is the best I have seen. The lugs are 24mm, tapering to 20. The glidelock(a-la-Rolex) double pushbutton clasp is 24mm wide and 14mm thick!
The clasp is micro adjustable, and the the mesh has removable links. It must be very difficuilt and expensive to manufacture this piece of kit.
The case is a whopping 55mm, yet wears incredibly comfortably. The trick is to adjust the bracelet fairly tightly to eliminate wrist play. It is quite uncomfortable if it moves too much on your wrist.
The caseback is a piece of art.
The crown is massive, and very well protected by a clever crown guard which slides out as the crown is unscrewed. Adjusting the time and date is similiar to some GMT movements: the hour hand can be moved independently to set the date and hour. A little more cumbersome than a quickset function for the date since you have to wind a full 24 hrs. to adjust the date by one day. However, setting may be done bi-directionally.
The movement is the bespoke calibre 8500 co-axial engine. It comes with a 3 year guarantee, and according to Omega, the design reduces the need for lubrication dramatically. The caseback is sealed with a small red dot to deter novice hood poppers like myself to go in there. Damn! I will have to resort to looking at pics of this beautiful movement elsewhere on the net.....
The movement is COSC certified, and out the box this is simply the most accurate timepiece I have ever owned! I tested it in 5 positions. The maximum deviation was 0.5 seconds in any of the positions. Absolutely remarkable. Nothing I have even comes close.....
The movement runs at 25200 beats per hour - quite unusual and my first such one.
Needless to say, I am very happy with this grail. Together with my Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller I think they make a phenomenal pair.
Another shot or two follow. Thanks for looking!
