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| Joined: | Sat Apr 11th, 2009 |
| Location: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Posts: | 7504 |
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Ok...My very first "new to me" GMT arrived this week, the discontinued 2538.20 Omega Seamaster GMT (aka 'Great White'). I am pretty sure that you 3T veterans know this piece very well.
An extremely gorgeous piece in pics, but even more so in person...this dial really pops due to the nice black border surrounds on the indices and hands and that white Omega wave dial provides a nice backdrop for the nicely detailed GMT and Regular hands as well. Case, bezel, and Speedmaster-style bracelet are completely brushed on the 2538.20...no polished pieces to speak of anywhere on the watch which looks great to me and will make finish maintenance an easier task. Case finish and machining is really spectacular...just beautiful and you've got to love that deeply machined classic Seamaster Seahorse caseback!
As I mentioned, this is my very first GMT and I'm thinking that the Omega Cal. 1128 (Omega modified, COSC certified, 23 jewel movement based on the ETA 2892-A2 with GMT function), that is powering this beauty is spoiling me rotten (buttery smooth to wind of course, but I absolutely love that the engine allows for independent setting of the hour hand forward or backwards while keeping everything ticking (via 1st crown postion)...and then of course you can hack the movement to set the date and then overall time and GMT hand via the 2nd crown position). This setup would seem to be a travelers dream when jumping from timezone to timezone. Keep in mind that you do loose the quickset date feature due to this setup, but this seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me for a GMT timepiece. Would love to hear you veterans chime in regarding this GMT setup compared to some others out there (ie ETA 2893-2, rolex caliber 3185, others...).
Love the Speedmaster-style bracelet (the previous owner included an extra set of Omega Speedmaster bracelet half-links for obtaining that absolute perfect fit), which is ultra-comfortable on the wrist (tapers from 20mm at the lugs to 18mm at the very, very nice 2 button push Omega clasp). I highly recommend the half-links as the Omega Speedy clasp has no micro-adjust capability.
The basic specs:
Case: All brushed stainless steel finish
Bezel: Bi-directional rotating bezel
Diameter: 41.5mm diameter (without crown) - measures about 42mm to me
Movement: Omega Cal. 1128 (23 jewel, COSC certified automatic movement based on the ETA 2892-A2 with GMT Function, 44 hour power reserve)
Crystal - Sapphire crystal - anti-reflective coated on the inside
Water resistant to 300 meters
Bracelet: Speedmaster-style bracelet with 2 button Omega signed sport clasp (w/dive suit extension)
A keeper so far!!!
A few pics - note that the Omega Cal. 1120 pic is one of the few pics that I could find that could be publically reproduced (note the copyright). The Omega Cal. 1128 looks just like this with the addition of the GMT function...I found it to be a rather gorgeous movement, so included the pic here for you guys since I'm not planning on opening mine up any time soon.
Superb choice for a first GMT, Chris.
The simplicity and exactness of the design is top-rate. Enjoy it in good health