Nalu
3T WIS
| Joined: | Fri May 25th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 83 |
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I enjoyed watching the gestation and birth of the LM-1 and really like wearing it. The PVD is particularly striking and to date has been my favourite O7 watch. The LM-3 I'm lukewarm about since I'm hit or miss on tall, bulky watches, but the dial is fun to photograph: I'm like a crow with a shiny thing 
OTOH, I've been looking forward to the LM-2 since the first time I saw it. Of all the O7 watches, it has come closest to the initial concept drawings and IRL looks most like the P-Shop drawings seen on the web. With this watch, even moreso than the LM-3, O7 show that they've come a long way towards making a top drawer product. It comes in a double box set:
Just in case you forget which company makes the watch!
The packaging is nothing super-fancy (read: waste of money), but it does add a professional touch. The watch comes standard on the floppy-frane (as I call it) strap, but the orange stitching on black leather (+$30 upgrade) or one of the PU straps ($29) can be ordered extra. Later this summer there will be a 5-link Ti bracelet available. The three PU strap colours are black, orange and yellow:
Initial impressions are excellent. The watch is big and the gently domed sapphire crystal (with AR on the back side) really adds to the impression of a big, clear watch. It looks fantastic sitting in the wood box. I previously compared it to the Omega FlightMaster, but the LM-2 (45 x 14 x 53.6mm) is a lot bigger than the FM (43 x 14 x 52mm) physically and in terms of dial space. The watch was running when I opened the box, always a good sign of a movement that's a 'goer' .
The brushed Ti case is a medium gray in colour and catches some highlights here and there in photos. I'd say it's about the same as an Autozilla in shade, but the brushed finish lends a little more class over the Autozilla's bead blast finish. The dial is very clear and simple: matte black; a minute track with large hour markers; date at 6 and very unobtrusive. Hands are big plongeurs with lots of lume - noticeably better quality than the LM-1 (which I don't have a problem with) and much better looking than the LM-3 hands IMO.
Height is 13mm, so it's about right on the wrist, especially with the weight benefit of the Ti case. No need for a monster bracelet or strap to counterbalance this one, almost anything will do. Lug width is 24mm of course and the watch comes with fat, shoulderless springbars. One issue some folks have - and I have with the factory black leather/orange stitching strap - is how close the bar holes are to the ends of the lugs. With a round case and 24mm lug width, the challenge in keeping lugs of reasonable length is clear. Be aware that you'll need a fat-ended strap, a fitted strap or a NATO style with this watch if a 'strap gap' is bothersome to you.
The crowns have been improved and now feature a raised O7 emblem rather than the stamped-look ones of the LM-1. The crowns are knurled and tiered (a la Rolex), giving them a nice feel. I'll note that the stem seems to be de-coupled from the movement, just as the bezel control is. I.e., the movement doesn't wind and the bezel doesn't move once you push them in and start to screw them down.
The back is plain, with the usual text:
I have no problems with the Sellita SW-200. In my sample of two (the PVD LM-1 has an SW-200 in it), I actually slightly prefer the feel of the SW-200 over the 2824. Or maybe I'm just jaded since I own a dozen or more 2824 watches and have had the odd problem with the movement. The watch is running about +2s/day on the wrist. I'll check it again in a couple of weeks once it beds in, but very good performance so far. One thing I did notice on the wrist is a slight rattle with vertical movement. I think this is from the inner bezel and a by-product of using a brass bezel rather than plastic. I noticed it when I was working around the house and very active, not sure how much I'll notice this on a normal office day.
Lume is very good - the best of any O7 watch yet. The hands are particularly excellent and clearly demonstrate what's possible in mass-produced hands. No 'bare spot' of the LM-1 minute hand and every bit as big (the O7 plongeurs are a lot bigger than Omega's). The bezel triangle is a shade weaker than the dial lume, as you'd expect. But it's easily seen in person.
Comparison to my 'Gold Standard', a NOS (well, 4 years old at this point) PloProf from Watchco. You can see how big the LM-2's dial and hands are!
Again, my camera has a habit of turning lume blue, dunno why. Overall, this is not too bad a watch to photograph. I thought that with the curved crystal, dark case and dial, and canted bezel that I'd have trouble lighting it, but it's worked out all right so far.
In summary, I'm very excited about this watch. I like Ti a lot for dive watches and this one adds something which I've never had in a modern watch: the internal bezel. The LM-2 will be getting some serious wrist time in the next few weeks and I'll post more pics and f/u impressions later.
PS - the LM-2 has got me very fired up over the 7750-powered chrono version of this watch!
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Cheers all,
Colin
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