Omega Seamaster Watch Review

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

Within this feature in the WatchTime archives, we test the Omega Seamaster Ploprof, a re-edition of the classic divers’ watch from 1970 with double the amount original’s water-resistance along with a manufacture caliber. Scroll lower for that results, plus a gallery of original photos by Nik Sch?lzel.

It had been 1970, in the middle of a period that delighted in unusual shapes and vibrant colors, when Omega first released the interest-getting Seamaster Professional 600m, nicknamed the Ploprof. The timepiece, designed together with in france they industrial diving company Comex, was created for professional use: the name “Ploprof” means plongeurs professionels, or professional divers. While Omega emphasized its functions, the model perfectly suited the types of the 1970s, having a gigantic and abnormally formed situation, a red button to unlock the divers’ bezel, a vibrant orange strap along with a minute hands of the identical color.

The initial Omega Ploprof’s water-resistance of 600 meters was extraordinarily high because of its day.

The Ploprof achieved fame within the wake from the spectacular underwater missions that participated. The most crucial of those was the Janus Program, that Comex tested saturation diving for that Elf oil company. Three divers manned a pressured chamber 200 meters below the top of Gulf of Ajaccio, off Corsica, for eight consecutive days, where they labored around the seafloor at 250 meters’ depth for approximately six hrs every day, setting a brand new depth record. Rolex at the moment was tinkering with the helium valve, so it used the very first time within the Ocean-Occupant in 1971, but Omega went after another strategy using its Ploprof: the situation was built and insulated to ensure that helium atoms couldn’t penetrate it throughout the saturation dive, stopping the possibility of explosion throughout the subsequent decompression.

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

The Ploprof’s pioneering role within the search for the underwater world and it is water proofing as high as 600 meters, an awfully high degree because of its day, managed to get a cult watch, nevertheless its high cost - two times what Rolex Submariner - managed to get unaffordable for a lot of.

The brand new Ploprof, which debuted in '09, looks much like its predecessor, but several variations become apparent in a second glance. The initial were built with a one-piece situation having a very applied under very ruthless and guaranteed with a screwed ring, as the new model’s situation includes a separate caseback. An applied, pressure-fit cover is affixed towards the situation with a screwed-on ring. That old caseback was adorned just with a striped pattern, however the brand new one has both stripes and also the Seamaster line’s seahorse icon in elevated relief.

A virtually .5-cm-thick azure very ensures sufficient potential to deal with pressure around the front from the situation, enabling the Ploprof to resist pressures equal to individuals found 1,200 meters underwater. Because of the case’s new construction, using its removable back, the Ploprof now also offers a computerized helium valve so professional divers can put on it during saturation dives. The valve lies around the bottom from the orange button’s outrigger and marked using the chemical abbreviation “He” (for helium) beneath a coating of obvious lacquer. The situation is extremely well crafted the beveled and polished edges contrast superbly using the other surfaces, that have a matte-brushed finish.

The current Ploprof’s rotatable divers’ ring is included with a calibrated scale made from scratch-resistant azure printed having a luminous minute-circle.

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

Minor changes are also made around the dial. The date is not found at the three o’clock position but continues to be now use 4:30. A luminous index now occupies that space at 3 o’clock, contributing to the dial’s very symmetrical appearance. The luminous indices around the new model are applied and polished, making the dial look a lot more valuable of computer had looked using the old lacquered indices. This is also true for that stainless-steel button that unlocks the bezel. It's encircled by an orange, anodized aluminum ring, which replaces that old model’s rubber ring. The mixture not just looks better, but it is also considerably harder.

The brand new rotatable bezel is significantly sturdier, too. Its predecessor have been made from Bakelite, which easily developed hairline cracks the rotatable divers’ ring is included with a calibrated scale made from scratch-resistant azure printed having a luminous minute-circle along with a black background. Nonreflective coating on its outer surface helps to ensure that it remains readable under all lighting conditions.

It makes sense very attractive, indeed. Time display and also the divers’ bezel are generally legible night and day. The dive scale, with numerals along with a triangular, glows just like brightly because the hour hands, the moment hands and also the indices around the dial. The seconds hands includes a luminous rectangle to ensure that its motion is visible underwater to verify the watch continues to be running. Due to this mixture of features, the Ploprof satisfies industrial diver’s watch standards Noise 8306 and ISO 6425, which a number of other so-known as divers’ watches don't.

Another alteration simplifies the operation. The oblong crown around the original Ploprof have been set flush using its protector the wearer needed to turn a screw while watching protector to function the crown. Also, the crown’s shape managed to get somewhat hard to turn when resetting both your hands. The current system is a lot more user-friendly: when screwed outward, the leading area of the closed protector moves combined with the crown, that is simple to grasp and also to turn.

A unique feature distinguishes this construction: once the crown is within its second extracted position, you can use it within the usual method to adjust the hour hands and minute hands and also to steer clear of the balance, activating the stop-seconds function. In the first position, it may be switched to reposition the hour hands in single-hour increments as the seconds hands keeps running, that also resets the date display either forward or backward. Thus, the date could be rapidly reset although the watch doesn’t incorporate a quick-reset function for that date display. (However, once the hour hands is reset backwards, the date display doesn’t change to the prior date before the hour hands has arrived at the 8 o’clock position.) This individually adjustable hour hands is especially practical once the wearer travels to a different time zone or must synchronize his watch with daylight savings or standard time.

Omega has elevated the “sharkproof” Milanese bracelet, a woven-steel type which was famous the 1970s and utilized on the initial Ploprof.

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

Setting the diver’s bezel might be more complex. First, together with your middle finger, you need to forcefully press the orange button and it pressed lower while your thumb and index finger turn the bezel in whichever direction you need. This sounds more difficult of computer really is, but it can be hard if you are putting on mitts or maybe your bare hands are wet. The complexness is nevertheless useful since it guarantees the bezel can't be unintentionally repositioned.

Omega also revives the Milanese (what it really calls “sharkproof”) bracelet, a woven-steel type which was famous the 1970s. That one has individual links around the clasp, just like a conventional steel bracelet, so it may be easily shortened and lengthened. The bracelet is extremely well crafted - very supple and fully without sharp edges or corners.

The folding clasp around the Milanese bracelet is pleasantly user-friendly. Two large buttons allow it to be simple to open the clasp just apply pressure lightly together with your thumb to slip the built-in extension mechanism to some maximum period of 26 millimeters. Afterward, as well as after getting reclosed the clasp, the bracelet could be shortened in single-millimeter increments until they fit snugly but easily around its wearer’s wrist. If the a lot longer bracelet is required to put on outdoors the sleeve of the diving suit, the additional 22-mm extension piece could be folded from the clasp. The whole product is perfectly considered, very sturdy, and incredibly easy to operate. In addition, the huge clasp using its beveled and polished edges perfectly matches the Ploprof’s situation.

The redesigned bracelet boosts the putting on convenience of the brand new Ploprof, regardless of the watch’s heavy weight of 279 grams and brawny overall width of 55 millimeters. However, the elevated relief from the seahorse emblem and stripes around the caseback presses somewhat uncomfortably from the wrist. The brand new model, like its 1970s predecessor, can also be provided with either an orange or perhaps a black strap. The current strap consists of rubber and goes well using the watch’s styling, however it offers hardly any counterweight towards the heavy situation and helps make the watch look top-heavy around the wrist.

Overall, Omega has been successful in adapting a captivating 1970s the perception of contemporary audiences without making the timepiece look old-fashioned or inappropriate. Many small details were taken into account with this update: the elevated bars around the flanks from the crown and bezel are polished as the lower-laying interstitial spaces are matte. Other specifics, like the applied indices, also lead towards the watch’s luxurious look. The bottom line is: good retro design that satisfies modern demands.

The Ploprof’s interior is decidedly modern, too. Inside its big situation is automatic Caliber 8500, Omega’s first manufacture-developed base caliber from 2007, that has now been outfitted using the improved co-axial escapement. The movement was built round the co-axial escapement leaving enough room because of its escape wheel to utilize greater efficiency on three levels instead of 3. The total amount takes place in position not with a cock affixed somewhere, but with a bridge that’s firmly screwed on two sides. This not just provides better protection against impacts, but additionally assists you to adjust the vertical have fun with greater precision, which increases the precision from the rate. The total amount spring breathes freely because of fine adjustment via weight screws around the rim from the balance, which swings in the unconventional frequency of 25,200 semi-oscillations each hour (3.5 hertz). The brand new Nivachoc cushioning increases the centering from the balance pinion, also is especially thin in the pivots to lessen positional error within the bearings. The movement holds a extended power reserve of 60 hrs. The bidirectional winding rotor runs inside a sliding bearing and winds two serially switched barrels. Thirty-nine jewels (from a complete 202 total components in Caliber 8500) minimize friction.

Omega Seamaster Watch Review

The Ploprof’s movement is made not just for sturdiness, but in addition for outstandingly precise time keeping.

The adornments suit the movement’s modern architecture: the total amount is coated having a layer of black chrome, the 2 barrels are coated with black DLC, and many screws will also be blackened. Geneva waves, expanding outward inside a spiral pattern, would be the sole decorative engraving.