Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean

 

Bought this watch about 2 weeks ago. It’s an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean with Omega’s new in-house made 8500 calibre movement. It’s a 42mm watch. It is also available in a bigger case which measures 45.5mm. Initially, I was more attracted to the 45.5mm version, but chose the 42mm over the 45.5mm because I feel it’s more appropriate to have a mid-sized watch. The 42mm looks more “pleasant” on my wrist (I have a 6 ½ inch wrist). It just fits right, as compared to my Bell & Ross BR01 which measures 46mm.

Now I shall talk about details which are more in-depth. The watch is water resistant to 600m/2000ft. It’s a chronometer with Omega’s signature Co-Axial Escapement movement.  I’m not too sure about the Co-Axial Escapement thing, what I do know is that it’s supposed to provide more stability to the timekeeping accuracy, and it lengthens the service intervals significantly. This watch is very accurate so far, daily variation on average of 10 days is about -1sec/day.

 

The watch has a ceramic bezel. That’s why it looks kind of “greyish” rather than black. Some people will prefer a more solid black bezel like its predecessor (Planet Ocean with 2500 calibre). This is because the older model does not have a ceramic bezel but an aluminium one. I guess Omega added ceramic to the watch’s bezel to make it more scratch resistant. If you happen to be in an Omega boutique, you should check out the one with the LiquidMetal bezel. It’s shinier than the ceramic ones. But of course,  the price is also much “shinier”. I remember seeing this particular LiquidMetal model in blue. The watch is made of titanium. I have to say that the weight is like 5x lighter than the stainless steel case Planet Ocean! You should check out on YouTube Omega's LiquidMetal Technology. Amazing.  

 

The older version of the Planet Ocean (2500c) is on the left and the newer version (8500c) is on the right. It looks pretty much the same from far. Omega has made a couple of improvements to it but I shall not describe everything in detail. So let me just talk about the more “obvious” changes as compared to its predecessor. I personally feel the 8500c version has a bolder look to it. In terms of looks, the biggest difference is in its bezel, the minute hand, and the orange “Seamaster” word near its 12 o’clock marker. Another obvious difference is also the case back. Omega is so proud of its in-house made 8500c movement that they wanted to make these new Planet Ocean models with a see through case back. With that, more works has to be done in the production process so as to not affect its 600m water resistance. The 2500c version has a screw-in case back.

The Planet Ocean 8500c has a silicon hairspring (Si14) which makes the watch anti-magnetic and improves its shock resistance. The watch has a power reserve of 60 hours, up from 48 hours in the previous 2500c version. This watch ticks 7 times per second, which makes the "sweep" of the second hand nice and smooth. The ceramic bezel is uni-directional and only turns in the anti-clockwise direction for safety reasons if you should use this watch for deep sea diving. The high quality bezel, which makes 120 clicks per revolution, is smooth when turning and produces very pleasant clicking sounds. The bracelet on the watch feels sturdy and solid, with a nice mixture of brushed and polished grade 316 stainless steel. This watch is pretty heavy, but has very good wrist presence when wearing. The lume on the watch is blue, except for the minute hand which is green.

There are too many things I like about this new Omega Planet Ocean watch that I bought. A watch with unparalleled beauty. I simply just love it!