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OMEGA SeaMaster Planet Ocean 42mm Review Omega – Seamaster History: Omega launched the SeaMaster range in 1948, in 2005 the modern classic, Planet Ocean series was born. Originally it came in black, but the color range later grew to orange, white and ocean blue. With three common sizes referred to as; Mid: 37.5mm, Large: 42 mm and Big (or XL): 45 mm, the Planet Ocean caters to a wide audience of fine watch enthusiasts. This is indeed a very brief history, as there are many places on the internet for those inclined to get a more comprehensive historical record than space allows here. If one so desires, a few links are provided below. http://www.interwatc...m/omega-history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_SA Omega ambassadors, or who wears the Planet Ocean watch: http://coolspotters....ean-watch/spots Of course, the larger than life character, James Bond is the most famous. In Casino Royale, before Bond was assigned his 00 status (“license to kill”), he was wearing a Seamaster Planet Ocean with a diameter of 45.5 mm. In Quantum of Solace, James Bond wears a Seamaster Planet Ocean 600 M, black dial. 2006 Casino Royale Seamaster Diver 300 M (Reference 2220.80.00) Seamaster Planet Ocean (Reference 2900.50.91) 2008 Quantum of Solace Seamaster Planet Ocean (Reference 2201.50.00) Water Resistance: The GEN SeaMaster Planet Ocean is definitely a SCUBA diving watch, and supposedly is a true Saturation Diving watch, although it does not bear the official markings to point this out. The standards and features for diver's watches are regulated by the International Organization of Standardization in the ISO 6425 standard. The GEN Planet Ocean is rated to 600m / 2000 ft. or 60 ATM; REPS on the other hand are considerable less. Every REP dealer basically says; don’t get the thing wet beyond washing your hands. I have never personally seen, and doubt any REP dealer has water damage covered in their sales terms, so wear accordingly. Whether your watch is GEN or REP, realize that water resistance is accomplished through the use of gaskets that keep the water molecules out of the watch case. There are varying degrees of everything in life, and you would not expect a REP watch to use the same high standard gaskets that Omega uses. Simply changing the gaskets with higher end ones may provide some, or additional water resistance. The gaskets (of GEN or REP watches) are subject to wear, and fatigue from the environment they operate in. It is not generally recommended to wear your watch in a locale that has temperatures or chemicals that can affect the long-term life performance of the gaskets, like a hot tub. Tells: Incorrectly placed He (Helium valve) and/or He valve crown not functional Improper bezel rotation, pearl & placement Incorrect Omega logo on dial face Case glass or crystal / AR (Anti-reflective coating) wrong hue or non-existent. Incorrect numeral font Lume: color and quality (year specific) Casework etchings incorrect Band & Clasp mechanism Serial Numbers 1. The Helium (He valve) is on the left side of the watch. Proper positioning is 1mm above dead center straddling the 10 O’clock numeral. Omega REPS have been plagued in the past with improper valve placement and it is the easiest way to spot a REP. This was primarily a problem on the 300M family of watches, and has, for the most part been over-corrected on the Planet Ocean (P.O.) watches. You still have to be vigilant for this tell in your quality control pics, nonetheless. The Helium valve placement on this REP was spot on. It is completely non-functional though, it does not even turn. Obviously a major tell. On the GENs the He valve serves the purpose of relieving Helium pressure while ascending from deep dives (>300m.)Omega uses a manual release on the Planet Ocean. Essentially this is a screw down crown that is unscrewed as the diver ascends so as to release the Helium gasses, which are the smallest natural gasses, and able to work their way inside the watch, around any o-rings or seals. 2. The GEN bezel, as well as this REP’s has uni-directional (one way – counter clockwise) rotation. Prior to diving, the bezel is rotated to mark the minute hand with the triangle (pearl). As time progresses underwater, it is easy for the diver to determine how long he has been submerged with this tool. The bezel rotates only one way so that in the event that the watch is bumped and the bezel inadvertently rotates, the calculations (time underwater) are skewed in a more conservative way (dive is longer rather than shorter.) The bezel should require adequate pressure to rotate to avoid the aforementioned issue of accidental changes. See the review section below for more on the REP pearl. 3. The correct Omega logo on the dial face has been explained ad nauseum. To keep it simple, it should not have “happy feet” or upturned ends of the feet. This REP had the correct logo. 4. The case glass of the GEN Planet Ocean is domed sapphire crystal with a purple tinted anti-reflective coating on both sides. This coating is subject to wear, and therefore is not covered by Omega’s warranty. The REP watch website says that it is also Sapphire crystal, but I have no way of determining if it is or not. The REP shares the purple hue AR coating. Mine did have a slight imperfection inside the glass. It is either a fingerprint smudge or a smudge in the AR coating itself. You can only see it as a certain angle and lighting. Luckily it looks like a crane taking off, so when I see it, I imagine it is some cool marked thing, when in reality, it’s a flaw. If you do get a smudge, it probably won’t look like a crane taking off, so you might have to make up something else it looks like. 5. The numerals on the REP are for the most part good, but they are not 100% accurate. You can read more about this in the review section below. 6. Lume: This is dependent on the year your replica is paying homage to. Prior to 2012, the lume was Super-LumiNova green on hands, markers pearl etc. This is what the REP I got has. Here is a link to what it looks like: http://www.1-pc8838....22.html?image=5 The newest (2012) Planet Ocean lume has two colors. From Omega’s website: “The applied indexes on the dials of the watches in the new Planet Ocean family are coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue light as are the polished, facetted rhodium-plated hands. The exception is the minute hand which emits a green light, as does the dot on the diving bezel. This feature is particularly attractive for divers who, in their watery worlds, can easily keep track of their elapsed time at a glance. “ 7. Casework and Etchings: Make sure that all the letters and markings are visible and exist on your case back. One of the questions that arise is the “anti-counterfeiting logo” positioned after the words, “Planet Ocean” on the case back. This appears to be a globe with various Omega logos within them. The “anti-counterfeit logo” appeared on Omega watches in 2007. Some 2007 models have them, others do not. The Planet Ocean has a different logo than other SeaMasters. This actually is not a traditional anti-counterfeit mark per se. If it were, it would be relatively worthless, as many good REP’s shares this mark. The true origin of this mark was that Omega specifically employed it against Costco wholesalers. Omega sells watches for far less money in some countries than others. Costco was picking up these lesser priced, grey market watches, and selling them in America, effectively cashing in on an arbitrage situation. Omega added the globe (AKA “anti-counterfeit logo”) to their watches and sued Costco, claiming copyright infringement… and won. http://online.wsj.co...0596764410.html http://en.wikipedia....Wholesale_Corp. 8. See in the review section below. 9. Serial numbers: Another major tell. The serial numbers engraved into the back of the case opposite the 7 O’clock numeral are there, but the same across the board on the REP watches I have seen. Care and Servicing: Your replica watch is in many respects, very similar to its genuine counterpart. One of the things you should not neglect is proper servicing. The Omega manual states, “ Instructions: http://www.omegawatc...ice/user-manual Accuracy: There are many movement options that REP watches offer; the better the movement, presumably better the accuracy of the watch. I got the Swiss ETA 2824 automatic movement. The precision of a mechanical movement depends on the individual habits of the wearer and can therefore vary. My watch, with the way I wear it, is accurate to dead on, to about 1 second per day. Each REP dealer will have statements on their website as to the accuracy you should be able to expect, or you can ask them via email. From the Omega manual, the GEN average precision tolerance is between -1 and +11 second per day. Movement options: Omega, of course uses an in house movement that as of this writing has not been duplicated. The REP movement options available (range from least to greatest in terms of perceived quality) Quartz: Not covered here. Asian 4813: a cheaper Chinese clone of a Japanese Myiota movement http://blog.joinwatc...3-and-4813.html Clone ETA 2824: See below. Swiss 2824-2: http://www.chronomet...24/eta2824.html I have read that economics dictates that the movements are not truly Swiss in origin, but instead clone actions. To be the Devil’s advocate, there are REPs with the exact same case, dial etc. as their Swiss movement counterparts, but lessor Asian clones RETAILING for $138. The price difference does in fact represent what a genuine Swiss ETA movement would cost in bulk, so I don’t quite understand the “economics” theory to why they could not be Swiss in origin. If they are they are clones of Swiss movements, then it comes down to which action you prefer. If you take the movement completely out of the equation, these dealers are probably spending less than $50 for everything minus whatever movement is in it. Price Points: The Chinese can rip stuff off, but they can also differentiate between grades of anything. I would say that with a reputable dealer, if you pay more, it stands to reason that you may get more. This more than likely would be completely from the dealers end. Imagine a dealer receiving 100 watches; they may separate select ones for higher priced sale. Because no matter how good the factory is, they are mass produced, and some will be better than others. The selection process could be as simple as glaring errors, omissions, or mistakes. See the image below where a part of the “T” of the “Planet” is missing. I would also say, if you have problems, they are most likely to be addressed on the higher priced REP’s. I am NOT saying that a dealer will or won’t, as that is at their discretion, but to increase the odds of luck falling in your favor, it is worth consideration. Review: Bezel has some dust on it, these are not scratches. A prime example of the QC pics resolution I talk about. I originally wanted the SeaMaster 300M, but couldn't find one with correct Helium placement, and it seemed like "R&D" on this replica just ended and they moved on to the Planet Ocean. I wanted an accurate REP, so I chose the 42mm Planet Ocean. I know Omega says that 7 out of 10 people know who they are and know their watches... I think that is a little generous. As I said before, "If it isn't a Rolex, many, many people won't much about this watch.” that is one of the reasons I chose it. After much research, review and debate, I ordered the Planet Ocean 42mm “Ultimate” from Joshua at Perfect Clones. This vendor was recommended to me by a fellow forum member, Cougar. The exact link is to this watch is: http://www.1-pc8838....824-p-9522.html I wanted to do a review, not immediately after I got my watch, but a few weeks later so that I could see if the thing would just fall apart in that amount of time, or what my impressions would be after the initial open box experience wore off. I also felt that if you could see 2 weeks’ worth of normal wear and tear, it may put the QC (quality control) pictures into a little perspective. The first things I will say is that Rep watch buying is not for the faint of heart. There are so many different versions of the same REP watch that it gets overwhelming… fast! I have to go into narrative mode to explain my meaning: The overuse of adjectives in the descriptions makes me think that the grasp of the English language would be very similar to my own, if I did a web page in Chinese, "OK, these scribbles means it's really good, and if I add more to THIS scribble right here, it means it's really really good, and just recently I learned that if you put more thickness to the scribbles... people buy more." I wish they would either A. update the descriptions as new watches came out. B. Remove the old outdated watches. C. Have a glossary of the words as they understand them. Like how do you quantify, "Best, Ultimate, ULTIMATE VERSION, the ultimate version" etc. Because I know that the CAPS PROBABLY have to have a lot to do with how ultimate it truly is. Today when I noticed "THE ultimate version" I realized that "THE" probably has a lot of ultimate to it also. Because their language is so much different then English, they are trying to be descriptive, but it comes across as most everything being marketed as the best and it effectively cheapens the lot of them. I don't think this is entirely out of malice, but instead because of the quantum differences in the languages themselves. Once I decided on the Planet Ocean 42mm SS Triple Dog Dare Ultimate Best King Kamehameha version, I emailed a few vendors. I must interject here that I was purchasing right before Chinese New Year. This is essentially a 3 week binge where nothing happens but drunken orgies and the like. Joshua got back to me right away and had this watch in stock. I also will add that Joshua’s English was the best of the vendors I spoke with. This makes the order process a lot easier if you have additional questions, comments or requests. I ordered the watch with a credit card on Jan. 16’th and received quality control (QC) pics the very same day. When you look at the quality control (QC) pics, try to keep in mind that in many cases these images are 5, 10 or 20X’s the actual watch size (depending on your monitor size.) I received EMS tracking information before the QC pics were accepted. This is normal as the QC pictures have a number on a sticker on the watch so you know you are looking at YOUR watch, and not generic pics reused over and over. Once I accepted the QC pictures, the watch went out for shipping the next day. In real time, this is what it was to me: I ordered it on the Monday 16'th. Got QC pictures on the 16'th - EMS tracking info on the 16'th, it is tied to a number on the watch band in the pics. Approved QC pictures on the 16'th. Package sent out on the 17'th. Got to the USA on the 21'th. Customs in on the 21'st (Saturday 8 a.m.) Out of customs on the 23'nd (Monday 1:30 p.m.) Arrived the 24'th. With the EMS tracking, remember, depending on what country you live in, your package may actually travel back in time as the shipment cuts back across international date and time lines. This is why the date on the EMS tracking and actual days I had to wait is less by one. The EMS tracking info looks something like this: 2012-01-18 18:49:00 - City of Guangzhou - Posting 2012-01-18 20:21:00 - City of Guangzhou - Despatch from Sorting Center 2012-01-18 21:33:00 - GUANGZHOU - Arrival at Sorting Center 2012-01-18 23:52:00 - GUANGZHOU - Despatch from SortingCenter 2012-01-21 07:57:00 - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA USORDA - Arrival at Sorting Center 2012-01-21 07:58:00 - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA USORDA - Handed over to Customs Case: Seems like quality construction, much better than I thought it would be. Other than the edges being a little sharp on the bottom, there isn’t much to give it away as a REP. The case itself is a polished; (the site claims) 316 SS forging. If you desire, here is some information on 316 Stainless: http://www.azom.com/...x?ArticleID=863 Crown: A bit of history for those inclined to know their watch in and out. Two Swiss inventors named Perregaux and Perret patented a screw down, moisture-proof winding crown for watches in 1925. The winding crown poking through the case had always been a weak point in the earlier designs, allowing moisture and dust to enter. Rolex bought the screw down crown patent that is the predecessor of the screw down crown on this model. Of course, the patent is long since expired. Quality of the REP screw down crown; I have no issues with it. Unscrew in a counter-clockwise direction until it “pops” out. Many times you can feel and hear this happen. Once it is disengaged from the threads, you can pull the crown out, and set the time and date. When you do this, you will notice the second hand (at least on my 2824 movement) stop. This is normal, and is called a Hack movement. It makes it much easier to set the time, and is a feature on the GEN. To set the date & time: First wind the watch; I have the Swiss 2824 movement, so this is accomplished automatically by daily wrist movement. There is a semi-circular rotor within the watch that moves to wind the mainspring. It can be seen in this image with the words “OMEGA 2500” on it. http://www.1-pc8838....22.html?image=6 An automatic watch needs about 600-1,200 revolutions per day to be completely wound. The watch has a slip-clutch so it does not overwind. I have read where deliberately winding an automatic watch on one direction only (taking it off and spinning it face up), caused the mechanism to run faster or slower. I actually tried this with my watch. I set it to the atomic clock on the internet. I checked it a day later when I only wound it by rotating it clockwise; it was off by about 9 seconds. When I wind counter-clockwise, it was only off by 3 seconds per day. I have done this several times, with the same result. Once wound, set the date. Pull the crown out to the first position and turn the watch hands until the date changes. Continue rotating the hands until the watch is at 6 a.m. At this point, pull the crown out to the second position to the quick date adjustment. Turn the crown until the date is correct. Once this is done, push the crown back in to the first position and set the time. As a general rule of thumb, you do not want to quick set the date when the watch time is between 10:00-2:00. It is possible to damage a watch movement quick changing the date between these times. This is not just on REP watches, and not on all types of actions, just a “best practice” type of thing. Finish setting the date and time by gently pushing in the crown until the threads engage, then turning it clockwise until it is tight. Band & Clasp: Brushed stainless steel, pinned links (as per GEN) & correct lug size. The end links stick a little, and when open, the clasp is a little sticky / squeaks a little. I disassembled it and put “Smooth-Kote” dry gun lubricant on the pins and that seemed to solve the problem. This is a product that goes on wet, with an alcohol carrier. The alcohol dries on about 2 minutes depositing a dry film lubricant that penetrates the metal. It is not greasy or oily and has a black finish when dry. It will stay on unless a solvent is used to remove it. The Font, logo spacing etc. on the clasp is all accurate and looks good. The divers extension looks and functions as GEN. The clasp mechanism on the other hand is a little lacking. I read that these were greatly improved, that they would pop open in the past. WOW, those must have been pretty crappy because upon popping out the pin and opening the clasp to see why one of the two push buttons did nothing, I was greeted by what looked like a hand bent spring holding them together. In America, it would be too expensive to hand bend springs with tolerances for quality and repeatability. In China, it is probably too expensive to have a machine do it, and since this is not a visible part, “To Hell with it.” seems to be the order of the day. The spring was unevenly fashioned so one side did all the work. I was able to take the spring out and repair it to the point that now the clasp locks audibly and tightly. There is no way this puppy is going to open accidentally. It is not that difficult of a fix, if you have this issue. Dial: The biggest tell, the Omega logo is correct. It does not have happy feet. The wording is correct, font and spacing, it looks good. The markers are accurate and I have no complaints. The hands are passible to all but the most discerning aficionado; they are the right shape and length. The coloring on the second hand may not be 100% spot on, but I’m sure even the GEN has an acceptable range, and are not all the same. Date window, beveled and accurate. The numbers on the other hand, are not exact. There is a slight flare to the GEN numbers, specifically on the "2" of the "12". Again, this isn't something you can see, without the magnification, to any degree of certainty. The lume (hands, marker, pearl) is green and when first charged looks great. It lasts for a REP acceptable time, it’s no Super-Luminova, but it is even. See comment #6, Lume for more comments on this. Bezel & Pearl: Uni-Directional (one way) counter-clockwise (as per GEN). Quality 120 audible and tactile clicks. Font and markings accurate. Pearl, on mine it is fine; I have seen other recent REPs that are also fine. They may have finally gotten this issue straightened out, but it is something to look for on your QC pics. That is not to say it is GEN, or GEN quality. It is not, but again, you have to decide what is important to you; one small thing no one will ever notice, or spending $250 on a $350 watch to have the propper bezel pearl. I am almost completely happy with this watch. The lume doesn’t glow super long; it doesn't look bad, uneven, discolored from hands to markers, nothing like that; it just doesn't last very long. It's a nit-picky thing. After fixing the clasp, it’s fine, and the end links sticking was annoying, but when on, it is completely un-noticeable, even if you don’t fix it. The dial and everything is pretty spot on. The Average Joe certainly isn't going to know the ins and outs of a logo & exact font on a watch face anyway. These GEN watchmakers do so much non-sense to the watches as far as changes to combat the counterfeiting, and have so many different models, that unless you live and breathe it, you can't say with 100% certainty if this or that is genuine. Case in point, there was a question Vandal asked in the Rolex forum about the micro etched crown at the 6 O'clock position on the Deep Sea Dweller. Even the experts over there said it didn't exist. Then they reversed that later and said it did. Not only that, that the REP that he had DID in fact have the micro etch, and he had not seen it before. The REP Planet Ocean that I got from Joshua at Perfect Clones (as well as any watch over $200), was reported to me via email as being tested to 1-2 atmosphere (ATM) water resistant. This is not listed (that I could find) anywhere else on the site. I am going to assume that means 33 ft. OR LESS with emphasis on LESS. An atmospheric unit or (ATM) is the pressure that we are feeling now on us every day above the surface of the ocean, just “the atmosphere.” Roughly every 10m or 33 ft. you descend into water, an additional ATM is applied. In conclusion, overall the watch is amazingly accurate in both replication of look and timekeeping. It is amazing the value of $350 in China vs. the rest of the world. Nothing against Omega, as they should make as much money as the market dictates, but clearly, the GEN Planet Ocean, with no bells and whistles, should or could, be less than $2,000 new. I am glad I got this REP and actually feel, for my lifestyle, it is a better alternative to the GEN because I don’t have to worry about damaging a $3,000 or $4,000 watch. I can wear this every day, day in and day out without concern. I can wholeheartedly recommend Joshua at Perfect Clones and this particular replica watch. Trust me; it is much better than you think.