Quick Impressions Of The Speedmaster X-33 Replica

[crystalcranium]

There was some pre-xmas talk about this rare replica sold by a board dealer. I was a little wary of the hype for a very inexpensive replica and my caution was somewhat warranted. The watch is very light, perhaps to mimic the weight of the original which is titanium, but is made from steel. The bezel has perhaps a half click of play in it so centering it at zero is difficult. The analog quartz movement seems fairly accurate but has lots of backlash play so hacking for the correct time without moving the minute hand is difficult. The quartz lcd read out is ok and the functions of dual time stopwatch and alarm work well. I set the dual time setting on the readout for the exact time on the analog hands but in just 24 hours, they were 10 seconds out of synch, not very good for a quartz movement. The bracelet was very poorly made with more than the typical large gaps in the links and one link was broken at an internal pin spot and not reparable. I havepurchased an aftermarket Omega bracelet as a replacement.

Worth the $90 with shipping? Probably, but don't expect the kind of quality we get in the high end reps. This is a replica that's going to be fun to own and play with but it's not going to feel like a quality piece.

[Devedander]

I am interested in the 10 seconds out of sync thing... I thought the hands were driven by the same quartz movement that ran the digital portion... how could that come out of sync?

[crystalcranium]

I am interested in the 10 seconds out of sync thing... I thought the hands were driven by the same quartz movement that ran the digital portion... how could that come out of sync?

Dont know except to speculate one is a digital read out and the other is a mechanical readout so perhaps the digital is still spot on with nuclear time but the hands are off. I'll check itagainst the master clock when I get home.

[Devedander]

I am interested to know what you find... I would have suspected rather than cram a mechanical movement and quartz into one case (also making it hard to make it light) it would just be a quartz with digital and analogue displays... thus impossible to be off...

[chrgod]

Interesting to read your reflections on the X-33. I agree with you that you cannot expect the same level of attention to details as on high-end reps. Probably this replica is model three-four years old. My bezel is pretty thight and good, but the bracelet is cheap.

Regarding the analog/ quartz movement: I expected that my battery was flat, since the analog part was dead... But even with a new battery the analog hands were dead.. :-( It has actually died while it was in the drawer..

Anyway, play well!

[Slartibartfast]

Interesting this.... the X-33 caught my eye a couple of months ago, but I never got round to pulling the trigger on it. Maybe it's a good job too!