TheDukeZip Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 I had seen a few reviews of this watch on this board which is actually why I decided to purchase it. I was willing to accept the flaws noted in all of the reviews, including By-Tor's Omega overview, which I expected to include misaligned bezel, bad looking pearl, screw bracelet, and non-transparent back. I was looking for a fancy watch I would wear with a black sport coat and this watch seemed to be the answer. I admit I have always been drawn to the Omega Seamaster with skeletonized hands (aka "bond") since I saw Pierce Brosnan sport it in Goldeneye. Not something to be proud of, but give me some points for honestly. Of course, that movie came out when I was in high school and could never dream to afford it. Nowadays, purchasing this watch is a possiblility, but it is nice to buy the replica first to see if I truly like it, if it fits my personality, before I splurge on a $2K purchase. I am really into GMT watches, hence purchasing the GMT version. A $100 minutely flawed replica seemed perfect. I would only be wearing it on Friday and Saturday nights, and most people I hang out with wouldn't know the difference between a Folex and a Rolex anyways. I was pleasantly surprised by my rep. I do not know if I got the luck of the draw, if quality control has increased on this watch, or perhaps I was accidentally send the "wrong version" by mistake. Either way, I love this watch. Please excuse my crude pictures. I have done the best I can without any fancy lighting or photo equipment. As you can hopefully see, the bezel came aligned properly out of the box. In addition, the pearl seems always perfectly sized and placed to me. The bracelet comes with pins instead of screws, which from what I gather so far, is accurate. It also came with two half-sized links, which helped me size it perfectly for my wrist. The GMT movement is slightly flawed. Over a period of 12 hours, the GMT hand with move forward about a half hour. After 24 hours, it is a full 1 hour ahead, which could confuse you. As long as you understand the problem and set it properly when you put it on, it is good enough for a day's use. Since it's my "Friday night special" watch, I can easily set it around 6 or 7 PM when going out for dinner, and it is still nearly perfect on spot by the time the night is over in the wee hours of the morning. I was worried this watch was going to be too big for my wrist. I weight 200 lbs., but at 6'5" that still makes me pretty thin. I'm 26 years old, and although I could afford the gen., having a huge expensive watch only would draw unwanted attention to myself. When I put it on, I instantly smiled, because the size complements me perfectly. To take a line from Will Smith, I make this watch look good! I hope you enjoyed my little write-up. This is actually 1 of 3 reps I purchased for my first watches. If I get some responses here I will make little write ups of my other 2, which I have not seen reviewed on any sites before. PS. This is where you guys tell me all the flaws you see and ruin the innocence of my favorite rep. so far The only flaw I know about is the back has the normal Seamaster back, not the clear one. To take a line from a review I saw elsewhere on the site, I'd rather have the wrong back than put the wrong movement on display. The only other possible flaw is the date font, my eyes have not yet become attuned to the different fonts yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixelixir Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 Nice review! I actually ordered this same watch, just cleared customs this morning and it'll probably be here tomorrow! It looks beautiful.... but did you contact the dealer about the inaccurate GMT hand? I mean, it makes its way around the face but obviously doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 Very nice review and pics. This is excellent "budget" rep... enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 You should be proud. Compliments from Yoda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 You should be proud. Compliments from Yoda. The review good was. Impressed I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 Awesome watch My first 'expensive' watch was a Rolex, but since wearing an Omega, I am a firm convert, with the SMPs being among my favorites (after the 45mm Planet Ocean, of course ) Wear it well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeZip Posted August 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) Nice review! I actually ordered this same watch, just cleared customs this morning and it'll probably be here tomorrow! It looks beautiful.... but did you contact the dealer about the inaccurate GMT hand? I mean, it makes its way around the face but obviously doesn't work. After rereading what I wrote, what I said about the GMT hand was possibly confusing. I purchased 3 watches with a modified Asian 21J for GMT. The other two 'click' over to the next GMT hour at a certain time every hour. This GMT is slightly different. Instead of homing in on a specific hour and then clicking over, this one continuously moves. For example, if you have the GMT set to 10 and the time is 6AM, at 6:30 the GMT hand will be halfway between 10 and 11. I actually prefer this method, except for the fact that the GMT hand gets a little misaligned over time. After you set it, the GMT hand is right for roughly 12 hours, when you will start to notice it has slipped a little bit and is ahead. It seems to pretty consistently slip a half hour ahead every 12 hours. Not bad if you set it once a day, or once in the morning and once at night. From what I understand from reading and searching here, this is pretty common with these movements modified to be GMTs. Edited August 14, 2007 by TheDukeZip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 I bet your watch has the same faux GMT movement as my black Asian GMT HERE. I already sold that one, but the I recall the gmt hand followed time perfectly. Not that I really cared though, I bought it only for the looks. That was one of my most accurate watches ever by the way... all my Asians have been excellent timekeepers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 Nice review. I had one and loved it but it has sinced moved on to a new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixelixir Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 (edited) I just received the watch--bezel misaligned as expected, but the gmt hand is keeping perfect time and I LOVE THIS WATCH. Has anyone tried to remove the bezel per by-tor's guide? I tried first with fingernails, then a knife... No luck. (Still want to fix the bezel though!) Any experience with this particular model's bezel? For $108 + shipping, this is probably one of the best deals out there (UPO lite is up there...) Also, i took a shower with it... no fog! Edited August 15, 2007 by hendrixelixir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeZip Posted August 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 I just received the watch--bezel misaligned as expected, but the gmt hand is keeping perfect time and I LOVE THIS WATCH. Has anyone tried to remove the bezel per by-tor's guide? I tried first with fingernails, then a knife... No luck. (Still want to fix the bezel though!) Any experience with this particular model's bezel? For $108 + shipping, this is probably one of the best deals out there (UPO lite is up there...) Also, i took a shower with it... no fog! I heard the hairdryer trick is better, do a search for hairdryer. it's the last few pages of a thread somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 I just received the watch--bezel misaligned as expected, but the gmt hand is keeping perfect time and I LOVE THIS WATCH. Has anyone tried to remove the bezel per by-tor's guide? I tried first with fingernails, then a knife... No luck. (Still want to fix the bezel though!) Any experience with this particular model's bezel? For $108 + shipping, this is probably one of the best deals out there (UPO lite is up there...) Also, i took a shower with it... no fog! I have something of an aversion to hot metal, so I find the easiest way of re-alligning the bezel insert is to simply open the back, remove the crown, remove the movement, push out the crystal, then very gently ease the insert up from the back. Okay, it might not sound the 'easiest' way, but, it's certainly more straight forward than prying the bezel up and then having trouble re-alligning the bezel spring (they have a tendency to launch across the room during the process of returning the bezel to the case) and, saves the risk of heating up the watch too much (if the plastic movement retainer warps, the rotor can't spin, and the watch becomes 'hand wind only' [something else I've had happen before]) Sure, dismantling the watch is a more involved process, but it's very straight forward, and is simply a case of reversing the process to get the watch back in one piece. With regards the water resistance, as long as you put the case back on as securely as possible (will require tools of some kind) if it didn't leak before in a shower, then it should still be good. (Just be sure not to damage the large O Ring in the back of the case while the back is off) Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixelixir Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 After some time with the watch--the bezel insert is definitely attached with very poor quality glue, which is as expected per all the reviews. I realigned it quickly, but am waiting on a replacement insert from the dealer (free, due to a scratch when I got it... Andrew has some good customer service!). So I did not use 2 part epoxy to put it back, since I will be switching it when the new insert comes. Is the 2 part epoxy permanent, or is it possible to remove it in the future? I'm looking for a strong glue that will leave me the possibility of switching in the future. I hope that the glue will hold until then. Did I already say that I LOVE this watch! The GMT hand has been working perfectly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixelixir Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Update on this wonderful watch: I tightened the back and both crowns and took it for a swim (after shower testing). I did a few laps... no fog under the crystal! I took it to about 3m, and that's all the water resistance I need. Might still add some silicone grease, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeZip Posted August 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Update on this wonderful watch: I tightened the back and both crowns and took it for a swim (after shower testing). I did a few laps... no fog under the crystal! I took it to about 3m, and that's all the water resistance I need. Might still add some silicone grease, though. I'd love to see some pics of yours if you have taken some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrixelixir Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Here's the pics for now, my new smp and my older AT, which I bought from a friend and got me into the rep game. My camera phone is garbage. I should pick up a new camera, but I'd much rather get a new watch (or 2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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