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Omega Stories: The 2007 De Ville Hour Vision - Omega’s Concorde Moment

  1. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Dec 15, 2022

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    [​IMG]

    The Hour Vision was not just a watch to Omega, it represented the peak of the brand's design creativity, engineering prowess, and served as the flagship for the Calibre 8500 in-house movement. More than that, it signaled a significant step up in quality, finishing and market segment. [..]

    Visit The 2007 De Ville Hour Vision - Omega’s Concorde Moment to read the full article.
     
    chi, fiberguy, cristos71 and 1 other person like this.
  2. Evitzee Ω 1

    Evitzee Dec 15, 2022

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    Excellent discussion of a watch I didn't know too much about.
     
    dsio likes this.
  3. cristos71 Ω 2

    cristos71 Apr 11, 2023

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    Great article and the HV has long been on my, 'Maybe one day list' of modern watches. After reading this I think it may have moved up to the, ' Actively hunting list' :)
     
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  4. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Apr 11, 2023

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    There was one on the modern recommended thread go off for $1800 a couple of weeks ago on leather strap. So much watch for the money.
     
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  5. cristos71 Ω 2

    cristos71 Apr 11, 2023

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    Sounds like a great deal, though I'd only buy one on bracelet tbh.
     
  6. padders Ω 1

    padders Oooo subtitles! Jul 28, 2023

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    Ash's more recent thread on the Orbis version of these tipped me over the edge into a purchase, I've posted my thoughts here to keep that one less messy. Mine is not the Orbis but the black dial original version which came my way at a very reasonable price, mostly due to the tired condition. The former owner clearly loved it and wore it to death but got scared when he got the OSC service quote. I've never seen a grottier leather strap, now replaced with the same part number.

    This has just come back from a well overdue fettle, its first in 15 years it seems. It feels just right on the wrist, very comfortable and despite the 8500 movement which is typically seen in very chunky watches, at only 12.5mm deep, wears quite discreetly and will hopefully avoid the door frames the 17mm deep monsters like the PO etc seem attracted to. Bizarrely, the large dial and skinny bezel make it feel on the wrist rather like a scaled up Omega Dynamic III, those too are all dial but it must be said they come from very different ends of the Omega catalogue and their planned audiences were rather different, one being a faux mil bargain basement design and the other designed to be a dress watch showcase for a new in house movement utilising innovative case design to show it to its best effect. I'm in the honeymoon phase at present but it feels so right that it might be a keeper, for the medium term at least. I am a bit fickle that way!

    Thinking aloud, it might have made a lot more sense for Omega to have branded and marketed this as a Constellation, there is more than a hint of the classic 50s models like the 2852 or 14381 in the tonneau lugs and since the movement was designed to be the top of the tree, it would have made sense to put it there rather than in the DV line which has a rather less illustrious history. A missed opportunity perhaps.

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    Edited Jul 30, 2023
    cristos71, MDubs, dsio and 1 other person like this.
  7. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Jul 29, 2023

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    It looks great on you mate, and yea that old strap was a bit of a biohazard for sure. I totally agree about the branding, De Ville has sort of become a dumping ground for anything that is a dress watch but not a constellation Manhattan. That catch all nature is what kept it out of the lime light, if they had even just gone with Hour Vision as a unique brand it may have worked better.
     
  8. MSNWatch Ω 2

    MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Aug 11, 2023

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    This is my favorite dial of all the typical versions - Love the contrast in color and texture with the rhodium ring and red numbers standing out. Of course I have owned this version in bracelet for many years so I may be a bit biased. I have considered getting the annual calendar version with the blue dial but I am a bit put off by the lack of balance in the dial and the increased bulk of the watch. I think the original date only hour vision proportions are just right. Especially on bracelet.

    And agree too that this is a criminally underappreciated and undervalued modern day omega. For me at least this watch looks just as fetching now as it did when it was initially released 15 years ago.
     
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  9. RevZMan123 Ω 1

    RevZMan123 Aug 14, 2023

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    I think that platinum no-date version just entered my "grail watch" slot!