It's not often that I have more than two watches out of the safe deposit box, let alone five divers. I thought I would post up some photos for comparison of sizes. As almost everyone has a Seiko SKX it was my comparison watch. I hope this helps someone trying to decide between different divers. When I was contemplating adding the 300 60th, coupled with the fact that I already owned the 300MC I could not find comparison pictures of the two, so I added more of them. After purchasing the 60th I think there is room in a collection for both. I see the 60th as more of a dress up/down diver while the MC is more of a jeans and t-shirts or shorts and flip flops watch. My thoughts on each watch: Rolex 16610 - Great size, the bezel is awesome. I prefer the lugs to the 116610, but I need a permanent link removed and my local CW21 will not do it and I haven't worked up the guts to do it myself. As a result all of the Omegas are more comfortable on my wrist. Omega 300 60th - When you are used to a modern bezel, the first thing you notice is the size of the bezel. It is small. I prefer the brushed center links to the PCLs of the SM300 MC. The watch feels great on the wrist but does not have the wrist presence of the other watches. I could see this becoming my travel watch, I usually travel with a Rolex Explorer or my Seiko. Omega 300MC - I love this watch. It is on the edge of size for me, however, it feels great on the wrist to me. I would give up the sapphire case back to remove a millimeter or two of depth, but it is fun to show others who are not familiar with automatic watches. Seiko SKX 173 - There are times I wish that I had gotten the 007 or 009 because I pefer those lume plots, however, I have never seen another 173 in pictures or in the wild. This has been my daily for the last 6 weeks as my new job is jeans and t-shirt or polo. We are not allowed to wear shorts, but everything else is game. Omega 300 Diver - The honey moon on this watch lasted for 18 months, beating out a number of much more expensive watches. This dial is my favorite of all of the watches in this lineup. I am happy I purchased this watch before it was changed, this watch will be passed down to one of my children. I also added the Planet Ocean adjustable clasp, which made a huge difference in comfort as I had trouble finding the sweet spot with the original clasp. I apologize for the finger prints on some of the watches. After I set them, I should have wiped them down. From left to right: Rolex 16610, SM300 60th, SM300 MC, Seiko SKX 173, Seamaster 300 Diver.
The 173 is US market only, hence a bit uncommon, but I’ve heard actually more desirable in some European circles. Great write up!
I fully planned on buying an MC 300, however I tried it on and the thickness was what stopped me from making the purchase - I ended up going with a 2254.50 Seamaster 300M instead on the basis of it being considerably thinner.
Have you tried the 60th SM300? I tried it at the airport on my way to Japan this year. I had my 165.024 with me, Damn I was so close to pulling the trigger. I'm think i will consider very strongly getting one if a nice used one goes into the market.