De Ville GMT vs AT GMT?

E Edgeworth

The 8500 gives me everything I need for a travel watch

Scooterino36

Agree with this, I really like being able to quickly adjust the time, especially on shorter trips, and I personally find GMTs to be too busy.

E Edgeworth

I honestly don’t think those Aqua Terra GMTs in the 8605 were very popular. Just seems like a GMT watch needs a moveable bezel. The Deville GMT would have a very outdated movement. If you want the 8605 have you looked at one of the previous gen Planet Ocean GMTs?

PandaSPUR

The DeVille line has always been less popular than the AT line, that plus an older generation movement probably contribute to why its cheaper.
I personally like the looks of the AT more, especially the bracelet. I don't believe there is any difference in service intervals for those two movements since theyre both co-axial movements.

No idea on reliability though, you'd have to do some research on both the 2628 and 8605 to see if people have reported problems with them in the past.

E Edgeworth

The 8500 gives me everything I need for a travel watch, because it has a time-zone jumping hour hand feature instead of a quick set date. I rarely travel outside of the continental US, but if I travel from Chicago to NYC it’s so easy to adjust the hour hand one hour forward while the minutes and seconds hands continue to run. Of course you don’t have the ability to read both Chicago and NYC time on the watch, but it’s easy enough to do the math in your head. And there are plenty of 8500 watches in sizes like 38mm that wear well on my 6.5ish inch wrist.

The AT GMTs were released in 2012 on the 8605, which is based on the 8500. So you still have the time zone jumping hour hand instead of a quick set date but you also get a GMT hand to enable you to keep track of time in two zones and all hands (including GMT) can be set simultaneously with hacking when the crown is in its farthest position. The watch came in 11 models with various colors, materials, and bands, but all were 43mm case diameter and about 14.5mm tall. So a big watch.

The PO GMT 8605 came in four models, plus some “good planet” options, all at 43.5mm and crazy tall, like 17mm. Same 8605 as the AT GMT but with a bi-directional rotating bezel that enables you to track 3 time zones. The newer PO GMTs are metas watches using the upgraded 8906, which operates similar to the 8605 but better certification and likely a higher price in the pre-owned market— plus they are still huge, either at 43.5 or 45.5.

There is no longer a Deville GMT in the current omega catalog. My guess is that if you bought one pre owned it would be an older watch that probably had never been serviced and would need to be.

If I started to do more international travel I might buy a GMT, because they are fun and useful, but I would want something at least as current as the 2012 AT GMT (there was also an AT GMT with a chronograph in 12 models that IMO was a monstrosity of a watch). Honestly I would probably look for a GMT from a non Omega brand since all the Omega GMTs since 2012 have been at least 43mm wide and 14mm tall and that’s just too much watch for my wrist.

Scooterino36

Agree with this, I really like being able to quickly adjust the time, especially on shorter trips, and I personally find GMTs to be too busy.

E Edgeworth

I really like the GMTs. It’s such a simple, but brilliant, complication. I just don’t have use for it right now as I’m not traveling internationally and I’m not doing business calls with anyone outside the continental US.

For me, the perfect GMT is the Rolex GMT-master 2 with the Pepsi bevel. An absolute classic with wearable dimensions and an intuitive and easy to use bezel feature. The problem is the price as the only way I would ever get one is gray market at a ridiculous price tag in the 20s. I’m not Bill Gates, but at this point in my life I could afford to spend 25k on a watch, but if I did it wouldn’t be a Rolex. I’d look for a step up to ALS, AP, etc.

And there are obviously GMT options other than Rolex and Omega. Many with price tags and dimensions that would be suitable for a wide range of buyers. Omega is by far my favorite watch brand but they’ve sized me out of their GMT choices. And the new 45.5s are just monster watches. Why can’t Omega do a new version GMT at like 40mm and maybe 13mm thick…

Donn Chambers

I think it depends on what your overall style is. If you plan to wear it with suits primarily, then get the deVille - it is dressier. But if you intend to wear it with shorts, jeans, or sports jackets, then get the AT - it leans sportier. The movement in the AT will be more anti-magnetic, but the movement in the deVille is perfectly robust Iit will also be thinner).

Really, they are two different styles of watches, so you have to choose which you want.

I really wish that Omega would come out with a GMT-focused watch line with a rotating bezel and didn’t just tack it onto the Planet Ocean models - those are way too think. Something closer to the thickness of the Seamaster 300 with a GMT function added, 39-41mm case size. Give it a solid case back to make it a little thinner, 150m water resistance (good enough for a GMT watch), a good bracelet and they could have a GMT Master-killer. It’s a shame they started using the Globemaster name again, because they could have called this watch the Globemaster to differentiate it from the other lines.

But I digress. 😀

E Edgeworth

I really like the GMTs. It’s such a simple, but brilliant, complication. I just don’t have use for it right now as I’m not traveling internationally and I’m not doing business calls with anyone outside the continental US.

For me, the perfect GMT is the Rolex GMT-master 2 with the Pepsi bevel. An absolute classic with wearable dimensions and an intuitive and easy to use bezel feature. The problem is the price as the only way I would ever get one is gray market at a ridiculous price tag in the 20s. I’m not Bill Gates, but at this point in my life I could afford to spend 25k on a watch, but if I did it wouldn’t be a Rolex. I’d look for a step up to ALS, AP, etc.

And there are obviously GMT options other than Rolex and Omega. Many with price tags and dimensions that would be suitable for a wide range of buyers. Omega is by far my favorite watch brand but they’ve sized me out of their GMT choices. And the new 45.5s are just monster watches. Why can’t Omega do a new version GMT at like 40mm and maybe 13mm thick…

lfan

Thank you! I'm not necessarily wedded to a given movement--I was more looking for a watch I liked looking at with given specs (basically a GMT with 100m WR or better, 38-42mm by 10-12mm so it can slide under a cuff, looks good on a bracelet, with a rough ceiling of $2500 pre-owned...). I know that some of those specs mess with other ones, hence my dilemma. The PO GMT's are great watches but just too big for my circumstances--I'm not going to be diving with it, just swimming, and I'd prefer not to have to get a bunch of dress shirts with bespoke clown cuffs...

guppydriver

Excellent post and could not agree more. I’m not a Rolex fan boy, and I find Omega to have a competitive, in many cases superior, product to Rolex in virtually every segment of watches, all while saving some money…..

EXCEPT.. the GMT

The Rolex GMT Master II is almost objectively head and shoulders above Omega in the category. Although I would certainly enjoy owning an Oreo PO GMT, it’s a deep sea dive watch with an added GMT complication, it doesn’t feel like a purpose built GMT designed for the traveler. I’m also not a big fan of the 6 and 18 black and white transition on the bezel, but that’s subjective.

I’d like to see Omega come out with a true competitor in the near future, I’d line up to buy it. IMHO, I don’t even think Omega has anything that can even compete with Tudor’s wonderful BB GMT at the moment (assuming the date wheel issue has indeed been remedied).

E Edgeworth

Not sure if you’ve got nerdy enough with this hobby yet to start watching the online videos. Teddy Baldassarre has a YouTube channel that does some very good watch reviews and educational stuff. He’s an AD for certain brands, but IMO he’s still fair to all brands. Plus he’s a smaller-wristed guy like myself, so he tends to focus heavily on wearability. Anyway, Teddy has a brand new video, like just came out a few days ago, on the best GMT watches over a wide range of prices, from like $800 to the Rolex GMT Master II at the top. I watched the video and I remember liking the looks and functionality of the Sinn UFC 105. Also a lot of close up shots and discussion of a neon Zodiac Sea Wolf and a brand new Seiko that I thought was very cool. He also talks about the PO and briefly mentions the Omega AT world timer. I know this is the Omega main board but I really feel like the GMT complication, if that’s what your heart is set on, isn’t the Omega sweet spot, especially if you find the PO too large to wear comfortably for many/most occasions.

lfan

Yeah, the Tudor's on the list, if a stretch at the moment. What was the date wheel issue?

guppydriver

Early models had an issue where the date would either stick and not advance or sometimes advance by more than one date. Every resource I subscribe to claims that it has been long remedied, but it seems the average watch aficionado has a good memory. Since there is really no discount going gray on this model, you are going to get a 5 year warranty in the unlikely event an issue pops up.