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Snowsquare
·TL;DR: This is a watch to divide opinion - my own included - but overall, Omega is doing the right thing moving the model line forward.
I was lucky enough to be invited to Omega’s new Planet Ocean launch event in London last night. This is not a review of the watch (I use the title 'hands on' in jest), just some general impressions having seen the watches in person, and please excuse the poor quality photos!
First things first: these are beautiful watches. The quality really stands out: the tolerances (including the fit of the end links) are extremely fine, and the brushing, dial, hands, bracelet and bezel are all beautifully executed. It’s clearly machine-built, but in a good way, in the sense of being perfectly engineered rather than handcrafted, but it’s still a watch to admire on the wrist.
It moves the line forward. The original 1970s Ploprofs had no helium escape valve but needed a monocoque case. The improved seal technology of the Ultra Deep showed that a conventional case doesn’t need one either. I think it’s a good and logical step to bring that technology into the regular Planet Ocean range.
This will no doubt be a very capable dive watch. In the hand, it gives a feeling of being very well-engineered and solid, but at the same time it feels finely-made and almost jewel-like. I think the reason for this, aside from the bright boutique lighting, is because of the use of flat surfaces. The flat-link polished centre-link bracelet, the geometric edges of the lugs and end links, different angles of brushing used, and pretty flat crystal all combine to catch the light a bit like the facets of a gem. Not a bad thing, and probably far less obvious outdoors on an overcast day, but still it felt unusual to me in a dive watch. A different way of reflecting from what you’d expect even on a polished but more rounded case.
People have commented that these geometric case elements are reminiscent of Grand Seiko. Omega points to the 366.0858 as providing inspiration, and I would hope that Seiko does not have exclusive rights to crisp, geometric case shapes.
Still, the geometric lugs felt a little incongruous to me. This is a beautiful, well-engineered, dive watch, but the eye gets drawn to that angular area by the lugs (see the last photo on this post, courtesy of Omega). Omega’s lyre-case design is a classic, and Omega owners can happily while away dull conference calls admiring the lines of their watches. The new Planet Ocean’s case is striking in its own way, but one that felt to me slightly out of place on a 600-metre dive watch. It doesn’t feel particularly functional, and that pyramidal/triangular tip at the end of the lugs looked to me pretty exposed and vulnerable to knocks. Still, I guess there’s always the Ultra Deep in Titanium with its manta lugs for the true tool-watch fans, and maybe Omega will be brave enough to introduce something similar to the 600-metre line...
My favourite of the range is the black version. It looks serious but sporty, and you could easily wear it to work or on holiday. It carries more of a classic dive-watch character, especially on the rubber strap.
The size is very wearable. It feels no bad thing to see case sizes being reined in a bit, and this watch wears comfortably - not top heavy at all - on both the strap and the bracelet, which has a very decent taper. It will be interesting to see how the new lugs look on straps without the integrated end links.
In summary, I'd have loved to see simply a scaled-down version of the Ultra Deep - no helium escape valve, but the same lines. The new Planet Ocean so nearly is that, but to me, the reworked lugs and the flat-link, polished centre-link bracelet introduce details that aren't really needed on a 600m dive watch. But in any case, the impressive engineering quality shines through, and Omega moving the line forwards, not backwards, is great to see.
I was lucky enough to be invited to Omega’s new Planet Ocean launch event in London last night. This is not a review of the watch (I use the title 'hands on' in jest), just some general impressions having seen the watches in person, and please excuse the poor quality photos!
First things first: these are beautiful watches. The quality really stands out: the tolerances (including the fit of the end links) are extremely fine, and the brushing, dial, hands, bracelet and bezel are all beautifully executed. It’s clearly machine-built, but in a good way, in the sense of being perfectly engineered rather than handcrafted, but it’s still a watch to admire on the wrist.
It moves the line forward. The original 1970s Ploprofs had no helium escape valve but needed a monocoque case. The improved seal technology of the Ultra Deep showed that a conventional case doesn’t need one either. I think it’s a good and logical step to bring that technology into the regular Planet Ocean range.
This will no doubt be a very capable dive watch. In the hand, it gives a feeling of being very well-engineered and solid, but at the same time it feels finely-made and almost jewel-like. I think the reason for this, aside from the bright boutique lighting, is because of the use of flat surfaces. The flat-link polished centre-link bracelet, the geometric edges of the lugs and end links, different angles of brushing used, and pretty flat crystal all combine to catch the light a bit like the facets of a gem. Not a bad thing, and probably far less obvious outdoors on an overcast day, but still it felt unusual to me in a dive watch. A different way of reflecting from what you’d expect even on a polished but more rounded case.
People have commented that these geometric case elements are reminiscent of Grand Seiko. Omega points to the 366.0858 as providing inspiration, and I would hope that Seiko does not have exclusive rights to crisp, geometric case shapes.
Still, the geometric lugs felt a little incongruous to me. This is a beautiful, well-engineered, dive watch, but the eye gets drawn to that angular area by the lugs (see the last photo on this post, courtesy of Omega). Omega’s lyre-case design is a classic, and Omega owners can happily while away dull conference calls admiring the lines of their watches. The new Planet Ocean’s case is striking in its own way, but one that felt to me slightly out of place on a 600-metre dive watch. It doesn’t feel particularly functional, and that pyramidal/triangular tip at the end of the lugs looked to me pretty exposed and vulnerable to knocks. Still, I guess there’s always the Ultra Deep in Titanium with its manta lugs for the true tool-watch fans, and maybe Omega will be brave enough to introduce something similar to the 600-metre line...
My favourite of the range is the black version. It looks serious but sporty, and you could easily wear it to work or on holiday. It carries more of a classic dive-watch character, especially on the rubber strap.
The size is very wearable. It feels no bad thing to see case sizes being reined in a bit, and this watch wears comfortably - not top heavy at all - on both the strap and the bracelet, which has a very decent taper. It will be interesting to see how the new lugs look on straps without the integrated end links.
In summary, I'd have loved to see simply a scaled-down version of the Ultra Deep - no helium escape valve, but the same lines. The new Planet Ocean so nearly is that, but to me, the reworked lugs and the flat-link, polished centre-link bracelet introduce details that aren't really needed on a 600m dive watch. But in any case, the impressive engineering quality shines through, and Omega moving the line forwards, not backwards, is great to see.
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