Helium Relief Valve on Omega Seamaster Professional... have you ever used it?

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Perhaps Omega should perhaps offer a model with HEV for the few hundred folks that might need it, and one without for the several thousand for whom it only represents unnecessary maintenance costs

The cost to service a watch with or without an HEV is the same...Canadian prices here.

 
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This is great intel, and seems suddenly obvious once you say it. Balances against risk of forgetting to open it. Cost/benefit. Yin/Yang.




Perhaps Omega should perhaps offer a model with HEV for the few hundred folks that might need it, and one without for the several thousand for whom it only represents unnecessary maintenance costs

There are pro’s and con’s for each dive watch case design for saturation use but costs are the same for servicing usually, the HEV are generally a weak point on most dive watches as people tend to only service a watch if they aren’t working so only find out it’s leaking when they take it for a dip.
 
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The cost to service a watch with or without an HEV is the same...Canadian prices here.


then as for the idea of a model range both with/without the HEV, it seems to comes
down only to a preference for the HEV’s aesthetic and (for probably >99% of users) only-theoretical-functionality

At least theoretical functionality is a step ahead of no functionality (the tourbillon). ::stirthepot::

And at least Omega has the kindness of either undercharging for a with-HEV service or overcharging for a without-HEV service (I assume same can’t be said for a tourbillon service). 😁
 
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There are pro’s and con’s for each dive watch case design for saturation use but costs are the same for servicing usually, the HEV are generally a weak point on most dive watches as people tend to only service a watch if they aren’t working so only find out it’s leaking when they take it for a dip.

yeah, noting that an HEV is useful only to just saturation diving specifically, and is unhelpful to even very deep diving or any other recreational diving, it’s a rather considered decision to be made when choosing a watch for anything but saturation
 
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then as for the idea of a model range both with/without the HEV, it seems to comes
down only to a preference for the HEV’s aesthetic and (for probably >99% of users) only-theoretical-functionality

At least theoretical functionality is a step ahead of no functionality (the tourbillon). ::stirthepot::

And at least Omega has the kindness of either undercharging for a with-HEV service or overcharging for a without-HEV service (I assume same can’t be said for a tourbillon service). 😁

If this was all about functionality, get an Apple watch or other smart watch...infinitely more "functional" than any mechanical watch, for the vast majority of people.
 
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If this was all about functionality, get an Apple watch or other smart watch...infinitely more "functional" than any mechanical watch, for the vast majority of people.

for sure! As you’ve said, this on one normative view is just man jewelry, cloaked in a nothin of theoretical utility and “mechanicalness” that acts as an excuse for why it’s more than man jewelry

but on another view, there’s functionality and then there’s functionality.

if I buy a watch to tell tell time, it does tell time, and I use it to tell time - it’s of time-telling utility to me (even if there are alternative time-telling devises).

if I buy a watch that functions to allow saturating diving but I never intend to saturation dive and in fact never do saturation dive with it, then it’s of no saturation diving utility to me.

the relative “functionality” of time telling vs saturation diving in these examples is pretty apparent
 
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if I buy a watch that functions to allow saturating diving but I never intend to saturation dive and in fact never do saturation dive with it, then it’s of no saturation diving utility to me.

Why would you buy something that has no utility to you? If you don't like it, and don't need it, don't buy it. This is not complicated.
 
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Why would you buy something that has no utility to you? If you don't like it, and don't need it, don't buy it. This is not complicated.

youre restating my original (personal) complaint about the HEV being on these models 👍
 
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youre restating my original (personal) complaint about the HEV being on these models 👍

Indeed, it is a personal complaint. Glad we resolved that.
 
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Indeed, it is a personal complaint. Glad we resolved that.

Was that ever in question, or are you making a show of a wildly uninteresting point? I don’t need reminding that this is a watch forum of people merely discussing their luxury jewelry preferences - yours included.

Or are there Platonic truths being discussed somewhere I missed, so my mere opinions suddenly an out of place injection?

🙄**


**note: some people appear to think this emoticon is “looking upwards,” but to correct that and be clear: this emoticon is the “massive eyeroll”
 
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Was that ever in question, or are you making a show of a wildly uninteresting point? I don’t need reminding that this is a watch forum of people merely discussing their luxury jewelry preferences - yours included.

Or are there Platonic truths being discussed somewhere I missed, so my mere opinions suddenly an out of place injection?

🙄**


**note: some people appear to think this emoticon is “looking upwards,” but to correct that and be clear: this emoticon is the “massive eyeroll”

I think there's only one person making a show of the HEV, and it certainly isn't me. Here's a recap from this thread of your feelings...

"why would Omega ever need the redundant H release valve?"

"But the He valve seems especially egregious. It’s both mechanical/serviceable and also virtually impossible to use."

"good thing Omega doesn’t make a quartz version of a watch with a useless He escape valve"

"When I was gifted my 300 years ago, I knew nothing about watches, and I thought the He escape valve was cool. I do expect Omega successfully trades on such naïveté quite well."

"Perhaps Omega should perhaps offer a model with HEV for the few hundred folks that might need it, and one without for the several thousand for whom it only represents unnecessary maintenance costs"

So in the course of this thread, you have repeatedly called it useless, erroneously stated it was "impossible to use", incorrectly stated it added to maintenance costs, and implied that Omega is somehow fooling people into buying watches with it.

We get it, you don't like it.

I don't go to the Breitling forums saying how much I hate rider tabs, but hey you be you...
 
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Boy, that’s a lot of quote work!

you have repeatedly called it useless,

I think you mean “useless except for very few”

erroneously stated it was "impossible to use"

I think you mean “impossible to use except for very few”

incorrectly stated it added to maintenance costs,

And thanked you for educating me to the contrary...

But I wonder, even if Omega suggests to charge the same, do independents always? (Genuine question)

implied that Omega is somehow fooling people into buying watches with it.

you’re saying it’s NOT a marketing gimmick for 99.9% of buyers?

that’s a fine opinion to have
 
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But I wonder, even if Omega suggests to charge the same, do independents always? (Genuine question)

I don't charge any differently for a watch with an HEV as I would for one without. I can't speak for others, as they are independent, as the name suggests.

you’re saying it’s NOT a marketing gimmick for 99.9% of buyers?

that’s a fine opinion to have

It's no more a marketing gimmick than the depth rating of your Submariner. The vast majority of users will never use that depth rating, just like the vast majority of Seamaster owners will never use the HEV.

That is of course very different than saying that either brand is preying on the naivete of the buyers with either watch.
 
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It's no more a marketing gimmick than the depth rating of your Submariner.

That’s where and why we disagree.

The depth rating on my Submariner seems more equivalent to a Tesla Roadster in a school zone - useless top speed potential, but at least a portion of that speed potential is useful, even in a school zone.

Conversely, the HEV seems more equivalent to an Tesla Roadster with a complementary EVA suit in the trunk - cool to have I guess, but not remotely relevant to any use I’ll put it to ... I mean, some will, sure...

 
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We can agree to disagree. The HEV is just another extension of the depth ratings that very few will ever use while sitting at their desks.
Edited:
 
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I have never used it, as far as I know they are only for saturation divers, so I doubt you will find more than perhaps one or two people on the forums that have ever used it as intended.
 
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I’ve worn my planet ocean for 100’s of commercial dives, here she is in the Gulf of Mexico, there is still plenty of seamaster and sea dwellers being used as intended.
The Manual valve plus is when it’s closed there’s no chance of flooding due to lack of maintenance which a huge amount of HEV watches are liable to if the seals haven’t been changed and looked after enough as they pick up a lot of dirt and dust in daily use.
To the poster who hates the HEV, don’t buy dive watches ‍♂️ They are actually designed for us and we like them!
Thank you for your response. Cool pic!
Good to know that there are still a few Seamasters and Subs being used for their intended purpose, even though the majority of owners would never be diving to those sorts of depths.

What appeals to me is that these watches, like the Speedmaster, GMT, Railmaster etc were originally designed to be tool watches. Watches intended to help certain professions do their jobs. And whilst modern quartz watches have largely superseded them in terms of functionality, the history and engineering behind them still fascinates me and that's why I still love these mechanical wonders. To me, they are timeless classics.
 
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May I ask which watch is this?
I would guess and say a Planet Ocean? Not sure. I got it from Omega’s marketing materials a while back.