Hour vision or De Ville GMT?

Hi all,

So this is going to sound like a strange dilemma, but I am hesitating between a pre-owned Hour Vision GMT (ref. 4862.31.32) and a brand new Hour Vision. How did I came to such a selection? Well, I am glad you asked.

I was initially going for something "dressy" (my current and only watch is a Speedmaster Pro ref. 311.30.42.30.01.006) and I started looking at the De Ville collection, initially looking at vintage watches, and therefore pre-owned. It is how I stumbled upon the De Ville GMT, which I did not know existed. Now I would not call that particular De Ville very dressy, but I always had a thing for GMT movements (I work across time zones, and having two on my watch is an appealing proposition) and I just love the idea of having that feature on a De Ville (plus Omega does not make them anymore, which I think is kind of cool). And it has an exhibition case, which is a feature I was also looking for (I have it on my moonwatch, and I like the idea of being able to see both a manual movement and an automatic one).

Then, before jumping, and seeing as I was off the vintage space with the GMT anyway, I carried out my due diligence and checked the current De Ville line up... And came across the Hour Vision (another De Ville with an exhibition case!)... And to make things harder, would I go for the Hour Vision, I am not even sure of which colour (white or blue) and which face (the "original" Hour Vision with the grooves circling the dial or the one with roman numerals) I would go for.

So... I am posting this in order to get opinions and perhaps feedback from owners in terms of pros and cons for each of the options I am considering... Obviously, there is a substantial budget difference: the Hour Vision is essentially double price of the GMT. Would they be at the same price, I would probably go for the Hour Vision (although I do like the GMT function). So I guess I am essentially wondering whether the extra buck I put in the Hour Vision is "worth it". I guess so far my reasoning is:

GMT:
- Has a GMT function!
- Is a bit dressy but probably not that much
- Has an exhibition case but movement not very refined
- Half the price of the Hour Vision

Hour Vision:
- Brand new watch with warranty
- Exhibition case with a gorgeous movement
- Is it really much dressier than the GMT?
-> I like the original design (grooved), but to me looks more sporty and less dressy (at least on pictures)
-> On pictures, the blue dial can look a bit tacky and does not fit my idea of a dress watch (contradictions very welcome)

I am planning a trip to my retailer in the coming days to see the Hour Vision in the flesh (particularly the blue dial, as I am not convinced by the pictures but I remember seeing it in a store where it had a much better look). So hopefully I will have a better idea of which colour and face I like the most. But really any comments and opinions will help 😀.

I hope this is not too strange a thread.

Bryan

I’m not excited by either to be honest, sorry. I do love gmt watches, but never on a dressy watch. My gmt watches have always been diver type - currently with a 50th Anniversary Seamaster gmt. However, follow your heart; you’ll be wearing it. For me, given the choice, I’d go for the Hour Vision as it looks classy and lacks the fussy dial of the gmt.

Thanks for the reply. I also find the dial of the GMT a bit fussy... there also seems to be lume on it, which I am not a big fan of on a white dial that would otherwise appear as formal.

Anyone has a close up picture of the GMT movement in an exhibition case? The seller won’t provide one for fear of displaying “sensitive information”...

I'm not sure which GMT movement the De Ville utilized, but I suspect it's virtually identical to this one in my Planet Ocean GMT:



Most watches utilizing this movement or the similar Day-Date version of the 8500 are a little on the thick side. I suspect the non-GMT would be thinner, which may or may not be an issue for you.

I'm a fan of the Constellation Day-Date, which is a similarly...shall we say uncelebrated model:



Bottom line: if you're interested in the watch simply because you can get a good deal on it, perhaps think twice. There are lots of great options with the GMT complication, both within the Omega brand as well as other brands. The Tudor Black Bay GMT is a good looking watch...if you can find one. However, if you're really into the watch, and are just having second thoughts because it doesn't seem to be a popular model, follow your personal preferences.

A 2628 beats inside the GMT. It is based on the 2500, which is a co-axialized ETA 2892. So it'll be very different from a 8500 and its derivative.

@Bryan D. Are you sure they did the GMT with exhibition case? I thought they only existed with metal caseback (but I did not look to much). In any case, you should search "Omega 2500" or "Omega 2628" in google image, and you'll get an idea of its look. Not the prettiest caliber and I think it'll look a bit lost in the case, but that is only my opinion.

From the pics, I am not convinced about the white GMT either. But I must say it could only be because of the pics. I have the grey one (4833.40.31) and pics clearly don't do it justice. IRL, it looks awesome. Not fussy at all, the lume is unobtrusive, and it is easy to read. The applied indexes, the sunburst and the hands are the ones that catch the eyes. Not the writing or the date window. And I do not notice the GMT hand either, expect when I want to look at the GMT hand.

I tried to take a good picture but it is dark since several hours here, and I'm struggling doing indoor wristshot with my APN. If I come back before night tomorrow, I'll try to not forget about the pics!
In the meantime, the pics the closest to its real look I can find on the Internet are these:
- 1st and 2nd pic of this listing. 2nd is a bit darker than the real thing but it shows the sunburst and for me, the writing "noticeability" is also accurate (and I do mean "noticeability", not readability or contrast): http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=7087336&rid=0
- 3rd pic (= the 2nd "small" one, in the middle of the first row) of this one: https://www.watchseller.com.au/watch-store/all-watches/omega-deville-gmt-reference-4833-40-31/
None of them shows how blue the second hand can be: it is between near black to - I'd say - ultramarine blue

The first one has Omega applied while it is printed on the second one. I guess they just changed it at one point (mine is printed too).
Also, the first one has the Armadillo bracelet (1600/940 or 1601/942 if I am correct). It is somewhat rare and costly. So if you have the chance to choose between 2 DeVille GMT and one has this bracelet for not a lot more, my advice is to choose this one 😀

As you already said, it is a bit dressy but not that much. You may want something more formal to see the Queen, but you can wear it with a suit or with a pair of jeans without thinking twice about it.

Regarding the operation of the 2628, there is no real quickset date. Instead, 1st position on the crown makes the hour hand to jump 1 hour by 1 hour: that's your quickset. 2nd position corrects the minute hand (and also the hour, the GMT and the date). It is the only GMT I own, so maybe it is a pretty common to do thing like this. But I was surprised by this so I prefer to share. Appart from that, it behaves like any other watch.
BTW I also broke it by using this quickset 😁. I guess it did not like too much me missing the date twice and not wanting to come back to correct it (I was told "always forward", so that is what I did). That is the only issue I had with it (and magnetization because of induction plates: it went from +2s/d to +10s/d)

Not sure if they are better than the ones in the links, but I hope this help (morning light)



Sorry, I did not have the time for a proper wristshot. I was already late for work 😁

Thank you Jeremy and Lurk for sharing your thoughts! So yes I realised that the GMT does not have the 8500 - which is a gorgeous movement (thanks for the picture Jeremy).

I found a few pictures of the 2628 and indeed it does not look that exciting. Lurk I think you are raising an interesting point: I cannot find a GMT with an exhibition case anywhere else... and when I checked the reference on Omega’s website, the exhibition case is not mentioned anywhere in the specs... So I am thinking that is a bit odd... I don’t think it could be a fake, the vendor is quiet reputable I think (Crown & Caliber). Any thoughts?

Other than that I love the pics of the grey dial! I can see why you say most of what you see online doesn’t do it justice (similar to the Hour Vision’s blue actually).

I still need to visit my retailer and see the Hour Vision but I don’t think that’s going to be before next week...

Ok, so I searched a bit more because I thought there was something odd with the C&C listing ... Now I understand a bit more why I was confused.

The white steel De Ville GMT was done in 35mm (4862.31.32) and in 39mm (4833.31.32). From what I found in Omega's website, it seems than the white GMT is the only one existing in 35mm.
So when searching images of De Ville GMT, most of them are the 39mm version. My bet is 39 ones have plain caseback while 35 ones have an exhibition caseback. Maybe your retailer will be able to confirm?

The smaller size also explains why on the C&C pictures, the movement does not seem lost in the case (even if we cannot see a lot). And its dial is indeed a bit more busy than the others.
I managed to find another one on the internet (at least one that is not an obvious fake sold for $200), you can clearly see what it looks like on both sides. https://www.fun4go.com/web-item.asp?id=14513



PS: When I read the first sentence of post, I was like.. WTF is happening!?
My first name is Jeremy... It took me some seconds to process the whole thing 😁

haha I understand how that might have created a bit of confusion .

Wow, thanks for the link, it has very good pictures, including some detailed ones of the back! I actually spent quite some time researching the net to try and find just that, so thanks a bunch 😀. Also, very good observation about the case size, I did not catch that. That also explains why the grey face seems so “different”.

So I was really beginning to narrow down on the hour vision but these pictures really make me consider the GMT again. I think it looks quite nice, especially with the black strap on... the movement looks good too! Although nowhere near as nice as the 8500, but actually better than I thought... the metal still seems “rough” in some places though (no finish seems applied), like at the edges for instance.

Ok so none do the retailers I have contacted have the hour vision in stock (!!)... anyone has some nice pictures of the blue or white dials? I saw the blue once in a store and found it beautiful, but on picture I am not sure anymore...

Here we go mate...this is the older original "Orbis" hour vision. I swapped the black strap with the new blue OEM Omega strap.

Very nice! Thanks! Anyone has a face with the Roman numerals and / or in white?

Well everyone, I ended up buying the GMT 😀. I really liked it, and I could hardly justify to myself shelling out more than the double amount to buy the Hour Vision. The HV is still a fantastic watch, (and perhaps my next acquisition?), but for now I'll wear a GMT for a while 😀. I am supposed to get it next Monday... Thanks to everyone who posted here. @Lurk41: the pictures you found of the GMT definitely helped taking my decision, so thanks again for that!

You're welcome! Don't forget to post pictures when you'll get it 😉

So, finally got the watch! And here are a few pics...

Quite happy with it! The 35 mm of the face are definitely small (I am coming from a Speedmaster), but I like that it is a completely different feel. This small size accentuates the thickness of the watch, which brings some balance if you are looking for "masculinity" (usually synonym of larger faces). The movement is definitely less refined visually than the HV, but that is no surprise. I like the idea of wearing something that went out of production and that feels quite rare (I have not been able to find another 4862.31.32 -i.e. with exhibition case- for sale the whole two months I have been looking at this watch). I know that it was not engineered from the ground-up as such, but it is still the first co-axial movement (at least the base movement 2500 was), which I think is also cool -- perhaps I'll find this less cool if some of the issues associated to this movement start to manifest themselves.

I am overall very positively surprise about the condition of the watch. This is a second hand watch obviously, and I would assume close to 10 years old, and there is virtually no sign of wear. Pretty impressive. This is my first watch bought second hand, and from this experience I would definitely do it again (seller was Crown & Caliber bought via Chrono24).

The only thing I am unsure about is the strap. am wondering about the color. I really liked the black strap on the link that Lurk provided. and I would much prefer a deployment buckle than the standard one I have now, so I am considering buying another strap. Anyone knows a good provider? I am considering Hirsch but their prices are the same as OEMs' for croc bands. And I am not sure I want to put that kind of money for a watch I just bought...

The current strap is an after market (i.e. not OEM). The Seller says it is genuine croc, but I have frankly no idea how to be sure of that. Visually, it looks to me that would it be printed patterns, it would likely look very, very similar. This would be my first croc band so I have absolutely no idea how to assess that... That would weigh in my decision to purchase a new band, seeing as a genuine croc strap would obviously be more valuable than a croc grain one...

So overall, happy with the watch and the buying experience, not sure about the strap (which I already knew when pushing the button).