Hi, all!

I'm new to these forums, but not to watches.

I am new to chronographs, however, as a chronograph has eluded my collection thus far. When I decided at the beginning of this year to get a new watch, I started the usual, long process of deciding what to go for. I prefer my watches to be new so all the dings and scratches can be attributed to my own doing, so my first choice; a Daytona, went out the window before the race even started.

After some time I narrowed it down to a few potential watches, with, you guessed it, the Speedy as my first choice. It had always been on my radar as it is for anyone even remotely interested in mechanical time pieces, and I felt happy with going for a Speedy as my first chronograph. I went to my AD, tried it on and loved it. I found my first chrono.

This is where I made the mistake which led me to becoming this indecisive mess I am today. I asked them to see the new Seamsaster 300 chronograph as I had never seen it in the flesh before. I screamed at me. This was the watch that does it all: Water resistance to handle my summer activities, 60 minute counter on the chrono, long power reserve, date, column wheel, automatic movement. It can take a beating and it will look good doing it.

My only gripe with it was the thickness, but it's nothing I cant live with. But the Speedy is still there, looming over me. Judging my wandering thoughts of getting something other than its magnificent self as my first chronograph.

I'm in need of some input on people that has lived with the SMP 300 Chronograph, cause I'm just a simple man unsure of which horse to put my wad of hard earned cash on. And while experiences with the Speedy is plentiful, the SMP300 with the 9900 hasn't been around long enough to have gathered the same amount of reviews and thoughts. Any input would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

An indecisive mess

 

Most on here will advise you to get a Speedy, the hesalite version of course. I'll be the odd one out and advise you get the one that suits you the most. Sadly, only you can decide that but here are some questions that I would ask myself if I were in your shoes (and pretty much any time I buy a watch): In random order since the importance can only be decided by you.

Which one looks better to you?
Is this going to be your main watch?
Do you value the "connection" you get from having to manually wind your watch?
Would you prefer automatic and never have to worry about winding it?
Do you prefer to have a date?
Is magnetic resistance important to you?
Do you care about resale values?
Is it important that you can take you watch anywhere, including under water?

I love chronographs and have always preferred them over a simple 3 hander. I don't bother with any analogue watch, even quartz that doesn't have a seconds hand. I don't own a hesalite Speedy and have never desired one.

 

I beg to differ. I'm pretty sure 99.8 % would advise the one the OP likes best. (0.2% is simply to account for some margin of error)...

I can't help you other than to point out the Speedy is liked for it's simplicity.

You really should share a picture of the one you're considering, because if it's anything like this one, i personally hate the look and would never put such an abomination on my wrist. To each their own...

 

Yet your response is pretty much, Speedy good, Seamaster bad .

EDIT: I don't own either watch so no bias here. I do have a preference but that's purely subjective and only relevant for me.

 

Get the Seamaster. The Moonwatch is more of a cult classic at this point rather than a rational decision. It'll still be around if you want to add it to your collection later on.

 

Nah, we are not all fans of the speedy, and plenty of posts in this site focus on other watches.

That being said the issue is, the seamster Chrono is a little busy with the wave dials so I'd recommend finding a previous version without the wave dial or to look into the Planet Ocean Chrono versions that I think are better balanced and cleaner. There are also more dial/bezel versions on the PO. Black, Blue, Orange etc

First image is the PO, Second it the wave-free seamster.

 

Wait a month and see if you feel the same.

 

I use a Datejust as a "work watch", so I absolutely appreciate simplicity, though I must disagree with any mechanical chronograph falling in under "simple" as far as watches (read; movements) go.

I also enjoy watches as tools though. And I feel like the Seamaster chrono (correct pic btw, though I'd go for the rubber strap over the bracelet) can do it all. I'm just not sure about living with one. Like you said, taste is subjective, so I won't really pay attention to whether or not others like the look of the watches. It's more about how people find living with them, and using them.

On one hand, I hardly need another diver, but with the Daytona being pretty much impossible to get my hands on, it's hard to find another option I feel is that complete. Maybe a Fastrider Black shield... The Speedy on the other hand needs to be "babied" a bit more. At least in regards to water.

 

Advising someone else to get what they want has nothing to do with what I want.

 

The thing is that I can't personally stand the dial on the older Seamasters, and I find them far more busy as well because of the 3 sub dials. I guess a PO wouldn't be out of the question, but I do really enjoy the 2018 and newer SMP dials.

 

This is sound advise. I guess It comes down to looks vs. functionality. I enjoy the look and simplicity of the Speedmaster, but the Seamaster feels like such a complete package to me. Like I stated in another post, a watch is a tool as much as it is jewelry in my mind.

 

In terms of "living" with the seamster , looks aside, it's an easy enough watch to live with because its a good working horse. You just put it on and forget about it. Legibility is good, it's not too heavy and even though it's thicker than the normal seamster it is thinner and lighter than the PO.

There are plenty of other chrono divers on other brands though that IMO are much more elegant and simple than the Omega versions. Here are some examples varying from under 1000G to, well, more than that: (The Oris and the Heuer are big favorites of mine)

 

Probably the most and least helpful advice here. I know this is what I should do, but my primitive mind needs the dopamine from buying stuff I don't need.

 

Thanks for the input. Any help in deciding is appreciated. I've already written off a couple of these though. I guess I just need more time to decide.

 

You can't go wrong with the Seamaster pro 300m on a rubber strap. The dial being busy is subjective I find them elegant and not distracting in any way, also as you mentioned the Seamaster can be your daily watch that can take a beating and still look great.

I suggest you wait till next year to get a speed master because there have been a lot of rumors and speculation that omega will be making changes.

 

It sounds like the Daytona is actually your first choice? If so, maybe it's better to wait for that instead? Everything else would feel like second place at best.

For me, when I saw the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon I was smitten. However, I had purchased a De Ville Chronoscope a few months earlier so had to hold off. Glad I did since the talk of 15k Gauss watches came soon after and I knew I wanted something like the DSotM with a METAS chronograph movement inside. Several years later I got a good deal on a brand new BSotM in ceramic with the 9904 movement. Perfect and no regrets.

In short, if the watch is too much of a compromise then I would recommend waiting...as hard as it may be .

 

Yeah, my contact at the AD said they had gotten a message saying they should probably stock up on their Speedmasters next time they buy, but they didn't say much more (or at least they didn't convey any more to me). This might be in reference to the rumored changes to the movement used. The 1861 doesn't really justify a much higher asking price than what they're at now, and I can imagine Omega wanting to get the Speedmaster more in line with the rest of their current offerings.

 

I guess, availability not a factor, the Daytona would be my first choice in this price range. Then again, the "false scarcity", so to speak, that Rolex is running with these days leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I should probably run it through my head a couple more times before I buy. I tend to keep the watches I buy, so it's always important to me that I'm happy with my choice. I just never really considered any kind of Seamaster before. The chrono really did it for me though.

 

I personally really love the new Seamaster 300 Chronograph – one kinda neat hack with the new 9900 series movements is that the totalizer at 3:00 can be used as a second timezone while you're traveling, making this a pretty great adventure/travel GMT watch as well.

 

Haha!