Hello there!

Today I was in Warsaw Omega Boutique to get rubber strap for my new At Worldtimer and while they were putting it on I spotted something many SMP owners were looking for (including myself).

Most of you know how pain in the a** the standard pin buckle is with the rubber strap (very curvy, difficult to operate).

Finally Omega realised their flaw and released new version of the strap for standard deployant clasp. The rubber itself is of same great quality, just endings & holes are made a bit different to work with deployant.

Here below photos before & now.

 

Well that’s intriguing. I wonder if this will be released on the new quick-release straps as well. I may have to check it out.
Did you by chance see the pricing? I suspect it’s more than the $300 the pin and buckle strap costs.

 

I emailed my salesperson at the OB and haven't heard back yet. I hope they have a blue version. My guess is it's the same $250 as the rubber strap without the pin buckle. The foldover clasp is sold separately.

 

While I can appreciate the appeal of a deployant, calling the current pin/buckle combo "difficult to operate" and
"a flaw" is going a bit far. The current iteration is thoughtfully executed (slotted pin, strap stay nub) and widely praised.

 

Agreed it’s an amazing strap as is. But I definitely plan to see how this new one looks in person! I know plenty of people that prefer pin and buckle though but that’s where I think Omega shines... they give people genuine options

 

If I were using the watch in the water, I’d feel safer with the older pin/buckle strap on it rather than the new one with deployant.

But for desk-diving and everyday wear, the deployant version looks great!

 

So my SA at the OB said they're only available in black right now. He also said he wasn't sure it would fit a 300M as it's an integrated strap. He was going to try it and let me know.

 

Good call by Omega. While I realize there may be some security reasons for a pin buckle while diving, the deployant version is a step up for the 300M. The watch itself is maybe used by .09 % of buyers for diving. The fact that it wasn’t previously available made choosing the PO 43.5 over the SMP a no brainer.

 

Obviously it is my personal opinion, although confirmed by many other users of this strap (obviously not all must agree). Photos below show what the problem is -> very curvy pin, that makes closing and opening of the strap real pain in the a** - I really hated it and sold my strap less then a week from day of purchase (ended up with Snoopy 2 on deployant at that time, which I love and looks even better than the rubber ).

I do agree, that when you eventually manage to close the pin it's safer than deployant for diving (and maybe that was the point of making it this way - security). But also everyone knows that most of SMP users are desk divers, so security under water is not such an issue , but ease of use rather...

So now again OMEGA rules giving us options. It's probably going to be deployant for most from now on, but those who take the watch under water fill opt for tang buckle more likely.

 

Is there a part number? I was going to try and call as well to see what they tell me. Otherwise what Watch does it go on? Maybe that helps them identify it.

 

Don’t know the part number (although maybe it’s on the inside - see the photo), but it is designed specifically for SMP300. I am not sure if curvature of the ends & position of holes for sping bars will work with other models.

 

Thanks. I’ll give them a call and report back what they say.

 

I called my OB and they said that they have them on order but was not sure when they would come in. I inquired on colors and said he thinks they ordered black and blue but wasn’t certain what would come in. However, he stated it would cost “somewhere in the $500 range, plus taxes”. I’ll reserve judgement for when I say more pictures but it would have to be a very significant improvement for me to pay that honestly. We shall see!

 

I would imagine that is for the strap and deployant, which is not unreasonable IMO.

 

Correct that’s for both. I agree it’s not unreasonable but I’m very happy with my current OEM one. The deployant would definitely be a step up for me but not sure I would be interested in “upgrading” at that price. If I didn’t have one though I would certainly be more willing. Who knows, if reports are that it’s much more comfortable I may do it. We’ll see.

 

Same, I'm very content with the fit and finish of my tang version.

 

If you're OK with current version - don't bother. Current tang is no go for me, but it's my personal problem. Definietly you can't just upgrade to deployant clasp with same strap - you need to buy both. Unless you already have the clasp from some other OMEGA, than it's the strap only you need to buy.

 

Can you tell me, is the deployant clasp and strap more adjustable than the current rubber with pin buckle? I posted in another thread that I can't find the sweet spot with my rubber strap, as it's either a tad to loose or tight, and looking for an alternative and wondering if this may be it.
Thanks

 

Distances between holes are the same.

 

Even though the holes are spaced the same, they might be positioned differently, and the clasp will probably add a bit of thickness under the wrist so it might change the fit.