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Omega SeaMaster 300 Watchco: your thoughts about it?

padders
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As you may recall Fink, I have had quite a few of those myself, not every SMP variant though, I never snagged a titanium or great white but pretty much all the rest inc a 2201.50 PO. I don't see that as a sign of disappointment, rather the realisation that the sword hands design is nearly perfect for a stylish diver.

As a charming living fossil, the Watchco is great, as a usable and robust divers watch, less so. I guess there is a chance that Omega will do a full reboot of the 165.024 design at some point with modern tech and the 8806 or similar, prior to the recent trio I would have thought it unlikely but maybe more so now. We shall see.

Oh and dont forget, if they do release a modern reissue it will likely have beige lume!
Edited:
 
jcmartinez98
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jaguar11 jaguar11
I like the 2254.50.00. Rock solid modern watch with a vintage twist long before the the retro themes that we see today in watch design. I could never understand why they discontinued this model. Looks great with black dial and fantastic lume!!!! I like the watchco so good luck with your choice.

Completely agree. The aesthetics of the old seamaster diver- its genes, so to speak- are so apparent in the 2254.50.

Love them both. Due to what I personally value in a watch, I would never look for a vintage seamaster diver before trying to get my hands on a watchco.
 
image.jpg
w.finkenstaedt
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padders padders
As you may recall Fink, I have had quite a few of those myself, not every SMP variant though, I never snagged a titanium or great white but pretty much all the rest inc a 2201.50 PO. I don't see that as a sign of disappointment, rather the realisation that the sword hands design is nearly perfect for a stylish diver.

As a charming living fossil, the Watchco is great, as a usable and robust divers watch, less so. I guess there is a chance that Omega will do a full reboot of the 165.024 design at some point with modern tech and the 8806 or similar, prior to the recent trio I would have thought it unlikely but maybe more so now. We shall see.

Oh and dont forget, if they do release a modern reissue it will likely have beige lume!
Oh yeah, I know. I was just saying that I've owned all at some point, and other than my wife's 2255, I've gotten rid of all of them.

I like my WatchCo for something I can wear daily and not worry too much about. If I go diving, I'm going to bring my Ti 45.5 PO or my 2220.80, but in all other instances the WatchCo is a fine alternative, including swimming and snorkeling.

I'd love an updated big triangle, circle-T LE based on the 8806 calibre, even if it did have aged SLN. I think it'd be a big hit.
 
Edward53
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Gratuitous Watchco photo attached. Time was set 2 days ago (not on this photo, obviously) and at present is just 1 second slow. Normally it's +/- 3 or 4 per day.

IMG_3797.JPG
 
BlackTalon
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Motman Motman
Why are these called 'Watchco's'?
That was the name of the company who produced a lot of these (they recently changed their name, though)
 
Motman
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BlackTalon BlackTalon
That was the name of the company who produced a lot of these (they recently changed their name, though)

Instead of Omega? Under license from Omega?
 
padders
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From genuine Omega parts. They were/are a parts distributor.
 
KJH666
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There are watches put together by other people as well. I have seen a few put together by 'a retired Omega watchmaker' and a few independents have also done it. Basically anyone with the tools and skills could buy a case, hands, dial, crown etc and find and old movement and put one together. It is always worth asking to see the movement or images of it to make sure it's correct and in good condition.
 
Archer
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padders padders
As a charming living fossil, the Watchco is great, as a usable and robust divers watch, less so.

Just curious what features you feel make it less robust or useable?
 
Archer
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Motman Motman
Instead of Omega? Under license from Omega?

Omega does not condone what Watchco were doing - buying up old watches for the movements, pairing those with new cases, dials, and hands, and selling them as a finished product.
 
KJH666
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Archer Archer
Omega does not condone what Watchco were doing - buying up old watches for the movements, pairing those with new cases, dials, and hands, and selling them as a finished product.

But they obviously stopped short of sending their legal teams to stop the operation.
 
BlackTalon
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And what would their grounds have been?
 
Archer
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KJH666 KJH666
But they obviously stopped short of sending their legal teams to stop the operation.

Didn't say it was any sort of legal violation, but a violation of Omega policies. The resolution to that is to remove their access to parts...not send legal teams after them...
 
KJH666
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BlackTalon BlackTalon
And what would their grounds have been?

Copyright and intellectual property rights for starters. I am pretty sure that if you opened a burger bar and had a big M in your name or logo you would be shut down pretty damn quick - what's the difference here, unless Omega genuinely don't care.

There are plenty of people modifying Rolex and they seem to get away with it.

Just seems odd that Omega haven't tried to put a stop to it.
 
BlackTalon
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Not sure why odd. They basically 'restored' the 1960s watches, replacing all of the bad items. Sadly, only the movements could be salvaged.

Please keep in mind this is nearly 50 years after Omega stopper producing the originals...
 
KJH666
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Okay, fair enough. Omega restricting access to parts seems to be a positive step in this scenario.
 
BlackTalon
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I will admit I am happy the watchco people did this, as it is doubtful Omega would has resurrected the design anytime soon. I sure as heck can't afford to splurge on a real vintage one. or if I did, I would likely be hesitant to use it as intended. The movement doesn't mean much to me one way or another, but the dial, hands, bezel, etc. are what attracts me to the watch. I suspect there are not nearly enough NOS around for Omega to serious consider reissuing the design themselves -- they usually seem to need at least a couple thousand units.
 
w.finkenstaedt
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Archer Archer
Omega does not condone what Watchco were doing - buying up old watches for the movements, pairing those with new cases, dials, and hands, and selling them as a finished product.
It's always interesting to hear that; wouldn't Omega have noticed a few hundred full parts lists going out for 165.024 and the date version, just minus the movement, especially one place?

Omega themselves do their best to do exactly what WatchCo did, only they won't change the movement from another piece to a Seamaster 300.
 
OWa
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BlackTalon BlackTalon
I will admit I am happy the watchco people did this, as it is doubtful Omega would has resurrected the design anytime soon. I sure as heck can't afford to splurge on a real vintage one. or if I did, I would likely be hesitant to use it as intended. The movement doesn't mean much to me one way or another, but the dial, hands, bezel, etc. are what attracts me to the watch. I suspect there are not nearly enough NOS around for Omega to serious consider reissuing the design themselves -- they usually seem to need at least a couple thousand units.

The only NOS part in a Watchco is the movement. All other parts are new stock and still available. I (sadly) doubt that Omega would use a 552/565 movement for a reissue. For my personal need a 552 or 565 movement would be sufficient and I do not really need a co-axial movement. I guess Omega would probably ask $ 7000 for a 165.024/166.024 reissue with co-axial movement.
 
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