A very interesting read and I agree wholeheartedly with you. When I see these in the window of an AD I really get a 'Meh' feeling. The new version really has lost its heart, charm and USP.
You are very good at bringing overlooked or even unfairly unloved models to the fore Ash. I had the good fortune to handle a black dial gen 1 HV recently and was very impressed with the quality and how downright cool the see through sapphire sides were. I’m thinking I should have snapped it up but I see why the transitional model would be the sweet spot. I just don’t get why Omega would give up its USP on the 2nd gen which makes a bit of a mockery of the name. I might just see if the one I handled is still available as it was way cheap and it was only my prejudice against the DV line which made me keep the moths in my wallet.
Yea its baffling that they downgraded the case, as I mention in the article (and I must admit I have no evidence of this) I suspect that due to the Hour Vision’s purpose as the springboard for the Calibre 8500 that Omega was betting their future on, turning a profit on the Hour Vision was irrelevant and they may have made little or even lost money on each example due to the complexity of the sapphire case. Its rather telling that even 15 years later, you don’t see that all sapphire mid-case in any other Omega or in any price comparable competitor.
i'm relatively new to watches (got hooked about 3 years ago) so I just learned about the Hour Vision. are there any other models with sapphire in the side of the case? very cool design, along with the art deco design. anyway, for the amount of time i spend looking at watches and Omega watches it's nice to be surprised by something I haven't seen yet.
thanks for the info! how are they on the wrist?
