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      07-24-2015, 05:11 PM   #1
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Omega Watches ?? who's got em.. Looking to buy my first Omega.. need help

In the Market for my first watch..


Really like the look of the Omega Watches... Not a watch enthusiast by any means but would like a good quality piece.

Omega seems to fit the bill.

I really like the Rolex Daytona as well but its price tag keeps me from pulling the trigger.. don't think I could explain that one to the wife either... Plus Id rather spend less and take a nice vacation.. which is what Im planning on doing.. The watch is for my 1st year anniversary being a married man.

I so far have checked out a couple Planet Ocean's

Was hoping anyone with an Omega could post up what they have a pic if you have it and what you may suggest ...

Also if you know of a great place to buy.. I figure online would be better than a standard brick and mortar shop.

Budget is going to stay at a Firm 5k.. Im ok with buying pre-owned as well as long as its in top tier condition.

Thanks in advance!
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      07-24-2015, 09:09 PM   #2
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Received my Speedmaster for Father's Day last year. Very happy with it. I thought the 44mm size would be too big, it is a monster, but it is not so big looking on my wrist.
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      07-25-2015, 03:22 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaOmega4 View Post
In the Market for my first watch..


Really like the look of the Omega Watches... Not a watch enthusiast by any means but would like a good quality piece.

Omega seems to fit the bill.

I really like the Rolex Daytona as well but its price tag keeps me from pulling the trigger.. don't think I could explain that one to the wife either... Plus Id rather spend less and take a nice vacation.. which is what Im planning on doing.. The watch is for my 1st year anniversary being a married man.

I so far have checked out a couple Planet Ocean's

Was hoping anyone with an Omega could post up what they have a pic if you have it and what you may suggest ...

Also if you know of a great place to buy.. I figure online would be better than a standard brick and mortar shop.

Budget is going to stay at a Firm 5k.. Im ok with buying pre-owned as well as long as its in top tier condition.

Thanks in advance!
Preface:
Before getting started I want to point out one thing that many first time "nice watch" buyers don't take into consideration: nice mechanical watches like the Omega PO should periodically be serviced. One can get by without servicing them and observe no notable change in timekeeping. The thing is that when a change is noticed, it's too late; the service will shift to being a repair, and it will be expensive.

The other thing is that routine/periodic service isn't exactly cheap although on a PO, it won't be at least $1K+ as it would with some other nice watches (http://www.omegawatches.com/customer...service-prices).

One can have a local watchmaker do the service. Most all of them are capable, but few can actually do it. Why? Availability of minor parts like gaskets and seals. More and more, major watch houses refuse to make parts of any sort available to independent watchmakers. The big companies do this because they've come to realize that service revenues are a very good source of additional revenue, and a source that has very little cost but for which they can charge whatever they want.

So, unless four to six years from now when the watch needs servicing your water resistant seals don't need replacing, your local watchmaker won't be able to service your watch quite simply because Omega probably won't sell him the seals/gaskets that ensure water resistance.

Omega Watches and some alternatives:

Omega definitely make very good watches, and the PO is just one of them. If that's what you want, by all means get it. As a non-watch enthusiast, there's not much reason for you go "off the beaten path" unless you just want to spend a bit less and get the same or better dive "chops." If you are a diver, that may be of value to do, if you are a "desk diver," you really don't need more than 200 meters of water resistance, and even that's overkill.

If you want to consider alternatives, try to compare "apples to apples."
For example, the only Rolex alternative to the Omega PO Chronograph is a Daytona, but only because the Daytona is the closest Rolex comes to having a dive chronograph. the Rolex alternative to an uncomplicated PO is a Yachtmaster I, Thunderebird or Submariner, assuming you want a dive bezel.

You can certainly find Rolex Submariners for $5K. If you are reasonably good at haggling, you might also be able to get a Yachtmaster I for $5K. (https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-ya...FUQSHwodZN4BAg) You'll be buying pre-owned either way.

Other excellent alternatives to the Omega PO include:
  • Bremont Supermarine
  • Aquadive Bathysphere Fleurier 500 (or other Aquadive watches)
  • UTS -- wide variety of models
  • Pita Oceana -- either version -- I suspect this watch might be too esoteric for you since you aren't "into" watches.
  • IWC Ingy
  • IWC Aquatimer
  • Cartier Calibre de Cartier Diver (on sale right now for $5800 (down form ~$8K), but with haggling you might get to $5K)
  • Breitling Superocean
  • Tudor Pelagos, Black Bay or my personal favorite the Tudor Sub, which is a vintage Tudor that is Rolex in every way -- including having a Rolex crown -- except the movement.
  • Omega's other Seamaster models -- a nice comparison among them is here: http://www.bernardwatch.com/blog/ome...master-models/ . Here's a quick and dirty look at some other Omega PO competitors: https://www.hodinkee.com/blog/heavy-...e-watches-2014 .
  • Longines Legend Diver
Red:
Shopping online and shopping in person both have their benefits. I tend to prefer to shop in person because I'm much getter at haggling a discount with a seller when I'm standing there ready to buy. Online sellers are much harder to haggle with, but if one goes to their place of business, one might have better luck. That' snot to say don't try haggling on the phone; it's to say don't have too great expectations if doing so. Obviously, if you just point and click on a website, there will be no additional discount.

Shopping New and at a discount:

The WWW has lots of grey market sellers (GMS) and as you are buying an Omega, there's little reason not to buy from one of them. There are plenty of reputable ones:I have only purchased one pre-owned watch in my 30+ years of watch buying. When it comes to buying new, I prefer to buy from an authorized dealer (AD), but I have no reservation about buying from a GMS.

Blue:

A bit about the Omega Co-Axial Escapement if you intend to buy pre-owned:
For a common watch like an Omega there's not much advocating for buying new instead of pre-owned, particularly if the seller is one with a rock solid reputation. If there be any caveat about buying pre-owned, however, it's specifically re: Omega and their 2500 series/family co-axial escapement movements. The 2500 series was the first co-axial movement that Omega offered and it was rushed to market. The 2500 series has A, B, C, and D variants and what's different among them is that the D versions work as advertised and the prior versions quite often just plain stopped working for no apparent reason.

Those older versions need to have been "fixed" by Omega to get the to "D-version" standards. That's a repair that was covered under Omega's warranty, but there's no way of telling (without an experienced watchmaker opening the watch) whether the particular piece you are interested in had the work done.

If you are buying pre-owned, just be aware that the pricing on the 2500 series will appear quite attractive to you. If you want to risk buying one, you'll want to do one of several things:
  • Make sure you aren't buying an A-C version -- this is the least "headache" way to go and it's what I'd advise for a non-enthusiast.
  • Get the specific model number and determine what version of 2500 series is in the watch and then figure out if the repair has been performed. If it wasn't and was never needed, I suggest moving on because there's no telling if/when it might become needed and you can be sure that Omega's warranty coverage has expired.
  • Buy an 8500 series PO not have to worry about it at all.
Would I buy a 2500 series PO? If I wanted a PO (or other Omega model having a 2500 series movement inside), sure. Why? Because I'm a collector who wears one of my almost 60 watches as my daily wearer. That watch gets worn some 250+ days a year. All my other watches get worn when I get back home (fewer than 100 days a year usually) and for just a few hours, such as when I'm running errands or attending an event. Then I switch back to my daily wearer.

Given the way my life works, I could buy a new PO with a 2500 movement inside and the warranty would expire long before -- a lustrum or a decade is not unlikely -- I'd experience problems because my wear frequency is so low for my non-daily wear watches. So for me, the overall cost -- low purchase price + cost of repair + time value of money (a dollar now is worth more than a dollar 5 or 10 years from now) -- could easily be well below what I'd have to pay right now for a new or late model used 8500 series PO.

The other thing that distinguishes what I'd do from what I'd recommend to a non-enthusiast is that I have plenty of other watches -- some "fine" and some not: Rolex, Breguet, AP, Pita, Tag, JLC, other Omegas, a host of inexpensive watches, etc. -- to use as as a daily wear watch while my 2500 series Omega is being fixed. I'm not going to find myself "doing without" or "put out" to have to wear one of them instead of my PO.

Here are some reference threads that may shed more light on the matter:If you buy new PO, you probably won't run into the 2500 series issue; the watches that had the issue have long since been sold out of the new watch market. You'd have to come across a seller who happens to have a very, very old "new old stock" PO on hand. As the PO is pretty popular, that'll be hard to do.

Buying Pre-owned in General:

When buying pre-owned, one generally "buys" the seller more so than the watch. That's especially true if you buy from a private seller. There are plenty of reputable businesses that offer very good condition used watches. Some of the GMSes I listed above sell pre-owned watches as well as new ones and they are plenty reputable enough. Here are some other sellers that you can feel comfortable buying from:
  • Central Watch -- http://centralwatch.com/ -- Awesome place to buy watches if they have what you want.
  • Tourneau -- The prices won't be the lowest but the condition of their used watches cannot be beat. If you see a watch you like on their site, go to your local Tourneau and ask them to have it sent to the store of your choice so you can see it in person. Tourneau is not known for being amenable to haggling, although individuals have done so successfully...I suppose success in that regard depends on the watch in which one is interested.
  • Bob's Watches -- https://www.bobswatches.com/ -- Bob is "all about" Rolex mostly, but he has a smattering of other makes.
  • Bernard Watch -- http://www.bernardwatch.com/ -- Another seller that is really "into" Rolex, but they are very knowledgeable and offer other makes too.
  • Topper Jewelers -- http://www.topperjewelers.com/ -- A favorite among a lot of watchies. Like Tourneau, their listed prices aren't the best you'll see, but unlike Tourneau, you can haggle with them.
  • Aaron Farber -- http://www.aaronfaber.com/WATCHES_home.asp -- These folks are geared toward collectors more so than toward consumers. Great watches, but not always the best prices.
Private Sellers of Pre-Owned watches:
On the many watch enthusiast websites, you'll find a host of sellers who have a very good track record for selling decent quality watches. Just bear in mind that despite being "into" watches, a great many of these sellers are not watchmakers and cannot and usually don't have their watches serviced before offering them for sale. That's neither good nor bad; it's just something to be aware of. None of them can offer you a warranty. It's hit or miss as to whether they'll "cop an attitude" if you aren't satisfied with the watch they send to you.

That said, you'll often find the best prices buying from a private seller, but that isn't to say you shouldn't check their prices against the price for a new watch at a GMS. Lots of private sellers expect (or at least list) their watch at prices comparable to new watch prices at a GMS. Most private sellers are open to price negotiation no matter what they write in their sale offer.

eBay:
Read this before you buy on eBay: https://www.hodinkee.com/blog/hodink...atches-on-ebay .

Conclusion:
I think that's about all that you really need to know except for this: if there's any way to do so, try on the watch(s) you are considering before you actually buy one. The PO is a rather chunky watch, and so are many dive watches. A huge part of the Submariner's appeal (and other Rolex Oyster models as well) is that it's not a chunky watch.

All the best.
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      07-25-2015, 03:45 PM   #4
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^^^
Wow - I've got too much A.D.D. to read all that but there was one thing the original poster SHOULD consider - the IWC Aquatimer (the Omega CoAxial escapement movement is super) even with it's outsourced but specific to IWC movement is a gem.
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      07-25-2015, 03:48 PM   #5
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Sea dweller can be had in that range also.
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      07-27-2015, 08:50 AM   #6
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Tony20009

Thank you for that Wealth of info..

I appreciate you taking the time to post that
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      07-27-2015, 12:11 PM   #7
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This is my Omega.

Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project:


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      07-27-2015, 12:23 PM   #8
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Check out Mido as well. Great lesser known "sister company" to Omega with excellent mechanical movements and everything will be within your budget.
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      07-27-2015, 12:30 PM   #9
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wow! tony that was great!
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      07-27-2015, 07:01 PM   #10
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I own quite a few Omega's and they are in my book one of the best watches made.

The point made about 2500 series watches are somewhat true, the early models of the 2500C's were noted to just abruptly stop. Although there have been reports, its not as a widespread epidemic as most forums have made it seem.

For one I had a 2500C Planet Ocean that was worn everyday for 5 years no service and still within COSC specs +3 seconds.

The 2500D was made for a very short time before they completely upgraded their movement away from the 2500 series. I dislike the movement due to the increase in case sizing and prefer the 2500 series overall for its thinner case profile.

Also having severe OCD, I only had my watches serviced at an Omega/Swatch service center.
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      07-29-2015, 08:35 AM   #11
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K19 and Donser your Watches Look Great!!

Anyone else on here have one to post?? I know there have to be more Omega owners on here..


Can't wait till October to pull the trigger on my first Watch...

Just gotta figure out which model its gonna be and where I'm gonna buy it as well...

The Fake Watch Thread seems to be getting a tremendous amount of activity..

maybe Ill just have someone point me to the link where I can buy up 4 or 5 of those 500 dollar fake watches instead ( in all seriousness I didn't even know there was such thing as an expensive fake watch)
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      07-29-2015, 10:14 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by mul1gan View Post
wow! tony that was great!
TY. Glad you found it useful.

All the best.
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      07-29-2015, 10:52 AM   #13
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Smile

I have had my Omega Seamaster since 2004 - bullet proof starter watch at for me, I paid $1300 for it and has been through all sorts of punishment.

I purchased from here and would do so again, http://www.authenticwatches.com/omega.html

Same watch I bought for $1300 was $2550 and up at all mall jewelry stores.

Will buy my next watch from these guys, another Omega or Panerai

I will post picture of my watch soon as well.

Best,
Merlin
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      07-29-2015, 11:02 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bungholio View Post
I own quite a few Omega's and they are in my book one of the best watches made.

The point made about 2500 series watches are somewhat true, the early models of the 2500C's were noted to just abruptly stop. Although there have been reports, its not as a widespread epidemic as most forums have made it seem.

For one I had a 2500C Planet Ocean that was worn everyday for 5 years no service and still within COSC specs +3 seconds.

The 2500D was made for a very short time before they completely upgraded their movement away from the 2500 series. I dislike the movement due to the increase in case sizing and prefer the 2500 series overall for its thinner case profile.

Also having severe OCD, I only had my watches serviced at an Omega/Swatch service center.
You're right. It's not "epidemic" in scope, but it does happen. I felt that for someone who stated "In the Market for my first watch.." that their overall first experience would be better off without risking the misfortune of getting one of those early 2500s.

As I said, I would not have a problem buying a 2500 series movement, and even if it stopped, it wouldn't "upset my apple cart." Were that to happen with my first pricey-ish watch, it would leave a sour taste in my mouth, so to speak.

I liken it to the HPFP thing with BMW's, which, similarly, in fact affected about 5% of the 335i cars. Imagine yourself as someone who'd for some time lusted to get a BMW and then after buying your first one, it, with no warning (but even if it did give a warning), went into "limp mode" due to an HPFP failure. If, in addition, you had no warranty coverage for it and had to pay to have it fixed, I bet you'd be really pissed off. At the very least, you'd be quite disillusioned over BMWs, now, wouldn't you? I know I would be.

It's in that spirit of putting myself in someone else's shoes that I offered the info I did about the 2500 Series Omega co-axial escapement movements.

The other thing worth noting is that although Omega sell literally hundreds of thousands of watches, the PO is/one of their somewhat pricier models, and as such its sales volumes were and are lower than are less pricey Omega watch models. Indeed, it's among the models with which the 2500s were first introduced, so in the scheme of things, if one buys an older PO, one has a somewhat better chance of encountering one of those faulty 2500 Series escapements. The PO was never offered with anything but co-axial escapement movements, beginning with the 2500A right through to the 8500 Series, which as I wrote, has no hint of having the problems the early variants of the early 2500 Series. The 2500C models were thought to have "conquered" the "stopping" issue, and mostly it did, but not completely. The 2500D models were the first ones to finally do so.

Sidebar:
The first Omega co-axial escapement watches were in the DeVille line and they were introduced in 1999.



The co-axial escapement design represents a meaningful improvement in terms of reducing the effects of friction in watch escapements. The reason is easy to see in the two following schematics.

First pic: Conventional lever escapement; Second pic: co-axial escapement



The basic goal George Daniels had in mind when he sought to perfect the co-axial escapement was to create an escapement that didn't need lubricating. As one can see, the lever escapement experiences sliding friction whereas the co-axial escapement experiences radial ("rolling") friction and very little sliding friction. Indeed, lubing it was part of Omega's solution approach for the early 2500 Series movement stoppages.

Omega has based its caliber 2500 co-axial on the venerable Omega caliber 1120. Based on the ETA 2892, Omega has long added two jewels to the ETA design for the bi-directional, click-wheel automatic winding system. The escapement of the 2500 adds another two jewels, and another two are added to the mainspring barrel for a total of 27. The movement is 12.5 lignes (27.2 millimeters in diameter), and 3.6 millimeters thick. Omega cites a power reserve of 44 hours, typical for single-barreled automatic movements of this size.



Largely because of finishing differences, the Omega caliber presents a somewhat different appearance than that of a more standard 2892. The automatic winding system of the 2892 is largely contained within a module that lies under, and is attached to, the winding bridge itself. Bidirectional winding is accomplished through the double click-wheel system, introduced by Eterna in 1948, and now utilized throughout the ETA line.

With the winding rotor and bridge removed, the handsomely executed caliber is now completely visible. There is however, still sparse evidence of the technical innovation within.



Source: Walt Odets, Timezone, http://people.timezone.com/library/h...70193290479607

All the best.
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      07-29-2015, 11:30 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K19BMW View Post
This is my Omega.

Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project:

[pic deleted]
Nice collectible. It's one of the "cooler" (a little pun intended) moderate price collectibles that one can get.

I really like the Alaska for several reasons, not the least of which are that it looks different without looking strange, it's space capsule sub-dial hands, and that it takes a variety of bands/straps well. The limited production is nice and contributes to making the watch more collectible than other watches, but at 1970, it's not that limited, so it doesn't mean that much to me.



Most importantly in my mind, however, it's a very wearable collectible. The prototype versions are far more collectible, but not at all wearable on a routine basis. As you can see below, it's not at all practical to wear without the thermo-protective case.





Have you worn it with the temperature abating case attached? I haven't worn mind with it on yet, but I did assemble it once just to see what it looked like "all put together. I suppose big watch lovers may think it's "all that." LOL For my part, I'm waiting for the day when I'm home in D.C. during a big snowstorm. When that happens, I'll put it together and head down to Dupont Circle to participate in a snowball battle and test out the whole contraption.




Anyway, super cool watch. Nice to learn someone here buys stuff other than the "usual suspects." Kudos.

All the best.
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      07-29-2015, 02:20 PM   #16
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I have a speedster professional that my wife bought me a few years ago and a Rolex Sea Dweller that I bought for myself 21 years ago when my son was born, both excellent watches both do require some maintenance but well worth it. I bought both watches from a reputable jeweller who specializes in used and vintage. You can pick up either of these watches for under $5K now, they are both classics and both good choices to venture into the hobby, also my son gets the rolex and the omega when I'm gone.....they will last that long if cared for.
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      07-29-2015, 02:54 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RABAUKE View Post
I have a speedster professional that my wife bought me a few years ago and a Rolex Sea Dweller that I bought for myself 21 years ago when my son was born, both excellent watches both do require some maintenance but well worth it. I bought both watches from a reputable jeweller who specializes in used and vintage. You can pick up either of these watches for under $5K now, they are both classics and both good choices to venture into the hobby, also my son gets the rolex and the omega when I'm gone.....they will last that long if cared for.
That Rolex may last that long even without being well cared for. I have mine serviced periodically, but my father didn't service his ever and it took it some 40 years to literally die.

He had to pay ~$4K to have it repaired (not serviced). Until it died, it was his only watch. Now it's his only watch that he doesn't wear. LOL he bought a replacement watch when the Rolex died.

All the best.
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      07-29-2015, 04:56 PM   #18
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Funny thing, I took my Rolex in because I knocked the bezel off, so I'm talking to the woman at the service counter and she checks and says it's been 11 years since it's last cleaning, so she's going to get me a quote for the bezel and cleaning. So I say really, like I'd say not to do the work? She tells me it happened once, in fact they told the customer not to get it fixed, it was a guy in his 70's, had the watch for almost 50 years and had never had it serviced, it was going to cost $7000 to make it right, they took it as a trade on a new watch which ended up saving him a few bucks.....
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      07-29-2015, 06:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RABAUKE View Post
Funny thing, I took my Rolex in because I knocked the bezel off, so I'm talking to the woman at the service counter and she checks and says it's been 11 years since it's last cleaning, so she's going to get me a quote for the bezel and cleaning. So I say really, like I'd say not to do the work? She tells me it happened once, in fact they told the customer not to get it fixed, it was a guy in his 70's, had the watch for almost 50 years and had never had it serviced, it was going to cost $7000 to make it right, they took it as a trade on a new watch which ended up saving him a few bucks.....
It's always good when that works out well.

I don't think I'm going to let my Rolexes go for 40-50 years with no maintenance. LOL It's comforting to know I can, and maybe it'll be alright if I do, but I'm not gonna.

BTW and FWIW, being able to do that "trade in" thing totally depends on the seller and given that Rolex boutiques aren't actually owned by Rolex (last I checked, not one of them) one may even be offered a nice trade in opportunity even at a Rolex branded boutique.

All the best.
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      07-30-2015, 09:35 PM   #20
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It took me awhile to decide but after staying on this board and Tonys knowledge shared, I had bought myself an omega. So glad I did
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      07-31-2015, 06:05 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tony20009 View Post
Nice collectible. It's one of the "cooler" (a little pun intended) moderate price collectibles that one can get.

I really like the Alaska for several reasons, not the least of which are that it looks different without looking strange, it's space capsule sub-dial hands, and that it takes a variety of bands/straps well. The limited production is nice and contributes to making the watch more collectible than other watches, but at 1970, it's not that limited, so it doesn't mean that much to me.



Most importantly in my mind, however, it's a very wearable collectible. The prototype versions are far more collectible, but not at all wearable on a routine basis. As you can see below, it's not at all practical to wear without the thermo-protective case.





Have you worn it with the temperature abating case attached? I haven't worn mind with it on yet, but I did assemble it once just to see what it looked like "all put together. I suppose big watch lovers may think it's "all that." LOL For my part, I'm waiting for the day when I'm home in D.C. during a big snowstorm. When that happens, I'll put it together and head down to Dupont Circle to participate in a snowball battle and test out the whole contraption.




Anyway, super cool watch. Nice to learn someone here buys stuff other than the "usual suspects." Kudos.

All the best.
I actually got this watch because of you hahah. You posted it in a thread like 9 months ago and I just fell in love with it!

I have tried it on with the red casing but I haven't worn it in public with it. I don't really wanna be associated with Ocho Cinco lol
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      08-03-2015, 02:01 PM   #22
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