carlottt
3T WIS
| Joined: | Sat Jan 24th, 2009 |
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| Posts: | 107 |
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A new watch is a relative term with me as I buy most of my watches used from other forum members. I used to have a Steinhart Ocean 1 GMT a year ago, I loved it but ended up selling it to get something else. Since then I always wanted to get another one, not GMT though. I finally found one from another forum member who kindly sold it to me. I have now worn it for a couple of days and I thought to share some photos of this watch.
There are several reviews of this watch, detailed and not. So I am not going to talk much about it, however I would like to mention a few things that I think are worth mentioning and that could be of interest to others.
The watch is 42 mm in diameter, about the size of the Seiko Monster, it is however thinner and more contoured. Lugs are 22 mm. The case is well finished high grade steel and not too thick. The crystal is sapphire and the water resistance is 300m. Fit and finish are classic Steinhart/Debaufre which means excellent. I believe this is an earlier version as the most recent ones I have seen have thicker hands and indices. This has a cyclop which essentially is a tiny lens over the date. I know some hate this and some love it, I don't mind it either way. It helps in seeing the date which is fine with me, maybe it could look better with a lens installed on the inside of the crystal?
The bracelet is solid links and it is adjusted via tiny screws, this is easier and safer then several other watches where one has to deal with pins and microscopic cuffs that seem to hide from you as soon as you remove them to adjust the length... There are plenty of links for 9" wrist and there is also an extension to wear the watch over a suit or something. The bracelet overall is nice but I think that the buckle could have been done a bit better especially on the locking mechanism which some times is not as positive as others. But this is just a small quirk and not a problem really.
Also while the watch is very comfortable, I think it could be even more so if the lugs were slighly curved down to hug the wrist more. Just my opinion here. And as I mention this, another improvement could be to drill through the holes for the spring bar. I just think this would make it more practical.
Time keeping is OK with about 8-10 seconds fast per day, I was hoping for better performance but very acceptable, also this is easily handled with some adjustment. That said, in looking up the time, I often stare at the smoothness with which the seconds hand sweeps the dial, it is a beauty and one of the reasons why I like automatic watches. There is something special about seeing such motion, a feeling of quiet persistence as you look at the continous motion. Winding the watch is another small pleasure, smooth and easy. The hacking second hand allows one to set the time more precisely. The screw down action of the crown is also very positive and effortless. It is easy to find the thread and secure the crown.
While I consider the Seiko Monster the King of the affordable tool watches, for the above reasons I consider the Ocean one the Duke of the classic dive watches. Meaning this is so well made and so nice that one can easily use it as dress watch with a sporty look. The above features also give a sense of elegance and luxury at the same time, and the best thing is that you know that you did you deplete your bank account for them.
Lume is good, while not as bright as a Seiko Monster due to the smaller luminous surface, it is easy legible and long lasting, at least 6-7 hours. Not a problem in telling the time in total darkness.
Anyway, the Ocean one is a really nice watch, and I mean really nice. This has an orange bezel which is sort of different then usual, but there are other colors, I believe black, blue and green. I don't mind it orange and I will keep it like this for now. This is a great buy for anyone, I believe that new or used this is one of the best valued watches around. Preloved ones are the best as one can save quite some dough on it and still have an excellent watch.
I hope you enjoy the photos and excuse the dust which seems to always appear on the photos no matter what I do to prevent it...
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