Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Review

A beefed up swiss dive watch thats also a chronograph. But is it any good ? 

Well here are my thoughts...........

The seamaster planet ocean is essentially a beefed up version of the seamaster 300m diver. So why bother with this model at all ? Who goes diving in a swiss watch anyway. And who needs 600m instead of 300m ? 

Well. It's not as simple as that.

Dive watches are a plenty. The Captain Cook. The Fifty Fathoms. The Pelagos. I could go on. But probably the two most commonly talked about swiss divers are the Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster diver 300. Both have connections to 007. Both are well made and reliable. Both come from well known manufacturers.

If you've narrowed down your choices to these two brands you have some choices to make.

If you have the money, get yourself down to the AD and buy which one you want. Only here is the first problem. If  you want a new model, from an AD, then you can go to the Omega Boutique, try one on and probably walk away with one the same day. If you do the same at Rolex, you have to pass a series of qualifying criteria, then if you're "lucky" enough, you get to go onto a waiting list that can last years. If you don't mind paying a premium, you can get your Rolex from a non authorised dealer, or buy a used one, both for a premium.  

So, from my personal point of view, I decided to go for the former brand, and get something that I could enjoy sooner rather than at a later date.  But guess what ? I didn't like the Seamaster diver 300. I loved the dial, but the bezel shape made it difficult to get hold of. And the bracelet for me looked like it still belonged in the 1990s. So, my other choices were to go vintage and get a seamaster 300, accept the 300 diver and get a different strap (or the 007 version at almost double the cost), or try something beefier.

Enter the Planet Ocean. 

For me , I went for the Chronograph because I like it. But the same qualities apply to the non chronograph version. Compared to the Seamaster 300m diver, the main differences are 

The Watch Face 

a) The hands. Rhodium plated,  and with contrasting blue and green lume for the hour and minute hands. Gone are the skeleton hands of the 300 diver, and instead we have the arrow hands which are inspired by the original 300. I prefer these, but some may like the skeleton hands better

b) The bezel. As with the 300m diver it's ceramic . But instead of enamel, we have liquid metal (Zirconium infused alloy)for the diving scale. 120 clicks, unidirectional , with a lumed pip at 12 o clock. Coin edged and easy to grip. Zero back play. 

c) The dial - made of Zirconium, is polished . No laser engraving here. The Omega logo is applied, as are the indices. The date is at 6 o clock, as with the 300. For the chronograph, the small seconds are at 9 o clock and the minute and hour counter at 3 o clock. The dial is nice and clear. No issues here.

d) The Sapphire crystal is domed, with anti reflective coating on both the inside and outside. 

The Bracelet 

Now I like this. 3 link 316 Stainless Steel. Screw links and pins. Divers extension. 9mm on the fly adjustment thats easy to use. Milled clasp with pushers to release. Omega engraving. Brushed with polished bevels. 

The Case 

Stainless 316 steel. Also available in Titanium. Here's where some people will be divided. Its big. 45.5mm. It's also thick. 19.3mm. Lug width is 22mm. The weight with the bracelet is 262g. 

I like big watches, so it's right up my street. You can wear it all day with no issues. But getting it under a shirt cuff can be a challenge.

The crown is screw down and has the Omega Logo. The chronograph pushers have been designed to be waterproof without needing to be screwed down. This means you can use the chronograph in an instant, and in the wet. The pushers are stainless steel with ceramic inlays.

The manual helium escape valve is either something that annoys you or you like it. I like it. Especially the one on the planet ocean, which is unlike the tapered version on the 300m diver, looks more purposeful and less like a mince pie case. 

The sapphire display caseback is one of my favourite features, and shows off the movement well, whilst retaining the 600m water resistance. 

The Movement

Now this is exactly the same in the Seamaster 300 chronograph and the Planet Ocean chronograph. The in house Calibre 9900 is both COSC and METAS certified. Basically, that means its been tested to exacting standards. Here's an overview : 

1. Accurate to 0 to +5 seconds per day. Mine runs at about +0.5.  
2. Antimagnetic to 15000 Gauss. Basically amagnetic with its silicone balance spring.
3. Hacking seconds
4. Time zone function - you can advance the hour hand forwards and backwards without stopping the seconds. Ideal for changing time zones. This is instead of a quick set date function. 
5. 60 hours power reserve. Manual wind option. Twin barrels to maintain accuracy. 54 Jewels.
6. Basically, its accurate and works really well. Service intervals recommended between 5-10 years.

So in my opinion, this is a really well made watch. Robust, reliable and easy to read. This version is not as common as the non chronograph, and much less common than the Seamaster 300 diver. You can get it at a discount new from a non AD, whilst maintaing its 5 year warranty, and you can get it without a waiting list. The only barrier for some people will be the size, so I'd recommend trying it on first before ordering.

Best of luck and please feel free to send any comments or questions my way :)