cougar1 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Forgot to post this here earlier, called away so up it goes now! I'm just going to give a 'small' review of the 42mm and 45mm Ceramic Planet Ocean reps. There is a lot to cover with these and I'm sure there will be comparisons next to the gen in the coming weeks. I'll let those who have lived with the gen for a while give a more thorough comparison and correct any errors here. Mainly I'll just give a rundown of the rep quality with some comparisons to gen, and also how is fits in with the current quality of reps and the old PO reps. The Gens 45mm and 42mm. These don't need much of an introduction, anybody who has any interest in Planet Oceans will have heard all about them by now. 42mm Gen 45mm Gen The Reps 45mm and 42mm Reps 45mm 42mm 42mm (next 6) Down to the Details: The Bezels: The bezels themselves are pretty solid with good feedback on each click. The teeth are pretty accurate to gen. The gen finishing is probably a little more refined on the coin edge but these are pretty well replicated. The bezel inserts seem pretty good in colour and texture. Correct colour as gen. It's difficult to see in photos but the 45mm bezel seems to have a little more attention to detail in the numbers, with them being closer together and more compact as gen. The 42mm seems a little more spread out (bigger gap between the 4 and 0 for instance) and the 5 in 50 just seems a little too big for the 0. It is minimal but it is there. It could be a little neater on the 42mm. We'll get onto the pearl later 42mm 45mm The Dials: Both dials are very nice, the 45mm has a little bit more attention to detail again in the logos and markers than the 42mm. There isn't much in the difference, but the 45mm has slightly cleaner and crisper cut to the hour markers. The hour markers on the gen have a slightly bevelled edging with the 45mm having a slightly steeper bevelling than the 42mm. This is replicated pretty well on the reps, the 45mm has the edge in the slightly sharper cut markers and lume infill than the 42mm. The dial itself on the gen is almost black grainy matte finish. The reps are matte black/charcoal, a little bit more drab than the gen, they lack that very slight pop that the heavier matte grain gives on the gen but again it's close. Omega lettering is simply better on the 45mm rep, it has a much more accurate to gen shape and size, the 42mm seems to be a bit blocky/bulky with the bulkier O being the main standout. It's thicker than the gen or the 45mm rep. Why this is I do not know, since the gen 45mm and 42mm share the same logo/lettering size. They could've just used the logo from the 45mm rep!.... but again these are very small parts, nobody is going to really notice unless examining closely. No happy feet this time on either, except for the odd one that escaped into the wild during QC. The hands seem accurate, it had been mentioned at one stage that the 42mm had a slightly too long hour hand. I'm not so sure, I've examined gen pics again and it is minimal if it is, certainly less than a mm. It isn't noticeable at all. The dial print quality is pretty good, with the 'Seamaster' lettering in red and the print of the other lettering being crisp and clear. The Datewheel. The windows are accurate, with the 42mm having no chamfer and closer to the 3 marker, the 45mm has the correct chamfered edging and is spaced correctly. The date wheel itself is slightly off the gen. Font is correct, it is a touch too weak though and is white on black, the gen being a raised glossy silver on black. Not a massive difference but still could be better. Gen dials: Gen 45mm Gen 42mm Rep dials: 42mm Rep 45 mm Rep 45mm 42mm 42mm 45mm 42mm The Case and Caseback: The case on both 45mm and 42mm is pretty accurate, the brushing lines and polishing lines on the case are probably not as crisp cut as gen but not too much of a difference. The case sizes are pretty close to gen in height. I don’t have a calliper close by to measure but doing it the crude way the 42mm rep is about 16mm in height and the 45mm is 17mm in height. The gens are 15.7mm and 16.5mm respectively. Just to note the 42mm wears fairly tall, this is a similar case to the gen which when comparing to the old PO is almost top heavy. Gen Case and LHS Rep Case and LHS Gen Case and RHS Rep Case and RHS The crown/He are fairly accurately sized and finished this time. The 45mm crown being wider but less tall than the 42mm, as is the case on the gen. Also the markings on the He and crown are fairly accurate. What is more concerning is while the 45mm crown screwdown felt really solid with about 8-10 half turns, both 42mm didn't, with about 2 half turns on the silver 42mm and 3 half turns on the red 42mm. Why is this something that could possibly be a concern later?? Well anyone who is familiar with the older PO's, specifically the 42mm V5 will be aware that the tubes were really prone to stripping. I certainly hope this isn't the case here, but these 42mm screwdowns have a striking resemblance in feel to the old version. Not the best, considering most reps I've tried recently were substantially better in this regard. The caseback is a strange one, I'm very happy with the rotor, I'm not too fussed about the eta 2836 masquerading as an 8500. The 8500 is obviously a masterpiece of design and finishing. We have nothing in the rep world that can compete with it on any level. The rep looks pretty good when viewing it through the display window, it's never going to pass for gen, but the rotor Geneve waves and engraving look pretty cool. The liquid metal on the 45mm caseback was a mistake, and adjuste dto fiye' on the movement holder was interesting, but again this is something which can barely be seen with the caseback on, and then only if you are really looking for it. In truth, these are minor issues, the front of the watch is much more important. Gen Caseback Rep Never look too closely at a rep movement! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cougar1 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Part 2.... The Bracelet and clasp: The bracelet has some very good and very bad aspects. Good are the endlinks which are very nicely cut and fit snugly to the case. The screwed links are are great and feel pretty good quality surprisingly. I was sure I'd strip one or two during resizing but they actually screwed in pretty well and felt pretty close to those on my gen AT. Time will tell if the threads hold out and it might also be a good idea to use some threadlocker if using the bracelet long term. The clasp doesn't jump out at me as being great quality, it's rather crudly cut and in some way almost feels cheaper than the rest of the bracelet. One of the 42mm clasps will not stay closed, the other 42mm is more solid and works fine. The 45mm clasp seems a little more solidly built. Gen Bracelet: Rep Bracelet: The clasp: The clasp engravings aren’t the best. On the gen the 42mm is obviously a little thinner than on the 45mm. On the reps the engravings are a little shoddy, with the 45mm being engraved too deep, but still looks good. The 42mm is too shallow and not bold enough. Gen 42mm Clasp: Gen 45mm Clasp: Rep clasps: The AR, Pearl and Lume: The AR on the 42mm is unusually good for a rep, it’s actually pretty close to my old gen 2500 caliber PO. Maybe just a slight bit less transparent, but it is very low on reflections and it looks to be some of the best AR I’ve seen on a rep. The gen has a slightly more bluish tint but it is close. I’m not sure how durable the 42mm AR will be long term but it certainly looks the part. This above makes it all the more perplexing as to why the 45mm then has no AR at all or very very minimal inner AR. I’m still trying to make out what it is! On some views it looks to have a very slight bluish tint on the inner part of the crystal. That could be just reflections from the gasket though. Either way, the 45mm AR is non existant. It is neither close to gen or even the 42mm rep. I’m not even going to speculate as to what happened in this case. I’m sure the details will come out in time but it is something that needs to be corrected. Rep 42mm Rep 45mm Comparing AR The pearl: The pearl is better centred than it used to be, at least on the 45mm it is. On the 42mm it still has a tendency to be a little lowish in the triangle but they are both a huge improvement over old PO’s. It’s still a little too big in diameter vs gen and is more flush to bezel in some cases than others. The better placement itself just improves the look immensely. The Lume: The lume is pretty good actually, I’m sure the strenght on full charge is not as intense as the gen but they’ve done a pretty good job, with the correct lume colours in the right places. The addition of the good AR and superlume helps make the dial pop much better than the previous PO. Gen Lume: Rep Lume vs Old gen PO Some thoughts and conclusions: Overall this is a nice rep with some great features such as screwed links and good endlinks, AR and superlume, but it is let down by just a lack of attention to detail that could have made it a fantastic Omega rep. The missing AR on the 45mm and the clasps, and some dial/bezel details on the 42mm could have been improved prior to release. It’s still a great purchase and no doubt many will be very happy with it. For the price it has a great deal of features that you’ll be hard pushed to find outside of the rep world. I guess the newer reps on release in the past year with finer attention to detail and better finishing have raised the bar significantly. This doesn’t quite reach those heights but is still good value for money and looks a quality piece on the wrist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crusader 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Great review, amazing photos It's interesting that 45mm has that ''frame'' around the date and 42mm doesn't, both on gen and rep. Is that just to tell them apart? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted February 13, 2013 Thank you for this review buddy, I want 42mm now ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stenchlord 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Awesome stuff. Great review, thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
solkryssare 109 Posted February 13, 2013 Fantastic review! If we had awards, you'd get one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baz1872 27 Posted February 13, 2013 Fantastic review! Well done for putting this together for everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kwt 11 Posted February 13, 2013 Brillant review, great amount of effort on watches that are getting a lot of interest on this forum. Thanks for a real in-depth look at stuff that I wouldn't have even noticed being out compared to the gen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacobarch 0 Posted February 13, 2013 great review!! This is why ill be waiting until V2. Hopefully the movement, engravings and colors will be a bit closer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NodgerRocks 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Cheers pal. After an omega and this info is fantastic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted February 13, 2013 Great, great review!!! I think these new ceramic rep versions are quite close to the gen. If we take out the obvious flaws like the pearl and movement, this could be easily called a 1:1 rep. I think the coming versions will be better and include some improvements like the pearl and the more detailed logos on the dial. One thing that really tuns me off on this rep is the misplaced and misspelled lettering of the "Adjusted to five" words in the rep, writing the "Adjuste dto five" is a huge mistake, and also the "V" on five looks like a "Y". Thanks for this review mate!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Janizary 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Absolutely gorgeous pictures! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lev 6 Posted February 13, 2013 How long does it normally take for a V2 to be release in the rep world. I'm after one of these but if a better version will be released i'll wait. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James. 4 Posted February 13, 2013 Great review, I really want(ed?) the 45mm one but hearing about the AR issues and the obvious problem in dial colour makes me a bit hesitant. Damn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacobarch 0 Posted February 13, 2013 How long does it normally take for a V2 to be release in the rep world. I'm after one of these but if a better version will be released i'll wait. probably 6 months to a year? I could be wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UmpaHimself 223 Posted February 13, 2013 God damn it, now I'm inspecting mine. JK, this is a great rep out of the box and I am very happy with it. The overall feel is impressive for reps. I disagree with your clasp statement however. I think it's a very well built clasp, especially in comparison to the V5 PO. It seems like there is a lot of inconsistency in the fit and finish between each PO and from your review it seems like the different models were made at different factories. Why would the OMEGA fonts, clasp engravings and AR otherwise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffw69 0 Posted February 13, 2013 Wow, there is like zero AR on the 45mm. 42mm is the obvious choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lev 6 Posted February 13, 2013 How long does it normally take for a V2 to be release in the rep world. I'm after one of these but if a better version will be released i'll wait. probably 6 months to a year? I could be wrong. Cheers mate! Seems like I will go for the 42mm. Looks pretty good in my eyes and I'm not picky about the details especially since most of my friends don't know shit about watches or horology. Probably will pick up one of these when the CNY is over. Wonderful review man! All the pictures really make it easy to decide which one to go for. Bracelets can be swapped of course and I will definitely pick up one of those rubbers with orange stitching. Good work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeandroBR 14 Posted February 14, 2013 Outstanding job cougar1 ! Fantastic pictures and superb write up ! What amazes me the most is the huge improvement over the previous PO models. Especially the pearl ! My choice is the 42 mm ! Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cougar1 0 Posted February 14, 2013 God damn it, now I'm inspecting mine. JK, this is a great rep out of the box and I am very happy with it. The overall feel is impressive for reps. I disagree with your clasp statement however. I think it's a very well built clasp, especially in comparison to the V5 PO. It seems like there is a lot of inconsistency in the fit and finish between each PO and from your review it seems like the different models were made at different factories. Why would the OMEGA fonts, clasp engravings and AR otherwise. Yeah agree Umpa, there are definite variances, just shows how the factories outsource and sub contract so many different parts from various suppliers we end up with things like good AR/lettering on one and not on another etc. It's pretty clear most of the 42mm came from entirely different suppliers than the 45mm. The clasp issue was with one watch, but even though the other two were fine they didn't leave me inspired, they are by no means bad clasps its just they fall down when compared to gen and some of the better rep bracelets of the past year. i.e. TC V3, noob explorer II latest, JLC NSD etc... It's most certainly a better bracelet than the old PO bracelet. Overall it's a pretty critical review, I don't want to put people off the watches, they are great, but people seem to want to hyper nitpick even the best reps these days, so I went with that. I'm sure those who own the gen and have lived with it would point out more things I left out. I think both watches are quality reps for the price and look really good on the wrist, I think they will sell really well if minor things like the AR is sorted out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stenchlord 0 Posted February 14, 2013 God damn it, now I'm inspecting mine. JK, this is a great rep out of the box and I am very happy with it. The overall feel is impressive for reps. I disagree with your clasp statement however. I think it's a very well built clasp, especially in comparison to the V5 PO. It seems like there is a lot of inconsistency in the fit and finish between each PO and from your review it seems like the different models were made at different factories. Why would the OMEGA fonts, clasp engravings and AR otherwise. Yeah agree Umpa, there are definite variances, just shows how the factories outsource and sub contract so many different parts from various suppliers we end up with things like good AR/lettering on one and not on another etc. It's pretty clear most of the 42mm came from entirely different suppliers than the 45mm. The clasp issue was with one watch, but even though the other two were fine they didn't leave me inspired, they are by no means bad clasps its just they fall down when compared to gen and some of the better rep bracelets of the past year. i.e. TC V3, noob explorer II latest, JLC NSD etc... It's most certainly a better bracelet than the old PO bracelet. Overall it's a pretty critical review, I don't want to put people off the watches, they are great, but people seem to want to hyper nitpick even the best reps these days, so I went with that. I'm sure those who own the gen and have lived with it would point out more things I left out. I think both watches are quality reps for the price and look really good on the wrist, I think they will sell really well if minor things like the AR is sorted out. I think it's better to be overly critical than not. At least people will know what flaws it has and can decide themselves whether or not these flaws are worth living with. Keep up the good work, I look forward to any other reviews you post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cpsurfer 0 Posted February 14, 2013 Excellent review mate... Thank You... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dinicol 0 Posted February 14, 2013 Great review, thanks, good points on what to look for and compare. Who's the trader?? - and how does it compare to from other sources????? Thanks, Lou Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nunu78 1,743 Posted February 14, 2013 Fantastic review! If we had awards, you'd get one +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrvolt 0 Posted February 14, 2013 Thanks a lot! Great review Στάλθηκε από το MT11i μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites