Really torn over which Omega to get and its driving me nuts!

[BlackLight]

PO by a long shot...

[Chazman1946]

"I bought a blue TAG Aquaracer a year and a bit ago and, despite it being the worst time keeper that I have had, I did like owning the watch"

I have the same blue Tag and I'm getting 3-4+ seconds a day. You should have taken it in to have it calibrated. Of all the Omegas above, the PO is far and away best looking to me, the other two have dials that are just too busy.

I was just in a Omega AD again today wanting to trade my Tag Link in on a Seamaster pro 300m, the more I looked at the Seamaster, the more I became disenchanted with it, the bracelet links had sharp corners that felt rough, and it gernerally didn't look as finished as my Aquaracer, now the PO was a creature of a different cloth. It was superbly finished, fit well on the wrist, had plenty of presence. I always thought the case was too wide on the larger model, but it looked and felt wonderful.

Price wasn't too bad $4500, but they only wanted to give me $1700 on a month old watch I paid $3200 for. Well, maybe one day.

[Athram]

Get the PO. It's the best by far!

[tyreman]

P.O Large size
has beveled date window to

[russraff]

Thanks for all the tips and advice. I guess that I ought to put pics of the other, none Omega, options, too. I guess there will be a small amount of bias on this particular forum but it will be interesting to see folks' opinions.



So what do I like about these? The Longines has a relatively clean face, for a chrono, the red accent is good and the pushers are well designed into the case. Overall I think the design works well and looks a classy watch that may cost a few coins. There are ceramic strap links that again make this look far more expensive than it is (£1500) but its only 50m water resistant and the bracelet is not as well finished as the others - kinda sharp on the edges and sometimes the links will "kink," if you see what I mean? Then again, it is a grand or more less.
The PO is a lovely watch and I like the orange highlights. While there isn't anything particularly novel about the design, the design is exceptionally well executed and built to a very high standard. By all accounts the Co-Axial movements are top drawer and unless I am ejected from a bathysphere any time soon I would suspect the depth rating will be ample... The only negative I can think of was that the strap on the smaller PO is only 20mm wide and that seems to be too thin for a 42mm case.
I never got to handle the Bell and Ross watch as it was near closing time, but I did see it from across the shop floor and I do like the looks of it a great deal. Not sure how these guys stack up against the Omega and Breitlings of the world (a quick search reveals that its 50/50 on the question) and I am assuming the movement is a fairly standard 7750. I will post more info this weekend.
The Breitling Avenger Seawolf is probably my fav from them as it isn't super busy like the numeral version and looks a damn sight better than the tacky Superocean range with 1980's italic font. The case is well machined and is a classic Breitling look. It has everything I could want of a watch but the engineer in my head is saying that the PO has the better tech, the better movement.

I have discounted the Speedmaster as I am not keen on manual wind watches and the other faces are either too busy or under 40mm and that really is too small. I have also discounted the seamaster chrono as it just doesn't "read" well for me. I think that if you look at a watch you ought to be able to instantly see what's what and that doesn't happen with the chrono. The hollow hands make things worse, on this model. So that's gone, too.

To answer some other replies, I am not sure that the larger face of the PO works too well. There is an awful lot of empty space on the larger dial and the numbers seem to be a bit lost on it. The smaller PO seems to be perfectly proportioned with just the strap seeming to be just a wee bit narrow. The Chrono PO is fantastic, though.
Chazman1946 - I was actually on my way to take the watch back to get it sorted but stopped at a motorbike clothing shop to try on some jackets. Often the sleeves are quite tight, so I took the watch off and tried on the jacket just a few feet away. The watch was lifted and I never saw it again. Still have the warranty card

Thanks again,

Russell

[timenut]

If I had an 8" wrist, I'd get the 45mm PO. Between then 2 chronographs shown, I 'd take the Seamaster Pro, hands down. Better dial layout, better lume, better W/R -- the chrono buttons even operate underwater!

+1.

If you like chronos, have you checked out the iconic Speedmaster Professional 3570.50?

[tyreman]

I'd venture you comparing apples to oranges

2 chronos 'n time & date and two just time 'n date watches
2 differing classes, "categories" if you will.
I have a large PO '8500 .....nothing gets lost anywhere on the dial
Even the date window is beveled on the large PO 8500 whereas its not on the smaller 42 8500 version........... if memory serves me correctly
You would most likely be looking at a large size PO anyway.
I wear one easily on 7.5 wrist
Chronos generally are more likely to cost more to repair/service as well.
Lots of people just play with buttons for the sake of it.
I notice a couple have sweep seconds hand that glows, nightime as well ...added plus IMHO, PO is one of them.

[kmangino47]

PO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tyreman]

Usually jewelers offer the same PO movement with just differing size(being the only variation difference) 42 vs 45.5 at same price
Sure both have same movement?

[russraff]

I'd venture you comparing apples to oranges

You aren't wrong! I basically had two types of watch in my head: the plain and the chrono. I set about looking at the marques that are available and have narrowed down the options to two of each. I appreciate that the Longines and B&R may not be as well regarded as Breitling and Omega, but the design is good and, at least in the former case, the cost of acquiring the the timepiece is substantially less. Now, only I can make the call but I have to weigh up whether the tech and name and look and finish on the others is worth the extra. There are other brands out there that have less of a cost issue and are still good, well finished, watches. Sinn and Fortis spring to mind, but they are not available where I am so I am reluctant to get them on line.

So yeah, I guess that these all have different designs, prices, functionalities and reputations in the field, but this is why I have chosen them It all goes into the mix and at the end I will know, with a little help from you guys, that I have made the right choice and I haven't missed an obvious choice.

Russell