Review: Omega Seamaster Professional GMT 300M "Great White" 2538.20.00

[iam7head]

Hello guys, here's my review on the Omega "Great white", let's start off with some specifications:

Omega Seamaster Professional GMT 2538.20.00
300M Water resistance
41mm Stainless steel case
Screw on caseback
Screw down crown
Domed sapphire crystal with AR(Single sided)
Bi-directional rotating GMT bezel
24 Hour GMT
Stainless steel bracelet with diver's extension
Caliber 1128 automatic movement


Case:
41mm stainless steel case in full brushed finish originally from Omega(mine has polished case), just under 12mm in height. "Omega flare" lugs at 20mm wide, screw on stainless steel caseback and screw down crown. The signed crown is relatively small, combined with a large crown guard resulting in a hard to operate crown. It's wears "true to size" for a 41mm watch, nothing too large that can't be covered with a shirt.


Bezel:
Bi-direction GMT bezel, not a true diver's bezel because it's lack of lume pip and it rotates both ways. The bezel is quite thin and leaves little room for gripping, I found it hard to turn because I can't get a good grip on it vs skx/submariner bezel. The white version has a matte aluminum bezel with black printed number, the black version have a black and white bezel to tell day vs night time at different time zone. Bi-directional GMT bezel system is great to tell time in a third timezone on the fly.


Crystal:
Slightly domed sapphire crystal with AR coated underside, the AR is actually quite hard to see with the white dial. The edge of the crystal sits slightly above the bezel which makes it more prone to chipping and scratches. No AR on the outside, which is always a plus for me since I can't stand how easy they get scratched up.


Movement:
Omega "in house" Caliber 1128(based on the ETA 2892.A2 movement) with 44 hours power reserves. 23 Jewels automatic hacking movement and hand windable. 24hour GMT function with independent hour hand setting which is a big plus for traveler alike. COSC movement with omega anti-magnetic shield cover.


Dial/Hands:
This is my favorite part of the watch, the detail on the dial is stunning. Large diver's lume markers on the signature Seamaster's wave dial in white. Contrasting printed Omega Logo and spec on the wave dial finish off with a large sword hands. The hands have a bold contrasting black or red outline and it's actually quite easy to read. The center of all the hands are painted in matt silver. Date window at 3 O'clock, white wheel with printed black number. The dial has generous amount of lume , almost as bright as Seiko's lumibrite but it didn't last as long under test.



Bracelet:
The white version comes with the Speedie style bracket, originally all brushed finish but mine has a speedie treatment(polished link inserts and side). Endlinks and all the links are multiple piece solid construction, in fact you can see the underside of the bracelet has the exact treatment as the upper side. Link are held together by friction pin and collar. Solid machine milled clasp with diver's extension, perhaps one of the best diver's clasp in it's price range. The clasp is rock solid and there's little to no rattle what so ever. Squeeze to release safety clasp works great, the lack of flip lock also reduce surface scratches from day to day operation. The only downside of the clasp is the lack of micro adjustment due to the diver's extension's location, you'll have to get fitted with full/half length link.


Packaging/Presentation:
Typical inner and outer Omega box, manual, warranty cards in pocket.


Conclusion:
Although discontinued the Great White still have a decent size following, known for the sword hands and big chucky lume markers the Great White is a dressy diver that is a favorite among traveler and expats alike. The built quality and detail craftsmanship is outstanding and the style is becoming a modern classic.


High Point
+Easy to read yet highly detailed dial
+Rock solid clasp and bracelet
+Great lume

Low Point
-Bezel hard to turn
-Oversized crown guard + small crown = difficult to use in the water


Thanks for reading and feel free to let me know if I missed anything.

Jay

[Ammer]

Thanks so much for your great review on this Omega Seamaster watch.

[Tehren]

Thanks for the excellent review and stunning photos. You sir have a talent (and a fine timepiece)!

[iam7head]

Thanks for all the kind words, It's been my travel partner and daily wearer since dispute numerous new "inquiries".

[Txemizo]

Thank you for the review, it's very kind of you for taking the time to do it.

In your review you state as a low point "-Oversized crown guard + small crown = difficult to use in the water". My question is, isn't that the aim of it's design, so that the crown doesn't get accidentally pulled out under the water, letting water getting in the mechanism as result?

Perhaps there are diving techniques that I obviously are unaware of, which demand the diver to use the crown while in the water.

Congratulations for a fine timepiece nevertheless!

[iam7head]

hello Txemizo,

I would say It's a personal observation + opinion, I found the crown on the Great white is on the small size. Unlike the regular SMP300 the front portion of the crown guard almost fully nested the crown, I found this quite hard to adjust on the wrist even in a controlled environment. I am a semi frequent international traveler that change time zone quite often, maybe for regular folk might not pick up the minor detail.

It's a minor thing that I picked up from wearing it for a short while. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't wobble or feel loose but I just wish there's more contact area for mechanical grip.
The crown on the new Planet Ocean feels like a good upgrade as to the crown of the great white.

On the side note: The dial detail photos doesn't do any justice to the design detail, I would say the wave dial detail is much more vibrant and rich in person. Most SMP300 owner can vouch me on that, the dial wave shifts as It reflects different light source.

[across the ocean]

I bought a very similar Omega watch, the Omega de Ville, caliber 1120 watch from an authorized dealer in Calgary in early in 2008.


In April 2008 I had to send it to Swatch in Toronto for repair as it did not keep time as advertised and was sent back to me in May 2008.


In October 2011 the watch was again sent to Swatch or repairs as it failed to keep time and the self-winding mechanism was proving inadequate. The bill for repairs was $654.15


In September 2012 I woke up one morning and found the dial to have displaced during the night. Seeing the last repair offered a two year warranty I contacted Swatch in Toronto and got confirmation that the watch was still under warranty. So I sent my watch to Swatch in Toronto only to be told the repairs would cost me $378.00 as the damage sustained by the watch was not covered under the warranty.


I declined this offer and have chosen to write off Omega as offering neither quality nor service. Bottom line: The worst investment I ever made.


Did I get a lemon or is this quality and customer service from Omega typical?