Review of the Omega Seamaster GMT By: John B. Holbrook, II January 29, 2003

Some of you reading this review may recognize me from the many Invicta watch reviews I’ve done over the past year, and may also be raising an eyebrow at the fact that I’ve purchased an Omega. My collection is actually pretty diverse – I own a couple of Seikos, a Tag Heuer, a Movado, a vintage Hamilton, and yes, several Invictas. This is however my first Omega. I purchased it used from the original owner complete with the box, chronometer tag, manuals and International Warranty card.

I’ve admired Omega Seamasters for quite some time – like many I first took note of them because I’m a huge 007 fan (I have all the Bond movies on DVD). I also appreciate the tradition and history represented by the Omega name as one the most recognized and prestigious of Swiss watch houses. I’ve seen a recent statistic that 7 out of 10 people world wide are familiar with the Omega brand. Omega is also second to only Rolex in the number of watches which they submit for COSC certification. Regardless of where you see Omega on the spectrum of manufacturers, Omega is a hard brand to hate. I personally think you receive a great deal of value in many of the Omega models as compared to other watch brands. Value is a characteristic which is very important to me, which is why I own several Invicta models, and am likely to acquire more Omegas too.

Omega makes two different variations of the Seamaster GMT – a white dial with a brushed finish on the case with the Speedmaster bracelet, and the black dial, polished case version which I have on the “Bond” bracelet. The clasp however is a single button “hidden” type of clasp with a most unique deployment which slides together for concealment. Only the small, gold colored Omega emblem is visible when the clasp is fastened. At first, I was disappointed at this – having played with a friend's black dialed Seamaster Pro, I had really wanted the push button clasp with diver extension built in. It really is a neat clasp. Having owned my GMT for a week now, I am pleasantly surprised out how much I prefer the hidden clasp. Firstly, it is noticeably more comfortable than the fatter “Bond” clasp. In fact, my GMT is the most comfortable watch in my collection.

The Bond style bracelet itself is really a nice blend of form and function. I own about 5 dive watches that have some variation of an oyster style bracelet. The bracelet on my GMT is a VERY welcome departure from my otherwise steady diet of Oysters. The bracelet has a really nice weight to it, yet is thinner than most bracelets I’m used to wearing. Very comfortable and very attractive. I was surprised that Omega chose not to use screws in the adjustable links. Instead they are held in place with push pins and grooved bushings. I briefly attempted to size the bracelet myself, but my $10.00 link pin remove which works fantastic on oyster style bracelets was of no help on the Bond bracelet. Fortunately, my local jeweler doesn’t charge for a resize. Another interesting note is that whichever clasp you choose with this bracelet, there is no fine adjustment pin as can be found in the clasp of most watches. You simply remove either full or half links to get it the size you want. I was skeptical at first, but my jeweler was able to attain a most comfortable fit using this method.

The watch case is quite attractive, and I’m amazed at how thin this watch is compared to my other dive watches. This is another factor I believe as to why the watch is so comfortable to wear – it slides comfortably under the sleeve of a dress shirt. Impressive too is the fact that this case is water resistant to 300 meters – 100 meters more than the average dive watch. Flip the case over and you’ll see the trademark “sea monster” engraving – gorgeous.

The bezel is bi-directional, (which is a really nice feature) and has 24 hour markings painted on, as well as being half black and half silver (to distinguish AM from PM when the GMT hand is used). The bezel is quite attractive, but not the easiest I’ve ever used when it comes to griping and turning. It can be done with one hand while the watch is on your wrist, but it takes some doing.

The other nit pick I have with the watch is that Omega signed crown is, in my opinion, on the small side. When you screw down the crown it recesses a bit into the case. Nice cosmetically, but can make it a bit difficult to grip and turn. The crown size also comes into play when setting the date – because of the GMT complication, there is no quick set date feature – you have to keep turning the crown to advance the time 24 hrs. in order make the date wheel turn once. The smallish crown diameter means many, many turns to get the date set correctly. Again, my issues with the bezel and crown are minor nit picks to be sure.

As expected with a watch in the price range (about $2000.00 retail) it uses a sapphire crystal which has an anti-reflective coating, and is dome shaped. The dial underneath is quite stunning – nice large super luminova coated markers on the familiar Seamaster wave pattern black dial. I really love the sword hands much more so than the skeleton hands found on the “Bond” Seamaster Pro – easy to read at a glance, and they glow like a torch at night. In addition to the standard hour and minute hands, this watch has the “GMT hand” that, when used in conjunction with the bezel can track time in a second time zone. The red and white hand blends nicely with the white black dial, and red lettering. Below is a pic comparing the glow of my Omega GMT (left) with my Seiko “Orange Monster” SKX781K (right):

From a technical standpoint, the watch is extremely impressive. The Omega Cal. 1128 movement is based on an ETA 2892-A2, 23 jewel movement, which is heavily modified by Omega. The final product is a chronometer grade automatic movement which meets COSC standards. If the chronometer tag which comes with the watch isn’t proof enough of just how extensively the base ETA movement has been modified, then simply pop the crown into position 1 and give it a few twists. This is the smoothest winding watch I own – it’s a genuine pleasure to experience.

In my opinion, the nearest competitor to this watch is the Rolex GMT Master II. At the retail level, you’re paying double for the Rolex as compared to the Omega. Both are COSC certified movements. But for the extra money you get a watch that has 200m LESS water resistance than the Seamaster GMT, but you also get the Rolex name and a 31 jewel in house movement. Personally, I’d rather have 2 Omegas.

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*All information and images contained in this review are the original work of the author, John B. Holbrook, II and are copyright protected. Use of any of the information or images without the permission of the author is prohibited.

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