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Minimalist · 1 February 2015, 12:33 AM

Hi Guys,

Never owned an Omega myself, but I'm thinking of buying one for my Father for his birthday. I much prefer the idea of getting hold of a pre-owned quartz model simply because Omega don't produce these anymore.

Reason behind getting quartz is, my father has a couple other watches that he likes to swap between so having a quartz he could just put on and not have to worry about setting the time, unlike the automatic which I think has around 48hr power reserve.

I personally would like the auto, but I'm just thinking he's not the kind of guy that can be bothered with setting the time and it'd probably end up sitting in the watch box unworn. He's of old age now, so the least amount of hassle for him the better. I want it to be his favourite watch, as his others aren't very fancy etc.

Question is how do you guys rate the 300M Quartz, I tried on the current auto model yesterday and got to say it was absolutely lovely....so how does the quartz compare? I'm trying to find one privately and it'll probably be around 10 years old. So how is a model from a decade ago different to a currrent model? Weight, build quality etc? I'm going to find a full set though hopefully.

Thanks for reading

M.

FTX I · 1 February 2015, 01:03 AM

This is quite interesting. There's a bunch of aficionados here that will say no to quartz no matter what and I'm almost there. I own quartz watches, of course, but I can't bring myself to spend money on a top brand quartz. Never. To be honest, one of the reasons I sold my 2531.80, 2254.50 and their cousins was because of their quartz versions. However, this is not about me, but it's about your father and how he will receive and wear your gift, and seems to me you're spot on with many things you mention. Yes it will be practical, and if a quartz SM300 will make your father happy, by all means buy it for him and don't worry about quality or reliability. The SM300 quartz with proper maintenance will outlast both you guys. My 2c. Cheers.

Minimalist · 1 February 2015, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTX I

This is quite interesting. There's a bunch of aficionados here that will say no to quartz no matter what and I'm almost there. I own quartz watches, of course, but I can't bring myself to spend money on a top brand quartz. Never. To be honest, one of the reasons I sold my 2531.80, 2254.50 and their cousins was because of their quartz versions. However, this is not about me, but it's about your father and how he will receive and wear your gift, and seems to me you're spot on with many things you mention. Yes it will be practical, and if a quartz SM300 will make your father happy, by all means buy it for him and don't worry about quality or reliability. The SM300 quartz with proper maintenance will outlast both you guys. My 2c. Cheers.

Thanks for your honest reply. I think it's the best option for him but I also hear what you're saying about spending a load of money on what is essentially a quartz watch, sounds crazy and it is, but still at least it's an omega. I have since started looking at some autos. I think that if it becomes his favourite watch and it could then it wouldn't be a problem with it being an auto. Just like the idea of pre-owned, he isn't one to baby his watches. he wears the hell out of his watch, doesn;t care and will do anything with it on!

FTX I · 1 February 2015, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minimalist

Thanks for your honest reply. I think it's the best option for him but I also hear what you're saying about spending a load of money on what is essentially a quartz watch, sounds crazy and it is, but still at least it's an omega. I have since started looking at some autos. I think that if it becomes his favourite watch and it could then it wouldn't be a problem with it being an auto. Just like the idea of pre-owned, he isn't one to baby his watches. he wears the hell out of his watch, doesn;t care and will do anything with it on!

If you get it used with service history and box & card it's like brand new, especially because Omega cards don't have owner's name. I'd browse the for sale section here and maybe send a PM for a couple of sellers and ask if you could order a particular model, but it requires a bit of patience. If quartz sounds good, just get it and don't worry. Good luck buddy.

joe100 · 1 February 2015, 02:28 AM

It's Omega so you'll get Omega quality. I bought the AquaTerra Quartz to have a quality Quartz in the rotation and I've been extremely happy.

Minimalist · 1 February 2015, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe100

It's Omega so you'll get Omega quality. I bought the AquaTerra Quartz to have a quality Quartz in the rotation and I've been extremely happy.

I do like the aqua terra too, but something about the 300m that just sings to me.

Hatman14 · 1 February 2015, 02:46 AM

I own one and it's a great grab and go watch, as said above you get omega quality just costs a lot less than the auto with easy maintenance

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Minimalist · 1 February 2015, 04:49 AM

Thanks again for your kind words of wisdom :)

FTX I · 1 February 2015, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minimalist

Thanks again for your kind words of wisdom :)

Wesley Crusher · 1 February 2015, 07:58 AM

I have no issue with quartz watches, especially from a company like Omega. The movement will be high quality (not just some 50 cent circuit board you would find on a Timex). It sounds like a quartz watch is practical for your father. I'm sure he'll love it if you bought it for him.

GTS Dean · 1 February 2015, 03:25 PM

I bought my dad a preowned steel & gold OysterQuartz for his birthday several years ago. He was not active enough to keep his automatic running reliably, and he LOVES the OQ.

997.2 · 3 February 2015, 03:42 AM

Go for it if you think he would not enjoy the 'experience' of the automatic enough to justify the lovely experience of setting the watch every once and a while. To me, setting a run out watch is part of the fun. Part of the appeal. I have owned a quartz AT (2500 gen with blue sunburst, ref 2517.80 I think) and it was a GREAT watch that garnered a ton of compliments, now my 15 year old bro wears it as a beater and it's rock solid.

Just weigh the pros and cons and whatever movement you get will be fine, but only you know what your father would really prefer. My dad would go automatic, but he is a watch aficionado.

Minimalist · 4 February 2015, 11:18 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys.

In the end I went for the current model 300M which is an auto in blue finish. I pick it up tomorrow as they didn't have that particular one in stock. It's just so much of a nicer watch and I couldn't help myself lol!

Will post some pics once I've got it.

P.s. Does anyone if the movement is an in house movement for this watch?

Wesley Crusher · 4 February 2015, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minimalist

P.s. Does anyone if the movement is an in house movement for this watch?

Not quite. The Seamaster uses the cal 2500 which is a highly modified movement based on the ETA 2892 movement. The Planet Ocean, on the other hand, uses the cal 8500 which is totally in-house.

Minimalist · 4 February 2015, 08:19 PM

Thanks for the confirmation, this is also what u found out by searching the net. I asked since the chap is the AD told me it was an in house movement, which I thought wasn't right because of the price point of the watch. He was genuinely a nice guy though. I'll tell him my findings today and see what he says.

toneafficianado · 4 February 2015, 09:07 PM

This post is very interesting to me as I did a lot of research on those exact Omegas a year or so ago while trying to convince myself to buy one and not go to extra [more than double] expense of a Sub. The blue face Seamasters as worn by Pierce Brosnan in Bond movies are gorgeous watches in my book too. The quartz have three lines of writing on the dial whereas the autos have 4 and they're both available in 36 or 41 mm. the quartz are way lighter in weight and hold their value extremely well for a quartz watch probably because they're Omegas. there is a great Seamaster site that details everything. the later models have metal around the dial plots and red "Seamaster" logo whereas earlier have plain plots and all white writing. A cheaper blue dial diver in quartz is made by Tag Heuer as well..WAP1112..I got one of those instead of the Omega at the time and love it.. accurate and beautiful and can be worn swimming. Some of those can still be found new too unlike the Omega quartzes. Now..If only Rolex made the Sub with a blue dial in SS ..aaaah ..we can but dream!
Hope this helps. i think it's great you're getting your dad a present of a watch.

1 February 2015, 12:33 AM	#1
Minimalist "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: London Posts: 1,221	Any followers of the Seamaster 300M Quartz? Hi Guys, Never owned an Omega myself, but I'm thinking of buying one for my Father for his birthday. I much prefer the idea of getting hold of a pre-owned quartz model simply because Omega don't produce these anymore. Reason behind getting quartz is, my father has a couple other watches that he likes to swap between so having a quartz he could just put on and not have to worry about setting the time, unlike the automatic which I think has around 48hr power reserve. I personally would like the auto, but I'm just thinking he's not the kind of guy that can be bothered with setting the time and it'd probably end up sitting in the watch box unworn. He's of old age now, so the least amount of hassle for him the better. I want it to be his favourite watch, as his others aren't very fancy etc. Question is how do you guys rate the 300M Quartz, I tried on the current auto model yesterday and got to say it was absolutely lovely....so how does the quartz compare? I'm trying to find one privately and it'll probably be around 10 years old. So how is a model from a decade ago different to a currrent model? Weight, build quality etc? I'm going to find a full set though hopefully. Thanks for reading M.

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1 February 2015, 01:03 AM	#2
FTX I "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Real Name: Flavio Location: N/A Posts: 14,654	This is quite interesting. There's a bunch of aficionados here that will say no to quartz no matter what and I'm almost there. I own quartz watches, of course, but I can't bring myself to spend money on a top brand quartz. Never. To be honest, one of the reasons I sold my 2531.80, 2254.50 and their cousins was because of their quartz versions. However, this is not about me, but it's about your father and how he will receive and wear your gift, and seems to me you're spot on with many things you mention. Yes it will be practical, and if a quartz SM300 will make your father happy, by all means buy it for him and don't worry about quality or reliability. The SM300 quartz with proper maintenance will outlast both you guys. My 2c. Cheers.

1 February 2015, 02:46 AM	#7
Hatman14 "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 44	I own one and it's a great grab and go watch, as said above you get omega quality just costs a lot less than the auto with easy maintenance Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1 February 2015, 04:49 AM	#8
Minimalist "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: London Posts: 1,221	Thanks again for your kind words of wisdom :)

1 February 2015, 07:58 AM	#10
Wesley Crusher "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Real Name: Wes Location: Holosuite Posts: 6,345	I have no issue with quartz watches, especially from a company like Omega. The movement will be high quality (not just some 50 cent circuit board you would find on a Timex). It sounds like a quartz watch is practical for your father. I'm sure he'll love it if you bought it for him.

1 February 2015, 03:25 PM	#11
GTS Dean "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NB, TX Watch: 3570.50 Posts: 1,016	I bought my dad a preowned steel & gold OysterQuartz for his birthday several years ago. He was not active enough to keep his automatic running reliably, and he LOVES the OQ.

3 February 2015, 03:42 AM	#12
997.2 Banned Join Date: Jul 2013 Real Name: Chaz Location: Cherry Hill, NJ Posts: 2,721	Go for it if you think he would not enjoy the 'experience' of the automatic enough to justify the lovely experience of setting the watch every once and a while. To me, setting a run out watch is part of the fun. Part of the appeal. I have owned a quartz AT (2500 gen with blue sunburst, ref 2517.80 I think) and it was a GREAT watch that garnered a ton of compliments, now my 15 year old bro wears it as a beater and it's rock solid. Just weigh the pros and cons and whatever movement you get will be fine, but only you know what your father would really prefer. My dad would go automatic, but he is a watch aficionado.

4 February 2015, 11:18 AM	#13
Minimalist "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: London Posts: 1,221	Thanks for all the replies guys. In the end I went for the current model 300M which is an auto in blue finish. I pick it up tomorrow as they didn't have that particular one in stock. It's just so much of a nicer watch and I couldn't help myself lol! Will post some pics once I've got it. P.s. Does anyone if the movement is an in house movement for this watch?

4 February 2015, 08:19 PM	#15
Minimalist "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: London Posts: 1,221	Thanks for the confirmation, this is also what u found out by searching the net. I asked since the chap is the AD told me it was an in house movement, which I thought wasn't right because of the price point of the watch. He was genuinely a nice guy though. I'll tell him my findings today and see what he says.

4 February 2015, 09:07 PM	#16
toneafficianado 2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Real Name: Alan Location: Australia Posts: 2,204	This post is very interesting to me as I did a lot of research on those exact Omegas a year or so ago while trying to convince myself to buy one and not go to extra [more than double] expense of a Sub. The blue face Seamasters as worn by Pierce Brosnan in Bond movies are gorgeous watches in my book too. The quartz have three lines of writing on the dial whereas the autos have 4 and they're both available in 36 or 41 mm. the quartz are way lighter in weight and hold their value extremely well for a quartz watch probably because they're Omegas. there is a great Seamaster site that details everything. the later models have metal around the dial plots and red "Seamaster" logo whereas earlier have plain plots and all white writing. A cheaper blue dial diver in quartz is made by Tag Heuer as well..WAP1112..I got one of those instead of the Omega at the time and love it.. accurate and beautiful and can be worn swimming. Some of those can still be found new too unlike the Omega quartzes. Now..If only Rolex made the Sub with a blue dial in SS ..aaaah ..we can but dream! Hope this helps. i think it's great you're getting your dad a present of a watch.

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