Wow! Busy Saturday for the "Omega in QoS" Thread, eh? Sorry to be so late for the party; today was "Webelos Day" at the University of Michigan, so I was out quite a bit with Number One Son on Cub Scout stuff.
A lot of great stuff has already been written here, so I'll try to limit my contribution here to what I feel will add value w/out gratuitous repetition. If I miss anything or someone perceives themselves left out, that's not my intent. Let me know and I'll try to correct it.
Post #78 by chuck3, re Daily setting your Planet Ocean and "break-in" periods
As VM points out, there is a debate about this, and even moreso w/ respect to watches w/ the co-axial movements. He's also spelled out the (minimal) stress you are imparting to your wristwatch by daily setting it.
That said, I've never been one to be dismissive of an owner's desire for his/her mechanical watch to be as precisely accurate as possible. Just because I may not want a quartz movement or a piece that automatically sets itself per some signal from an atomic clock doesn't mean I don't want something that performs top of class! But when you point out, Chuck, that your watch "gains about 2-4 seconds a day," you are getting at the very nature of a mechanical movement. They don't vary consistently; their rate of gain/loss varies day by day, and more frequently (if you choose to track it that closely), and depends on a number of factors. Temperature and case orientation are most commonly discussed. For example, your watch will keep different time if you sleep wearing it, as opposed to not. It will vary based on its orientation on your nightstand as you sleep if you do so without wearing it.
Here's the Chronometer Certificate for my Omega Seamaster reference 2907.50.91 Planet Ocean Big Size, which has the same escapement as your watch.
Click on this LINK if you'd like to see an enlargement wherein you can read the results. COSC certification simply means that the mechanism, when tested (before being inserted into the case) held to an average daily variation in rate of between -4 and +6 seconds per day, across 5 positions and 3 temperatures. Beyond this, I've noticed that my Seamaster reference 2531.80 (the common Brosnan-Bond model, non-co-axial movement) will even vary by a fraction of a second depending on which half of the minute I track it in.
Bottom Line: Your 42mm Planet Ocean may be in disagreement w/ the atomic clock w/in 30 seconds of your setting it, due to the nature of the mechanism. Thereafter, it will both gain and lose time, settling into an average which will be your watch performance today, but will change over time (no pun intended). Monitoring and figuring out "why" is the great thing to be learning at this point in your ownership, I think.
Post #79 by Ace Roberts, re Digital phones replacing wristwatches
While there has been some hoopla of late regarding cell phones replacing commodity watches (ie, lower-price point time pieces that folks used to purchase because they needed something to tell the time), I believe high-end watch sales are actually up and rising. It is one of the few pieces of jewelry a man can supposedly wear to differentiate and indulge himself. I don't see any evidence that James Bond would make a purely "practical" decision to rely exclusively on his phone to tell the time. Specifically, I am not aware of any research indicating that Omega SA is losing share to cell phones, and, currently, Omega is the "James Bond Choice" for a wristwatch.
That said, "a little controversy" is nice here.
Sir James lays out a nice perspective beyond this. From a GQ perspective, a diver's watch is not only inappropriate w/ a suit, but any wristwatch at all is not appropriate w/ a tuxedo, strictly speaking. Yet 007 wears one with his, and others follow his lead! Further, I don't think divers even use divers' watches for the stated purpose, even as a back-up.
Additionally, Bond's watch made for a weapon in the On Her Majesty's Secret Service novel, and saved his wrist, if not his life, in the From Russia With Love novel. It's a lot less obtrusive to check the time on one's watch than by pulling out one's cell phone; and, in fact, before going w/ the thought that a cell phone display could or would replace the wristwatch, one should look at the history and ask why the simple addition of a leather strap to essentially attach a pocket watch to one's wrist in the first place transformed the industry. My personal opinion in this regard as it relates to field agents is that a luxury watch like a Rolex provides 007 with universal currency he could convert for a plane ticket home from any country via the nearest pawn shop, if need be.
Post #83 by Sir James, re Bond's tastes and watches
In my opinion, were this to be explored in future films it would be necessarily different from the novels. The Ian Fleming Bond, and in particular regarding the replacement of his Rolex in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, seemed to be sensitive to the cost of the loss as much as anything else. That seems a stretch from the James Bond of today. Probably at odds, too, w/ the Vesper analysis of James Bond and his watch in Casino Royale ~ and maybe even the Omega PR effort behind that line comparing his tastes to that of Rolex owners.
Post #84 by Ace Roberts, re The Dirk Pitt DOXA
Just wanted to say, "hi," from a fellow Clive Cussler fan from the olden days of Raise the Titanic.
Post #85 by Vodka Martino, re Miscellaneous
1. Agree w/ his paragraph responding to Chuck.
2. My Swiss Army Knife has a built-in pen, and I carry that on a ring w/ my car key; have to use it more often than I care to admit. Never occurred to me to buy a decent pen. Thanks for the tip!
3. That image of Sylvia Trench in Bond's flat, wearing little more than heals and his shirt, is one reason she'll always be a top-pick Bond Girl in my book.
Thanks for extensive and knowledgable insight...don't forget to set the clocks tonight "spring Ahead!"
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