In the service of Her Majesty's Secret Service. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton wore Rolex Submariners in nine James Bonds flicks. Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig donned Omega Seamaster Professionals in the last four movies in the James Bond saga. In between, Roger Moore sported a series of Seiko digital watches in five of the James Bond movies. In two of the Bond flicks, no watch is seen.
While the Seiko watches models worn by Roger Moore are no longer available, the Rolex Submariner, albiet an updated version of the watch worn by Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton, is still available. Similarly, the Omega Seamaster Professional, worn by Daniel Craig, which is an updated version of the worn by Pierce Brosnan is still in the market. Which Bond watch is for you?
Omega Seamaster Professional. The Omega Seamaster Profession, comes in several variations, but the model use in the bond films is are the ones with the blue bezel and dial (Reference 2220.80.00 for the automatic and Reference 2221.80.00 for the quartz) which is rated as water resistant to 300 meters. It has a rotating bezel which is designed to be used as a 60 minute timer. The automatic version is power by the Co-Axial Omega 2500 movement, which is a modified ETA 2892 movement. The Omega 2500 produces 25,200 vph. Like the Rolex the movement is also COSC certified.
What distinguishes the two watches?
Movement. The older Rolex 3135 is a tried and tested warhorse. The Omega 2500 movement which first came out in 1999 and uses the Omega developed Co-Axial technology which reduces friction. As a result, the Omega can be service as little as once every ten years, whereas the Rolex would have to be serviced every five years.
The Rolex 3135 movement does run at a higher 28,800 vibrations per hour, or eight beats second, versus, the 25,200 vibrations per hour, or seven beats a second, of the Omega 2500 movement.
Helium Release Valve. The Omega Seamaster Professional has one (located at the 10 o'clock position), while the Rolex Submariner does not.
When deep sea divers operate at great depths, they spend prolonged hours in diving bells under pressure breathing a gas mix that contains helium. Helium molecules are the second smallest found in nature an thus available to work its way inside even water resistant watches. When a diver resurfaces, the helium which built up inside the watch starts to expand quicker than it can escape, leading to an increase in pressure inside the watch. This can cause great damage to the watch.
It sounds like a useful feature, but this is not necessarily an advantage for the Omega. For a watch with only a 300 meter rating, such a device is not really necessary and will never really be used. It makes sense to have a Helium release valve in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (600m water resistance), Rolex Sea-Dweller (1,000m water resistance) and the Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA (3,900m water resistance)
Magnifying Glass. Both watches display the date, but the Rolex Submariner does so under a 2.5X magnifying bubble glass. The Omega does not.
Steel. Rolex watches are made of 904L steel. The Omega is made of 316L steel. Only Rolex builds watches using 904L steel. It is stronger than 316L steel, but cost three times more. Still, it is not like a watch built on 316L steel is inadequate in anyway.
Cost. The vanilla black submariner has a Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of US$5,300. The Omega Seamaster Professional Ref. 2220.80.00 has a MSRP of US$3,050. You probably can also get better discounts on the Omega.
There are other differences, like look and feel, but that is largely a subjective matter so we wont take them up here.
Verdict. If you like one watch better than the other, I would not loose any sleep over which is the better watch. They are both fine watches.
If you are tying to pick the "better" watch, well the Rolex costs more, but it also has a greater level of brand recognition and is the product of 50 years of experience. The Omega is cheaper, does the job just as well and has the Co-Axial movement which should mean less maintenance and a longer service life. One is the experienced agent with a long track record (Sean Connery), the other the younger agent with good promise, but who is still in the process of proving himself (Daniel Craig).
If you are a James Bond fan, and buying the watch for that reason, than buy the Omega. It has more "Bond" recognition since it is the current 007 watch, and costs more than $2000 less.
Related Articles: The History of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner.
Trivia. What Omega watches did James Bond wear?Rolex Submariner. The Rolex Submariner, as it name implies is a divers watch which is rated as water resistant to 300 meters. It is available in several versions, but the vanilla version, which is the version used in the Bond films, is an all stainless steel watch with a black dial and bezel. Like most divers watches, it has a rotating bezel which is designed to be used as a 60 minute timer. The Submariner is powered by the tried and tested COSC certified Rolex 3135 automatic winding movement which produces 28,800 vibrations per hour (vph).
1995 Golden Eye
Seamaster Diver 300 M Quartz (Reference 2541.80.00, sold out)
1997 Tomorrow Never Dies
Seamaster Diver 300 M Automatic (Reference 2531.80.00, sold out)
1999 The World Is Not Enough
Seamaster Diver 300 M Automatic (Reference 2531.80.00, sold out)
2002 Die Another Day
Seamaster Diver 300 M Automatic (Reference 2531.80.00, sold out)
2006 Casino Royale
Seamaster Diver 300 M Automatic (Reference 2220.80.00)
Seamaster Planet Ocean (Reference 2900.50.91)
Omega Seamaster Professional. The Omega Seamaster Profession, comes in several variations, but the model use in the bond films is are the ones with the blue bezel and dial (Reference 2220.80.00 for the automatic and Reference 2221.80.00 for the quartz) which is rated as water resistant to 300 meters. It has a rotating bezel which is designed to be used as a 60 minute timer. The automatic version is power by the Co-Axial Omega 2500 movement, which is a modified ETA 2892 movement. The Omega 2500 produces 25,200 vph. Like the Rolex the movement is also COSC certified.
What distinguishes the two watches?
Movement. The older Rolex 3135 is a tried and tested warhorse. The Omega 2500 movement which first came out in 1999 and uses the Omega developed Co-Axial technology which reduces friction. As a result, the Omega can be service as little as once every ten years, whereas the Rolex would have to be serviced every five years.
The Rolex 3135 movement does run at a higher 28,800 vibrations per hour, or eight beats second, versus, the 25,200 vibrations per hour, or seven beats a second, of the Omega 2500 movement.
Helium Release Valve. The Omega Seamaster Professional has one (located at the 10 o'clock position), while the Rolex Submariner does not.
When deep sea divers operate at great depths, they spend prolonged hours in diving bells under pressure breathing a gas mix that contains helium. Helium molecules are the second smallest found in nature an thus available to work its way inside even water resistant watches. When a diver resurfaces, the helium which built up inside the watch starts to expand quicker than it can escape, leading to an increase in pressure inside the watch. This can cause great damage to the watch.
It sounds like a useful feature, but this is not necessarily an advantage for the Omega. For a watch with only a 300 meter rating, such a device is not really necessary and will never really be used. It makes sense to have a Helium release valve in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (600m water resistance), Rolex Sea-Dweller (1,000m water resistance) and the Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA (3,900m water resistance)
Magnifying Glass. Both watches display the date, but the Rolex Submariner does so under a 2.5X magnifying bubble glass. The Omega does not.
Steel. Rolex watches are made of 904L steel. The Omega is made of 316L steel. Only Rolex builds watches using 904L steel. It is stronger than 316L steel, but cost three times more. Still, it is not like a watch built on 316L steel is inadequate in anyway.
Cost. The vanilla black submariner has a Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of US$5,300. The Omega Seamaster Professional Ref. 2220.80.00 has a MSRP of US$3,050. You probably can also get better discounts on the Omega.
There are other differences, like look and feel, but that is largely a subjective matter so we wont take them up here.
Verdict. If you like one watch better than the other, I would not loose any sleep over which is the better watch. They are both fine watches.
If you are tying to pick the "better" watch, well the Rolex costs more, but it also has a greater level of brand recognition and is the product of 50 years of experience. The Omega is cheaper, does the job just as well and has the Co-Axial movement which should mean less maintenance and a longer service life. One is the experienced agent with a long track record (Sean Connery), the other the younger agent with good promise, but who is still in the process of proving himself (Daniel Craig).
If you are a James Bond fan, and buying the watch for that reason, than buy the Omega. It has more "Bond" recognition since it is the current 007 watch, and costs more than $2000 less.
Related Articles: The History of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner.
No comments:
Post a Comment