Prodigal Questionnaire: Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 2 May 2011
Vanity Fair has the Proust Questionnaire. Theirs is “candid, surprising, fascinating.” Ours? Not so much. It’s more: contrived, surpassed, fallacious. But when it comes to penetrating the reasoning behind a watch-buying decision, we think you can’t do better than the Prodigal Questionnaire.
One watch. One decision. And 12 little questions that shine a probing, edifying light on them both.
Today, we’re putting H-Bomb on the couch to examine his decision to buy an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (Orange, rubber strap).
One o’clock: Where or how did you purchase this watch?
The Omega Seamaster was the first automatic watch I was ever introduced to. My father wears one which he’s had since the early 1960’s. I’ve always had a desire to own one myself. The Planet Ocean range looks fantastic, but as I already had a couple of dress watches I started getting drawn to the idea of owning a rubber strapped ‘weekend’ watch. That’s when I started to consider the outlandish orange version. I bought this one on holiday in Hawaii.
Two o’clock: What living person is it most like?
Maria Shriver. Good looking, brash and with a good family tree directly connected to the Kennedys.
Three o’clock: What is the watch’s greatest achievement?
Achieving advances in mechanical watch making and still staying stylish. I have to assume the advantages of the co-axial escapement as it’s well beyond my horological understanding, however the build quality is unmistakable. Every angle is cut with precision, the feel of the bezel is satisfyingly solid and depth of black on the dial is stunning.
Four o’clock: What talent would it most like to have?
The talent to cure colourblindness. The metallic orange of the bezel is ever-so-slightly off from the orange of the numerals.
Five o’clock: Where should the watch live?
It should probably avoid living anywhere a suit is required (this one is on rubber). But it can happily spend its weekends on the wrist of any unsuited watch lover.
Six o’clock: Which hero of fiction wears or should wear this watch?
Gibbs and DiNozzo from NCIS actually wear it. But Ethan Hunt is probably someone who should wear it. Mr Cruise apparently sported a Casio G-Shock for the Mission Impossible films, but let’s overlook that for the sake of this comparison. The classic black dialled, leather strapped Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean is Bond’s latest watch of choice. Therefore, it could be assumed that the loud orange version with the thick plastic strap is Bond’s brash American cousin.
Seven o’clock: What are its real life heroes?
Probably looks up to it’s older, fatter brother the 45mm edition. I’m sure some people prefer the wide-boy look, but everything fits better on the more appropriately sized version.
Eight o’clock: What’s your greatest regret about buying this watch?
I’m glad I went with the rubber strap, but it would be nice to interchange it with the metal bracelet. It’s not easy or cheap to come by for a watch at this level. Unlike Panerai, Omega don’t seem to want to encourage strap changing.
The distinctive Arrowhead hands were another aspect that gave me pause for thought. They look huge on the 42mm version. The hour marker especially looks heavy and may not be to everyone’s taste. I prefer the non-chrono version so the dial is less busy, and that means that the thick Arrowhead hands become the primary feature.
Nine o’clock: If it had a name, what would it be?
Trent. Uniquely American in style, but with a strong link to the UK.
Ten o’clock: What do you most value about this watch?
Finally having a decent ‘casual’ watch with a great style and excellent heritage. The orange hue means it’s not a subtle watch, but that’s kind of the point.
Eleven o’clock: What is the trait you most deplore in it?
As mentioned, the difficulty and expense of changing the strap. And the buckle seems a little cheap on the rubber version.
Twelve o’clock: Keep, sell or trade?
Keep – it’s a beautiful addition to any watch collection. Maybe not the ‘grail watch’ but practical and wearable.
Who’s next on the couch?
The Prodigal Questionnaire is published on the first Monday of the month. We’re always on the look out for interesting watches chosen by interesting people. If you would like to be featured, drop us a line.
Prodigal Questionnaire: Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean
The Prodigal Questionnaire: One watch, one decision, and 12 little questions that shine a probing, edifying light on them both. Today, we’re putting H-Bomb on the couch to examine his decision to buy an orange-bezeled Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean.
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3 Responses to “Prodigal Questionnaire: Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean”
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H-Bomb
13 May 2011
LOL – yeah, I struggled a bit with that question. I wanted something that (like the Planet Ocean) has a remote connection to JFK. I believe he was an Omega fan. Tenuous link though.
Still a great watch though. -
your questions are tougher then my board exams
Chris I
9 May 2011
Maria Shriver? Goodness. Your weekend watch is like Maria Shriver?