Steinhart Ocean One Vintage - First impressions

[Travelller]

The newest addition to my small collection of divers is Steinhart's Ocean One Vintage. Although the "O1V" hit the market on December 6th, many interesting threads have already popped up so I'd just like to give you a quick introduction to this pretty cool homage!


click-the-pics for hi-res goodness

Steinhart is a small (15-employee) company in Augsburg Germany mainly working with "homages" or "tributes" to popular watches of the past and present. The [de-]merit of homages will not be discussed at length here; personally, I wouldn't buy anything that represents a "current" model, but tributes to vintage models work for me. Speaking of which, the Rolex 6200 was, without a doubt, Steinhart's inspiration for the O1V. No, not the 6538 "Bond" watch, but one of the very first Submariners, introduced in 1954. The 6200 is basically the 6204 (first Submariner) with the 6150's (Explorer) 3-6-9 dial. Other common traits shared with the 6200 is the old [bezel-]groove style and lack of graduation markings on the bezel. While the 6538 is considered the de facto "big crown", the 6200 [6204] where the first.



While Steinhart works mostly with stock movements from big manufactures such as ETA, they now have a few customized models which are heavily based on "classic" ETA models (or clones there of). The O1V is the first Steinhart watch to make use of their new "ST.5" movement, which is based on ETA's 2824-2 (or clones there of). Steinhart's done a great job decorating the platine and rotor. Another nice feature of the movement is the [inherited] hacking seconds feature. Less exciting however is the fact that the ST.5 uses the most basic components, such as Incabloc's entry-level NOVODIAC shock absorber and standard balance wheel. This doesn't exactly help to support O1V's higher price tag, relative to its other Ocean series models... .


c/o Steinhart

O1V Stats:

• 42.0 x 16 mm (52mm lug2lug) satin SS case with decorated solid case-back, unidirectional SS diver's bezel
• Steinhart ST.5 automatic movement with ?h power reserve, hacking seconds
• Domed sapphire crystal, double-inner-coated AR
• Water-resistant to 300M (30ATM), screw-in crown with red "verification" sleeve
• "Sterile" matte-black dial with "patina" Super-LumiNova [gold-framed] hands and indices
• SS bracelet w/ safety clasp (22mm lug-width)

My First Impressions are very good, from the excellent design to the quality fit & finish, not to mention excellent packaging for safe passage. Despite (or because of) their company's small size, the customer experience was excellent, from the ordering process to shipping as well as their prompt attention to my followup questions. Despite the basic movement, my unit has been relatively steady at +5s/daily which is very good for any level movement, much less an economic design like the ST.5. Many have questioned Steinhart in the past for their decision to go with a 42mm case - as well as the lug-curvature (or lack there of) for their Ocean line; this is my first Ocean so I cannot compare, but the O1V has new lines and sits very nicely on my 6.75" wrist. The domed sapphire crystal is certainly a highlight of the O1V and while not quite a T-19/39 super-dome, it goes a long way to give the O1V that vintage flavor! Had I been on the design team, I would have vetoed the red triangle (and gone with a white one) as well as the red crown-tube sleeve. These were not present on the 6200 and although the O1V doesn't promise a 1to1 with any specific vintage piece, the use of many of the 6200's great attributes is what made the O1V the right first "homage" for me!



check-1-2-3-check...


Great combination of a matt dial, gold-framed hands and patina lume...


... but the color(s) of the charged lume is not my favorite, tbh...


The "Big Crown" rulz




A nod to the Bond Rolex...


The super-like dome oozes vintage...


A departure from the Ocean-series' straight lugs...




O1V vs. 16600...




Sizing it all up: 44mm S.A.R., 42mm O1V and 40mm SD


All lumed up...