Steinhart Ocean One Vintage - First impressions

[mattcantwin]

Originally Posted by Travelller

...personally, I wouldn't buy anything that represents a "current" model, but tributes to vintage models work for me.

I agree with you on this.


Informative review and great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[wantonebad]

Had the OVM myself, sold it the same week I received it, couldn't live with the fake "orange" patina.

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by Travelller

OVM... in action

I ordered one of these a few weeks ago, should be here any day.

[Travelller]

Thx guys

Like any other watch it's (they're) not for everyone but I think they're pretty decent watches. The O1V is still my favorite - the Explorer dial and domed sapphire is hard to beat. Then there's the gold hands...

@wantonebad, you might wantthisonebad- no faketina here...


GeeRam, no worries mate, the OVM holds its own - I'm sure you'll be very impressed by it!
The crystal has an oh-so-slight curve to it (while my 16600 has a completely flat crystal).




A few more shots of the OVM

click-the-pics for hi-res goodness

[MitchSteel]

I like it.Could do without the "vintage" writing on the dial tho.
A white seconds hand would really make that dial pop.
Overall, looks very nice

[WolfManSupercomp]

Great review, Traveller. It's hard to argue with a Swiss-powered $480 sub-lookalike. I wrote a little piece on these for Supercompressor. For some, it's a stop on the way to a sub. For others, it's a destination. But definitely is a solid watch.

http://www.supercompressor.com/gear/...eta-dive-watch

[Travelller]

Thanks Ethan, same for your piece! A shame your didn't have an O1V on hand, it is still my favorite and a noticeable jump from the OVM in terms of hitting that vintage feel!

When I wear my OVM, I'm thinking about my SD; when I wear the O1V, I'm thinking about my O1V...

[kilyung]

Well just got mine today. Pretty impressive so far, if not quite Rolex quality. Of course it's nowhere near Rolex prices.

Love the dome and gold hands!

[cop414]

Looks sharp Mike, love the vintagesque, if that's a word look.

[14060m]

Here's my pepsi

http://www.rolexforums.com/attachmen...1&d=1401580102

[Travelller]

^ Congrats guys

I had some bad luck with my unit and posted this report recently; I figured I would also post it here (for better or worse, but mostly for the better )

Problem description
One evening I went to set my O1V. When I went to "hack" the second hand, the crown-stem disconnected from the pinions and gears, now rotating freely (but still attached to the movement).

Problem resolution
Day 1 - I sent Steinhart an email describing the problem and asking for shipping instructions
Day 8 - they replied with the mailing instructions (it took a while but it was during the Easter holidays)
Day 10 - I sent the watch (AT -> DE, typically ~2 business days))
Day 13 - they sent me a "watch received" email
Day 30 - they shipped it back to me.
Day 31 - Arrived
Roughly 4 weeks in total, very satisfactory!

They sent it with a short letter that states:
"Replaced hand-setting lever, (Zeigerstellhebe), winder (Aufzug) repaired"
Hard to believe that such a simple component could "break"...

Handling - exterior
the watch case, crystal, bezel, caseback, crown - all mint (heck, they were even more meticulous than Richemont was with my $$$ Panerai)!

Handling - movement
Both the winding and setting (incl. hacking) operations were restored, however when setting the time, there is some subtle, tactile feedback when rotating the crown-stem and hands (bumpiness, for lack of a better description). However this does not interfere with setting the minute-hand with a high degree of accuracy.

I mentioned the latter to Steinhart's service rep. and they immediately replied with a positive offer to have another look at it; I've decided to hold off on said offer as it does not affect the functionality of the movement per say. On the other hand, I can't say my experience with the ST 5 has been all that positive... Yes, I do understand that there are always the few exceptions in any production batch industry-wide and maybe I have one... I look forward to reading about the ST 5's track record after a year out in the field.


c/o Steinhart

As for Steinhart's Service deptartment's track record, I'm quite satisfied

[FTX I]

Looks great. Congrats.

[lipjin]

Thanks for the review. I was checking out this model. My MKII Kingston buyer was sporting this watch which made me look it up - looks great in person!

[kilyung]

If mine breaks, I'll probably just try to fit an ETA 2824-2 into it.

[GermanyMatt]

I have an Ocean Vintage GMT (homage to the Explorer 1655 Steve McQueen). It's a great looking watch. I don't wear it much though. I think about selling it every now and then, but Steinhart is always sold out (and now has no ETA), so I just hang on to it. It looks great on a zulu strap.

It's the one watch I own that I could probably sell for more than I paid.

[jfmiii]

i just bought a Ocean One Vintage on TZ last night for $500. im planning on using it as a beater and something i can wear to the beach or to travel and not care what happens to it. but it is a damn nice looking watch. if i dont like it, or get sick of it, i know i can flip it and not lose money.

mainly though, ive been itching to pull the trigger on a 16700 and hopefully this will hold me over for a while....a $500 steinhart is a lot easier on the wallet than a $5000 pepsi!

[applebook]

Originally Posted by mattcantwin

I agree with you on this.


Informative review and great pictures, thanks for sharing.

Agree entirely as well. Plus, this design is different enough from any Sub for Steinhart to consider it its own.

Very tempted to get one of these but preowned in case I decide it's not for me.

[finaloption]

Originally Posted by jfmiii

mainly though, ive been itching to pull the trigger on a 16700 and hopefully this will hold me over for a while....a $500 steinhart is a lot easier on the wallet than a $5000 pepsi!

we share similar ideas.. i'm waiting for my ocean 1 gmt to arrive any day now..
and while I'm saving/searching for that perfect birth year 1675, i figure it will hold me over until then

[GermanyMatt]

I ended up selling my Ocean Vintage GMT. I got more than I paid for it when new; although it was still like-new in condition. The look was great, but the overall case design was not up to snuff for me, and the lug size and shape was terrible. The lugs were too thin and had no curve to hug the wrist. If the case would have been a big more Rolex-like, I probably would have kept it. Glad someone else is able to enjoy it though, and equally glad that I didn't take it in the shorts with the resale value.

[applebook]

Be honest. How many of you would pay 5-figures for this if Rolex made one that looked similar?

I would.

[GsurgBM]

I love my O1V

[GsurgBM]

And I also have an ocean one black. I personally would never DLC/PVD a Rolex, but this is less expensive way to still get the look.

[DCheeta]

Great watches, guys!

I have the OVM, it's a cool little fun watch to wear.

[Travelller]

^A very nice photo of your OVM!

Congrats to all - I think Steinhart provides a great alternative to those that cannot afford the real thing (vintage Rolex, for example). I went to Miami a few weeks back and took both my 16600 and O1V. I had the 16600 on NATO and the O1V on the bracelet (I think Steinhart's bracelet is pretty decent on the O1V, lug-issue aside). Ironically, very few noted the 16600 but I got several inquiries for the O1V... which was a surprise Frankly, I think that was due to the bracelet vs. NATO rather than the watches themselves...

...the non-WIS - who needs their opinion anyway...

[GsurgBM]

Ov1

[14060m]

I like my ocean 1 gmt
It's in the regular rotation wearing g it right now

[applebook]

Traveller's review persuaded me to buy one. I can't imagine ever purchasing a 6200 or an original Fifty Fathoms, so this is as close as I'm going to get.

I've had mine for a few days, and over the past 48 hours, it's at a remarkable +/0 zero seconds. We'll see how it settles in but so far extremely impressive.

This is actually my first sub $1000 mechanical watch, and frankly, I wasn't expecting much. I'm glad to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. The overall quality of the case (love the bevel details and the back engraving), chamfered sapphire crystal, dial/hands, and the movement are exceptional for the price. I think that the package compares favorably with entry-mid-level Swiss watches like TAG. If you had told me that the OOV sold for $1,500, I wouldn't have bat an eye. Is there another mechanical watch on the market with a chamfered sapphire crystal for less than $5,000? To my knowledge, the cheapest is the sapphire sandwich Moonwatch.

There are only a couple of nitpicks that I have: the long lugs mean that it wears much bigger than an average 42mm watch (closer to the 44mm Aquatimer); the clasp and the fliplock aren't up to standards of the otherwise very solid bracelet, and the lume is a bit weak in luminosity and intensity.

[jhcam8]

Great review.

Looks like a keeper.

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by applebook

Traveller's review persuaded me to buy one ... glad to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. The overall quality of the case (love the bevel details and the back engraving), chamfered sapphire crystal, dial/hands, and the movement are exceptional for the price...

Glad to hear that you're pleased with your O1V - congratulations and welcome to the club

[GsurgBM]

Wearing for first time on bracelet.