Any Globemaster love?

[myporsche]

None over here, I liked it in pictures and appreciate the history but didn't like it in hand, not a fan of the the lugs or fluted bezel and even though it's trying to stand out with the pie pan it's overall underwhelming.

[gnuyork]

Originally Posted by Vain_Asthete

I will post an honest, contrarian opinion about the Globemaster as a former owner of the steel, white-dialed version which I bought from an AD in 2016. Its initial appeal to me was based on the fact that I thought it would be a brilliant, versatile, daily-wear watch for me, a modern example of the storied old Constellation line hearkening back to those lovely, 1960s-era pie pans. I found that I did not like it and I sold it after just over one year. My objections were as follows.

One subtle thing that you will probably never know about the white-dialed Globemaster unless you own one (since it is not something you can readily discern in photos or in a display case) is that the way the lume contrasts with the dial in certain kinds of lighting is very questionable. The white Globemaster dial, depending on the ambient lighting, exhibits significant variation between creamier tones and almost pale gray ones. This kind of variation is a lovely feature on many watch dials and much appreciated, as it adds depth and complex beauty. (Other neat examples are the Hulk Sub dial which varies from that deep green to almost black, any Rolex silver dial, the FP Journe Chronometre Bleu is probably the best example, etc.).
But the problem is that this kind of tonal variation has to work right, and in the case of the white-dialed Globemaster, IMHO, it does not. This is specifically because in certain lighting, especially on cloudy days, the creamier tones of the dial are very apparent and contrast terribly with the lume. I have not seen the same kind of ugly problem with silver-dialed Datejusts with lumed baton indicators for example, and I think honestly that is because Rolex made it a point to consider this and create something more harmonious. I would describe the Globemaster dial when this tonal issue appears as having the colors of cheap mint tooth paste smeared on baked parchment paper. It looks awful. I remember the first time I saw it I was rushing to an appointment on a cloudy day and I went to check the time and I was like, OMG, what the hell did I buy, LOL. But then you look at the exact watch in a display case, in a nice restaurant with dimmed overhead lighting, or some kind of setting like that. The scintillant quality of the bezel and indicators really pops, and it looks simply brilliant. The watch is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

For all Omega's touting of METAS in its marketing material, the Globemaster was the least accurate mechanical watch I owned at the time. Some may say, "if you want extreme accuracy, you should get a quartz watch." I respectfully disagree with that opinion. If they are charging $7000+ for a watch and touting up the kazoo how accurate it is, it is not unacceptable or unreasonable for the customer to expect very high accuracy. Adjusted properly, excellent tolerances should be achievable for any mechanical watch. Mine ran plus six seconds per day. That is not bad, and watches do often slow as they age so perhaps I could have just waited, but it’s outside of METAS tolerances. Since METAS was supposed to offer minus zero to plus five seconds per day in observed performance, I figured that if I brought it for service and told them it was only deviating from the range by one second, they would basically have told me to take a hike, so I did not even bother.

The Globemaster bracelet had no half-links available, no micro-adjustment, and certainly no easy-link / quick-adjustment like modern Rolex bracelets and some others manufacturers offer. As a result, I never could get it to fit comfortably, and had to swap to an aftermarket leather strap despite the fact that I wanted a bracelet for this watch. (As an aside, I cannot believe how common this kind of problem is. If your wrist size is not such that by chance the bracelet is perfectly sizeable as is, and the manufacturer offers no half-links or appropriate micro-adjustment for the watch in question, you are left to choose between a watch that flops around or constricts your wrist. To me, this is an unacceptable choice as it really ruins the experience of ownership.) The bracelet is also too fat for my liking.
The Globemaster is quite thick (about 12mm). It is not like the Planet Ocean or any of those beasts, but it is still, more to the point, thick in a way that seems out-of-character with the overall aesthetic of the watch. I do not think the Genta, C-style Constellation case that the Globemaster case is based on was ever meant to be so fat. I also found it sometimes unable to slide under a shirt cuff.
Upon examination of the watch with a loupe, I found the dial to be slightly misaligned and there to be a number of imperfections on the hands. Other watches I own at the same price point, including Rolex, have no such defects. Granted, any watch can have defects, and it is probably not so that every Globemaster presents the same ones that mine did but, still, it just really turned me off.
The case back is badly conceived, IMHO. The METAS emblem in the middle blocks you from fully observing the movement. I wanted to be able to study the co-axial escapement under a loupe and found that it was possible but required a ridiculously precise angling of my loupe and flawless lighting, largely because of the way the emblem hangs over it. It seemed clear to me that they could have made the emblem a little smaller and obviated this problem. Also, to be totally honest, I was not impressed with the decoration of the 8900 movement. The swirly Arabesque Cote-de-Geneve variant was nice enough but still, overall, it had a very industrial and massed produced sort of look to it, like cheap, mass-produced art instead of something genuinely artisanal. In view of that, I frankly would have preferred that they had spared some thickness and just put a solid caseback on the watch. I know they are much more expensive brands, but after you own or even just see a Patek or Lange movement it just puts this kind of finishing to shame in a way that makes you not want to see a movement like the 8900 anymore. Even a JLC movement puts it to shame and most JLC from the Master Collection are around the same price or only a little more.

Anyway, for all these reasons and others, I sold it and do not miss it.

Thanks for your observation. I tend to like the white dial in photos, but I do wonder how it would appear on wrist. The thickness was one of my issues. For similar money I think I would choose JLC all day and I'm an Omega fan through and through.

[cpatab2020]

Interesting observations regarding the dial. I’ll have to take a closer look when when the lume may pop a bit in cloudy weather. (Though I actually like the minty fresh color!)

I would advise that if a sapphire caseback is at the top of your requirements, you may want to consider other watches. The rotor and co-axial design do not leave as much to observe as say a mechanical co-axial Speedmaster, or some non-coaxial watches with open rotors.

Sorry to hear that the accuracy on your piece was off. I’d be disappointed as well. Thankfully, mine is doing great. Over a month of regular wear, it deviated approx +0.4 seconds per day.

[iaymnu]

fits better on a mesh.

[bdg5593]

Where is the bracelet form?

[iaymnu]

Originally Posted by bdg5593

Where is the bracelet form?

Omega Mesh bracelet.