The second James Bond 007 Seamaster: His Omega 2531.80 automatic diver's chronometer wristwatch - review
Written: Dec 23 '05 (Updated Dec 27 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Omega Swiss mechanical time piece precision accuracy, one of the true "James Bond" watches.
Cons: Dial reflections can be distracting, hands can be impossible to read in certain lighting situations.
The Bottom Line: If you're after the James Bond 007 watch, I strongly recommend this model 2531.80 Omega Seamaster. Retains value better than many alternatives, mechanical performance is top of the line.
|
|
|
| dell_deaton's Full Review: Omega Seamaster 2531.80 Clip-on Watch for Men |
The Omega Seamaster 2531.80 is the second such style worn by Pierce Brosnan in his outings as Agent 007, James Bond.
The first, in GoldenEye, was model 2541.80, and, apart from minor cosmetic differences, the key thing is that the 2541.80 is a quartz and this 2531.80 is an "automatic chronometer." In other words, this mechanical watch winds itself based on an internal mechanism that converts motion from the movement of your arm into energy to run the watch. It will never need winding, unless it is off your wrist for more than 40 hours (I think the posted rating is a little longer than that).
If you wear it every day, the self-winding deal is great. If, on the other hand, this watch w/ a street price of $1500 or so, is your "special occasion" watch, it has a provision that allows you to wind it from the crown, no risk of over-winding. And you'll have to both set the date and know whether or not the watch stopped in the morning or evening when doing so.
That said, the 2531.80 mechanical tends to hold its value a bit better than the 2541.80 quartz. And in general, when you get into higher-end and luxury watches, mechanicals tend to be preferred. The quartz is more accurate (varying -0.5 to 0.7 seconds per day), and arguably more rugged. Omega states that the 2531.80 will be accurate, if you average data across any given 15-day period, of -1 to +6 seconds per day. I've found this to be true in my own studies of actual performance.
As a died in the wool fan of the James Bond 007 films, the 2531.80 is a must have for my watch collection.
But I have doubts as to whether or not Our Man or Universal Exports would have picked this from among better Omega choices for the 007 missions. The glossy blue background on the dial can be distracting at best (the matte on Omega Seamasters is much better). And the hands, as you'll notice from epinion photos and elsewhere, are downright hard to read and often "disappear" if you hold the watch at the wrong angle.
See my Omega Seamaster 2254.50 Review before you make your final decision.
Still, if you're looking for the James Bond watch, this is it. You've seen it in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. But with the release of Casino Royale on November 17, 2006, "the blue Bond Omega Seamaster" has been replaced by a new and improved model. The 2531.80.00 model no longer appears on the Omega SA product pages, and supply appears to be drying up in dealer showcases.
Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Dell Deaton
All of my Reviews related to wristwatches
All of my Reviews related to wristwatches
Omega Seamaster 2254.50 automatic chronometer (black dial, black bezel diver's watch, Omega SA reference 22545000)
Omega Seamaster 2531.80 automatic chronometer (second watch worn by James Bond 007, Omega SA reference 25318000)
Omega Seamaster 2541.80 quartz (first watch worn by James Bond 007, Omega SA reference 25418000)
Omega Seamaster 2561.80 quartz (mid-sized version of first watch worn by James Bond 007, Omega SA reference 25618000)
Omega Planet Ocean 2900.50.91 automatic chronometer (third watch worn by James Bond 007, Omega SA reference 29005091)
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dell_deaton
|
|
Member: Dell Deaton
Location: Michigan
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Expert on James Bond watches, Ian Fleming to film versions.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.