For some time, I have been thinking about getting a new diving watch and I’ve been debating between the latest 41 mm Rolex Submariner Date —I’ve owned a number of Submariners across different references— or an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Co‑Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph. Finally, I decided to go with the Omega and now I am going to tell you why I think that the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Chronograph is a much better buy than a Rolex Submariner Date, especially considering the current pricing bubble.
With almost the same retail price, $9,150 USD for the Rolex Submariner Date Black Bezel ref. 126610LN versus $8,450 USD for the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Chronograph ref. 215.30.46.51.01.001, going for the Omega was a relatively easy decision. First of all, I love the bulkier size of the Seamaster Planet Ocean at 45.5 mm, which makes it a very masculine and a beast of a watch. Second, there are a number of advantages that come with the Omega and that I will talk about now.
Just like the Rolex Submariner Date, the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph is also fitted with a scratch-resistant black ceramic bezel insert and in the case of the latter, also with a black ceramic dial with Arabic numerals and a date window at the 6 o’clock position. The dial features running seconds at 9 o’clock and a co-axial 12-hour chronograph counter at 3 o’clock that shows the elapsed hours and minutes in a very intuitive way with an orange hand for the minutes and a white one for the hours.
Additionally, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Master Chronometer Chronograph is water resistant to 600 meters, while the Submariner Date to only 300 meters. Not that I will ever go diving past the 30 feet mark, but it’s nice to know that the Omega has a better depth rating for the price as well as a helium-escape valve not present on the Sub.
Also having a 12-hour chronograph mechanism on a diving watch is a pretty neat thing. I know many of you would say that I am comparing apples to oranges as the Sub Date is not a chronograph, but in my opinion I am just comparing diving watches here and one seems to offer many more advantages over the other.
As far as looks, I do like the iconic design of the Rolex Submariner Date better but to be honest the Planet Ocean Chronograph is a very good looking timepiece and less common out in the wild. One thing that I love about the Omega are the orange accents on the dial that give the watch that extra pop and the perfect amount of contrast.
Now, as far as the lume goes, the Planet Ocean Chronograph puts the Submariner Date to shame with extremely bright super-luminova that lasts through the whole night and which provides excellent readability in the middle of the night. Unfortunately after owning so many Submariners, I cannot say the same about Rolex’s chromalight.
The black ceramic unidirectional rotating divers’ bezel on the Planet Ocean Chronograph features a Liquidmetal diving scale. Liquidmetal was first presented by Omega in 2010 and is composed of titanium, zirconium and copper, making it harder than stainless steel. When bonded with ceramic parts, Liquidmetal can be offered in contrasting finishes —brushed or polished—, thanks to the difference in hardness between the two materials.
As far as their beating hearts goes, I dare to say that the Omega calibre 9900 is much superior to Rolex’s calibre 3235 with a power reserve of 70 hours. Additionally, you can visually enjoy the movement via the display case back on the Omega and that is simply awesome. The Omega calibre 9900 is an automatic chronograph movement with column wheel and Co- Axial escapement. This movement is a Certified Master Chronometer, approved by METAS, and resistant to magnetic fields reaching over 15,000 gauss. Equipped with a silicon balance-spring, and two barrels mounted in series, this movement provides a power reserve 60 hours when fully wound. Although the power reserve is 10 hours less than that of the Rolex movement, the anti-magnetic properties of the Omega calibre paired with the METAS certification makes it much better and more reliable movement in my book.
The bracelet on the Omega is very sturdy and while not as iconic as an Oyster bracelet it comes with a diver’s extension that is easy to use and also with a micro-adjustment via a push button for those days when your wrists swell up due to the heat or very salty foods.
If you take into consideration that it is nearly impossible to get a Rolex Submariner Date at retail and most likely you’d have to buy from a grey watch dealer at a price anywhere between $18K-20K, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Chronograph ref. 215.30.46.51.01.001 is an absolute no-brainer. Furthermore, you can still get the Omega with a little bit of a discount. Anti-magnetic to at least 15,000 gauss, robust, reliable and with a chronograph complication, the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph packs a lot of watch for the money, and even more when compared with a Rolex Submariner Date.
Sticker Price $8,450 USD. For more info on Omega click here.
