zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: After longing to have an Omega for several long years (about 8 or
: more) my wife finally let me purchase an Omega Seamaster GMT.
: I guess she finally realized I was worth it after all the years of
: service being a dedicated husband and father!!! hehe...

Nice, excellent choice. Nice that the wife came to that realization. Im still waiting for mine to come around to that line of thinking.

: When I was shopping I was initially interested in the Pro Chrono
: Diver but realized that it was a big watch for my wrist and a
: little too busy and then I saw the GMT and loved it.

: Anyway, I had a question regarding the watch face, I noticed that
: some of the Omega watches have the Ohm symbol in chrome/metal
: and some have them painted. Why is that? The GMT has it painted.

Painted = "tool" watches. Basically, the painted logos & markers were specifically designed for tool function so that no markers or logos come loose during rough activity and stop the timing or damage the movement. Not as pretty, but functional. Lately, Omega seems to be moving the way of other "fashion" watch companies ***cough***Rolex***cough*** and adding more aesthetically pleasing applied logos & markers. Lets face it, 99% of watch buyers will never use their watch as intended, so why not dress them up a little. Example, my old seamaster Pro, ref#2254 has all painted logo & markers. My PO and the new iteration of the black seamaster have applied logos and markers. Next thing to change probably will be a lacquer black dial change from the mostly matte black finishes on the current watch line. Again, an aesthetic change as the matte black offers better legibility in all conditions over the lacquer finish.

: Also, I have been reading a few posts here and saw that some
: watches are valued very very low at about a few hundred dollars.
: I know my watch is not the ultimate investment but after 20 or
: 40 years should I not be surprised if the value of the piece is
: down to a few hundred? I am just curious. The real value of the
: watch to me will always be sentimental and I hope to pass it
: down to my son someday...

Depends really on how it holds up over 40 years. If its well maintained, ie serviced regularly and you keep the boxes+papers, then it will probably maintain or appreciate in value. If you beat it to hell, forget the value. Also depends on things like exclusivity and desirability. Right now the GMT is not overly exclusive and is not hugely popular with the forums. However, given time they may develop a nice following. Example the PloProf. It wasn't overly popular when it came out and 30 years later its wildly popular and a nice example is in the $5k + range, from a maybe $700 retail price in the 70s. Personally, don't bother with what you may think the piece will be worth 40 years from now. Its not an investment that you hope to appreciate. Its a watch that tells time. Maybe in 40 years you pass it to your son and he will think its priceless. Enjoy it and wear it till that time comes.