A Classic Diver: Seiko SBCM023 200m Perpetual Calendar Quartz

Omega X-33 Prices Out of this World

A while ago, I wrote an article about the Omega X-33 prices. You can find that article here. I have been watching the prices for these discontinued timepieces on both Ebay and also several watch forums. The prices are generally trending up.

I just saw this one sell on Watch-U-Seek for around $2200. This is for a sample with excellent documentation, but no titanium bracelet. So here is my reality check pricing estimates for the X-33:

1. Gen-1 X33, excellent condition, with boxes and papers, $2000-2500. Expect to pay more for a watch with the titanium bracelet versus the not-so-durable Omega kevlar.
2. Gen-2 X33, excellent condition, with boxes and papers, $2500+. Again, expect to pay more for a watch with the titanium bracelet.
3. For watches in good condition, I expect to see samples around $1700-$2000.
4. In 2007, you could find used/worn examples for around $1000 on Ebay. Not anymore, even well worn examples are going for $1400 or so.

Things to watch out for.
1) Crown is known to collapse in the Gen 1 watches.
2) Backlight goes out

Either of these defects will require service by Omega.


Happy Hunting.

Review: Highgear Altis Titanium, my new favorite ABC Watch

I recently received a Highgear Altis Titanium as a gift. I had also purchased an Altis Stainless Steel for myself and ended up keeping the Titanium as it was much lighter and more comfortable to wear.

The strap sits great on the wrist. The watch is very legible and the display is highly customizable. The barometer trend graph is much more useful than my Casio PAW1500 and the readings seem to be very consistent with my local airport. Size-wise, the head is a bit large but due to the lightweight titanium material, no issues with weight. The stainless steel version was a bit top-heavy.

My picks with this watch: lack of a sapphire crystal and countdown timer. I can sort of understand the lack of the sapphire crystal due to the price point, but the countdown timer is a brain-dead omission since the cousin of this watch from St Moritz seems to have this feature AND a sapphire crystal at a relatively similar price point.

Timex Solar Shock -- 1 Year Accuracy Update

This is the first anniversary for my Timex Solar Shock.

I have to say, I am more than impressed with the accuracy of this watch.

After one year, it is only seven seconds (+6 + 1 leap second adjustment) off the official US clock at time.gov.

For $70, it seems like a very good buy.

The detailed review is here:


http://timereport.blogspot.com/2008/04/timex-solar-shock-ironman-50-lap.html