Let's review the Omega Spacemaster Z 33. It's been two years since I purchased the piece. This piece gets a lot of attention :). Explore how the watch looks after two years of use.
I have one. It’s amazing. It’s design is brilliant. It’s appearance is brash. It’s a Love it or Hate it conversation piece. I went from the leather, to the black Speed-master rubber. The red trim, and the bid titanium clasp is both comfortable and eye catching. It is quite large, in case height but I have yet to bump mine into anything. Recently, serviced by the mothership. Perfect in every way. If you Want something different…This is your horse. One that truly flys. You’ll love it.
Thank you so much for your reviews of this watch Anthony! Your other review which focused on the design is what tipped me into buying it so I now have one too. I like your reviews so much because your obvious enthusiasm shines through. My mother was an interior designer so also had a good eye for design and I grew up in a house which was constantly being redesigned and refurnished but there were some 70s 'retro-futurist' chairs which were hung onto for quite a while... I watched Space 1999 as a small boy and I've seen 2001: A Space Odyssey many times and this watch really struck me immediately as retro-futurist straight out of the set design of that era. I found what you said about the leather strap interesting. I really like the red on black rubber strap probably because of the branding ;) However I bought one with a titanium strap - because of the reasons you mention about leather (and indeed rubber) suffering under sweaty or humid conditions. However I am going to get the other two straps soon. I tried the Breitling Aerospace - a watch I've always wanted - and also the B50 and B55. I was somewhat surprised that I didn't fall in love with the new Breitlings since I have coveted a Breitling for so long. I really like the rechargeable battery function they have because I hate sending watches back for new batteries. Also the Breitling has a bezel (which I use a lot) .But I just ...didn't feel as much love as I did when I saw this on my wrist. It was every bit as good as the photos on the web led me to believe. So I 'forgave' the fact that it didn't have solar power (as my metal G-Shock does) , nor was it rechargeable (as the Breitling (and indeed the Guess Connected range are) , not automatic. I forgave the fact it doesn't have a bezel or is as multifunctional as do the (in my view ugly) Tissot T-Touch is with its compass and altmeter and touch screen glass etc. Could you please tell me what kind of wax you used on your leather strap? Thanks again.
This is a remarkable time piece James. A Space Odyssey left a similar indelible mark on me. Who could forget Hal 9000? I plan to review a Breitling Aerospace watch in a few months. I'll drop you the link. There are two kinds of wax I found. A soft and hard compound. Go for the hard compound that comes in a bar. I bought mine from Etsy - about 90 percent beewax. The type that comes in a tin or jar will be soft. The harder compound is more difficult to apply - you need to preheat it to get it to run but I found it lasts longer and doesnt change the colour of the strap as much.
Thank you for your excellent reviews of this unique timepiece. But I am unclear about the function of the transflective screen. I have read it contains a sensor that "adjusts the display to ambient lighting conditions". My question therefore: #1 Is the LED backlight always on, with the transflective screen ambient sensor constantly adjusting the intensity of the LED backlight? #2 Or does it only adjust the intensity of the LED backlight for the 7 seconds' duration after the button is pushed? #3 Or, is the transflective screen constantly adjusting the contrast of the LCD (not the LED)? My sense is that the answer is a combination of #2 and #3.
+Erinn Moore I'll have to play with it again and pay closer attention. It dims after a few seconds of non-activity to conserve battery. So #2 is likely. #1 I have to investigate :).
+Anthony Coundouris ......Hullo! Thank you for your kind reply. Would you say that the LCD "normal" mode or "reflective" mode (without the 5-second, push-button activated LED backlight) is comparable in legibility to 1st or 2nd generation Breitling Aerospace? I believe they were transflective also. They used gold-colored numerals, as you may recall.
+Erinn Moore Yeah. I actually own one. I have a first generation Aerospace in my collection. In terms of brightness the two are similar in normal mode. The distinction is when you depress a button on the Spacemaster, the reflective mode is very bright. Normal mode of the Spacemaster is readable under daylight conditions. When I have a chance I'll do a side-by-side comparison of the two.
Hi +Erinn Moore. (without the 5-second push button to active the LED background), the Z-33 is comparatively less bright compared to to a first gen Breitling Aerospace. See video I've made here for you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KN-4vKhWADU.html
+Erinn Moore I checked out. Here's the score: #1 Is the LED backlight always on, with the transflective screen ambient sensor constantly adjusting the intensity of the LED backlight? Answer: No. It is by default switched off. The transflective screen adjusts to the daylight for optimal legibility. #2 Or does it only adjust the intensity of the LED backlight for the 7 seconds' duration after the button is pushed? Answer: Yes. It appears to sustain an LED backlighting for 5 seconds. The backlighting permits the display to be read in the dark. The Breitling Aerospace gen #1 does not of course have this feature. #3 Or, is the transflective screen constantly adjusting the contrast of the LCD (not the LED)? Answer: Yes. As I move the watch under different lighting conditions, the screen adjusts accordingly. Not obvious at first. Ive done a comparison video here between the Breitling and the Z33 so you can compare displays. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KN-4vKhWADU.html
I wonder if you could help me answer a question Anthony as you have owned the Z33 for at least a couple of years now. It's about the battery saving/blocking mode when pressing top left and bottom right buttons. Mine shows 'CHG bAt' until the hands are blocked and the watch is off which to me says 'change battery'. I have already had the battery changed. I posted a video here - instagram.com/p/BSMJZ65hjXC/?taken-by=lemeneuxchex This is not mentioned in the manual. I wonder if the 'CHG bAt' means something else or it's something that should be reset when the battery is changed - ie when a car has a warning light on the dash and has to be reset by computer after the repair? Thank you for any light you can shed on this. Loved the review and the other one about the design features :) I prefer this to the X33.
Anthony Coundouris thank you for your answer, Anthony. I also can't find reference to this anywhere, not in my physical manual or online. The battery was replaced by the official Swatch group repair/service centre in Southampton, UK. Theyve had it twice now since the first time after battery replacement the hands were left miscalibrated. It was returned and fixed but still this weird 'CHG bAt' and they want it back again (!) to look at it. Thanks again for answering and also for your great reviews of this watch!
It's a gamble this watch, if like me u own & flip often u could end up stuck with this as it's very pricey. Yes I like it but at £3750 not enough. But lose the silly gloves man they don't even look clean
