Review Of Omega Seamaster Ploprof 600 Ref.166.077

You know the PloProf, that James Bond watch that never made it to the James Bond movies. Just imagine the possibilities with the red bezel release button. Bond could take the PloProf to his most explosive “final mission” and use it to launch a huge atomic bomb.

Sure the large and thick PloProf wouldn’t look that great with a tuxedo. But why didn’t they use it in some underwater scene? Or then having it on a wrist of some evil henchman like Jaws. He (of all people) would definitely have had a wrist big enough for this watch.

I have actually written a review of the actual and “original” Omega Bond watch, reference 2531.80.00. That model was a smashing success and the James Bond licence proved to be very clever business move for Omega back in the day. Since then there have been several other Bond Omegas but the 2531.80.00 was the “original” one. I used quotation marks because in Ian Fleming’s books Bond always wore a Rolex and in the earlier Bond films they used various different watch brands, but mostly just Rolex Submariner.

My review of Omega Seamaster “Bond”

PloProf gained a lot of attention when Omega relaunched their new retro version in 2009. The earliest prototypes came from Omega in 1969 but original version (the watch model in this review) was officially released in February 1971.

There was a lot of wrong information of the watch until Omega’s International Brand Heritage Manager Petros Protopapas cleared things up. There is even a book of PloProf (by Jon Wallis) but according to reports it has some outdated information.

There are a lot of websites and reviews that concentrate on PloProf’s history already and I don’t think it’s that interesting to repeat all that in this writeup.

But we can go through the main differences between the original PloProf and the 2009 re-issue. The main difference is the case. This original version didn’t use a helium escape valve at all. The monocoque case was made so tight that it could withstand insane amounts of pressure. Omega took great pride of this engineering.

But this extremely air/watertight case led to issues with the dial. The airlessness aged the dials very quickly. The base paint of the dials went sour and the surfaces started to bubble.

This means most of the earlier dials have been destroyed and have been replaced with the service dials. This particular watch has a service dial too, but the company that owns the watch still has the original in their possession. That can determine how valuable the watch is in the collector’s market.

Of course there are other differences too, like the dial, case, datewheel position and bezel of course. Here are the models (old and new, reference 224.30.55.21.01.001) side-by-side (pictures courtesy of Omega).

The crown is also different on the re-issue. This original watch has a square bolt that tightens the crown against the case. You unscrew the crown, loosen it and then set the date and hack the movement normally from the bolt. As you can see from the previous photograph, the new ones don’t have the bolt but they use pretty standard screw-down crown with a latch on top of it.

The term “tool watch” has become a bit pretentious. Who buys a Rolex Explorer II for cave dwelling? Or uses the Cosmograph Daytona stopwatch while watching car racing? Absolutely ridiculous. Chronographs and diver watches are fascinating as mechanical achievements but rarely used for their intended purpose.

Then people are buying very expensive sports watches and have become completely hysterical about them. First they post to the forums about their new “tool watch” but then some minor scratches on the clasp means an immediate contact to their therapist.

You often see forum postings like “Oh my God… scratched my Bluesy on the office desk! What can I do?”

The funny thing is that PloProf was actually used as a genuine diver’s tool when it was released. And it’s one of those watches that definitely look much better with some genuine wear and tear. Scratches and dents bring a lot of extra character to the watch.

In my opinion that is the case with all stainless steel sports watches. I would never polish them. It’s the very reason I was never comfortable with the two-tone sports watches that I’ve owned in the past, like the “Bluesy”. Kinda ruins the whole purpose of these timepieces.

My review of Rolex Submariner 16613

Ironically, there IS a two-tone version of the new PloProf, believe it or not. It’s sedna gold / titanium PloProf, reference 227.60.55.21.03.001. It was bad enough when Rolex released the two-tone SeaDweller but PloProf and gold mix up just as well as milk and Red Bull.

Bang ’em, use them, wear them like they’re designed to be worn. Something like PloProf could definitely take all the punishment you’re going to give it. There are no delicate parts at all and the monocoque case is built like a tank. Well… it IS a tank… sort of.

As stated before the original dials are mostly gone and many of these watches have Omega service dials. The good thing is that the newer service dials use Luminova, which makes them shine very brightly, even in underwater conditions. The bezel numbers are also lumed but hard use on this individual example has done its job and the lume has faded from some of the bezel numbers. But once again, it just part of this vintage piece’s appeal.

The movement is Omega Caliber 1002. It oscillates at 28.800 bph and has a standard quickset date and hacking function. Power reserve is 42 hours.

Here is better shot of the dial and bezel. The red “James Bond missile launch button” is actually a button to release the bezel rotation. The dial is almost a carbon copy of the real “Big Daddy” of them all, Omega Seamaster 1000 “The Grand” which I have reviewed in another article.

My review of Omega Seamaster PloProf 1000 aka “The Grand”

The most important question about big watch like this is “how does it wear”? Is it awkward or clumsy? Would you bang it against the door frames? It it too heavy?

After wearing this watch for a few days I have to say I’m positively surprised how quickly you get used to it. It looks huge when you take a close-up wrist shot, even on my 18.5 cm wrist but in reality it doesn’t wear that big. It’s surprisingly comfortable and definitely a watch that gets attention (if any watch ever does).

But when you take a photograph further away, you’ll notice that it really doesn’t look that huge at all. When it comes to wearability and usability, PloProf is probably comparable to a classic Panerai or even the 45mm Planet Ocean on a rubber strap (that I once owned). It feels more “reasonable” than a Breitling Super Avenger or even the smaller Skyland Avenger.

So what is the verdict of this watch? The summary?

Historically, most old real diving tool watches have been ugly, like the original Rolex DeepSea Special 47 (you know the one with the huge protruding bubble glass). It was so ugly that small children shouldn’t see it, at least not just before the bedtime.

Actually I don’t find the modern DeepSea Sea-Dwellers very attractive, either. But those hardcore dive watches have always been designed with the “function over form”-principle. They’re not designed to be pretty or handsome.

PloProf, however, manages to be very handsome watch, while doing all that. It’s a watch that I’ve always admired. A real purpose-built diver watch which is actually very cool at the same time. It’s not too big or impractical and it could be used as a everyday watch.

Personally, I would definitely choose this vintage, original model over the new one. The re-issue was exceptionally well executed but it’s still a re-issue. It’s almost like “would-you-get-the-original-Bullit-Steve-McQueen-Mustang-Fastback or the new “Edition Bullit nostalgia version”?” I bet most of us would take the original without any hesitation. Steve McQueen and the original Bullit Mustang were the “king of cool” and the re-issue was nice, but still just rebranded nostalgia.

Special thanks to my friends at Watch Service Finland for borrowing this watch for a review. They are very professional company that offers all kinds of service for watches in Helsinki, Finland and Hyvinkää, Finland. They even have a Omega-licenced watchmaker with the golden Omega certificate their payroll. Visit their website here.

Watch Service Finland Website

Thanks a lot for reading and the recent view counts of my articles and Google placings definitely prove that even during this Youtube video review era, there is still room for old fashioned text-picture watch reviews. This legendary watch was an utter joy to photograph.

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