Hi everyone,
Had a rather spontaneous purchase the other day, ended up trading my Omega Seamaster PO Chrono for the updated 9300 model:
The idea being that the DSSD would be a more formal watch to wear to work, and the PO would be a casual wearer hence the orange colour. It's more 'fun' than having all dark coloured watches.
This new PO 9300 model is often compared with the Rolex DSSD, which I am also fortunate to have in my hands. What the comparisons don't often show are side by side photos, and as I have the opportunity to do so it would be rude not to.
As you can already see, they are both stupidly large watches, not just in diameter but in depth too. I wouldn't advise anyone to have either of these watches as your only watch, but in a collection they both have their place.
I'll start with the boxes:
The Omega box doesn't seem to be any different from my last PO model, however the Rolex DSSD box is much bigger than the Submariner's. At this price point I'd expect something pretty special as Omega did with some of their limited edition Speedmasters or Oris and Panerai have with their boxes. But all you get is a boring box and a cardboard outer dust cover.
The PO 9300 has been completely redesigned from the original. The most noticeable feature is the dial with the two sub dials instead of the traditional three. I wasn't keen on this design at first but it's growing on me.
The DSSD takes its design from the traditional Rolex sports watches but then gives it a dose of steroids. The case is much thicker and the bezel is ceramic. This particular DSSD has the version 2 dial which has more rounded 'S' letters amongst other small changes. As far as I'm aware there is now also a version 3 dial too.
Using some ancient kitchen scales (not sure how accurate these are), the PO weighs in at around 250g and the DSSD comes in at a surprisingly lighter 220g. Both watches have been sized for my tiny wrists (~6.75”) and these weights will increase or decrease depending on how many links you need in the bracelet.
Some side-by-side photos:
A common issue with the DSSD is the amount that the bracelet tapers from the watch to the clasp. As you can see the PO bracelet doesn't taper in anywhere near as much. The new PO has screws in the bracelet now and the clasp and divers extention have both been changed. The clasp is slightly smaller than the previos PO and the divers extention is easier to remove and push back in. However the DSSD has it's party piece, the Glidelock mechanism. I can't stress how amazing this design is and being able to adjust the bracelet length in 2mm increments during the day so easily really does make the watch much more comfortable to wear. The PO has no micro adjustments and only a half link helps to get the correct size. The DSSD clasp isn't just one piece either, the end is actually on a sprung mechanism.
The caseback of the DSSD is a two piece design, with the centre being made of titanium.
The PO has something that the last PO was missing, a display back. In my opinion this really does make the watch, as it allows you to view some of the in house movement when your bored.
As mentioned earlier, both watches are huge! The DSSD was already renowned to be stupidly thick, however the PO is slightly larger again:
The crowns and pushers have been updated on the PO and are much easier to grip, but the crown on the DSSD looks much better with its crown guards:
Both watches also feature a helium escape valve, however the PO is operated manually whereas the DSSD requires no intervention at all:
The only issue I have with the DSSD is the lack of an AR coating. There is always a reflection in the crystal, no matters what angle your looking at it from. The PO has a double sided AR coating and this makes the dial much easier to read in bright light:
The lume on both watches is pretty good too. Not overly bright but the colours are much nicer than the traditional green. In person the lume doesn't look as 'blue' as in the photos. The PO actually uses two different colours of lume.
There's plenty of tehcnical information online on both watches and their dimensions and movements, but I thought some side-by-side photos would be of interest to people.
