Just in Time: First pics of our Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military
Ordering a new watch just before you leave for two weeks of vacation in the Californian sun is the best way to ensure a joyous and triumphant return.
However, the sheer volume of opinion and sentiment over Straight-Six’s decision to buy the Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military, or OVM, almost torpedoed our departure. We simply didn’t want to leave the conversation.
Turns out that the OVM moved our readers to mount their soapboxes quicker than the Fool orders a martini in an empty bar. The conversation has been rich, vibrant, and downright educational, with one reader referring to the dial design as having entered the public domain following Rolex’s burying of it post-production of the 1,200 or so Military Submariners.
A minority of you believe this watch to be nothing more than a copy, a cheap way of capitalising on another brand’s seminal design. In other words, you see it as a fraud. Clearly, the OVM cannot be a fake since it does not purport to be a Rolex MilSub, but it’s obvious the dial/case/bezel design all flow from the aforementioned Rolex.
The clear majority, however, stand firm in stating it is an absolute pleasure that a brand can produce something that looks so good for so little money, ticking all the right technical spec boxes along the way. The core argument is that this watch is phenomenal to look at and deserves recognition for brilliantly, and democratically, resuscitating this long-gone design.
Besides, almost none of us could ever afford the Rolex MilSub, of which only some 120 are rumored to still exist. The irrelevant and unobtainable becomes relevant and accessible. Nice.
And since we posted, a large number of OVM owners have poured out of the digital woodwork voicing their enthusiasm for this wondrous little piece. Six stands firmly with them and to get us moving into the weekend full of gusto and unbridled joy, we thought we’d share some first pics of the OVM with you.
Six’s first impressions are that this piece punches far above it’s weight. While the case, bezel and crown finishing reveal this watch was produced down to a cost, the dial and hands are simply superb, with the former reveling in its textured surface while the latter are as mezmerising as you’d imagine they’d be.
The supplied steel bracelet looked and felt substantial but nothing more, and our original suggestion to ignore it and get the OVM onto sharp NATO strap stands. The bevelled sapphire crystal is also a treat, enjoying the blueish tinge of an anti-reflective treatment.
Most of all, the OVM has brought with it a sense of liberation and levity. It is a healthy reminder that fun and ownership pleasure can be found up and down the watch hierarchy and not just in the stuffy and oh-so parochial halls of the hallowed manufactures.
On a technical note, the lighting in our office wasn’t exactly ideal, meaning the patina lume looks yellowish rather than the soft eggshell colour it actually is. It’s clear a Talking Hands on the OVM is a must and it’s one you won’t want to miss given how much this piece has polarised the Fool and Six.
Enjoy the weekend, folks!
http://www.theprodigalguide.com/2012/04 ... e-military
