# New Arrival - Omega Marine Chronometer



## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Everything comes to he who waits.... Or so my mum used to say... I wanted one of these for the longest time.... well now its here and, wow... what a watch!

For those that dont know its the most accurate watch in the world and is a true Marine Chronometer and like all Marine Chronometers was tested by the Observatory as Brescon in France....

Created in the mid 70's when Omega took the new fangled quartz's to another accuracy level over even their own very accurate new quartz watches. These are big and chunky watches for a rectangluar case watch and are not for those who like to hide their watch. They were worn by such luminaries as Jacques Cousteau when he wasnt diving. They were the most expensive watches in the Omega range and still arent cheap even today...

Some may remember I have two of the entry level MC look-a-likes that Omega made... just 'normal' quartz's but even those are cleverer than a modern quartz and offer some of the time setting fuctions that the MC does.

The MC is set with hours and mind on the crown - pull out crown once to set the hour first and pull again to set mins hand. secs are adjusted with a plunger and you need a pen to do that. On a ships Marine Chronometer you never adjust the time, you just monitor the time and add/subtract the known drift. Hence why you need the observatory to monitor the drift at various temps etc. Its all on the certificate and they also include a print out with the original line printer results from their databanks, what a great set of guys! All the info is as per the movement number and since its important to the watch that you use the right certificate etc Omega engraved the movt number on a gold plate on the front of the watch case!

Not much more I can say really.... well there is but, have a look at the pics first...


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## mart broad (May 24, 2005)

Congratulatins Jon,

Not my cup of tea but its great when you finally track down a watch you have been seeking particulary when it has survived in decent nick,wear it in good health.

Martin


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks Mart! Agreed these arent everyones cuppa but the technology is superb even if the looks are a tad dated perhaps... tho i actually like the look... im stuck in a late 70's/early 80's timewarp! LOL


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Fantastic Jon; I saw one on a visit to STS in Essex, I like it a lot







a very rare and unique piece IMO.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

From a technical & historical point Jon, a superb catch, well done









Aesthetically, like Mart, it`s not my cup of fair trade and I like 70`s watches


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

Interesting mate, not my taste, but I'm glad you're happy to have it.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Yes I think you dont fully appreciate these until you see them in the metal... the size and quality helps the looks when on the wrist. I actually really do like the look of these in the same way that whilst I really dont like gold watches, I do quite like the odd gold bezel  The dials on these watches are clean and crisp and the 'click' of the seconds just has to be heard... its like blows of a hammer.... I whipped the back off earlier and realised the back was helping keep the noise down... it could be annoying when trying to go to sleep but at least its a solid tick not like the swatch "shhhshhh-tick" noise.... Also the secs hand lines up properly - but considering what these cost and their hand built nature, that was to be expected!









Sizes are:

top to bottom: 44mm

width: excl crown 32.5mm with crown 34.5mm but wears wider because of the wide bracelet near the case

height: 12mm

One thing I didnt mention is that when setting the hour hand you only have to do it approximate... when you click the crown back in the watch sorts out the exact position of the hour hand itself...


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## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

nice find jon, im particular to 70's watches myself







,what sort of prices are these going for? ,im not sure ive seen one before tbh.


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## foztex (Nov 6, 2005)

Well done Jon,

wicked info, dead interesting. I love the fact it sorts its hand positions out, too cool. Top piece of history mate.









Andy


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## Bareges (Aug 18, 2005)

Jon,

Nice catch, very interesting history and techie bit..................looks, etc not for me but nonetheless a fantastic catch! - luckily we don't all like the same things - makes a market!!!


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

We have heathens on the forum by the sound of it, it looks fantastic!









A long term favorite of mine too!

Very interesting too, I diddnt know that bit about not adjusting hands at sea etc...

Well done fella!


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Like the historical and mechanical info - hate the watch - SORRY - looks like something cobbled together by an "Indian Electrician" to quote Chooky Enbra.









But that's me, ever the heathen. No, I couldn't live with this at all, it looks (to me) so crude and not nice at all - but I can appreciate you saying it is a real masterpiece on the timekeeping front.

Wish you well, it should get remarked upon anyway, just not for me!


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Nice catch Jon....well done....I oh so nearly bought one of these at the end of last year....Â£1200 and worth every penny....but I had second thoughts, mainly because I knew I would rarely actually wear the thing! It was the lure of the technology and history that almost emptied my wallet!









Its good to know another OMC is in good hands.....

best regards David


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## garryACA (Mar 20, 2007)

Interesting, it looks like it would be quite long across the wrist, How heavy is it?


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Pugster - hard to say on prices... Omegamania has messed up all estimates it seems.... David mentioned Â£1200and one sold for US$3k ish last week on ebay... Id say one thats been thru Bienne with warranty would be US$3.5-4k but you might get lucky...

Foz - Cheers mate - yes its a great bit of history but trust me it looks nice in the metal too... the pics dont do it justice 

Bareges - haha indeed. sadly there seem to be an awful lot of people out there who do appreciate these watches... that and the fact these were, by a long chalk, the most expensive watches in the Omega range during the mid to late 70's.

Jase - Cheers mate! I knew you'd like it... not may of us classy folk left it seems 









Mel - Er... I dunno who that is but you really do need to see one of these in the metal... theres nothing 'cobbled together' or 'crude' about it at all...







these were the top of the Omega range and its got stunning build quality as well as the timekeeping stuff.... Perhaps my pics dont do it justice at all.









David - I knew I could rely on you







Yep its a lot of money if you dont think you'll wear something... but worth every penny imho as this will be a daily wearer for me, tho it may get Bienne'd as id like to have the case refinished and a new bracelet... timekeeping is especially excellent (of course) and i think it was thru Bienne in the past few years as its got a new back (very obvious as the logo wears quickly on these) and crystal/dial/hands (tho these are tritium so original production parts and not more modern SL parts etc) and its original bracelet has been refinsihed and shows signs of wear again in the interlinks etc. Either way I shall enjoy it for a bit and then decide... its very comfy to wear as the big wide case sits well on the wrist and the barcelet holds it snug to the wrist - its very well balanced etc.

Garry - depends on the size of your wrist i guess..., it weights 150g on enough bracelet for an 8.5" - 8.75" wrist...


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Bugger you Jon....your making me think I should have gone for it now!


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Just lovely...

as a collector of Marine Chronometers, I have wanted one of these to go with the clocks....I'm real jealous

Roger


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## Sparky (Nov 2, 2005)

Very nice watch Jon! Congrats! I (unlike some others Mac etc







 ) actually like that watch, it is right up my street. I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers

Mark


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## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

Fantastic watch, a real icon.









I envy you owning it .

Dave


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## Bladerunner (Jun 4, 2006)

Like the dial, straightforward & clear; well done Jon on a rare catch.


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

Jon, congratulations.

You are not alone in your admiration of this watch.

I love it because of what it represents - it was cutting edge at the time (30 or so years ago) and it still is - plus I think its looks sum up the era it came from.










One of the great things about the watch is that you can regulate it yourself, if you are brave enough to get the back off (which is very easy).


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

Nice job Jon and Standford, not many watches, or anything for that matter, that can be said "cutting edge at the time (30 or so years ago) and it still is"

Certainly one I would be proud to have under the stairs.

I.m wondering could you buy one of these and it die on you, Can the Omega people still do the business on such an old and rare watch?

@Stanford, you might want to check /change them springbars before you go golfing!


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

DavidH said:


> Nice job Jon and Standford, not many watches, or anything for that matter, that can be said "cutting edge at the time (30 or so years ago) and it still is"
> 
> Certainly one I would be proud to have under the stairs.
> 
> ...


David, good spot - the springbars were buggered and have been changed since the picture was taken. It's hard to believe the bracelet stayed on with them in that state!

Omega have a very good reputation for maintaining these watches and can, apparently, replace the whole movement if necessary, although I don't want to think about what it might cost! I'm told that they also provide a very good restoration service, with the watch looking like new afterwards (including the bracelet).


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

David - Keep an eye out, you never know what you might find... tho beware that you know exactly what youre buying... One recently one came up on ebay that looked 'ok' until you looked closely when you saw the hands were wrong and then discovered it had been fitted with a Â£1 quartz movt from something else.... easy to spot but one for the unwary of course...

Roger - I nearly PM'd you direct to tell you I had it on the way, I know you like these









Mark - Cheers mate. Its funny really to have such a split on the forum about the looks. My other half said she hates the other two smaller watches that ape the look of the MC (pic under this reply for those that havent seen them), and when I told her about this one she was less than keen.... but she liked it when she saw it and said it was partly the integrated bracelet that helped give the watch a clean but chunky look.

Dave - Cheers mate!

Alan - Thanks mate! yes the clarity of dial is amazing with instant understanding of the time to the second as you would expect, and it apes its big brother which was a 'real' ships Marine Chronometer... ie an accurate clock in a box that Omega made for the ships of the 70s.

Stanford - Cool! I didnt know there was another owner on the forum! Yours is a beauty! I recognise those pics from WUS (im Jon12w on there), good to see you here too mate! I saw yours when doing my research on these before I bought (although these are not hard watches to buy imho, as no fakes exist and simple checks ensure you get the right watch etc). Nice to see you still have the folder and the original paperwork with yours, nice catch. Agred the regulation would be simple but I think Id sent it back to Omega if it was far enough out for me to need to make a change... Im not good with watch innards....









David - Your totally right..... "cutting edge at the time (30 or so years ago) and it still is".... Stanford summed it up its significance in that one line I guess. In discussion with Nalu he also mentioned something I hadnt previously considered, which is that this is the one watch you actually see Jacques Cousteau wearing all the time in the 70's. He worked closely with Omega and would have been a prime candidate to own one..... and of course not all the filiming was underwater (where he and the team wore all manner of watches in the episodes) but was also on land, where he always seemed to favour the MC. JYC isnt as popular now as perhaps he once was, but I was captivated with the underwater world as a kid and avidly watched his shows so its another good link for this watch imho.

Stanford is quite right in that Omega can restore these watches to new condition. Had this watch been from almost any other brand I would have been happy to keep mine as it is (as its not in bad condition for a 30 year old used watch - and it looks like Omega have had it and redone the bracelet before from what I can tell) but as Omega offer the service I may well take them up on their offer to refinish the case sides and bezel and fit new interlinks in the bracelet and refinish the satin brushed finish on that. Ordinarily I might attempt that myself but it seems churlish to bother when Omega can do it properly and will also do the seals, lube etc and hence offer a 2 year warranty afterwards. At the same time i will also ask for an extract of the records for the watch which Omega provide in the form of a certifcate which includes information on what coutry the watch was sold from etc. Its a 'nice to have' to go with the history of the watch and not that expensive, anyone who sends a watch to Omega to be restored should get one imho.

One nice thing about most early Quartz watches is that they were made using mechanical watch principals and so tend to be of modular construction (ie not very integrated componants) and very high quality, unlike where Quartz ended up not that many years later. This means that the circuits can simple be seperated from the mechanicals and the movement can often be disasembled and new parts substituted - with modern quartz watches often if it dies they just replace the movement in its entirity as its quicker and cheaper in the long run. Obviously swapping the movement out on a Marine Chronometer is a big no-no as the movement number is also engraved on the small plate on the watch and matches the certificate that Breascon produced for the watch... beware of MC's with unmatched numbers... no real issue with them, bad stuff does sometimes happen to movements etc, but you should know what youre buying etc.

Pic of my 'baby MCs'. These are the same era and ape the dial/case designs of the MC but were significantly cheaper. These also are early quartz's and have the imho innovative "traveller" setting seperate button in the center of the crown (you push it with a pen etc) to set the mins. Hours are set using the crown in one hour increments.


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Jon,

Roger - I nearly PM'd you direct to tell you I had it on the way, I know you like theseI have done the special raindance...so I know that you will really hate it after a few days, and then offer to sell it to me!!!









Jon....that is probably one of a very, very few watches that make me jealous... enjoy, Mate

Roger


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Didnt you have a SeaDweller you needed to swap?






































Timekeeping update.... After wearing it all day yesterday when doing all sorts of things its now almost a whole 1 sec out.... so either it got a knock (if that occured at the exact moment the secs were being incremented then it could add or subract and extra one as the movt is 'open') or it doesnt like my warm wrist as much as the cooler desk... I'll keep an eye on it....


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Jon,

Didnt you have a SeaDweller you needed to swap?Long gone, I,m afraid!









Timekeeping update.... After wearing it all day yesterday when doing all sorts of things its now almost a whole 1 sec out.... so either it got a knock (if that occured at the exact moment the secs were being incremented then it could add or subract and extra one as the movt is 'open') or it doesnt like my warm wrist as much as the cooler desk... I'll keep an eye on it.... Its obviously a lemon !!
















Roger


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Not that id have swapped it for the SD really.... these are somewhat harder to come by that Rolex's finest...
















Yeah you could be right Roger... tho of course were I to refer to my timekeeping certificate I could work out my drift and plot the correct time etc... er....









Some more pics....


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## tertius (Jan 30, 2007)

What an absolutely extraordinary watch.

I'm completely divided by it, and I'm only one person (I think) - I really don't like it for its looks, but I love it for what it is.

Congratulations.


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

tertius said:


> What an absolutely extraordinary watch.
> 
> I'm completely divided by it, and I'm only one person (I think) - I really don't like it for its looks, but I love it for what it is.
> 
> Congratulations.


I'm sort of with you on that. The only thing I don't like is the words Marine Chronomoter in capitals across the top of the face.

My choice would be JonW's 'baby MCs' - much more subtle - I want one


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Hee Hee Im really pleased its sparking debate....

The baby MCs are very cool. I should really get a pic of them with the MC really, but theyre defo babies by comparison...

They say early quartz will be the next big thing... we'll see i guess


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

JonW said:


> They say early quartz will be the next big thing... we'll see i guess


Not that I'll be around to find out - but I wonder if quartz movements will last as long as mechanicals. I'm pretty certain that 'collectors' will ensure some remain but I expect that sourcing the right battery might be an issue for a century old swatch!


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

langtoftlad said:


> JonW said:
> 
> 
> > They say early quartz will be the next big thing... we'll see i guess
> ...


Oh I dunno about that... the old batteries with scary chemicals have died out but we still have equivalents. I think with the global village that the internet has brought upon us there will always be enough of a market for batteries for these. The difference between modern quartz and the early ones is the deisgn is based on less integration so parts replacement/substitution is somewhat eaiser... but parts will eventually dry up i guess, although people may just buy other watches and rob the innards out...


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

mart broad said:


> Congratulatins Jon,
> 
> Not my cup of tea but its great when you finally track down a watch you have been seeking particulary when it has survived in decent nick,wear it in good health.
> 
> Martin


Ditto that but a good and different catch


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## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

Not for me, but congrats on finding something you were searching for


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Cheers guys!

Griff - I did my best to appease Paul with this one as its electronic as well as not being a diver!


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Great pic that Ron... tho it looks loose on his wrist...

Another pic of the great man himself...










and some other geezer with one...










(Both pics from other sites... Ive had em on my PC ages so dunno whos they are...sorry)

Quick pic of the back as this is an amonoly for Omega... its a Constellation without the observatory on the back... (I reckon there wasnt enough metalto dig that deep and make it still comfy)...


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

I like the look of it on the wrist.

Did they do a Stainless version?


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

As well as the original paperwork I also got a nice box....I'm guessing it is the right one for the model as the 'bezel' on top looks like it was intended to look like the one on the watch.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ron, aye thats a great link - some great watches on some great people's wrists!









Howard, the only 18ct gold bits are the plate with the movt mumber on the front and the bezel. The bezel is removable (4 screws) and you could easily get one knocked up in stainless as its a very simple shape cut from flat plate with radiused corners and countersunk holes for the screws. If you make a few, i'll have one  Im sure there would be a few people on the WUS HEQ forum who would too.










FWIW Some of the baby MCs were available with stainless bezels.

Stanford! Damn I hate you! only joking... yes thats the original box... mine didnt come with it so im on the lookout for one if anyone sees one please do drop me a mail/pm. ta.


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

More Cousteau pics here and here.

I thought these guys were like Superman when I was a kid....still do.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Yeah Im with you to Sharkster! Brave with a dash of stupid perhaps but they certainly pushed the envelope. very inspiring for a kid in the 70's.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Some Folks asked to see a pic with something they knew the size of.... I guess everyone knows how big a Rolex Sub is so here goes a very quick n dirty pic.



Also here are some more of JYC with his MC



















and his son with his MC



















(images from sites linked in this thread)


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

SharkBike said:


> More Cousteau pics here and here.
> 
> I thought these guys were like Superman when I was a kid....still do.


It's very humbling to see these guys doing their stuff, and using their divers as intended. Great pictures.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Jon....another pops up on the bay 150124081194.......Â£1700







Think I will give this one a miss...serviced by thier watchmaker?









Best regards David


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## hakim (Sep 13, 2004)

Jon, I really did'n't want to post my views on this watch because initially I thought it looked ugly







. Ofcourse my knowledge of watches stems back 3 years only hence the hesitation, but now that I've seen more of the watch pics, the history behind it, its amazing capability and more importantly the fantastic wrist shots, I can now truly admire this watch!














I particularly like the low key, no-nonsense look of it.

At first I thought I'd never wear such a thing, but now I think it truly is a classic. Don't let go of it!.......and thanks for educating me on this fine watch!


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

Boxbrownie said:


> Jon....another pops up on the bay 150124081194.......Â£1700
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Superficially, it looks in pretty good shape. Admitedly there are some marks on the bracelet and it looks pretty dirty, but it doesn't look like the case has been excessively polished - an easy way to tell is if there is a definite line between the case and the gold bezel - in an untouched example the bezel appears to sit on top of the case whereas if it has been over-polished they tend to merge into one (if you know what I mean).

If one was seriously considering it, it wouldn't do any harm to get more pictures and confirmation that the movement serial number matches the case.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

David, theres very little to do to service one of these... like all elctrics its just the of drop of oil 

Hakim!







your passion goes back as far as mine mate, if not slightly longer  Im really glad youve found an appreciating for this one, its a defo keeper and I rate it the same as the Ploprof for many reasons... imho its a great watch







One day I hope to be able to show you this one... ry and get another HK trip for July 

Stanford, I agree with all that youve said about that one David mentioned. Mine has been a bit over polished imho but actually the gold is so soft that any jeweler who did repolish it would most lilely blend it into the case without thinking. Interestingly on my NOS BabyMCs the gold bezel is very seperate and has almost sharp edges, but Omega restored MCs often seem to have more finished edges on them... I dunno if Omega have the bezel as a replacement part but I would think that they do


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## Ventura (Nov 27, 2006)

JonW anychance of a shot of a few of your divers? It would make a cool wallpaper.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

JonW said:


> Griff - I did my best to appease Paul with this one as its electronic as well as not being a diver!














JonW said:


> David, theres very little to do to service one of these... like all electrics its just the of drop of oil










h34r:


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ventura - sorry mate, they rarely come out of the bank at the same time...









Paul -


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