# Please tell me about the Omega Bond Seamaster cal 1538.



## omdroparebop

Is this quartz movement anything special? Anyone know anything about it in terms of features or accuracy specs?
Thanks in advance.
Rich


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## RogerE

omdroparebop said:


> Is this quartz movement anything special? Anyone know anything about it in terms of features or accuracy specs?
> Thanks in advance.
> Rich


Rich: The 1538 is not a thermocompensated movement; as such there has been some debate in the forum whether or not it is 'HEQ'. Most here would say 'no'. I own 2 watches with the movement (both since new), a '95 Seamaster and an '07 Seamaster and both have great accuracy and reliability. The '07 has lost only 4 seconds in the last 2 months, which is pretty darn good for a non-HEQ movement. The '95 just came back from its first servicing so I haven't checked its accuracy for a while. The movement features an independently settable hour hand and 'end of life' battery indication. To change the date you just have to dial the hour hand forward until it changes (i.e., semi-quick change). I can't remember the jewel count offhand, but it is either 6 or 7 jewels. To summarize, the Seamaster is a great case with a very good movement, and is priced accordingly. Roger.


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## omdroparebop

RogerE said:


> To summarize, the Seamaster is a great case with a very good movement, and is priced accordingly. Roger.


You have a tactful, yet precise way with words, Roger. :-d
Thanks for the very helpful feedback. Your personal observation confirms what I'd suspected. I'd always loved the look of the Seamaster Bond, (Is it wrong to love a watch for its bracelet?), but suspected that it held a pedestrian, if reliable, movement.


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## RogerE

I agree with your assessment of the looks of the Seamaster, Rich. I wear it to work and I find myself checking the time every few minutes just so I can stare at it again. I certainly understand why the Omega fans are so diehard.


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## dwjquest

omdroparebop said:


> Is this quartz movement anything special? Anyone know anything about it in terms of features or accuracy specs?
> Thanks in advance.
> Rich


I have 3 Omega seamaster watches with the 1538 movement. A Seamaster 200m Pro, Seamaster 300m Pro, and Seamaster Aqua Terra. The accuracy of these 3 watches is 33 s/y, 113 s/y, and 4 s/y. Quite a wide range even though all were held at a nice comfortable 84 F. Looks like it is the luck of the draw with this movement.


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## ppaulusz

RogerE said:


> ...I can't remember the jewel count offhand, but it is either 6 or 7 jewels...


6 jewels!


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## M4tt

I own an Omega Seamaster Pro. Mine is getting on for ten years old and, with a replacement bezel insert and buckle, is still going strong - and it looks great.

The accuracy remains excellent despite having had nothing more than battery changes and, as you can see, I use it for sea kayaking among other things.









It looks even better from the side...









However...

This is what the movement looks like:










The quality of the finishing is, technically speaking, _pants_. I have seen many cheaper watches with basically the same movement in a gilded version that look great. This doesn't. To look at it's a poorly finished pedestrian movement. However, the ongoing accuracy and longevity suggest that perhaps Omega may have done something more interesting under the hood.


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## ppaulusz

M4tt said:


> ... the ongoing accuracy and longevity suggest that perhaps Omega may have done something more interesting under the hood.


The Omega caliber 1538 is based on the ETA 255.461 movement. Most probably Omega ordered the movement from ETA with aesthetical modification (to the ETA base caliber) that has no effect on the performance of the movement. A decent, trusted performer but to make it an outstanding one its electronic module needs to be replaced with matching thermocompensated modules from ETA.


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## vizi

Make this:-!
https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?p=842164#poststop


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## M4tt

I stand corrected! ...

... Suggest that the original ETA ebauche is a perfectly competent if unexciting movement. 

Better?

Vizi, that conversion remains as cool today as when you first proposed it!


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## ppaulusz

M4tt said:


> ... Suggest that the original ETA ebauche is a perfectly competent if unexciting movement...


I agree!;-)


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## Bruce Reding

ppaulusz said:


> I agree!;-)


Ditto. The miracle of quartz: they're all actually pretty darned good.


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