I was hot on the heels of a moonwatch purchase from a friend and decided to ask for a "printed" catalog from Omega to see what was out there. At that time, the Rolex sub aesthetic did not float my boat and the only watch that interested me from the crown was the Exp II polar. To be frank, I really found the sub boring. I'd meet up with friends with subs and would scratch my head why.. of course, to clarify, I am referring to the 16610. The vintage subs have always been beautiful but the 5 digit reference has always eluded my fancy.
Anyway, so there it was, the catalog. I remember being smitten by the picture of the SMP300 on a rubber deployant. It just popped. One of those love at first sight things which saw me heading off to their boutique. I showed the salesperson the catalog, pointed the pic and put down a down/payment. It was not available at that time so I had to wait for it a few months.
It was quite a pleasant experience until the rubber started disintegrating a year later. Back then, I suppose they really didn't pay much attention to their rubber straps as conventional wisdom would dictate a bracelet preference over anything. I should have gotten the bracelet version but it was early days in my watch journey. Only pleasure mattered. I was dumb. But was very happy
1) The "Internet Team" .. That gave me a laugh. The ephemera that comes with a watch adds a nice dimension to memories that could have been easily forgotten. Partly why I think box, papers, etc play a part other than ensuring better resale. In this day and age, they'd just give you a link.
2) The printed page that prompted me to get it. The strap was crap as fit went but it was something that I chose to overlook :p
3) I bought an Isofrane several years later as I wasn't happy with other aftermarket choices back then. Isofranes are worth the money. Still soft and sturdy a decade later. The date on this watch is so unobstrusive and blends well with the dial. Even the date font is nice. I've never had it serviced and is still giving me chronometer performance 16years later ( 3 over 2 days). Thickness is lovely at 11.8mm. The current sub is at 12.6mm - I plan to get that one now that I'm not as dumb as before. Just waiting for serendipity to kick me in the head
Thanks for looking!
Echi