MKII Graywater Owner Check-In

Ah, I see it arrived safely on your wrist, Nick. > Enjoy. It was a trusted friend on mine for many a jog, snow jaunt, and midnight scurry. If you look back on my past posts, you'll find it was the muse for many photographic experiments. I miss her complex face already, but know she'll keep you entranced for many moons.



I recall a lot of us were wowed by the "light saber" second hand on release. It's really something to see in action.



ADDENDUM:

canni01 said:

….Why all 50 were not produced I am not sure. From prior posts it almost seems as though the project began to lose interest when the PMWF founder passed away and the site went down.

Click to expand...

The project was very briefly in peril because the PMWF, for whch the watch was made to commemorate, had to close down unexpectedly. Some of those who'd committed to the project declined or disappeared. But BobbyMike kept the fires stoked, and many of Mk II's fans swooped in and bought one (myself included). It's an amazing watch in several ways, and at the time t'was a golden opportunity to get a Mk II Benrus homage without scrounging for a pre-owned Paradive. The ETA movement is a reliable classic.

I believe the run didn't go to 50 due to parts supply issues, any other factors I leave to the principals to disclose. (Search in past threads and you may find answers.)

The PMWF community continued as the Wallet Friendly Watch Forum (WFWF).

BTW and FYI ... (background discussion). I was not involved in the PMWF design discussions or approval (I believe the project was driven by Reto and Bill Yao in collaboration), but I presumed this was a variant of the Benrus Type 1 homage Paradive, with a GMT movement and slightly different, flight instrument-inspired hands. Only AFTER getting it did I discover the Omega Flightmaster DNA. Introduced in 1969 as Omega's first distinct "pilot's watch," the watch came with a no-cost special order option of cadmium yellow chrono hands for better visibility in low light cockpit conditions. Like Rolex's GMT-Master, it had features intended for jet age, globe-trotting aircrews, right down to the jet intake inspired case, and Douglas DC-8[SUB][1][/SUB] on the caseback. Produced only from 1969 - 1977, it could be one of Omega's most distinctive "professional" watches (alongside the Ploprof).

[1] Technically, the tail of the engraving suggests a Boeing 707 "glider" with no engines. :roll:





The distinctive 24h hand, and the cadmium yellow highlights, of the Graywater must be an homage to the optional Flightmaster configuration. Once I "grokked" that connection, affection for the Graywater only grew stronger.

More on the Flightmaster from Worn & Wound.
Fratello Watches book review, Flightmaster Only.