The Omega Planet Ocean GMT "Tai Chi" is the one with the half-black, half-white ceramic bezel, and VS Factory (VSF) builds the 43.5mm model here. The bezel is the whole reason this reference has the nickname, split down the middle into white for day and black for night. It's a GMT dive watch, and the bezel carries the 24-hour scale, so the two-tone insert is doing real work rather than just looking distinctive.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Factory | VS Factory (VSF) |
| Reference | 215.30.44.22.01.001 (Tai Chi, black and white GMT) |
| Movement | Dandong 8906 (DD8906) co-axial GMT, jumping hour |
| Case | 43.5mm, 316L steel |
| Bezel | Bi-directional black and white ceramic (ZrO2) |
| Dial | Polished black ceramic, white gold-tone appliques, GMT hand |
| Bracelet | 316L 3-link, diver extension clasp |
The bezel. Bi-directional, split into white and black ceramic. This is the hard part to clone, since a one-piece bi-color ceramic ring with a clean seam is difficult to produce, and it's the detail that gives the watch its "Tai Chi" or "Oreo" nickname. The 24-hour scale numerals contrast against each half for legibility.
The dial. Polished black ceramic, with a black and white GMT hand and applied Arabic numerals. The broad-arrow hands are skeletonized and the markers are white gold tone with Super-LumiNova. The black ceramic dial keeps the whole watch dark except for the bezel, which is where the contrast lives.
The movement. The Dandong 8906, a true traveler's GMT clone. Pull the crown to the first position and the hour hand jumps in one-hour steps while the seconds hand keeps running and the GMT hand stays put. The movement is visible through the sapphire caseback, with blackened screws and Geneva waves in arabesque.
The case and bracelet. The 43.5mm case is 316L steel with the conical helium escape valve at ten o'clock, so it keeps its dive credentials alongside the GMT function. The bracelet is a 3-link steel with brushed links and polished sides, closing with a deployant clasp and a rack-and-pusher micro-adjustment.
The takeaway. This is the Planet Ocean GMT Tai Chi, and VS Factory (VSF) got the two things that define it right: the DD8906 with the jumping hour hand, and that bi-color black and white ceramic bezel. It's the GMT Planet Ocean for people who want the bezel to be the talking point. The bezel is the hard part to get right, and it's also the reason to buy this reference in the first place.