While it is a little sad that the upcoming Bond flick next year will see a swan song by Daniel Craig, the good news is that this Diver is forever with plenty of 007 details and 4 different watches to spy on.
So we know that Daniel Craig is done with Bond. Or playing the role at least. As such, the 25th Bond installation due for release in April 2020 (note from editor: film made its world premiere finally on 28 September 2021 after covid-19 pandemic pushback) will be his last. After all he has spent 14 years playing the spy, a record in itself. (And it isn’t just Daniel Craig as most of us in our hectic lives can relate to the film’s title) So here are some facts you need to know about ‘No Time To Die’.
The plot: Bond has finally retired and is having a hoot and a pina colada in Jamaica. But as life would have it, he is recalled to the Service of Her Majesty to capture a dangerous criminal (Rami Malek) who is a real techie and can create innovation that may annihilate more than just Silicon Valley.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is well known for his work on season 1 of True Detective. He is also the first American director to take on a Bond movie.
Thirdly, Daniel Craig recommended that creator and star of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge to producers to help give the script a dash of wit and quirkiness. So it seems that this latest installation might really be different in format and tonality from the rest. We will only know when it makes big screen.
As it is the golden anniversary of the James Bond franchise, Omega has released a limited edition Seamaster Diver 300M 42mm in stainless steel resplendent with 007-touches. Since ‘Golden Eye’ in 1995, the MI6 agent has always been seen wearing one. In ‘Golden Eye’, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond watch was the Seamaster 300M Professional Quartz with its naval-inspired wave pattern, that could also laser cut metal and deactivate bombs. In ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, Bond uses the helium release valve connected to a microchip to remotely shatter a glass container holding a grenade. Similarly in Die Another Day and Spectre, the Seamaster was used to detonate bombs. In 1999 ‘The World is Not Enough’, Bond uses his as a lighting device to escape a nuclear silo.
Seamaster 300M is limited to 7,007 pieces
Although without access to wicked wrist weaponry, it is still rather extraordinary that the Seamaster Diver 300M OHMSS 50th Anniversary shows off several visual tributes to the film. The most distinctive being the dial which depicts the iconic intro credit sequence of every Bond movie – the coiled view through a gun’s barrel and a 9mm bullet head at the centre.
18K yellow gold makes an appearance on all the hands and indexes, including the one at 12 o’clock which sports a stylised design of the Bond family’s coat-of-arms. On the side of the case, Omega has placed an 18K yellow gold plate engraved with a limited edition number for each of the 7,007 pieces.
Another instant delight is that on the 7th day of every month, the wearer will see the number 7, with the same exact font as the 007 logo, peeking through the date window.
There is also a hidden ‘50’ on the 10 o’clock lume plot which appears by night as a secret signature within the Super-LumiNova circle.
Aside from that, this is in most respects a standard Seamaster 300M measuring 42mm in diameter with a co-axial escapement, helium escape valve at 10 o’clock and a Master Chronometer movement. In brushed stainless steel, this limited edition variant wears a black rubber strap with a steel pin buckle. For those who prefer the classic Bond look, a stainless steel bracelet is included in the box.
For die hard Seamaster fans, a James Bond Limited Edition Set
For those who are die hard fans of Omega and James Bond, the watchmaker has yet another 257 special Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond Limited Edition Set. Placed in a Globe-Trotter suitcase bound by black and grey NATO-inspired straps are two Seamaster Diver 300M.
The first model is stainless steel clad, while the second model wears more yellow gold, 18K to be precise and a black rubber strap with an 18K yellow gold buckle. The case plate with each Limited Edition number is in 18K white gold and the black ceramic bezel features a diving scaled in Omega Ceragold™.
What’s special for both watches in this super exclusive edition is that the gun-barrel design is laser engraved on to their dials which also has a special black PVD coating. Turn these watches over and one will also see the family crest metallised in gold and black on the sapphire crystal of each watch’s caseback. Each owner of the Globetrotter suitcase will also get additional straps including a stainless steel bracelet, and NATO strap for each model with buckles in matching materials.
Last but certainly not least,
The Omega that Daniel Craig helped to create
It is official – the new Seamaster 300M 007 Edition has been built closely with input from Daniel Craig and the producers of the Bond films. Craig’s advice was pivotal in the final outcome of the watch as he wanted a watch that was lightweight but tough for a military man like 007. The 42mm timepiece is crafted from Grade 2 Titanium to make its case and mesh bracelet which also has an adjustable buckle. OMEGA also used “tropical” brown aluminium for the dial and bezel ring to further shed some weight. These elements together with the vintage Super-LumiNova have given the watch a nostalgic feel.
A series of numbers on the caseback follow the format for genuine military-issue watches. “0552” is the code-number specified for Navy personnel, with “923 7697” being the number for a divers’ watch. The letter “A” is a code used to signify a watch with a screw-in crown, while “007” is James Bond’s iconic agent number. Finally, the number “62” is the year of the very first James Bond film.
The new non-limited watch is completed by a NAIAD LOCK caseback, which keeps all of the engravings in correct alignment. It will be available on the captivating titanium mesh bracelet, or on a striped NATO strap in dark brown, grey and beige with “007″ engraved on the loop. The watch will be available from February 2020.
Images courtesy of Omega, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related links:
Omega: The Seamaster Diver 300M in 2019
6 Reasons why the new Omega Seamaster 300m is Making Waves
