Omega celebrates the 75th anniversary of the beloved Seamaster line with the launch of 11 new watches that range from dressy to dive tech.
Picture a perfect day out at sea, and the colour that comes to mind immediately is probably that of blue. For Omega, it’s none other than Summer Blue. The alluring hue forms the base layer of almost all the dials in the commemorative collection. Used in varying degrees in the Swiss watchmaker’s 11-watch collection launched in conjunction with the Seamaster’s 75th anniversary, the striking tone invokes the ocean’s boundlessness while reflecting the Seamaster’s depth-defying credentials.
Every watch in this special collection sports a striking commemorative caseback too: the Seamaster logo, depicting a trident-bearing Poseidon and two seahorses. Back in the 1950s, Omega sought to create a symbol representative of the Seamaster collection’s seafaring heritage, refined style, and robust spirit. On a trip to Venice, designer Jean-Pierre Borle struck gold when he chanced upon the sculpted representations of Neptune’s Seahorse on each side of the city’s iconic gondolas.
An appreciation of the Seamaster is not complete without its history. The Seamaster has its origins all the way back in 1932 when the Omega “Marine”, the world’s first civilian diver’s watch was launched. Successfully tested at 73 metres below the surface of Lake Geneva, and water-resistant at a depth of 135 metres when pressure-tested inside the Laboratory of Watchmaking Research in Neuchatel, this marked the beginning of Omega’s advancements in underwater watch design.
Progress was made quickly in the fields of water resistance, anti-magnetism, and robustness, when Omega had to deliver more than 110,000 watches that could withstand the harshest conditions during the second World War, to the pilots, navigators, and soldiers of Great Britain’s Ministry of Defence to support its Air Force and Navy pilots during service. Each watch bore a W.W.W engraving – that stood for “Waterproof Wrist Watch” – on the caseback by the Ministry. Launched in 1948 to coincide with Omega’s 100th anniversary, the collection blended battle-proven technology with an elegant exterior to produce a watch for “town, sea and country.”
Almost a decade on, the Seamaster came into its own as the watch of choice for undersea adventurers with the Seamaster 300 that released in 1957. Since then, many iterations of the iconic watch were born, each bearing innovative technologies and even greater levels of water resistance, playing a key role in ocean exploration and conservation. Today, every one of Omega’s water-resistant watches are tested in a real underwater environment at the brand’s industry-leading facilities under the certification standards set by METAS (the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology).
Explore the wonders of the Seamaster with this year’s special editions, and dive deep into its remarkable history of innovation, exploration, ocean-tested performance and design.
Aqua Terra
Background:
Released in 2002, the Seamaster Aqua Terra’s restrained display recalled the clean lines of the original Seamaster 300 from 1957. Over the years, ocean-inspired design touches, such as sailboat indexes and teak-pattern dials reminiscent of luxury yacht decks, were introduced.
What’s new:
Three new models with symmetrical cases and crowns in stainless steel join the Aqua Terra collection. Each one has a new dial in sun-brushed Summer Blue varnished with a gradient finish to reflect the 150-metre water resistance of the Aqua Terra, while a complementary light blue shade of Super-LumiNova fills the rhodium-plated hands and indexes. The 38 mm edition is powered by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800, and features sailboat indexes paired with a polished and brushed bracelet formed with rounded links. The next size up at 41 mm comes with a matching bracelet or blue rubber strap, and is powered by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8900.
Aqua Terra Worldtimer
Background:
With its day and night indications and circle of global destinations, the Aqua Terra Worldtimer is the ultimate call to adventure. Two years after its launch in 2017, Omega adopted laser technology to achieve dials of exceptional texture and colour: beautiful visions of Earth can be worn on the wrist.
What’s new:
Laser-ablating texture followed by colour on a grade 5 titanium plate presents a vision of Earth – a blue ocean and relief of the continents – on the new 43mm Aqua Terra Worldtimer in stainless steel. Around the dial is a circle of silvery printed global destinations, while hesalite glass reveals a 24-hour reading with light blue to indicate daytime and dark blue to indicate night, bridging the outer and inner displays. In line with Aqua Terra technology, the Worldtimer marks time 150 metres underwater, and is driven by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8938.
Seamaster 300
Background:
Launched in 1957 with the Speedmaster and Railmaster as part of Omega’s “professional” trilogy, the original Seamaster 300 had an easy-to-read display and exceptional water resistance, indicated by the “Naiad” star set within the logo on the crown.
What’s new:
The new version of the Seamaster 300 continues that legacy with Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8912, certified at the industry’s highest level by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). At 41 mm, the Seamaster 300 has a symmetrical case and crown in polished and brushed stainless steel, with a matching bracelet. Reflecting its water resistance of 300 metres, is the varnished dial in Summer Blue and the unique light blue Super-LumiNova marking the rhodium-plated hands, recessed hour markers, and open numerals.
Diver 300M
Background:
The Diver 300M released in 1993 has a distinctive diving scale, skeleton hands, bold raised indexes, and helium escape valve, offering deep-sea adventurers a stylish way to tell time underwater.
What’s new:
Powered by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800, the 42mm Seamaster Diver 300M in stainless steel has a Summer Blue wave-pattern ceramic dial varnished with a gradient finish to reflect its water resistance. A blue ceramic bezel with new Summer Blue enamel (Grand feu) diving scale encircles the dial featuring rhodium-plated skeleton hands and raised indexes filled with light blue Super-LumiNova.
Planet Ocean 600M
Background:
Drawing design cues from the Seamaster 300, the Planet Ocean was released in 2005 with an orange bezel and distinctive helium escape valve. It also contained Omega’s famous Co-Axial escapement, that debuted in the Calibre 2500.
What’s new:
Those seeking serious dive tech would be impressed by the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M’s water resistance prowess. Powered by OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800, this 39.5mm model features a stainless steel case and bracelet paired with a PVD-treated blue ceramic bezel with light blue diving scale encircling the Summer Blue ceramic dial, and completed with blued hands and indexes filled with light blue Super-LumiNova.
Ploprof
Background:
The Seamaster Professional 600, better known as the “Ploprof” (from PLOngeur PROfessionnel – French for “professional diver”) is one of the most robust and innovative divers’ wristwatches ever made to withstand the ocean’s most crushing pressures. Omega fixed the crystal to the tough monobloc case, eliminating the need for a helium escape valve. In the Ploprof’s early years, French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and the underwater research company COMEX, relied on the watch during their deep-sea experiments.
What’s new:
The 2023 version of Ploprof is crafted in O-MEGASTEEL with a sun-brushed Summer Blue dial, taking design inspiration from the original model in 1971: The bezel ring is a sapphire crystal, mirroring the chemically reinforced monolithic crystal used then. True to the blue theme, this transparent crystal, varnished blue on the back, reveals the light blue diving scale beneath. The iconic monobloc case includes the famous screwed-in crown and the characteristic security pusher at 2 o’clock, which on this edition sports a blue ceramic ring. A perforated blue rubber strap completes the 70’s look. At its heart beats the OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8912.
Ultra Deep
Background:
The very first Ultra Deep watches made history when they reached the deepest place on Earth – the Mariana Trench – in 2019. Following that World Record dive, Omega transformed the technology into a 6000-metre collection available to the public. This was a watch tested in real ocean conditions during its development, water-resistant to 6000 metres, and meeting the ISO 6425:2018 standard for saturation divers’ watches, as certified by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS).
What’s new:
This 45.5 mm model has a case and bracelet in robust O-MEGASTEEL and a dial that pays homage to the mysteries of the ocean deep: Its pattern is an exact representation of the Challenger Deep mapped by the Five Deeps team using almost one million sonar points. The lacquered finish, produced by letting an ocean of lacquer flow across the dial, creates depth. Under a UV light, the words, “OMEGA WAS HERE”, are revealed on the dial, harking back to the world record dive of 10935 metres, and showing the Western, Central and Eastern Pools. Beating within is Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8912, the same calibre powering the legendary Ploprof.
Accessories
Complementing the new Seamaster watches are accessories reflecting the collection’s spirit and Summer Blue dials: wave-pattern keyrings, sailing bracelets in shades of blue, seahorse-logo cufflinks and a delicate blue wristband fixed with a trident of Poseidon in stainless steel.
Images courtesy of Omega, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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