Getting hands-on with an Omega Seamaster is always fun. I think we’re all aware at this point that its an important watch, not only for Omega but for the entire industry. Sure, it’s changed a lot since its launch in 1948, but it’s a watch that has always had design finesse and technological brilliance. I got up close and personal with one of the Swiss watchmaker’s newer additions this week, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch, but did it live up to its reputation?
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
The Case
Before I’d even opened the box to the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer watch, I was aware of the specs, and had some preconceptions in mind – especially when it came to the dimensions. At 42mm wide and 13.6mm thick, I knew this was not going to be a small watch, but a respectably sized diving watch that would not be something you’d typically strap on while wearing a suit and shirt cuffs – despite what James Bond might have you believe. But after strapping it on, I immediately took back these notions.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a large watch, but it wears a lot smaller on the wrist than the dimensions might suggest. This seems to be down to the execution of the case and the lugs, which angle directly downwards. There’s also really nice finishing on the case which helps enhance the angles of the architecture. The stainless steel case is almost entirely satin-brushed but there is polished detailing on the lugs which tapers down the sides of the case to the lugs on the other side. It's almost like a ribbon effect and it’s really pretty.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
Sitting on the front of the Omega Seamaster 300M watch is a full steel bezel with a blue ceramic insert. There’s white lacquer for presenting the 60 minute scale and a luminescent white pearl at 12 o’clock. In the dark, the pearl showcases the same green lume as that on the minute hand, differing to the blue Superluminova used on the hour markers and hour hand. The bezel is unidirectional, so will only rotate anti-clockwise. This means that for those of you planning to use the Omega watch while diving, you won’t be able to accidently knock the bezel forward and mistakenly give yourself more dive time than you actually have.
The case of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch is completed by a knurled screw in crown at 3 o’clock, a screwed down case back and a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock, all working together to give a 300 metre water resistance. The 3 o’clock crown is also nicely protected by integrated crown guards.
The Dial
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
For me, one of the most notable Bond watches is the Seamaster worn by Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies and the two James Bond films that followed it. This was the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Quartz (Reference 2541.80.00) with a nautical blue, wave-decorated display. Shortly after the 2002 film, this iconic wavy dial was removed from the collection and for a while, the Seamaster didn’t quite feel the same.
Thankfully in 2018, Omega revamped the Seamaster in more ways than one for their 25th anniversary, and most importantly, they revived the wavy pattern on the dial. The new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch presents its own deep blue polished ceramic dial nicely etched with a horizontal wave pattern. It’s a really nice decoration and gives me the immediate impression I’m dealing with a serious, professional dive watch.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
The dial ensures easy readability with large rhodium plated indices and openwork hands, all with Superluminova. There’s also a contrasting seconds hand with a red tip and a date window at 6 o’clock. The positioning of the date here is something of a new feature for today’s Omega Seamaster 300M watches. The older styles had the date at 3 o’clock. For me, I prefer a watch with no date at all, but if I was going to have one, the 6 o’clock position is where I’d choose it to go. It gives the dial a symmetrical look, working with the double index marker at 12 o’clock, the Omega logo and the lettering for the water resistance to fall vertically down the middle of the display.
The Movement
As printed on the dial, the movement powering the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch is the Master Chronometer Calibre 8800. The automatic winding movement is COSC-certified as its name suggests and comes with a co-axial escapement and free-sprung balance with silicon balance spring. It isn’t just magnetic resistant but anti-magnetic with a rating of 15,000 gauss. Other specs of the movement include a frequency of 25,200 vibrations per hour, or 3.5Hz, and a 55-hour power reserve.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
Exhibition case backs are somewhat of a rarity in dive watches, so it’s nice to see the movement of the Omega Seamaster watch through its sapphire crystal rear. You can enjoy its rhodium-plated construction, blackened screws and the arabesque Geneva stripes presented on the oscillating rotor and balance bridge.
The Strap
The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch I got hands-on with came with a blue rubber strap, but it can also be ordered on a stainless steel bracelet. The blue vulcanised rubber variety is very fitting for the dive watch. It has a raised double channel running down its length, and on the inside, you have horizontal waves like those the dial, a feature that not only looks nice but helps the watch grip onto your skin.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
The strap is completed by a classic stainless steel pin buckle with a double loop system. The first loop is nicely embossed with the Omega logo while the second features the italicised Seamaster emblem. The strap has a lug width of 20mm so you could also easily wear the Omega Seamaster with many of our ZULUDIVER straps for quick change in appearance.
Conclusion
As I mentioned in the introduction, the Omega Seamaster 300m has changed a lot since its introduction over 25 years ago. It’s gained a co-axial escapement, added ceramic to its construction and for a while, the iconic wave pattern on the dial was gone. For me, this Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm watch offers up all the popular features of the original Seamaster’s worn by James Bond, especially that wave dial. Because of this, the design feels familiar, despite being packed full of modern-day technologies and materials.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
This is a good, classic Omega Seamaster watch and like so many of the models in this collection, it’s a good investment piece if you’re willing to take care of it properly. I really like the blue on blue look – the blue dial, blue bezel and blue strap - and the same can be said for the similarly-styled version in black. It also wears a lot smaller on the wrist than what you’d expect for a 43mm dive watch, and that’s purely in the way the case and lugs are executed.
Finally, we have to talk price. It retails at £5,200 on the rubber strap which is relatively good for a watch of this build – especially when you compare it to the silly prices of the dive watches by the famous brand with the crown logo. You know who I’m talking about…
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m - Credit WatchGecko
Specifications:
- Case Diameter: 42mm
- Case Height: 13.6mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Unidirectional, blue ceramic insert with white lacquer 60 minute scale, luminescent pip
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screwed down, sapphire crystal
- Water Resistance: 300 metres
- Dial: Blue ceramic with wave pattern, Superluminova hands and applied indexes
- Strap: Blue vulcanised rubber or steel bracelet
- Movement: Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8800
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Power Reserve: 55 hours
- Frequency: 25,200vph
