BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Can you remember the last new watch Omega released? Of course you can, it feels like it was only about five minutes ago. To be fair to Omega, this new variant of the Seamaster Aqua Terra snuck out at the same time as their newest Speedmaster which we covered recently. Although that watch garnered all the attention, it’s watches like the Seamaster Aqua Terra which remind us that Omega knows how to make proper no-nonsense watches people will actually buy and wear.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra is Omega’s answer to the Rolex DateJust and Cartier Santos, well, sort of. They also make the Constellation, and the Constellation Globemaster, and some variants of the De Ville Prestige could also be contenders I guess. Okay, look, Omega makes a lot of watches which overlap, but the Seamaster Aqua Terra is the sportiest out of the lot, which means it’s likely to be the one we see the most so it makes sense they offer lots of options.
The newest variants of the watch feature a gradient turquoise dial which starts light at the centre and fades to a deeper grey near the dial edge. It’s not as dramatic a gradient as on an H.Moser & Cie or something like that, but it’s enough to be obvious. To go with the dial colours, Omega has used dark grey PVD coating on the applied markers and the hands, which also have applied SuperLumiNova.
Other than these new colours the watches are unchanged. They come in the familiar Seamaster Aqua Terra case shape which is much more restrained than the other Seamaster watches and without the helium escape crown, which would be intrusive. Still, the watches are practical, with stainless steel cases measuring 38.0mm x 12.4mm and 41.0mm x 13.3mm available. Both watches are water resistant to 150m. Both watches also have a brushed/polished three-link bracelet to go with the brushed/polished case.
Inside the watches, you’ll find one of two movements. In the 38mm version sits the calibre 8800, a self-winding Master Chronometer movement with Omega’s Co-Axial escapement, a 3.5Hz beat rate and a 55-hour power reserve. Inside the larger 41mm watch sits the calibre 8900. The technical specifications of this movement are largely the same, although this one has a power reserve of 60 hours which is most likely down to larger barrels in this larger movement (this one is 29mm in diameter versus the 26mm 8800 calibre).
Both of these watches are classy additions to Omega’s collection. I’ve no idea how far they plan on going with the Seamaster Aqua Terra in terms of colour options, it would be cool to see them do some whacky things like Oris has been doing with its recycled plastic dials. With that said, these are both more than enough to keep up interest in the Aqua Terra range. Omega also released a shiny black dial variant of the Aqua Terra (or at least their website lists it as ‘new’) but I’ve just eaten a load of mince pies so I think I need a lie down. The price for either of the watches is €7,300 incl. VAT.
