The overall design of the Seamaster Master Co-Axial is very much reminiscent of the original Seamaster, in fact, Omega has a slider on their website which displays just how close they came to the original, I can absolutely guarantee that it did not distract me for about 10 minutes, not at all. The dial has subtle hints of 50s design inspiration all over it, the Super LumiNova has been given a green patina colour, so it looks very close to the original in the dark. The sweep seconds, minutes and broad arrow hour hands also have this Super LumiNova as well so seeing the time in the dark or underwater is very easy. In a surprising turn of events, Omega removed their Seamaster signature Helium escape valve which is always placed at 10 O’clock (with the exception of the Seamaster Ploprof). The helium escape valve wasn’t on the 1957 Seamaster, and since this is an homage to the first generation Seamaster, this watch doesn’t have one either.

The 41mm case is very slick, making use of a flat bezel with smaller notches on the bezel that make it easier to grip than the Seamaster Diver 300. The bezel also features a signature Omega technology called Liquidmetal. The Liquidmetal system combines a ceramic bezel with an alloy that is directly injected into number cut outs, the ceramic in the bezel and the Liquidmetal alloy then bond together and become 3 times as hard as stainless steel, ensuring that the bezel will always look brand new.

With Omega being Omega, no expense was spared when they worked on the movement inside the watch either. It’s fair to say that Omega is on a roll with the current movements it’s making and the caliber 8400 is no exception to this fact. As with all automatic movements Omega currently produces, the 8400 makes use of a Co-Axial escapement which the company purchased from George Daniels back near the turn of the century. This type of escapement is proven to make watches more precise, reliable and durable than watches which aren’t fitted with it such as, for example, the Rolex Submariner.

Another blow to the traditional watch market is Omega’s use of non-ferromagnetic materials such as silicone and Nivagauss. Whereas traditional antimagnetic watches use a soft iron shield to protect the delicate movement from magnetism, Omega makes the vital parts out of materials that aren’t affected by magnetism at all, so not only is the movement protected from over 15,000 gauss strengths but it’s also visible through an open caseback as there’s no iron shield needed. An added benefit of the silicone balance wheel inside this watch is that it’s less prone to shock damage because the silicone can flex in the event of an impact and simply revert back to its original shape.

Now comes the hardest part, choosing between the two. Both watches have amazing historical pedigrees as well as market leading 21st-century technologies built into them.

Reference 116610LV “Hulk”

The Rolex Submariner really is the pinnacle of sports watches, being able to do just about anything and escape while still remaining accurate.

The Omega Seamaster 300M Master Co-Axial is a watch which takes technology and looks to the next level, offering a svelte and sexy watch to fit modern sporty lifestyles.

The final category which watch completely absent from The Tourbillon Trials is pricing. Pricing doesn’t matter at all for a tourbillon watch as they aren’t items you buy when on a budget. However, both chronograph and diving watches are watches that are easily accessible to anyone from those who simply have a bit of spare cash lying around to those who are buying a gift for themselves or someone else, so pricing does play a significant factor here. 

The Rolex Submariner reference 114060, more commonly known as the no-date Sub, retails new for around $7500, expect to add about $1000 for the date feature. There are countless special editions such as two-tone, solid 18K gold and the white gold which are even more pricey. But the 114060 watch is the one we are focusing on.

The Omega Seamaster 300M Master Co-Axial watch retails for a hefty $6600 in steel. If titanium is your metal of choice then expect that price to jump up significantly to $9000. Like Rolex, Omega offers all sorts of variants of the Seamaster in all kinds of whacky combinations of metals and straps, but the standard steel case/bracelet watch has been our focus for today.

It’s also, I’m delighted to say, our winner for this month. It came close, but in the end the Omega Seamaster 300M Master Co-Axial finally achieved what Omega’s been trying to do for a very long time, it’s nudged Rolex out of the way slightly to take the top spot.

There are a few key reasons why it won; the most significant in the decision was the movement. As I stated earlier, Omega is on fire with its current movement innovations, the Master Co-Axial movement is bounds ahead of the 3130 movement. Omega has made a movement which can stand the test of time and is practical in our modern day lives where magnetism is everywhere. Their technology also makes the movement visible through the back (a plus in my books) and to add just that little bit extra the movement has been decorated with Geneva waves, making it one handsome piece. I wouldn’t expect it to be too long before Omega slipped their new Master Chronometer movement in the Seamaster range somewhere either, that movement is even further ahead than the Master Co-Axial.

Thank you for reading this entry into the Clash of the Divers series on WristReview, stay tuned as we have many more watches lined up to compete!

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HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

A keen bass guitar player, Harlan enjoys all the perks modern watchmaking technologies the industry has to offer. Although you might catch him sampling Omegas or the odd Rolex, Harlan loves all things Haute Horology, with his three favourite brands being Breguet, A.Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin. He hopes to study timekeeping more in depth someday and will never be able to thank his father enough for introducing him to the industry. You can follow him on Instagram Read his articles here