BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
We’ve seen a lot of 50th and 60th-anniversary watches in the past few years. I suppose that can’t be helped as a lot of the models around are based on watches introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. But, some watches are even older. Take the Omega Seamaster, a watch which has been proudly adorning the wrists of soldiers, adventurers, celebrities and more since 1948. This year, Omega is marking the 75th anniversary of the Seamaster collection with a slew of new pieces, which also arrive in time for the beginning of the summer season.
The smart/casual sports watches: Seamaster Aqua Terra 38mm and 41mm Summer Blue
38mm
The Seamaster Aqua Terra, as I’ve said on many occasions now when writing for WristReview, such as when I did a Fortnight Review on it seven years ago, is an absolute beachfront to boardroom watch. Dress it up, dress it down or even go Scandinavian if you’re up for it. The Seamaster Aqua Terra does it all thanks to a rugged case that still manages svelte lines and a 150m water resistance that makes this a go-anywhere piece.
41mm
The 38mm and 41mm versions feature different dial designs to maximise their unique characters, with the 38mm version having a sunburst finish dial with a round date window and slim markers. The larger version, meanwhile, has a chunkier bracelet and a teak-patterned dial with chunky markers and hands. The watches feature the self-winding calibre 8800 with a 55-hour power reserve for the smaller version and the calibre 8900 with a 60-hour power reserve. The prices include a rubber strap and start at CHF6,000 for the 38mm and CHF62,00 in 41mm, with the bracelet adding a little more to that.
The sophisticated traveller: Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Summer Blue
If the previous watches were a little too plain for you or a little too small, perhaps the 43mm Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Summer Blue watch will be more up your street. The Worldtimer is a strange one in the Aqua Terra lineup. It’s not really a world time watch in the traditional sense because you can’t move the location of the cities you can’t use it to track the time across the different timezones simultaneously, but the thought is there, and the laser-ablated map at the centre of the dial is unique and cool-looking. This watch also comes with 150m of water resistance and has the self-winding calibre 8938 inside, which runs for 60 hours. As with the other Aqua Terras, the watch starts with a rubber strap and costs CHF9,400, with a higher price for a model on a bracelet.
The casual diver’s watches: Seamaster 300 Summer Blue and Diver 300m Summer Blue
The Seamaster range shows diversity here with two versions of a 300m water-resistant diving watch. The first, the Seamaster 300, is a classically-inspired diving piece with unique hands featuring a broad arrow (an Omega hallmark) hour hand and a lollipop seconds hand. The markers are classical, too, and the watch overall measures 41mm across. It’s powered by the self-winding calibre 8912 with a 60-hour power reserve. The price is CHF7,000 and there’s no rubber strap option, bracelet only.
If you don’t fancy classical design, the beefier-looking Seamaster Diver 300m Summer Blue may be the watch for you. It goes after the ’90s “Bond Seamaster” with a wave dial, multi-faceted bezel and a classy bracelet featuring brushing and polishing to match the case. The watch is 42mm in diameter. This watch has quite an obvious gradient on the blue dial in comparison to the Seamaster 300, and it has a date that the other doesn’t. It comes fitted with the calibre 8800 and has a rubber strap option available for CHF5,600, with the bracelet costing more.
The best diving watch? Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m 39.5mm Summer Blue
The 39.5mm Planet Ocean isn’t my personal choice, I like the slightly larger models, but I can’t deny that it’s a sexy watch. This watch features a unique vertically-brushed zirconium oxide (ceramic) dial with a beautiful blue gradient. Honestly, I think that this might be the best dial of the bunch, or it could be the Seamaster 300. I could flip a coin, I guess. The chunky hands and markers work a treat, too. Inside the watch is, you guessed it, the calibre 8800. Like the Seamaster 300, this one is a bracelet-only option with the price set firm at CHF7,000.
The “You’ve never SCUBA dived more than 15m, have you?” diving watches: Seamaster PloProf 1200m Summer Blue and Seamaster Ultra-Deep 6000m Summer Blue
Of all the watches here today, these are the wildest. How practical is the PloProf, really, at 51.9mm x 45.5mm x 18.1mm? The reason for the inclusion of the thickness here is that it matters. But, what matters more is that Omega has quietly updated its legendary diver. I didn’t like the previous generation so much, the titanium cases made this watch weirdly light, and I missed the sapphire crystal bezel of the generation before that. Well, my dreams have an answer as this new watch is back and made of O-MegaSteel, which is a proprietary steel blend that’s harder and more stress-resistant than traditional steel while also being nickel-free. The watch has a unique screw-down crown and the charismatic locking diving bezel secured by the pusher on the side of the case. Inside the front-loading case is the 8913. It comes on a rubber strap for CHF13,500. The best part? The sapphire crystal bezel glows like it used to.
But what if 1970s whimsy wasn’t enough for you? What if you’re a bass player who likes to go deep, real deep? Well, the Seamaster Ultra-Deep 6000m is the watch for you. This 45.5mm x 18.1mm behemoth might seem tame compared to the PloProf, but don’t let that exterior fool you. In terms of specs, this one has the PloProf licked. This watch has a case made of O-MegaSteel too, but it’s depth-rated to 6000m below the sea level in an homage to the Ultra Deep Omega that went to the Mariana Trench, 10,928m to be precise. To make the whimsical factor even greater, this watch has a unique addition to its dial in the form of a somewhat crude sketch of the three pools of the Mariana Trench, with one of them having text saying “Omega was here!”. I love this little detail, we all need a good sense of humour in life, and the Swiss generally keep theirs a secret, so this is good. What’s also good is the 8912 calibre movement inside it. CHF12,300.
You may have noticed that all the watches have a closed caseback. Instead, you get a representation of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, with his classic trident. He’s also accompanied by two seahorses, one representing the seahorse found on the 1956 Seamaster and the other being the seahorse of today.
All models are available now, except for the PloProf, which will be on sale sometime at the end of the year. Oh well, at least the Aussies get to enjoy their summertime watch in summer, and we all know how cheerful they are.
