BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Sitting between the recently refreshed Seamaster 300 family and the industrial looking Ploprof, the Omega Planet Ocean is a premium dive watch that offers the right blend of aesthetics and modern technology to please both casual and professional divers alike. But what if one was to go beyond, way beyond the 600-meter depth rating that the Planet Ocean is capable of handling. Up until now you would have had to choose another wrist companion for this journey of yours but not anymore. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional, a wristwatch which can travel to an astonishing depth of 15000 meters and has also set a new world being a part of the world’s deepest dive performed as a part of the Five Deeps Expedition.
Helmed by Submersible pilot and adventurer Victor Vescovo: the first person to have reached both the highest and lowest point on the planet, the Five Deeps Expedition is the world’s first manned quest to reach the deepest point in each of the five oceans. To support Victor’s project, Omega took over the challenging task of creating a dive watch which can go where no other watch has ever been and the rest is history. Recently, Victor Vescovo accompanied by the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional established a new world record when he singlehandedly piloted DSV Limiting factor, to a depth of 10,928 meters reaching the lowest point in the Eastern Pool of Challenger Deep in the Marina Trench.
Now that we are through with the record-breaking news let’s have a brief look at the watch itself which is loaded with some impressive technology. Inspired by the hull of the DSV limiting Factor almost the entire watch which includes the bezel, case body, case back and crown have been crafted from grade 5 titanium. Extensive use of titanium would help keep the weight of the watch in check especially when we are looking at something which measures 52mm in diameter and is around 28mm tall. As the sapphire-to-case assembly on a full ocean depth is identified by Omega as an area of concern, the brand looked for inspiration in the viewport assembly on a submersible leading to the creation of a loadbearing conical design for better stress distribution.
Moving on, the lugs on this new watch are fully integrated into the case body and Omega has termed them as “Manta” because of their distinctive design. Keeping in mind the exceeding material limitations at full ocean depth, the lugs have been kept open at one end, as both watch and strap can face high traction loads. Omega has been using Liquidmetal on the bezels of their dive watch for quite some time and now the same technology is being used on this new watch to ensure a firm yet flexible sapphire-to-case body assembly. To ensure smooth and accurate timekeeping, Omega has equipped this watch with their METAS certified Caliber 8912. This is a three-hand automatic movement which offers a power reserve of around 60 hours and is antimagnetic to an impressive 15000 gauss. The movement is beautifully decorated but is hidden behind the closed case back which has been engraved with the five deeps exhibition logo that evokes the Multibeam sonar technology which was utilized to map the ocean floor.
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional is a beast of a watch which is packed to the gills with unique features. As of writing this article the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional is not a watch which is available for purchase, but I am sure it is not long before we would get to see the Ultradeep technology trickle down into the brands existing dive watch collection.
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