Omega Seamaster

The Omega Seamaster is a line of manual winding, automatic winding, chronometer, and quartz watches that Omega has produced since 1948. The Seamaster was worn in the James Bond movie franchise since 1995 (Bond wore Rolex Submariners in the prior films). An Omega Seamaster typically has a stainless steel case and bracelet (Bond style with Omega symbol clasp), screw-in crown and case-back, engraved with the Omega hippocampus logo, up to 1200-metre water resistant, luminescent hands, unidirectional bezel, blue, silver or black dial with orange accents, sapphire crystal (anti-reflective) and helium release valve.

Omega Seamaster
TypeManual/Automatic/Quartz
DisplayAnalogue
Introduced1948

In 2019, three specially made experimental watches dubbed Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professionals survived a 10,928 meter dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench affixed to the bathyscaphe Limiting Factor, setting a new world record as deepest dive watch by 12 meters.[1][2]

Models

Omega produces several models of Seamaster watches,[3] with numerous variations of color, bracelet, movement, and casing sizes.

History
Omega Seamaster (1960). Champagne dial, ⌀ 35mm, small seconds.

The Seamaster is the longest running product line still produced by Omega. It was introduced in 1948, and was loosely based upon designs made for the British Royal Navy towards the end of World War II.[5]

The original Seamaster's key feature was an O-ring gasket used to provide its waterproof seal. This design had been developed for use in submarines during the war, and turned out to also be useful for watches, where it made them much less vulnerable to temperature and pressure changes than earlier (lead or shellac) based gasket designs. The Omega Seamaster first made a diving record in 1955, when diver Gordon McLean reached a depth of 62.5 meters (205 ft) in Australia.[5]

James Bond
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m/2000ft diving watch
Omega Seamaster 120M Analog-Digital "Multifunction" was introduced in 1998 and discontinued after few years, Fitted with Omega Cal.1665

Omega has been associated with James Bond movies since 1995. That year, Pierce Brosnan took over the role of James Bond and wore the Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Quartz in the movie GoldenEye. In all later films, Brosnan wore an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Chronometer (model 2531.80.00). In most of Brosnan's 007 films, the helium release valve is transformed into improbable hidden gadgets such as a laser cutter (GoldenEye and Die Another Day) or a remote detonator (Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day).[6]

Before 1995, actors portraying James Bond had usually worn the Rolex Submariner (Reference 6538), albeit for a brief period where actor Roger Moore wore a quartz watch in the late 1970s.[6] The Bond film producers wanted to update the image of the fictional "super-spy" to a more distinctly sophisticated "Euro" look.[7] The main reason for the switch to the Omega Diver 300M for the Bond franchise is because of Lindy Hemming, a British woman, in charge of costume/wardrobe for the new movies. At the time she thought the Seamaster looked the part of a rogue special operative who also needed the ability to dress up. She recognized the history of Omega Seamasters in the British military (notably the Special Boat Service, synonymous with the character of Bond) which furthered her decision.[6]

The Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M, commemorative edition for the 40th anniversary of James Bond with 007 logos. The second crown (at 10 o'clock) is a Helium release valve to allow helium out of the watch after wearing the watch in a diving bell with an atmosphere rich in helium.

For the 40th anniversary of James Bond (2002), a commemorative edition of the Diver 300M chronometer was made available, model 2537.80.00 (10,007 units). The watch is identical to the model 2531.80.00 except the blue watch dial had a 007 logo inscribed across it and also machined into the case-back. The band also had 007 inscribed on the clasp.[8]

Daniel Craig, who played Bond from Casino Royale to No Time to Die, also wears the Omega Seamaster: the Seamaster Planet Ocean and Seamaster Diver 300M in Casino Royale, and even goes so far as to mention Omega by name in the film when questioned by Vesper Lynd. In connection with the launch of the film, Omega released a 007-special of the Professional 300M, featuring the 007-gun logo on the second hand and the rifle pattern on the watch face, this being a stylized representation of the gun barrel sequence of Bond movies.[9]

Omega released a second James Bond limited edition watch in 2006. This was a Seamaster Planet Ocean model with a limited production of 5007 units. The model is similar to what Craig wears earlier on in the film; however, it has a small orange-colored 007 logo on the second hand, an engraved case-back signifying the Bond connection, and an engraved 007 on the clasp.[10] In Quantum of Solace, Craig wears the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean with a black face and steel bracelet (42 mm version). Another limited edition was released featuring the checkered "PPK grip" face with the Quantum of Solace logo over it.

The Seamaster Professional Diver 300M was worn by James Bond in six movies, the Planet Ocean and Aqua Terra in three, in addition to sporting a limited edition Omega Seamaster 300 (not to be confused with the Professional Diver 300M) Master Co-Axial in Spectre. The Seamaster Professional Diver 300M that appears from GoldenEye to Casino Royale is made of stainless steel on a stainless steel bracelet, fitted with a blue dial, unidirectional rotating bezel with blue ring and a sapphire crystal.[11] After its absence in three films, the Diver 300M returns in No Time to Die in the form of a new model, this time with a black dial, a titanium case, powered by Omega's Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8806 and is the first in the line of Seamasters to have a Milanese mesh strap and not to feature a date window.[12] It was designed in collaboration with Daniel Craig.[13]

  • GoldenEye – 1995
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Quartz (Reference 2541.80.00)
  • Tomorrow Never Dies – 1997
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (Reference 2531.80.00)
  • The World Is Not Enough – 1999
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (Reference 2531.80.00)
  • Die Another Day – 2002
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (Reference 2531.80.00)
  • Casino Royale – 2006
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (Reference 2220.80.00)
    • Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (Reference 2900.50.91)
  • Quantum of Solace – 2008
    • Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (Reference 2201.50.00)
  • Skyfall – 2012
    • Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (Reference 232.30.42.21.01.001)
    • Seamaster Aqua Terra (Reference 231.10.39.21.03.001)
  • Spectre – 2015
    • Seamaster 300 "SPECTRE" Limited Edition (Reference 233.32.41.21.01.001)
    • Seamaster Aqua Terra (Reference 231.10.42.21.03.004)
  • No Time to Die – 2021
    • Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (Reference 210.90.42.20.01.001)
    • Seamaster Aqua Terra (Reference 231.10.42.21.03.004)

Co-Axial Movement

The term Co-Axial represents a specialized watch escapement exclusive to Omega that was developed in 1970 by British horologist and watchmaker George Daniels. The Swiss Lever escapement has been the standard in horology for hundreds of years. The escapement provides the release of energy from the mainspring to the going train that further controls the function of the moving parts that measure time and other complications. The Swiss lever, although the mainstay in the industry, has the capability to be strong on energy conservation but needs considerable lubrication between the impulse pallet and the escape wheel teeth due to sliding friction. This causes considerable wear on the lubrication over time and may cause wear on the pallet or escape wheel. Because of this, regular service (4–5 years) is recommended to clean, lubricate, and possibly replace parts.[14] With the co-axial escapement, the impulse is done with a push to the jewels rather than a sliding fashion. In this design the work is divided between two major wheels of the escapement. Daniels brought his desire to industrialize his escapement to many Swiss manufacturers and he was ultimately denied. Omega in 1999 took on Daniels design with the insight of Nicolas Hayek who saw Omega as a brand of innovation and creativity who would rise to the top of the Swiss horological spectrum with the production of the co-axial escapement. He was right and Omega is one of the largest Swiss manufacturers and the second largest producer of COSC Officially Certified Chronometers, next to Rolex with Breitling being third, with every one of their movements COSC chronometers. The first co-axial movement to be brought to the public was the Omega cal. 2500, with different variations being listed as A, B, C, and D. This movement was built from the Omega "in-family" cal. 1120 (finished chronometer grade ETA 2892-A with two extra jewels) A, B, and C are similar two tier co-axial movements, but C is the first version to solve certain problems prevalent in A and B. For example, the vibrations per hour were originally 28,800 (standard for most Swiss watches with Swiss Lever Escapements) but later lowered to 25,200 (7 vs 8 v beats a second). This change was noted that it was the optimal working vibration of the movement and may contribute to lower service intervals. The Co-axial D variation was made to allow for an even more efficient 3 tier escapement. This development of technology helped the company innovate the 8400 (no date)/8500(w/date complication)/9300 (chronograph) three tier in-house movements. The co-axial D variation is still made specifically for the Omega Diver 300m co-axial. The Diver 300m, a watch produced since 1993 has a certain shape and size that is characteristic of this watch, the 2500 is slender enough to keep the case shape and size proportionate on the Diver 300m (also known as the SMP).

Master Co-Axial/ Master Chronometer

The next generation of watchmaking focuses on anti-magnetic movements. According to studies by the COSC, the majority of watches in for service from 4+ years are primarily suffering accuracy issues due to magnetized movements. Many Swiss watch institutions have made additional efforts to alleviate the problem of magnetization. Some of the technology and practices include iron cages around the movement, silicon hairspring (Omega) (spring in the balance wheel of the escapement), Parachrom hairspring (Rolex), induction of plastic parts, and using non-magnetic metals. Only until recently has any watch maker made a fully anti-magnetic movement. The first watch able to resist magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss was the Omega Aqua Terra Gauss. The first full anti-magnetic movement and Master Chronometer certified by the COSC is the Omega Constellation "Pie-Pan" Globemaster. This movement is capable of having a see-through case-back (the cal. 8800 in the new Seamaster 300 M) characterized by a movement with fully anti-magnetic parts. This is the beginning of a new generation of watch movements, re-institutionalizing the mechanical movement that once was deemed obsolete by the quartz movement of the 1970s to the present day. In 2018, the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster, and the 25th anniversary of the Seamaster Diver 300 M, Omega released a new version of the Diver 300 M (also known as Seamaster Professional). It features a Zirconium dioxide bezel as well as a Zirconium dioxide watch face with laser engraved waves, paying tribute to the very first Seamaster Professional models. The watch is continued to be loved by collectors and enthusiasts as a "modern classic" with an outermost "go anywhere" attitude and elegance of a dress watch.

See also

References
  1. "Breaking News: The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional Becomes The Deepest Diving Watch Ever". HODINKEE.
  2. Davis, Johnny (June 21, 2019). "Omega Just Set An Unbeatable World Record For The Deepest Dive Watch Ever". Esquire.
  3. "Seamaster: Diving Watches for Men and Women | OMEGA®". Omega.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Newson, Alex (2015). Fifty Watches That Changed the World. Conran. p. 28. ISBN 978-1840916799.
  6. Heaton, Jason (November 5, 2012). "The Watches of James Bond". Gear Patrol. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  7. "James Bond's Choice: The Omega Seamaster Archived 2009-07-05 at the Wayback Machine", commanderbond.net, 2004-03-29 (retrieved on 2007-02-21).
  8. Lara Magzan, "The business of Bond...James Bond", CNN/Money, 2002-11-25 (retrieved on 2007-02-21).
  9. Devin Zydel, "Omega Presents James Bond Exhibition in Geneva Archived 2008-09-18 at the Wayback Machine", Commanderbond.net 2007-01-06 (retrieved on 2007-02-21).
  10. Devin Zydel, "Omega Casino Royale Limited Series Planet Ocean Watch Announced Archived 2009-07-08 at the Wayback Machine", commanderbond.net 2006-11-05 (retrieved on 2007-02-21).
  11. "OMEGA® Swiss Luxury Watches Since 1848 | OMEGA®". Omega.
  12. "Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition - 210.90.42.20.01.001 OMEGA®". Omega.
  13. "Daniel Craig Helped Omega Design His Killer New James Bond Watch". Robb Report.
  14. "Co-axial V Lever". Omega Forums. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
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