Style Edit: Omega’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean Worldtimer is a bold and inventive evolution of the Swiss brand’s consistently popular model, available in 2 graphic styles
A top choice of watch enthusiasts since its debut in 2017, the Worldtimer now comes to Omega’s Seamaster Planet Ocean collection in 2 captivating models, each making a statement
Omega’s Worldtimer watch invites wearers to explore the planet, but no previous model has done so as dramatically or as graphically as the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Worldtimer: it lays out the Earth before the wearer, in the form of a map of the world at the centre of the dial.
Picked out in relief in Grade 5 titanium, using laser ablation and varnish, the map lets the wearer observe the territories of the globe from an unusual perspective: perched above the North Pole, with the Arctic at the centre and the rest of the world radiating outwards. This spectacular illustration is surrounded by a 24-hour indication; outside that are the hour markers, which appear against a black background with a raised honeycomb pattern, alongside a date indication at six o’clock.
Finally, 24 locations are named around the edge of the dial, one for each hour, among them Omega’s home of Bienne, Switzerland, at GMT+1. The complication at the watch’s heart is powered by the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8938, the same engine as in the brand’s Aqua Terra 150M Worldtimer.
The two new timepieces, each listed at £14,000 (HK$141,000), represent an attention-grabbing evolution of the Seamaster. The oldest of Omega’s celebrated collections and the watch of choice for James Bond, it heralded a sea change in horology when it emerged in 1948. It combined advanced functionality, based on new technology borrowed from submarines, with a dress-watch appearance that made it as refined as it was rugged.
For the latest edition, the brushed case in black ceramic, offering water resistance to 600m, takes its visual cues from the Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black and makes a big impression on the wrist, measuring in at a chunky 45.5mm.
The trademark Seamaster helium escape valve is present and correct at 10 o’clock, while the black ceramic bezel features a laser-ablated diving scale, again in positive relief. The model is available in warm turquoise or stark monochrome, with hands and hour markers in Super-LumiNova in white or a new grey shade. The watches come on an integrated strap in black structured rubber, with turquoise or grey stitching.