Curations: Omega gets inventive with updates to 3 classic men’s watch collections, from a new alloy to an all-black design
- The watchmaker unveils its specially developed bronze gold in a new Seamaster 300 model, and goes monochrome for the Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black
- Other additions include space-age Velcro straps made for the Speedmaster Moonwatch, and subdial displays in the latest De Ville Trésor timepieces
Now, the brand has updated three of its signature collections for men – the Seamaster, Speedmaster Moonwatch and De Ville Trésor – with features ranging from new materials and versatile straps to Master Chronometer-certified movements that meet high quality standards. Here’s what the latest models have to offer horology fans.
Seamaster 300
The Seamaster 300 was originally launched in 1957 as part of Omega’s Professional trilogy of timepieces alongside the Speedmaster and Railmaster, and it appealed to recreational divers, marine scientists and naval officers alike.
The brand’s first professional diver’s watch was designed with a distinctive black dial, large hands and luminous indexes that made it easy to use in underwater conditions. Its innovations included a high-pressure waterproofing system and Omega’s first diving bezel, which had a safety feature that prevented it from being accidentally turned during dives.
The new Seamaster 300 model pays homage to its predecessor with its vintage style, which the watchmaker has enhanced with modern details. The 41mm timepieces are slimmer due to the new domed sapphire crystal on the watch face and thinner bezels.
The dial assembly reflects another significant design change, with a sandwich-style concept that includes a base plate coated with Super-LumiNova, a glow-in-the-dark pigment, topped by a second plate with cut-outs for the recessed hour markers and numerals. The cleanly designed dial features 1960s-era Arabic open-style numerals, previously seen on early Seamaster 300 models.
The updated timepieces are available in two different finishes. First are classic stainless steel models with bezels crafted in an oxalic, anodised-treated aluminium for extra durability. They are available in either a blue or black dial that features Omega’s popular lollipop-style central seconds hand, with the bezel in a matching colour. There is also the choice of a stainless steel bracelet – which has a shape that has been ergonomically adjusted with streamlined fittings and a thinner, polished-brushed clasp – or leather straps sporting a new buckle.
In a first for not only the Seamaster 300 collection, but the brand itself, Omega has introduced a 41mm model crafted in its own specially developed bronze gold alloy. This newly created material includes 37.5 per cent gold along with palladium and silver, resulting in a colour with a soft pink tone that falls between Omega’s 18-carat Moonshine yellow gold and 18-carat Sedna red gold. This bronze alloy has been composed to be worn with direct contact on the skin and is corrosion-resistant, which allows its natural patina to be retained over time.
The Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold model also features a bezel ring made with brown ceramic that complements the case colour. A common bronze alloy is used on the sandwich dial, which gives it a dark-brown colour with a patina created by a special ageing process. The watch comes with a brown leather strap that has a buckle in bronze gold.
Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black
Since the Seamaster Diver 300M debuted in 1993, Omega has stayed true to its original aesthetics and underwater capabilities. The new addition to this collection explores the dark side of design with an all-black look for the timepiece’s defining features.
The 43.5mm watch is crafted from polished and brushed black ceramic, with the same material used for the crown and helium escape valve. It is attached to a black rubber strap with a buckle in black ceramic as well.
The dial of the Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black is also in black ceramic, on which Omega’s iconic wave pattern, the minute track and even the brand symbol have been laser-engraved. It is surrounded with a black unidirectional bezel, with the diving scale presented in the same positive relief style seen on the dial.
Despite this colour scheme, the dial remains easy to read at any hour thanks to anthracite Super-LumiNova, which has been applied to the black PVD indexes and skeleton hands as well as the dot at 12 o’clock on the bezel. The markers glow in different hues in the dark, but all have a dark-grey appearance in daylight.
The caseback provides some light amid the darkness, with a sapphire crystal window set in the black ceramic that reveals the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, which has also passed the METAS-approved testing to ensure precise timekeeping even in the depths of the sea. It is sealed behind Omega’s wave-edged Naiad Lock, a patented feature that keeps everything oriented on the back of the watch.
Speedmaster Moonwatch
The design of the new 42mm model is inspired by the fourth-generation Moonwatch that was worn by Apollo 11 astronauts during the first moon landing in 1969. It features an asymmetrical case, step dial, and an anodised aluminum bezel ring that displays a tachymeter scale. The integrated, fully-brushed bracelet is designed with five arched links per row and includes a polished Omega logo on the new satin-finished clasp cover.
The revamped Moonwatch is available in eight versions, including ones in stainless steel or Omega’s 18-carat Sedna gold and 18-carat Canopus gold – rose gold and white gold alloys, respectively, that were specially developed by the watchmaker. All of them run on the newly introduced, METAS-certified Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861, which represents a major technical upgrade for the collection.
Omega has also unveiled a selection of three Velcro straps that pay tribute to the Moonwatch’s history with Nasa. The 20mm straps are similar to those used by astronauts, who needed an alternative to the metal watch bracelet that could fit around the arm of a bulky space suit.
There is a choice of three colours, each a nod to the legacy shared between Omega and the US space agency. Black matches the straps worn by astronauts on the moon, while white reflects the space suits worn during the Apollo lunar missions, as well as the Alaska Project – the name given to the watchmaker’s effort to develop a timepiece for use by Nasa. Silver is intended to recall the shiny suits worn during Nasa’s pre-Apollo era. All three straps are embroidered with Nasa’s red, white and blue logo.
The Velcro fastener makes the straps versatile and easy to adjust on the go. While they are designed to coordinate with the Moonwatch, they can be paired with any Omega timepiece to give it a sporty look with a dose of space-age nostalgia.
De Ville Trésor Power Reserve
The Trésor name was first used by Omega back in 1949, in reference to the “treasure” of a 30mm calibre hidden inside a slim, golden case. Today, the De Ville Trésor collection offers refined, slender designs with Master Chronometer certification.
The newly updated collection includes 40mm watches in 18-carat yellow gold or 18-carat Sedna gold, with stainless steel options on the way. The yellow gold model has a crystal silver-toned dial and a grey leather strap, while the Sedna gold model features a burgundy lacquered dial with a leather strap in a matching colour.
These models have domed dials with polished hands and applied domed indexes, which are accompanied by new subdial displays. All updated Trésor watches include a small seconds display set at 6 o’clock, and some models also have a power reserve display at 12 o’clock.
Each timepiece uses sapphire crystal on both sides of the case, revealing a METAS-certified Co-Axial Master Chronometer movement in the caseback. The manual-winding calibre has a power reserve of 72 hours and has also passed stringent quality testing.
With these new additions across three collections, Omega has further expanded its family of Master Chronometer timepieces that combine classic design with exceptional technical prowess.