Slightly less than 60 years ago, there was a preoccupation among watchmakers- to offer the best diver watch in the world of horology. Many tried, but few succeeded. Despite the strong competitions from Rolex and Blancpain, Omega managed to make the grade with the Seamaster 300.
The new Omega Seamaster 300.
The original Seamaster 300 was introduced in 1957, at a time where consumers find diver watches a novelty. The original initial intention of the Seamaster 300, like all other diver watches, was to provide divers and professionals an instrument to tell time underwater. That intent was changed subsequently, when watchmakers found out that it is lucrative to offer these diver watches to the consumers instead. Now, let us move back to 2014 once again. There seems to be a trend recently, a strange phenomenon with some watchmakers. Classics and vintages seem to be the new modern in this era. Tudor, Longines, and Jaeger-LeCoultre were just a few watchmakers that brought classic designs back to this period. Omega was not an exception too, and they had a good reason for it; the classic Seamaster diver watches are extremely popular with collectors these days. They are solid, stunning, and most importantly, affordable. I can see why Omega wants to recreate the classic Seamaster 300; it is going to be a big hit among Omega watch collectors. According to Omega, the Seamaster 300 is “reintroduced in a completely upgraded and enhanced form, prepared to equip a new generation of adventurers on land and in the oceans”. In other words, Omega has created a Seamaster 300 for the 21st Century, and yet staying true to the fundamentals and its roots. The new Seamaster 300, to an untrained eye, may look like its predecessor. This is not surprising, as this is sort of a “facelift” version of the classic Seamaster 300. But the differences are more pronounced upon closer inspection.
The Omega Seamaster 300 with the ceramic bezel ring , with the Liquidmetal diving scale.
One of the features of the Seamaster 300 would be the ceramic bezel ring, which features Omega’s Liquidmetal diving scale. As compared to its predecessor, the new bezel certainly gave the watch a more modern and sporty approach. While the bezel may not be a really important aspect of the watch, but the change makes an important difference to the aesthetics of the timepiece. The dial of the Seamaster 300 features transferred dial elements that are produced using a combination of gold and palladium. One interesting fact is that the curving contours of the indexes are created by an enamel under-layer. The hour, minute, and second hands of the watch are made from 18K white gold, and they are all coated in “vintage” Super-LumiNova.
How Omega managed to construct an anti-magnetic movement without the Faraday Cage, in a nutshell.
Another key highlight of the Seamaster 300, with the exception of the design, would be the movement. The watch features Omega’s new Master Co-Axial calibre 8400/8401. It is equipped with the latest anti-magnetic technology, hence its ability to resist magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss. Unlike the conventional anti-magnetic watches which uses a Faraday cage to protect the movement, Omega uses non-ferromagnetic materials to construct certain parts of the movements instead. The end results are similar; they are able to protect the movements from magnetic forces of up to certain magnitude. The difference between the Master Co-Axial calibre 8400 and 8401 is that the latter has a special red gold finishing on certain parts of the movement, and it is only fitted to the 18K Sedna gold and the 950 platinum models.
One of the variants of the Seamaster 300; this one features a two-tone combination.
The Seamaster 300, in my opinion, is possibly one of the watches that may become an iconic piece in the future. The looks of it is just simply amazing. The 41mm sized Seamaster 300 is available in stainless steel, 950 platinum, grade 5 titanium and 18K Sedna gold. It comes in the two-tone option as well, with the combination of grade 5 titanium and 18K Sedna gold, or stainless steel and 18K Sedna gold. The bracelet also features Omega’s patented rack-and-pusher clasp, which is adjustable to six different positions to fit the user’s wrist. The new Omega Seamaster 300 is a remake of the classic without being blasphemous and sacrilegious. What more could I ask for?
