OMEGA has introduced a new collection that celebrates 75 years of its iconic oceangoing timepiece: The Seamaster. The collection features bold dials in an all-new Summer Blue. The exact hue of blue is tied to the watch’s water resistance rating—becoming darker as the rating descends ever deeper. Aside from dial colour, the 7 models (11 watches in total) will also share a commemorative case back inspired by Jean-Pierre Borle’s 1950s design—a representation of Neptune’s Hippocampi, often seen on either side of gondolas in Venice.
New black lacquer dial for the OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m
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A Brief History of the Seamaster
The story of the Seamaster began 16 years before its birth in 1932 with the launch of the OMEGA “Marine,” the world’s first divers’ watch available to civilian divers. This groundbreaking timepiece proved its water resistance by successfully being tested at depths of 73 meters in Lake Geneva and 135 meters in the Laboratory of Watchmaking Research in Neuchatel. This marked the beginning of OMEGA’s rapid advancements in underwater design.
The Aqua Terra collection now includes three new models with symmetrical stainless steel cases and crowns. The 38 mm edition, powered by OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800, features sailboat indexes and a polished and brushed bracelet. The 41 mm model offers a choice between a matching bracelet or blue rubber strap, driven by OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8900. All the watches in the collection have a new sun-brushed Summer Blue dial, varnished with a gradient finish that reflects their water resistance of 150 meters. The rhodium-plated hands and indexes are filled with a unique light blue Super-LumiNova to complement the color scheme.
During World War II, OMEGA supplied over 110,000 watches to the pilots, navigators, and soldiers of Great Britain’s Ministry of Defence. This experience allowed the brand to make significant progress in water resistance, anti-magnetism, and durability, creating watches that could withstand harsh conditions. These watches were engraved with “W.W.W,” representing “Waterproof Wrist Watch.”
The 43 mm Aqua Terra Worldtimer in stainless steel, available on a matching bracelet or blue rubber strap, presents a colourful view of Earth. Around the dial is a circle of silvery printed global destinations. Bridging the outer and inner displays, hesalite glass reveals a 24-hour reading with light blue to indicate daytime and dark blue to indicate night. In line with Aqua Terra technology, the Worldtimer is equipped to mark time in a watery world, 150 metres beneath the waves. Its driving force is OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8938.
The first Seamaster models were launched in 1948 to celebrate Omega’s 100th anniversary. These watches were inspired by the brand’s military watches but made available to the general public. The original Seamaster featured a water-resistant case, robust construction, and a simple yet elegant design.
This 41 mm Seamaster 300 has a symmetrical case and crown in polished and brushed stainless steel, with matching bracelet. As the name makes clear, this watch takes 300 metres in its stride and its varnished dial, in Summer Blue, reflects this deeper level of water resistance. In keeping with the colour code, OMEGA has filled the rhodium-plated hands, recessed hour markers, and open numerals with a unique light blue Super-LumiNova.
In the 1950s, Omega started to develop specialized Seamaster models for professional divers and underwater explorers. These watches offered enhanced water resistance, improved readability, and additional features such as rotating bezels for timing dives. Notably, the Seamaster 300, introduced in 1957, became highly regarded for its exceptional water resistance and legibility.
This 42 mm Seamaster Diver 300M in stainless steel, available on a matching bracelet or blue rubber strap, is a worthy addition to OMEGA’s classic dive watch collection. In keeping with its commemorative cousins, it has a Summer Blue wave-pattern ceramic dial, varnished with a gradient finish to reflect its water resistance. A blue ceramic bezel with new Summer Blue enamel (Grand feu) diving scale encircles the dial, which has rhodium-plated skeleton hands and raised indexes, filled with a unique light blue Super-LumiNova. The Diver’s driving force is OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800.
The Seamaster gained significant popularity and worldwide recognition when it was chosen as the official watch of James Bond in the 1995 film “GoldenEye.” Since then, Omega Seamaster watches have become closely associated with the fictional spy character, appearing in subsequent Bond films. This association further boosted the collection’s status and appeal.
Those looking for serious dive tech seek out OMEGA’s Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M. As its name make clear, it is well and truly at home in the ocean, performing brilliantly 600 metres beneath the surface. Powered by OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8800, this 39.5 mm model has a case and bracelet in stainless steel. A blue ceramic bezel with light blue diving scale encircles the Summer Blue ceramic dial, which is PVD treated and varnished with a gradient finish, and completed with blued hands and indexes filled with a unique light blue Super-LumiNova.
Omega has continuously pushed the boundaries of watchmaking technology with the Seamaster collection. Notably, the introduction of the Co-Axial escapement, developed in collaboration with master watchmaker George Daniels, brought significant improvements in precision and durability to the movement of Seamaster watches. Additionally, Omega has incorporated advanced materials such as ceramic, titanium, and Liquidmetal® into the construction of certain models for enhanced performance.
This 2023 Ploprof, crafted in O-MEGASTEEL with a sun-brushed Summer Blue dial, takes its design cues from OMEGA’s original model, which arrived on the market in 1971. The bezel ring is a sapphire crystal, to mirror the chemically reinforced monolithic crystal used in those early versions. This transparent crystal, varnished blue on the back, reveals the light blue diving scale beneath. The iconic monobloc case includes the famous screwed-in crown and the characteristic security pusher at 2 o’clock, which on this edition sports a ring in blue ceramic. A perforated blue rubber strap completes the 70’s look. Its hard-working calibre is OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8912.
Over the years, Omega has expanded the Seamaster collection to cater to various lifestyles and preferences. In addition to professional diving watches, the collection includes models designed for yachting, exploration, dress occasions, and everyday wear. The Aqua Terra, the Worldtimer, the Diver 300M, the Seamaster 300, the Planet Ocean, the Ploprof, and and the Ultra Deep are all current variations within the collection, each with its own distinctive features and design elements.
This 45.5 mm model has a case and bracelet in robust O-MEGASTEEL and an extraordinary dial that pays homage to the mysteries of the deep. Its pattern is an exact representation of the Challenger Deep mapped by the Five Deeps team using almost one million sonar points. The dial even has a playful side. Shining a UV light reveals the words, OMEGA WAS HERE, pointing toward the world record dive of 10,935 m and showing the Western, Central and Eastern Pools. Not revealed is OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8912, the same calibre powering the legendary Ploprof.
Throughout its history, the Omega Seamaster has maintained its reputation for exceptional quality, precision, and durability. It continues to be a sought-after timepiece for watch enthusiasts, professionals, and adventurers alike.
Today, OMEGA has the capability to test all its water-resistant watches in real underwater environments, thanks to its industry-leading facilities and the certification standards set by METAS (the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology).
The special editions launched to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Seamaster line pay homage to the brand’s history of innovation, exploration, and performance in the ocean.
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About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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Wonderful article man, I’m quite partial to Omega and this release is just cool. Really neat to read the history behind the brand, thanks for the good read
Thanks, as always, for stopping. Great to have your feedback, Darren.
Gotta love a great mono block no mater the maker.. But add the dive capabilities and you’ve got a winner 👍🏽😎
Cannot disagree