The New Omega Seamaster Breaks Cover
The names Bond, and here are my bank details. It would be a mistake to assume that every secret Daniel Craig was entrusted with stayed under wraps. Over the past year, he has intentionally made a habit of revealing unreleased watches to the world. Initially, the white Omega Speedmaster was debuted on his wrist during Planet Omega (an in-house exhibition that took place in New York), causing a roar of activity of keen-eyed enthusiast trying to suss the configuration, functionality and all-round specs of the then unreleased watch. It wasn’t for another 5 months until we finally got to see a new white-faced variant of the Speedmaster, which closely resembled a previously released limited edition run codenamed Project Alaska. Fast forward to 2024, and once again, Craig’s wrist has set the watch world abuzz with the reveal of the latest Omega Seamaster—an exciting new release that blends classic design with some intriguing updates.
The art of the tease – the Olympic reveal of Omega’s new Seamaster
This Porsche-esq philosophy of evolution over revolution has served Omega incredibly well, with a design that has stood front and centre of the core range for well over 50 years.
You might ask why this is relevant, but persistence pays dividends. During the 2024 Olympic Games, the Casino Royale actor was spotted wearing what appeared to be another unreleased model, with a close resemblance to the blue face, blue bezel no-date 60th anniversary Bond who’s easter egg was to roleplay the entrance seen on the caseback.
Spotted might not be the right word, though – perhaps “posed with” is more accurate. If secrecy was the goal, his undercover role was well and truly compromised; even his Olympic pass featured a headshot straight out of his younger Bond days in the movies.
Just under 4 months after all the teasers, the Omega Instagram channel confirmed this was in fact a new release but refrained from sharing the details.
The no-date, black dial, aluminium bezel, mesh bracelet-paired Seamaster (Ref 210.30.42.20.01.010) was finally released. Omega used this opportunity to release not one, but two variants of the no-date Seamaster, with the latter’s bezel being crafted from Grade 5 titanium.
The specifications of the new Omega Seamaster:
The specs are what we have become accustomed to:
- Case diameter: 42mm across the circular but dozen-bevelled edges. This excludes the peanut butter cup helium escape valve at number 10
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Depth rating: 300m
- Movement: Omega Master Chronometer 8806, with a 55-hour power reserve & a sapphire crystal case back. No movie scene found here though.
- Lug to lug: Here is the difference – 0.2mm has been shaved off from the previous released, coming in at a wrist-pleasing lug-to-to of 49.7mm.
- Thickness: 13.8mm, a slight weight gain of 0.2mm respectively.
- Price: £6,100 on the mesh bracelet, and £5,600 on the rubber strap.
The features of the new Omega Seamaster:
However, the specifications are referenced only on paper, while the standout features of these watches are far more apparent than a difference of a few millimetres here or there.
- The dial symmetry is grade A. Whilst the date at the 6 o’clock position has been lost, and the cost of the watch has increased a staggering 8.9% for less on the wrist functionality, it fits a personal preference of clean dial harmony.
- The bracelet is a variant found on both the literal James Bond Seamaster’s, where one hit our screens in the “No Time to Die” film, and the other a more recent standalone release. Premium mesh bracelets, like the one found here, are incredibly comfortable as they don’t tend to nip on the hair or skin and it’s good to see these become available on non-limited variants.
- No movie references or memorabilia insight, just pure watch goodness. The partnership between Bond and Omega is synonymous, similar to how seeing him in anything but an Aston Martin would be a crime, just not everything needs further branding to stimulate the connotations.
Is Omega’s new release worth the hype?
To balance the wins, some considerations when thinking of purchasing one of these over an existing model within the range include:
- Whilst an aluminium bezel has its advantages (on the black dial modelled), such as being easily replaceable, able to become character adorned after a few dings and scratches, and a hue that can’t be replicated with ceramic, it’s fundamentally a step-backwards compared to the ceramic bezels of previous models.
- Not every diver needs to have a sapphire case-back. The movement is good-looking, but the added thickness makes this slightly top-heavy and those with smaller wrists may be pushed out of wearing such a chunk.
- The price! Paying more for less, very 2024.
Omega remains one of our firm favourites, but the muddied waters between innovation and distraction gets tougher to see through. This one’s a hit, and let’s hope some more colours become available soon!
