Since 2015, Omega has been synonymous with precision, thanks to the brand’s Master Chronometer movements which provide magnetic-resistance and the highest certified standard of chronometric performance in the Swiss watch industry.
In 2018, the Master Chronometer moves to the next level with the arrival of the 12th and 13th Master Chronometer calibres. This ensures that every new mechanical Omega watch is being rethought and modelled around the strength of its movement, a process that can only become more efficient with the opening of the new Omega factory last year.
At Baselworld this year, Omega presented a range of designs and updated looks, adding more choice, materials and colour to its ever expanding collections.
25 years of creating waves with the Seamaster Diver 300m
For a quarter of a century, the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M, with its design and ocean technology, has enjoyed a huge following. Back in 1993, the timepiece marked Omega’s return to the world of diving watches while igniting the brand’s longstanding partnership with James Bond.
Now, Omega presents a whole new collection.
In 2018, a facelift has been unveiled with 14 models, including six in stainless steel and eight in a mix of stainless steel and gold.
At 42mm, the Seamaster Diver is larger with each new Diver 300M given a Master Chronometer Calibre 8800. This instantly takes the collection into a higher realm of precision, performance and magnetic resistance.
The design has also been rethought, including the iconic diving bezel, which is now made from ceramic with the diving scale in Ceragold or white enamel. The dials are also made from polished ceramic and are available in black, blue or PVD chrome.
Enhancing the appearance is the wavy pattern, which has been reintroduced, now with laser-engraving.
The indexes have been filled with Super-LumiNova, while the date window has been moved to 6 o’clock. The skeleton hands which are rhodium-plated, 18K gold or blue, have also been subtly reshaped.
The helium escape valve, one of the Diver’s most important details, is given a conical shape and patented by Omega with an ingenious technology that allows it to be operated underwater.
On the caseback there is a wave-patterned edge, as well as sapphire crystal through which the Metas-approved movement can be seen.
The Seamaster Diver 300M comes in either a traditional iconic metal bracelet or black or blue rubber strap. It also features Omega’s patented extendable foldover rack-and-pusher with a helpful diver extension.
When the timepiece was originally released, Omega introduced a unique metal known as tantalum. Now Omega pays tribute to that with this special edition, made with tantalum, limited to just 2,500 pieces.
In this version, tantalum has been used for the base of the bezel, as well as in the middle links of the bracelet.
The metal’s blue-grey tones offer a subtle contrast to the grade 2 titanium, which Omega has used for the brushed case and bracelet. The limited edition model also includes touches of 18K Sedna gold, which can be seen on the crown, bezel ring, helium escape valve, bracelet links and hands.
The movement is Master Chronometer 8806, certified by Metas.
Elevating design with the Seamaster Aqua Terra Jewellery
In recent years, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra collection has gone through much transformation resulting in the model undergoing several subtle and inspired changes.
Now it embraces a new style with several new models, adorned with jewels.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra Jewellery features a symmetrical 38mm case crafted from 18K Sedna gold, which includes a diamond-paved bezel. The same gold is also used for the watch’s hands, which point to 12 marquise-cut red rubies at every hour.
On the dial are three different styles of horizontal waves, reminiscent of the rhythm of the ocean.
To achieve the overall look, silvery guilloché waves are interspersed with waves in 18K Sedna gold as well as 18K Sedna gold waves that are paved with a total of 191 diamonds.
On the side of the case, the Aqua Terra’s conical crown is included and polished with an Omega logo on a matte surface.
Completing the watch is the glossy red leather strap. At the heart of the timepiece is the Master Chronometer Calibre 8807.
Celebrating 70 years of the Seamaster
Paying tribute to the role Omega played in World War II history are the new Seamaster Limited Edition timepieces.
During the period, Omega delivered more than 110,000 timepieces to the British Ministry of Defence for use within the Royal Air Force and its other branches.
The watches were highly valued by British airmen and sailors for their water resistance and reliability in combat.
When the war ended, Omega responded to the increased demand by creating a timepiece that had the same technology and reliability but with a design that was more aesthetically suited to civilian life.
The first Seamaster line, launched in 1948, had greater water resistance than their military counterparts, due to the use of O-ring gasket technology.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster, Omega released two limited edition models that capture the spirit of the 1948 classics.
Though both watches stay true to the original postwar design, the Seamaster 1948 Small Seconds and the Seamaster 1948 Central Second are powered by the Master Chronometer movements 8804 and 8806 respectively.
A stainless steel case, polished bezel, opaline silvery domed dial and polished crown, embossed with vintage Ω are common to both watches, but a closer look at the diamond polished 18K white gold hands reveals subtle differences between the two.
On the Seamaster 1948 Small Seconds, the hour and domed minute hand are in leaf style, while the Central Second is graced with Dauphine style hour and minute hands filled with white Super- LumiNova. On the Central Second model, both the minute and seconds hands are domed.
The Seamaster 1948 Small Seconds includes a small seconds indication at 6 o’clock and is presented on a brown leather strap with a polished-brushed stainless steel buckle.
The strap of the Central Second model is blue-grey leather.
Like the original straps, both buckles include a vintage Omega logo.
The caseback of each watch features an oriented and patented Omega “NAIAD LOCK”, engraved with “SEAMASTER, LIMITED EDITION”, the limited edition number and “NAIAD LOCK”.
As a further tribute to the many aviators and mariners who have placed their trust in Omega’s timepieces, the flat sapphire crystal itself is laser engraved and lacquered by hand with a 70th anniversary logo, a Chris-Craft boat and Gloster Meteor aircraft, the first jet plane used by the Royal Air
Force.
Present day adventurers can also rely on the integrity of the Seamaster, as the new models are water resistant to 60m.
Both watches are beautifully presented in their own special collector’s boxes, made of soft brown leather.
In each box, the watch is kept upright but easily moveable thanks to a magnetic floor, while a spare NATO strap in the original Admiralty grey colour, leather strap and strap changing tool are also included.
Each model is limited to 1,948 pieces.
Celebrating 50 years of the first orbit around the moon with the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8
To celebrate 50 years of the Apollo 8 mission, Omega releases the Dark Side of the Moon timepiece.
This model differs from previous Dark Side models as it is powered by a specially decorated version of Omega’s Moonwatch movement.
To display the workings inside, the dial of this timepiece has been expertly skeletonised.
Inside, laser ablation has been used to precisely decorate the bridges and main plate of the blackened movement, producing realistic imagery of the lunar surface.
The spirit of the moon is captured, revealing two unique sides. The dial-side is a light shade to represent our view of the moon’s surface from Earth, while the back of the watch delves into the dark side that only astronauts get to see.
Staying true to the “Dark Side” theme, Omega presents this new creation in black zirconium oxide ceramic but it is contrasted with a yellow colour coding.
Yellow was used first in the Speedmaster collection in 1968 in a Speedmaster Racing model.
Now, yellow appears once again as it is associated with speed, an ideal association for this watch.
The chronograph hands are varnished yellow, while the watch’s tachymeter scale and crown are filled with Super-LumiNova. The black and yellow theme is also seen in the leather strap, which contains a section of yellow rubber through the middle.
A milling tool has then been used to create micro perforations through the constructed strap to reveal the yellow rubber inside.
The back is particularly poignant bearing the quote, “We’ll see you on the other side,” the words spoken by Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, at the start of the Apollo 8 mission, engraved on the caseback.
With the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8, Omega makes an authentic connection to space travel history, using a blackened and decorated version of the Calibre 1861, called 1869, as a tribute to the first moon landing.
A jewelled expression of the constellation
Jewellery has been a natural extension of Omega, creating refined pieces that reflect the spirit of the brand.
In 2018, Omega’s jewellery collection has embraced the symbolic features of the brand’s Constellation watches and reinterpreted them for a set of golden bangles that are slim and radiant.
The first piece, in 18K red gold, is an open bangle with a 0.12ct diamond at one end, and a circle of pink opal at the other.
The second bangle, in 18K white gold, is an overlapping design, again with a single 0.12ct diamond at one end, and a circle of mother-of-pearl at the other.
As well as featuring a diamond, which is a common element of the Constellation collection, the famous claws of the watches have also been used for design inspiration.
At both ends of the bangles, it is clear to see these claws gripping onto the features and enhancing their effect. The new Constellation bangles an in-line with one of today’s most popular styles, and are equally desirable worn on their own or together.
