An Omega For Everyone

Omega: The only long-term relationship James Bond ever had, and it’s easy to see why. No other brand has introduced an entirely new escapement for all their movements, nor have they made anti-magnetism as important as accuracy – a necessity in our modern magnet-filled world. The METAS certification that Omega applies to all their watches ensures that they are not only accurate to within -0/+5 seconds a day, but also unaffected by magnetism up to 15,000 gauss. While others have moved slowly to improve, Omega continuously pushes the boundaries of technology and design. If you want the most modern mechanical watch, Omega is the obvious choice. Check out these options from the shop.

If you are going to make a watch that tracks every major time zone on Earth, you might as well put a picture of the planet on it. Omega has certainly spent enough time in space to have an idea of what Earth looks like from above. The map of the northern hemisphere is laser-ablated to create a textured relief. The world time track has GMT time in red, with cities that are an hour ahead of this time in summer painted silver, and those that do not have daylight savings time are marked in blue. On top of the world time complication, the heart of this watch is a Seamaster Aqua Terra. It’s still METAS certified with 150m of water resistance. So, wherever you end up in your travels, this watch is ready for adventure.

No Omega list would be complete without the Speedmaster Professional. The most traditional variation of this model would be with a Hesalite crystal on a metal bracelet, but most of the world has moved on to sapphire crystal. The sapphire version is often nicknamed the “sapphire sandwich” since it also has an exhibition case back that allows you to see the gorgeous caliber 3861 inside. This movement is the newest addition to the Speedmaster that adds the Co-Axial escapement and enough anti-magnetism to pass METAS certification trials – which were probably not remotely as difficult as what NASA put this watch through. The Moonwatch also might be the biggest strap monster ever made. It looks good on everything from rubber to flamingo NATO-style straps. Grab one on leather for easy strap changing, and pick up a few new straps while you are at it.

James Bond introduced the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M to the world in 1995, but the original Seamaster came out a few years before the first Bond film in 1957. The Seamaster 300 was the Omega dive watch that kicked off a central tenet to Omega’s lineup. Revived in 2014, the original look had a distinctive vintage styling meant to invoke the idea of the 1957 progenitor. With a thinner bezel than the one found in the 300M, numerals only at the poles, yellowed Super-LumiNova, and the distinctly Omega broad arrow handset reminiscent of the 1950s, we can only remark: “Goodness.” What’s new is its lightweight titanium case and the modern Caliber 8400 Co-axial movement, just modern enough to bring a classic design up to date.

What do you use your chronograph for? Whatever the answer is, the Speedmaster Chronoscope will help achieve it. The bezel is a tachymeter that will measure the speed of any object over a known distance. The inner telemeter scale can measure the distance of an object that can be seen and heard, like lightning, fireworks, or even a cannon firing. Lastly, the inner scale on the dial is a pulsometer scale that helps the user quickly measure a person’s heart rate. Of course, the Chronoscope works just as well to time how long the rice has been cooking. The most important part is that no matter how you use the different chronograph scales, the watch will look good while doing it.

Omega, Bond Omega Seamaster Diver 300M. Celebrating 25 years of James Bond wearing Omega, this 007 edition of the 300M was introduced in 2020. This is the only 300M without a date, something fans of the brand wish was an option on the rest of the line, as it gives a clean look to the dial. The dial also features a lollipop seconds hand, often only seen on older Omega Seasmasters, and a yellowed Super-Lumimova that is matched on the bezel to mimic the color that older tritium lume turns to over time. The broad arrow mark just above the 6 o’clock marker is traditionally reserved for watches given to the British armed forces. Still, Omega was given special permission to use it on this watch. The caseback also has the broad arrow, along with numbers that match what would be found on a mil-spec watch that’s issued to service members. The bottom line of text has 007 for Bond and “62” for the first year a James Bond movie was released. This Omega Seamaster Diver 300M is not a limited edition, but Omega has said they will discontinue it once the next James Bond movie is released.