If you’ve been on the internet or Instagram at all this week, you’ve likely already seen countless posts about Omega’s six new Seamaster James Bond references.
Many websites and Instagrammers, angled the release just as intended by Omega, posing the question of whether you prefer the primary 007 model, with it’s blue dial, or the Spectre model, with its black dial.
Instead of making a cliche comparison, I’ll save you the time: the Spectre model is the only one worth considering.
At $8,600, the Seamaster Diver 300M “Spectre” (Ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023) is pricey for an Omega dive watch, but a bargain when you think about the two limited edition dual watch sets (77 of each) that are $89,800. And it falls under the current $10,050 retail price of a stainless steel no-date Submariner, although you can still get the popular and highly comparable Daniel Craig Seamaster Diver 300M, which has the same caliber 8806 movement, almost the same case (although a bit thinner), and it closely resembles the Spectre Seamaster 300M, for $7,300.
Many people commented on how the Milanese mesh bracelet, is stiff, and the clasp is too thick, and I do think it should have come with an premium integrated FKM black rubber strap in addition to the stainless steel mesh bracelet, but it’s a pretty nice bracelet overall, and I’ve seen many much worse mesh bracelets.
As far as the James Bond Spectre (2015) association, I cannot recall the movie that well — it’s more than a decade old now — but I don’t think it was that great. On a side note, Skyfall (2012), which I watched at Omega’s premiere in New York City, was awesome, and my favorite Bond movie ever. That said, the name “Spectre” which is an acronym for (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion), directly connects numerous James Bond movies together (fitting for Omega who has been associated with James Bond for 30 years), and the octopus motif on the caseback, is at least something new, and visually interesting, in an era where everything in the watch world seems to be iterative.
Omega’s Seamaster Diver 300M “Spectre” edition features a stainless steel case measuring 42 mm x 14.23 mm, with a lug-to-lug of 50 mm, a 20 mm interlug width, and weighs 159 grams on the included brushed stainless steel mesh bracelet.
Uniquely, the Seamaster Spectre includes a uni-directional rotating bezel with a black ceramic ring, on which the diving scale is laser-ablated in positive relief. The dial features a blackened grained finish with skeletonized, polished and faceted rhodium-plated hands, along with indexes filled with white Super-LumiNova. The central seconds hand is also rhodium-plated, and the markings are transferred in white.
The polished-brushed caseback, that displays caliber 8806 Spectre — which is an automatic movement that beats at 3.5Hz and has a 55-hour power reserve — follows Omega’s wave-edged design and is engraved with “NAIAD LOCK”, “DIVER 300M”, the water resistance and “Spectre,” while a blackened Spectre logo decoration forms part of the rotor, visible through the flat sapphire crystal. It’s delivered in a special presentation box in black, opened by push-button featuring the Spectre logo.
Final Thoughts
In typical Omega fashion, the Biel/Bienne watch brand probably went overboard in offering six total references, including two with incongruent alligator leather straps and precious metal cases (for professional dive watches), when one or two stainless steel references would have likely sufficed. Omega has significant paid relationship with the James Bond franchise, which likely means getting as much return on that investment as possible, and for a movie franchise that has not released a new film in five years, Omega must have felt six references was the right number to make up for the lack of newness. At least with the Seamster Diver 300M Spectre edition (Ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023), I think Omega delivered something both Bond fanatics, and dive watch lovers, will desire.
Learn more at Omega.
Photos by Omega.
