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What We Know

If you’ve been browsing Omega’s website recently, you might have seen some interesting discrepancies while looking at the webpages for many of the Seamasters. Many on the internet have picked up on these little details and subtle easter eggs, including the Omega logo in the website header intermittently flickering into the franchise’s modern-era Specter logo. Or perhaps you spotted that same logo depicted as ASCII art in the website’s source code (shown below). Clever marketing techniques, especially given the Bond theme of the releases being teased. 

Then, this past Friday, Omega dropped the product page for one of the new watches straight into the Seamaster 300 collection on the website, technical specs and all. And while the listing had no photos (that would be too easy), sleuths quickly found a long string of binary text in the description box that converts to the product introduction for the new watch. It created real buzz online, but let me fill in the final missing pieces with live photos and hands-on context of these new Bond-themed Seamasters.

Which brings us to today: Omega launches not just one watch—but actually four new Seamasters. Two of them are the focus here since they’re not limited and are additions to the main collection. Let’s get one thing out of the way first—if you saw the teaser and were hoping for a new, downsized version of the Seamaster Diver 300M, sorry, no dice. These new watches follow the same formula as the current-generation divers, with unchanged technical specifications.

Here, the two new mainline divers play off of each other in a heroes vs. villains dynamic, with one of the watches themed to 007 and the other themed to the (fictional, of course) criminal organization Spectre. I think it’s not hard to imagine which one is which—certainly not once you turn over to the casebacks. Both use the same Seamaster Diver 300M case, which means a 42mm diameter with that all-too-familiar helium escape valve on the side. Thickness is listed at 14.23mm, which is thicker than the standard versions but thinner than the 60th Anniversary Bond Seamaster with the animated caseback. I assume much of it has to do with a combination of these casebacks using the brand’s Naiad Lock alignment system, as well as the embellishments on the rotor.

The Seamaster James Bond Edition, ref. 210.30.42.20.03.004, pairs the brand’s familiar laser-engraved wave-patterned aluminum dial, this time in a dark blue hue, together with a uni-directional rotating bezel with a grade 5 titanium insert in relief (Nekton, anyone?). The small yet quite visually apparent twist comes in the applied twelve o’clock hour marker, which replaces the standard rectangular plot with the Bond family crest. We’ve seen this detail before, on the dial of the 2019 “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” 50th Anniversary edition of the Seamaster Diver 300M, but to my knowledge, this is the first time this crest motif has been done in a white-colored metal. Turn the watch around, and you’ll see the familiar METAS-certified Master Co-Axial 8806 automatic movement powering the diver. Well, actually, you can’t. This version gets an absolutely giant rotor that covers almost the entire caliber, with the 007 Pistol logo centered in the iconic rifled gun barrel imagery from the franchise.

The Spectre edition goes for a more rugged and tactical monochromatic aesthetic. The insert of the relief bezel is rendered in black ceramic, and the textured stippling spills over into the grained, matte black dial. While the insert design is mostly borrowed from the pre-existing black-on-black ceramic Seamaster Diver 300M design, this version has a steel lume-filled pip for more contrast and matches the steel bezel and case. Flip this one around, and you’ll see the black, octopus-like Spectre logo screwed on as part of the winding mass. If you’re one who likes actually seeing any part of the movement through a sapphire caseback, this rotor design is a lot friendlier in that regard. Both the Spectre and James Bond editions come delivered on the brand’s steel Milanese mesh bracelet.

That’s about all there is to the new standard production editions. But as I mentioned above, two more watches are being released as part of a pair of limited-edition box sets. Yes, they’re also themed in Bond and Spectre pairs. The blue Bond-themed set has the blue-dialed Seamaster from above, paired with a white gold version that features a blue ceramic bezel, as well as the rifled barrel motif on the dial. The Spectre set has an additional platinum watch with what appears to be a guillochéd dial. While the designs of the steel versions are the same, they will have an engraved plaque on the left side of the case with the specific number out of 77, and the caseback will also be engraved “Limited Edition.” We don’t have much additional information about these box sets as of publication, but we’ll find out along with the rest of the world once the products are live.

Both non-limited Seamaster Diver 300M references are priced at $8,600 (be it Spectre or Bond), and both of the limited edition sets are priced at $89,800.

What We Think

Having gotten these in the metal to take a look at before launch, I have two very conflicting feelings inside my head. While the No Time To Die Seamaster 300 is probably my favorite Bond-themed design, these two new versions are rather attractive in person, with the Spectre-themed, black-dialed Seamaster being my pick of the bunch. 

But at the same time, both of these feel so safe in execution that they wouldn’t have looked out of place as standard editions in the lineup, and I almost wish the Spectre one was done without any of the Bond theming. There’s a big reason they feel that way, I think—the combinations of relief bezels and dial textures have all been seen on past Seamaster 300M references, with these designs borrowing a little from here and a little from there. Nothing is particularly original in either edition, certainly not in the same way that the No Time To Die edition (which is titanium and uniquely colored) stood out from the bunch.

Oh, by the way— if you’re treating my thoughts like medical advice, however, and you want a second opinion, my friend and colleague Griffin has also shared some thoughts on this new release—check it out here.

While the watch nerd in me would have loved to see a bolder swing for the fences to make this new generation of Bond Seamasters stand out, I think these new references will have a significantly broader commercial appeal than some of the weirder past designs ever did. Yes, I know. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t—Omega certainly can’t please everyone here. 

One main gripe remains, though it has nothing to do with the actual designs offered today and is very subjective based on my smaller, flatter wrist—this mesh bracelet design, while very nice in the hand and lovely in photos, is simply uncomfortable (yes, even the short version). Though I’m sure many will disagree with me, I really wish they had stuck to the five-link bracelet design (or made the mesh a bit more flexible), as it’s a much more universally fitting execution, and pretty much renders any of these later Seamaster 300M divers unwearable on my wrist in metal. Rant aside, these are certainly good-looking, if subtle, new takes on Omega’s longstanding tie-in with the James Bond franchise, and will tide over many until the long-awaited news of the new Bond is announced. If you have a pick for the next Bond, drop it in the comments and let us know what Omega they should put on his wrist. 

The Basics

Brand: Omega
Model: Seamaster Diver 300M
Reference Number: 210.30.42.20.03.004 (Blue Dial); TKTK (Black Dial)

Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 14.23mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Blue or Black
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes, Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Steel mesh bracelet with foldover clasp

The Movement

Caliber: 8806
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Power Reserve: 55 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 25,200 VpH
Jewels: 35
Chronometer Certified: Yes, METAS Master Chronometer certified

Pricing & Availability

Price: $8,600 (Steel); $89,800 (Limited Edition Box Set)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Box sets are limited to 77 each.

For more, click here.