A look back at the Omega Seamaster, the marine watch

When a novice thinks about luxury watches, a few names consistently come up. In many cases, Rolex is the first name that comes to mind, closely followed by Omega. Over the last century, the brand has maintained a prominent position thanks to its presence both artistically, as the partner of James Bond, and historically, as the watch worn by the Apollo 11 astronauts and as the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games on 29 occasions.

First strokes in deep water.

But today, the range that interests us is the one that holds the brand's record for longevity: the Seamaster range. The Swiss company, founded in 1848, began developing its legendary diver's watch 100 years after the start of its history. Following a prelude in 1932 by the Swiss group with the creation of the "Omega Marine," the group's first commercial dive watch, it was to meet the needs of British soldiers that the Swiss watchmakers embarked on the production of the Seamaster. As you might expect, the specifications were strict, and Omega innovated by proposing a way to waterproof the watch. Indeed, watches of the time used lead or shellac gaskets. These gaskets were very effective, but had a significant weakness when faced with temperature changes due to varying depths.

A new type of seal inspired by underwater environments.

Drawing inspiration from the technologies used in vintage submarines, the watchmakers of Biel/Bienne offer a watch with a case that closes with an O-shaped gasket. The advantage of this design lies in the fact that the case remains intact at depths of up to 60 meters and perfectly absorbs temperature variations ranging from -40 to 50 degrees Celsius. As an interesting aside, Omega engineers demonstrated the Seamaster's resilience by attaching it to the exterior of an aircraft that flew over the North Pole in 1956.

A year later, Omega unveiled a trio of professional watches: the Speedmaster, the Railmaster, and the Seamaster 300. While its predecessor could only descend to a depth of 60 meters, the Seamaster could reach 200 meters. However, there was no need to dive deeper, not due to the watch's technical limitations, but rather the limitations of the diving equipment itself. This Seamaster 300 perfectly illustrates the needs of a professional at the time, equipping the renowned Jacques Cousteau during his "Conshelf II" scientific expedition in the Red Sea.

The presence on the wrist of the most famous secret agent in the seventh art.

If you've been paying attention since the beginning of this article, you'll know that Omega owes part of its reputation to its presence in the world of cinema. Indeed, in the mid-1990s, Omega beat Rolex to the punch, becoming the official timepiece of the world's most famous secret agent, James Bond. Despite the fact that Ian Fleming's novel explicitly mentions a watch with the crown on the wrist of the MI5 agent, Omega demonstrates, through the military history of its diver's watch with the British Royal Navy, that it would be more logical for the agent to wear a watch from the Biel-based group. This was achieved as early as 1995 when Pierce Brosnan wore an Omega Quartz Seamaster Professional 300 in "GoldenEye," a collaboration that continued until "No Time To Die," released in 2021, where we see Daniel Craig wearing a Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition.

The branching out of the ranges while preserving the legacy of a mythical model.

At the dawn of the new millennium, Omega launched the Aqua Terra in 2002 and Planet Ocean in 2005. These two collections embraced the more contemporary codes of modern watchmaking, refining the silhouettes and reworking the dials. To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of its legendary model, Omega presented a new version at Baselworld in 2017, reviving the original aesthetics of the Seamaster 300 with meticulous attention to detail, giving the dial a tropical finish for a surprisingly successful vintage look.

Regarding the pre-owned Seamaster market, thanks to its immense popularity and high-quality craftsmanship, Omega dive watches can be found at competitive prices, in excellent condition, and in large quantities. Therefore, if you're looking to buy a dive watch with a rich and long history and have a relatively limited budget, the Seamaster seems to be the ideal vintage timepiece. We hope you enjoyed learning about this watch, which boasts an unparalleled longevity within the Omega catalog, and its history. Don't hesitate to subscribe to our newsletter to discover our weekly article!