Omega Seamaster
Line of mechanical diving watches
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Omega Seamaster is a line of automatic winding mechanical sports and diving watches from Omega with a history that can be traced back to the original water-resistant dress-style watch released in 1948.
Omega Seamaster Co-Axial Master Chronometre (2024) | |
| Manufacturer | Omega |
|---|---|
| Display | Analogue/ Digital |
| Introduced | 1948 |
| Movement | Manual / Automatic / Quartz |
Originally conceived as a robust, every day watch with water-resistance for 'town, sea, and country',[1] the Seamaster line became popular with divers, explorers and professionals, and the line was soon associated with dive watches, in particular the Seamaster Diver Professional 300m model.[2]
In 2019, three specially made experimental watches dubbed Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professionals survived a 10,928 meter dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench affixed to the bathyscaphe Limiting Factor, setting a new world record at the time as deepest dive watch by 12 meters.[3][4]
History
The Seamaster is the longest-running product line still produced by Omega. It was introduced in 1948, and was based upon designs made for the British Royal Navy towards the end of World War II.[5]
The original Seamaster's key feature was an O-ring gasket used to provide its waterproof seal. This design had been developed for use in submarines during the war and turned out to also be useful for watches, where it made them much less vulnerable to temperature and pressure changes than earlier lead- or shellac- based gasket designs. The Omega Seamaster first made a diving record in 1955, when diver Gordon McLean reached a depth of 62.5 metres (205 ft) in Australia.[5]
Omega Professional "Trilogy"
In 1957, Omega introduced three separate watches including the Speedmaster, the Railmaster and Seamaster 300, a watch designed for professional divers.[6]
James Bond
The Omega Seamaster watches have been associated with the James Bond movies since GoldenEye, where Pierce Brosnan wore the Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Quartz 2541.80.00. In the proceeding films starring Pierce Brosnan as the titular character, James Bond wore an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Chronometer 2531.80.00.[7]
Before 1995, actors portraying James Bond wore a range of watches, notably the Rolex Submariner.[7][8] However, when selecting a watch for the character to wear, costume designer Lindy Hemming selected the Seamaster model as she wanted James Bond to appear more 'modern and European'. Omega was eager to participate in the high-profile product placement opportunity to further its brand image and supplied the watches.[9]
The Seamaster Professional Diver 300M was worn by James Bond in six movies, the Planet Ocean and Aqua Terra in three, in addition to sporting a limited edition Omega Seamaster 300 (not to be confused with the Professional Diver 300M) Master Co-Axial in Spectre. The Seamaster Professional Diver 300M that appears from GoldenEye to Casino Royale is made of stainless steel on a stainless steel bracelet, fitted with a blue dial, unidirectional rotating bezel with blue ring and a sapphire crystal.[10] After its absence in three films, the Diver 300M returns in No Time to Die in the form of a new model, this time with a black dial, a titanium case, powered by Omega's Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8806 and is the first in the line of Seamasters to have a Milanese mesh strap and not to feature a date window.[11] It was designed in collaboration with Daniel Craig.[12]
| Film | Watch(es) |
|---|---|
| GoldenEye – 1995 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Quartz (2541.80.00) |
| Tomorrow Never Dies – 1997 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (2531.80.00) |
| The World Is Not Enough – 1999 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (2531.80.00) |
| Die Another Day – 2002 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (2531.80.00) |
| Casino Royale – 2006 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (2220.80.00)
Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (2900.50.91) |
| Quantum of Solace – 2008 | Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (2201.50.00) |
| Skyfall – 2012 | Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean (232.30.42.21.01.001)
Seamaster Aqua Terra (231.10.39.21.03.001) |
| Spectre – 2015 | Seamaster 300 "SPECTRE" Limited Edition (233.32.41.21.01.001)
Seamaster Aqua Terra (231.10.42.21.03.004) |
| No Time to Die – 2021 | Seamaster Professional Diver 300M (210.90.42.20.01.001)
Seamaster Aqua Terra (231.10.42.21.03.004) |
Models
Omega produces several models of Seamaster watches,[13] with numerous variations of case materials, bracelet, water resistance, and case diameter. The current offerings among the Seamaster line are below:
Seamaster Aqua Terra collection:
- Includes variations with date, day-date, annual calendar, GMT, world timer, and chronograph functionalities all sporting 150 meters of water resistance
Seamaster Diver Professional 300M collection:
- Includes variations with date, GMT, and chronograph functionalities all sporting 300 meters of water resistance[14]
Seamaster Planet Ocean collection:
- Includes variations with date, GMT, and chronograph functionalities, all sporting at least 600 meters of water resistance. The Ultra Deep variant has a 6,000m water resistance depth rating, breaking all records at the time of its release. In 2025 Omega redesigned the Seamaster Planet Ocean series with the release of the 4th generations, reducing the thickness to 13.79mm and removing the Helium escape valve. [15]
The Seamaster line also includes the below Heritage Models:
Seamaster 300:
- Not to be confused with the above Seamaster Diver Professional 300m; a modernized take on the original diving watch from Omega first launched in 1957
Seamaster Railmaster:
- A modernized take on the original antimagnetic watch offering from Omega which also first launched in 1957 and was specially designed for those working close to magnetic fields
Seamaster Ploprof 1200m:
- From "Plongeur Professionnel" or "Professional Diver"; originally launched in 1969, this is the continuation of Omega's heavy-duty tool watch for deep underwater use. This model was famously worn by Jacques Cousteau in his television series "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau"[16]
