The Omega Seamaster Diver was Omega’s send off for Daniel Craig’s stint as James Bond but is it a worthy send off?
James Bond has been affiliated with Omega since I can remember. I’m a 1991 child so don’t start hammering me for not remembering the Sean Connery / Roger Moore days.
The first time I spotted Bond using a Seamaster was in the Pierce Brosnan’s Goldeneye where he was sporting a steel bracelet, quartz 2541.80.00. This is where cool was born, this is the first time I thought to myself, “Fuck it, I want a nice watch.” I was 5 years old and watching the movie on a plane to Lebanon. The watch I got was a yellow Tweety Bird watch.
25 years went by, and I never really paid Omega much attention after that. It seemed as if everything was overplayed or related to the moon. I can only be told so many times that “this watch went to the moon” or “this is better than a Submariner”.
It’s like the Sydney vs Melbourne debate. When people feel the need to tell you something is better than the other, it usually isn’t. Rolex don’t give a shit about the Seamaster, but every person who owns a Seamaster HAS to tell you how much better it is then a Submariner.
But then this came out, and finally OMEGA did something cool again (yeah, I said it). They made the entire watch out of titanium, they removed the date, gave it a hell of an impractical bracelet (we’ll get to that later) and made the dial completely luminescent. Fuck yeah, we all love some lume.
The OMEGA Seamaster No Time to Die, does exactly what it’s meant to do. Be cooler than cool. No one who owns this watch needs to tell you how much cooler it is than a Submariner, because they already know that it is. It’s so inconspicuous, and so retro, that it can both be worn with a suit and looked at fondly, or with a t shirt and jeans and look like a bad ass.
The Dial
The removal of the date window allows the watch to have a near perfectly symmetrical dial, the helium escape valve just exists for the sake of Omega flexing and saying, “look how deep we can go”. But it’s not so noticeable to the point where it negatively affects the watch. Instead, it adds a little bit more character to the Bond based watch.
The colour of the dial, is a tropical brown-black? I don’t know how to explain it, other than, “yeah, it’s fucking cool.” Omega lists it as brown, but is it though?
The hour markers are already a tropical colour, making you think this watch was made in the 80’s and kept in a safe until now.
This is also the first Seamaster to wear the “Broadarrow” designation as well, meaning it’s been endorsed by the British Armed Forces. You can see the logo just above 6 o’clock.
The Bezel
This is where the Omega shines. Rather than switching to everyone’s favourite ceramic, the watch purposefully forgoes any shininess. It does this by using a brushed aluminium diving bezel, keeping the watch ultra-lightweight. We’re James Bond you know, and we have to make sure our watch stays as light as possible.
The Lumed bezel, allows the watch to be extremely visible even under water, so whilst Rolex, Breitling, and Tudor stick with just the 60 minute marker being lumed, OMEGA go another step further and lume the whole thing. Very James Bond.
The Bracelet
The bracelet is fucking dumb. I have absolutely no idea who designed this thing, but they need to be loaded into a cannon and shot into space.
I wouldn’t make fun of this bracelet if they gave it the Breitling treatment and allowed you to take off parts of the mesh. But in this case, the mesh has holes in it for you to connect to the clasp, which then doesn’t allow anyone with a wrist smaller than 7 inches to wear it properly.
If you want to feel like Bond, but you’re smaller than 5’10, you’ll need to wear this on a Nato.
The Movement
The 42mm sizing feels right at home for anyone that has had a “Bond Seamaster” on wrist and, while the 13.15mm thickness (including the double-domed sapphire crystal) may be a bit thicker than that of the Brosnan-era Seamasters, the Diver 300M 007 Edition wears well and houses an excellent METAS Master Chronometer automatic movement, the Omega 8806.
The Verdict
This watch is a bad motherfucker, in a world full of bad motherfucking watches. It’s definitely the perfect send off for Daniel Craig’s version of Bond (even if the dial is faux-aged) .
Basics at a Glance
Brand: Omega
Model: Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
Reference Number: 210.90.42.20.01.001
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 13.15mm
Lug to Lug: 49mm
Case Material: Titanium
Dial Color: Matte black
Indexes: Tanned luminous
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Matching titanium mesh bracelet with fold-over clasp or nylon NATO strap
The Movement
Caliber: Omega 8806
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, helium escape valve,
Diameter: 26mm
Power Reserve: 55 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 25,200 vph
Jewels: 35
Chronometer Certified: METAS Master Chronometer certified
Additional Details: Anti-magnetic up to 15,000 gauss
If you’re into vintage looking watches, check out Timex’s very chic Q Timex 1972.
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