Omega Release Seamaster Diver 300m and 300 75th Anniversary Editions with Aquatic Dials

Omega are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their seminal dive watch collection, the Seamaster and boy are they celebrating in style. There are 11 new watches being launched and rest assured, we will be taking a look at all of them over the next few days. First up though, we’re taking a look at the most popular model in the Seamaster range, the Seamaster 300m and its retro cousin the Seamaster 300 75th Anniversary editions.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Ref. 210.32.42.20.03.002/003

One of the major themes of this anniversary collection is the colour blue, emphasising the importance of the sea to the watch industry. As such, the new Diver 300m has a blue ceramic bezel with a Grand Feu enamel scale and a blue fumé dial with the classic wave pattern. The specific shade of blue is called summer blue and it’s a tricky colour to describe – it’s darker than sky but less vibrant than electric blue. To my mind it perfectly captures the colour of the sea at the point where light begins to fade beneath the surface.

In terms of size, it’s 42mm in stainless steel. It’s a little disappointing because early rumours that surfaced a few days ago suggested that it might be a 41mm model or smaller, adding a new, interesting dimension to the piece. However, 42mm is tried and tested and makes sense for a serious diving watch so you can’t really hold it against them.

Powering the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m 75th Anniversary is the Omega 8800 automatic movement. It’s a METAS master chronometer movement with a co-axial escapement with great reliability and accuracy. It’s magnetic resistant to 15,000 gauss and has a 55-hour power reserve. The movement is protected by a solid steel caseback bearing an engraving of Poseidon on a seahorse chariot.

On steel bracelet it’s priced at £5,800 and on rubber it’s £5,500. If you plan on taking it into its natural habitat then the rubber makes sense but if you’re going to stay firmly on dry land, the bracelet is probably for you.

Omega Seamaster 300 Ref. 234.30.41.21.03.002

The retro counterpart of the Diver 300m is the Seamaster 300, a collection they launched in 2021. It’s based on the earliest Seamasters from 1957 but isn’t really a heritage recreation, falling more into the category of a modern reinterpretation with contemporary features sitting comfortably alongside the retro styling.

This watch is actually 41mm in diameter but that’s less remarkable for the 300 than it would be for the 300m. Still, it’s a nice size and leans into the vintage inspiration, with vintage watches tending to be much smaller than those of today.

However, while the case is fine, what really makes this watch is the fact that the dial is frankly gorgeous. A summer blue gradient dominates the dial and it’s accented by hour markers and hands that are filled with light blue SuperLuminova. We’re familiar with the concept of coloured lume in the context of vintage beige lume, but to see coloured lume used as a way of emphasising a thematic colourway in this manner is very unusual. It looks awesome.

Beneath the surface is the co-axial calibre Omega 8912 with 60-hour power reserve. The main difference between this movement and the 8800 is that this one doesn’t have a date window, it’s time only. That’s likely the reason it has a higher power reserve as there are less complications absorbing power.

Looking at price, the Omega Seamaster 300 75th Anniversary is exclusively available on steel bracelet at £6,800. Yes, that’s a full £1,000 more than the 300m, but be honest with yourself, you’d rather have the Seamaster 300. It has my vote for being the coolest watch in the entire 75th anniversary series. I quite simply love it.

More details at Omega.