Omega has been the official partner watch of James Bond for over 30 years and in all that time, the titular action hero spy has been the main focus of their collaborative watches. That is, until today because Omega has embraced their villainous side with the launch of the new Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond Spectre collection. The collection features a set of watches dedicated to Spectre, the shadowy organisation operated by Bond’s rival and nemesis Blofeld – though our hero is not left out as there is a matching set of 007 watches too.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Spectre
Starting with the villains of the story, Omega’s Spectre watches are an ode to the dark forces at play in Ian Fleming’s stories (the organisation appears in three of the original novels and eight of the films). The first watch in the collection is the ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023, a 42mm steel edition with a black, grainy dial and matching black ceramic bezel. It features skeletonised hands and plenty of lume across both the hands and oversize hour markers.
On the surface it appears to be a fairly ordinary, almost minimalist interpretation of the Diver 300m and that’s entirely the point. You aren’t a successful secret organisation if people can tell what’s going on at first glance. The Spectre theming is revealed when you take off the watch and turn it over to reveal the Spectre logo built into the automatic rotor of the calibre 8806 (because of the custom rotor it actually has the full designation 8806 Spectre). The movement has a 55-hour power reserve.
The Ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023 is available on its own at a price of £7,200 or it’s also available as part of a limited edition boxset where the reference changes to 210.30.42.20.01.029 because of the “Limited Edition” inscription on the back that’s absent on the standard version.
The second watch that’s in the boxset is the Ref. 210.83.42.20.01.001 with a platinum-gold case and white gold, engraved dial in black. The curves of the engraving are inspired by the tentacles of the Spectre octopus. The octopus on the rotor has also been updated to be gold, meaning the calibre is called the 8806 Spectre gold. Together, the Spectre watches are delivered in a custom presentation box in a limited edition of 77 pieces at a price of £75,300.
Price and Specs:
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond
The James Bond side of the James Bond Spectre collection follows the same pattern as the Spectre side. Meaning there’s a standalone steel model that’s also available as part of a limited edition boxset with a platinum-gold version. For the steel model, it’s fitted with a titanium bezel and a blue aluminium dial that’s laser engraved with a wave pattern. It also features a custom hour marker at 12 o’clock with an arrow motif.
Inside is the calibre 8806 James Bond, which has the same specifications as its Spectre counterpart including the 55-hour power reserve, co-axial escapement and Master Chronometer certification. It has the James Bond logo for its rotor including rifled barrel and 007 symbol.
Just like its Spectre opposite number, the Ref. 210.30.42.20.03.004 is priced at £7,200 in a non-limited edition. The limited version is the Ref. 210.30.42.20.03.005, which comes in the boxset with the Ref. 210.83.42.20.03.001 in platinum-gold.
In addition to the precious metal case, the platinum-gold model has a ceramic bezel and an engraved dial. However, the engraving this time evokes the rifled pattern of the James Bond logo rather than the tentacles of Spectre. I can imagine that they’d look amazing side by side with each other, though that would mean you’d need to buy both boxsets and just like the Spectre one, the James Bond edition is limited to 77 pieces at £75,300. Together they would be £150,600.
All that remains is the question, which side are you joining? James Bond or Spectre?
Price and Specs:
More details at Omega.
