In the last couple of decades, Omega has been obsessed with matching Rolex point for point. While that’s pretty notable in things like the Oyster Perpetual vs the Aqua Terra (particularly the Shades sub-collection), it’s basically a derby in the dark world of dive watches.
The 300M Professional parallels the Submariner nicely, both in specs and usurping the wrist of the world’s least secret agent in the Bond films. At the more extreme end however, there’s the Planet Ocean, originally introduced in 2005 as a straight-up Sea Dweller sinker. It measured in at 42mm across and 14.5mm thick, chunky but manageable.
That sizing is notable because over the last two decades, the Planet Ocean has ballooned in proportions. Largely you could put that down to its deep-diving properties – 600m water resistance is a core part of the collection – but for most of us, 43.5mm x 16.5mm (introduced in the collection’s last update in 2016) is a pretty substantial bit of weight on the wrist. Now that sizes have been shrinking across the watch world, it feels even more of an outlier. Fortunately, Omega agree.
Enter the fourth-generation Omega Planet Ocean, which has been given a comprehensive overhaul.
First, there’s the size, which has actually returned to the 42mm of the original 2005 model. It’s also a good deal thinner, measuring 13.79m thick. That’s substantial. Compared to the 43.5 x 16mm bulk of the modern Planet Oceans, it feels like a completely different watch – one that I can actually wear. It’s obvious why Omega made this particular change. The third-gen Planet Ocean was from a time of ballooning case sizes and still had a hangover of chunkiness complaints. Making it actually wearable is a no-brainer.
For me though, it does introduce a bit of a conundrum. The Planet Ocean is the extreme, uber-professional instrument to the Diver 300M’s more everyday vibe. Its size was part of that. Now it’s all in the specs, instead. That does mean that the choice is more on budget and use rather than wearability – as it should always be – but for me it loses some of the charm of the oversized PO models.
I’m aware that’s a bit hypocritical, wanting a watch in a larger size that a wouldn’t wear, but there you have it. Omega had to make it smaller – it’s genuinely a really good move – but it still makes me nostalgic.
There’s also one change you may be screaming at the page right now, but one that I genuinely don’t think is as impactful as it seems. Omega has dropped the helium escape valve.
On one hand, this is to put it plainly, a drop in functionality. There’s no getting around the fact that Omega have removed something that the watch could previously do. On the other, do you actually know any saturation divers? Not just professional divers, but the guys that spend months at the bottom of the ocean before weeks coming back to the surface? They’re the only people who are at risk of their crystals blowing off and need the helium escape valve. I know maybe one, and he doesn’t wear an Omega down there. So yes, it’s removing a function – but a vestigial one at best.
More importantly for me, it really changes the look of the watch. That extra 10 o’clock crown gave the Planet Ocean a much more distinctive silhouette, one that differentiated it from other divers. It also spoke to its extreme nature (in an aesthetic sense at least). And while I don’t care about the helium escape valve itself going, I do think the Planet Ocean’s silhouette has lost something in its removal.
What the new collection has lost in shape and size however it’s more than gained back in refinement. To trim the fat and maintain that 600m water resistance, Omega all but rebuilt the Planet Ocean with a new two-part case, inner titanium ring and a titanium screw-in back, dropping the exhibition caseback. But in doing so, they also took the opportunity make the whole thing more faceted, more nuanced look. It’s reminiscent of what they did with the current gen Seamaster 300M Professional and it really works.
That goes double for the new bracelet, which now integrates more cleanly into the case. It’s flatter, slimmer and has a solid six-point micro-adjustment with an even greater extension for divers. It might not be as aesthetically different as the HEV, but it’s a seriously good quality of life change.
The new dials have had a refresh too, with new open-worked Arabic numerals and matte across the board. I don’t like glossy dials, so I’m a fan of this. It’s a tool watch; it should look like it. They have also removed the date which might frustrate some people (even less functionality) but I’m all for it.
Fortunately, utilitarian doesn’t mean monochrome and the collection’s signature orange is here in a big way on the bezels, along with blue and black as the more pared-back colours. While I’m usually ok to let people make their own aesthetic choices… come on. It’s all about the orange. It’s not just pure Planet Ocean, it’s just a fantastic flash of colour.
Inside each watch is the calibre 8912, a Co-Axial Master Chronometer with 60-hours of power reserve and enough anti-magnetism to survive an MRI machine (seriously). It’s the same as Omega put in the Ultra-Deep, meaning it’s the biggest gun in their diving arsenal.
The end result of all this is a Planet Ocean that feels less unique as a collection and is unequivocally less functional, but is equally-unequivocally a much better, more wearable watch. It’s smaller and thinner but maintains its specs. It’s dropped a function (arguably functions) nobody needed and leverages all the metallurgical expertise and movement advancements Omega has gathered since 2016.
Now the question of whether you opt for a 300M Professional or Planet Ocean might come down to price more than anything. Speaking of, the new collection starts at £7,200 for the blue or black on rubber straps up to £8,000 for the orange on a bracelet. That makes it a chunk more than the current Planet Ocean’s entry-level of around £6,600. But compared to its OG rival, the Sea-Dweller, which sits at £11,750 in steel, it might just be a better prospect.
Price and Specs:
More details at Omega.
I seem to recall that I have made a similar comment on a not too distant Omega release, yet another Omega along the same lines as always, – another dive inspired watch.
Sadly, Omega will always be synonymous with the fictional character James Bond, an agent that is secret as a front page advert, but has stood the test of time as being one of the most recognised characters around the world in the world of fiction.
Almost as sad, is the constant comparison of Omega to Rolex (both brands even being mentioned in Daniel Craig remake of Casino Royale), and in this review! but the difference being that the Rolex was only worn in beach / water environments (by Sean Connery), he than transferred to a dress watch for all other locations (if I am correct, this was his personally owned Gruen), so, enough reference to Bond, to this watch, yet another update of another dive watch – enough already! Too big, too bold, too flashy, and looking totally wrong with business / evening wear. If you want a professional dive watch, buy one from a specialist company.
Choose watches for the occasion. Look no further than George Clooney, his choice of Omega is a classy dress watch, not some great lump of a thing. That man has style.