HISTORY OF THE OMEGA SEAMASTER
Omega Seamaster 300 ‘Big Triangle’ / Credit: AnalogShift
While the Omega Seamaster, may be known for replacing the Rolex Submariner as James Bond’s go-to watch, it has had quite a riveting history. Moreover, an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep recently broke the world record for deepest dive watch by going 10,928m into Mariana’s Trench!
By the time the company’s 100th anniversary came around in 1948, it was already well known for making robust dive watches. It was also the official timekeeper for the 1948 London Olympic Games, as such, when Omega released the first Omega Seamaster that same year, it was well-received by the market. The first Omega Seamaster was based on designs for British military watches used during WWII, it distinguished itself by introducing the O-ring gasket to wristwatches for increased water resistance. Omega broke their fist diving record in 1955 when Gordon McLean reached a depth of 62.5m in Australia. The company also tested the watch the following year by attaching it to the outside of Canadian Pacific Airways flight 302, that traversed the North Pole. As diving became more popular during the 1950s, dive watches naturally also did, and the Omega Seamaster found itself at the center of the argument, releasing the Seamaster 300 as part of its 1957 trilogy and having the new model worn by famous divers like Jacques Cousteau in the early 1960s.
The Seamaster fell off as a result of the Quartz Crisis and fashion trends during the 1970s and ‘80s but made a comeback in 1995 when it appeared as James Bond’s official watch in GoldenEye. It appeared in all the subsequent Bond films, from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig; since the film series’ switch from Rolex. Ultimately, the Omega Seamaster has the honour of being, not only a pioneer in the field of dive watches, but also one of the few iconic early dive watches still around today.
By: Andres Ibarguen