2022 was the 60th Anniversary of Ian Fleming’s iconic character, and of course, Omega celebrated their association with a new Seamaster – the 60th Anniversary Seamaster Diver 300M. And this got us thinking, what makes a Bond Watch, and how did 007 bring Omega back to life?
Since I was a kid, I’ve been a fan of James Bond. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be jet set around the world, visit exotic locations, save the world from a super villain and get the beautiful girl? Given my introduction to Bond was GoldenEye in 1995 at the age of 15, it was also my introduction to the Omega Seamaster Professional Diver. And since then, I’ve been lukcy enough to own 2 versions of this watch. If you’re interested in this, check out my Owner’s Perspective on the OMEGA Seamaster Professional Diver 300M here.
Writing the aforementioned article, it got me thinking… It’s hard to think of very many films that have such an ingrained association with watches as the James Bond franchise. This is especially so over the past 28 years, since Pierce Brosnan graced us on screen for the first time as the secret MI6 agent in 1995’s GoldenEye. On his wrist, an OMEGA Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Quartz (Reference 2541.80). And it was this watch that really helped to catapult OMEGA’s Seamaster into the stratosphere.
Launched in 1993 without much fanfare, the Seamaster Diver Professional was a complete departure from the original Seamaster 300 (still part of Omega’s collection today) and designed to be more sporty, a domed sapphire crystal, that classic Helium escape valve, and the now iconic wave pattern on the blue dial. It wasn’t until Bond took on Xenia Onatopp and Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, being helped out by his OMEGA Seamaster Diver Quartz (who can forget the classic laser cutting scene from the Helium Escape Valve!?) that the Seamaster became a worldwide hit.
Up until this point, OMEGA’s credentials relied heavily on the Speedmaster, and it’s indelible association with the Apollo Moon Missions. The Seamaster, whilst having a great history with the British Navy from the late 1960’s, wasn’t very well known, and OMEGA needed something (or someone) to raise the profile of this new look watch. And thanks to GoldenEye’s costume designer Lindy Hemming, seeing the watch and thinking it was the perfect fit for a Gentleman Navy Commander, it was subsequently placed on the wrist of Pierce Brosnan, and the rest as they say, is history!
Since then, OMEGA has had a Seamaster on Jame’s wrist in each and every film, and more recently with the Daniel Craig films, sometimes a couple in the one movie. And it’s not always been the Professional Diver. Here’s a brief recap on the films and the watches.
1995: GoldenEye. The world is introduced to a new Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan, and on his wrist, the OMEGA Seamaster professional Diver 300 Quartz (Reference 2541.80).
1997: Tomorrow Never Dies, 1999: The World Is Not Enough, 2002: Die Another Day. Bond trades his quartz version for the newer automatic version (Ref. 2531.80.00) and wears this across the next three movies that Pierce Brosnan would star in.
2006: Casino Royale. Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond, and we see 2 OMEGA’s on James’ wrist throughout the movie – the classic Seamaster Professional Diver Co-Axial Chronometer (Ref. 2220.80.00) and the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M on rubber strap (Ref. 2900.50.91).
2008: Quantum of Solace. Bond takes on Dominic Greene in search of vengeance for Vesper Lynd’s death, and to help him, the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M (Ref. 2201.50.00) on the steel bracelet.
2012: Skyfall. M’s (played by Dame Judi Dench) Swan Song as Bond faces Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva in his childhood home, Skyfall, the movie’s namesake. Gracing his wrist, the 42mm OMEGA Planet Ocean 600M (Ref. 232.30.42.21.01.001) and the 38.5mm OMEGA Aqua Terra Co-Axial 150M (Ref. 231.10.39.21.03.001).
2015: Spectre. Bond takes on his nemesis in a modern re-incarnation of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz. In this, he’s accompanied by the 41.5mm OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M (Ref. 231.10.42.21.03.003) and later in the film, the 41mm OMEGA Seamaster 300 “Spectre” edition (Ref. 233.32.41.21.01.001) on the Nato strap.
2021: No Time To Die. Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, and wearing an OMEGA first, the specially developed Seamaster No Time To Die (NTTD) 007 Edition (Ref.210.90.42.20.01.001), co-designed with Daniel Craig, and an all titanium case and bracelet. This watch represents a new take on the Bond Seamaster – a grittier, more military styled watch, suited for an agent like Bond.
And this brings us to the newly released 60th Anniversary James Bond Omega Seamaster Diver 300m. Whilst not in any movie, or like previous James Bond Anniversary models where Omega has added subtle differences to the standard SMP 300 (like the 007 on the seconds hand, or the 007 motif dial), they’ve taken a new approach, and quite a good one at that I may add.
The 60th Anniversary Bond Edition is an homage to the original watch from 1995, with subtle design cues from the modern OMEGA Seamaster Professional Diver line and the NTTD watch. Whilst essentially the same steel case as the standard Seamaster in both size and design (although it is slightly thicker due to the case back animation) , the new SMP 300s are very shiny, with both polished ceramic dial and bezel, one aspect that some critics have not been so in love with, or die hard OMEGA fans not loving the laser etched wave pattern in the dial. OMEGA has fixed this for the 60th Anniversary Edition, using a blue oxalic anodized Aluminium dial and bezel, which delivers a great matte look, but according to OMEGA, is twice as hard as conventional Aluminium, and much more resistant to scratches and wear and tear – one issue with older and even some modern Aluminium bezels.
The blue colour is deeper and closer to the original blue, compared to the standard blue dial and bezel SMP 300 (one of the reasons I bought the black version), so it is less flashy and more understated. In conjunction with this, the laser etched waves on the dial are done in a similar fashion as the original Bond watch of 1995, and added to this, the Aluminium dial doesn’t reflect the light anywhere near as much as the polished Ceramic does. This actually gives the watch an overall muted effect, but in a good way!
After OMEGA’s hit with the No Time To Die watch, they’ve used this as inspiration too, and have given the new 60th Anniversary James Bond Seamaster a steel version of the Titanium mesh bracelet, which nicely offsets the blue dial and bezel. Interestingly to note, the mesh bracelet is a point of contention in the watch community, some people loving it, some hating it. It is one of those bracelets however, where you will have to try it to see if you like it, and the sizing does affect how it wears. So head to your local OMEGA Boutique or Authorised Dealer to try it on for size and make your own mind up.
And can we write an article featuring the 60th Anniversary Bond Seamaster without mentioning the caseback animation? (Would we dare?) According to OMEGA, “The iconic movie opening sequence, featuring Bond in silhouette and spinning gun barrel, plays out on the caseback, beneath a sapphire crystal decorated with micro-structured metallisation. The “moiré” effect animation is linked to the spinning of the lollipop seconds hand” It’s a cool gimmick, and fun to look at for the honeymoon phase or to take out at parties, but I do like the look of the OMEGA co-axial 8806 moment underneath it. Call me a purist!
BUT, is it a Bond Watch in the purest form? I’d have to say yes and no. Let me explain. Would Bond wear this in the movie? Maybe if it’s a trip to the casino or on a date with the selected Bond girl at the time and wants to have a slightly less military style watch, then probably. Does it look great on the wrist? Yes and it’s versatile too (probably more so for people like you am me!) Would he wear this into combat, or seeing action? I’d say no, the NTTD would be a better choice given it’s lightweight and much more styled for this. But this is all just semantics and lets face it, when have we ever let reason and rational thought get in the way of a good story?
Reference: 210.30.42.20.03.002
Specification
- Case: 42mm, 14.3mm thick
- Case Material: Steel, with a combination of brushed and polished finishing
- Dial: Blue Oxalic anodised Aluminium with wave pattern
- Crystal: Domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside
- Water resistance: 300m (30BAR)
- Movement: Calibre 8806, METAS certified and anti-magnetic up to 15,000 gauss
- Power reserve: 55 hours
- Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel mesh, with foldover clasp, fully adjustable
