Mykonos seems like an appropriate place for a brand such as Omega to launch a new 75th Anniversary Seamaster collection, after all it’s surrounded by the blue waters of the Aegean Sea that contrasts with the white stucco buildings. And that’s exactly what they did!
About midnight Australian time, Omega launched their new collection of watches across the Seamaster collection, ranging from the Aqua Terra 38mm all the way to the Ultra Deep in a new Summer Blue colourway across all. The cool thing is, the colours on the dials all get darker and darker based on the depth rating of the watch, signalling the hue of the ocean as you dive down.
From the Aqua Terra 38mm in a light Summer Blue, all the way to the Ultra Deep in a deep dark shade of Summer Blue, Omega have paid attention to each dial and how not only each watch looks on it’s own, but how they all fit together in the 75th Anniversary collection.
The other unique aspect on each watch is the case back, all having the same etched image of Poseidon riding two seahorses, or Hippocampus from Greek mythology. Again, another nice tie in to the launch in Greece. You can also read “Seamaster since 1948” inscribed on the case back showcasing the 75 years since Omega introduced the Seamaster collection, which at the time was introduced on the brand’s 100th Birthday, essentially making the original collection an anniversary collection of sorts.
Several models in our opinion are standouts. The first being the Aqua Terra Worldtimer in a beautiful light blue shade on the dial and having light and dark shades on the inner 24hr ring to distinguish night and day indications. The laser-ablated globe in the middle stands out really well on the blue background and we think this looks sensational on the light blue rubber strap. Perfect if you’re thinking of jetting off overseas to Europe anytime soon to enjoy the sun!
The second is the iconic Seamaster Professional Diver 300, or the Bond watch if you will. Omega have changed the dial and bezel aesthetics so the Summer Blue colour theme is brought out in various shades. The bezel is a darker blue, different from the current SMP300 blue variant. Omega have also changed the minute markers to a light shade of Summer Blue to keep with the theme. The dial is the star here, with a graduated, fumé effect moving from dark around the outer edges to a light blue in the middle and also done with a sunburst finish just to top it off. Omega have also given the lume a shade of Summer Blue, so whilst you loose the stark contrast with the white lume pips, you do get the sense of it being lit all the time.
Last but not least is the Ultra Deep. When Omega released the Ultra Deep last year, it was polarising due to the size of the case, both width wise and thickness. But strangely, it wears very well for such a large watch. Much more wearable than the Rolex Deepsea Challenge that followed.
For this 75th Anniversary release, the Ultra Deep has a dark shade of the Summer Blue, representing the deepest part of the ocean, and to help convey tis aesthetic, the dial has an accurate representation of the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the Mariana Trench, mapped by the Five Deeps team using almost one million sonar points. And Omega has had some fun with this model, as when lit up under a black light you can see the words “Omega Was Here” with the location and depth of their 2019 mission down there.
Final Thoughts
All in all, these new releases from Omega are a hit in our opinion. Omega has paid homage to the collection by not re-inventing the models, but making some subtle and not so subtle changes to the dials, bezels and straps that accompany the watches. Whilst many enthusiasts out there were looking for and speculating on changes to dials, to sizes and bracelet tapers etc, Omega have said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This sentiment really only applied to the SMP300 to be honest, and would we have liked an updated bracelet with a taper? Yes if done right, but on the rubber strap, it looks amazing and wears so well anyway, this is how we’d buy it. The choice of releasing the Planet Ocean in the 39.5mm sizing, not the 43.5mm ruffled a few feathers, but logically speaking, many people are reverting back to the 39/40mm as their size choice, so this made sense in our minds.
Stay tuned as we’ll certainly be looking to do some hands on reviews with several of these models shortly and put them through their paces on the wrist.
Pricing and Availability
- Aqua Terra 38mm – AU$11,225 on Steel
- Aqua Terra 41mm – AU$10,300 on Rubber / AU$10,675 on Steel
- Aqua Terra Worldtimer – AU$16,000 on Rubber / AU$16,350 on Steel
- Seamaster Professional Diver – AU$9,575 on Rubber / AU$10,125 on Steel
- Seamaster 300 – AU$11,950 on Steel
- Planet Ocean 600m – AU$11,950 on Steel
- PloProf – AU$22,975 on O-Megasteel
- Ultra Deep – AU$20,950 on O-Megasteel
