The latest Planet Ocean to grace the Seamaster collection is it’s lightest and toughest yet, and is crafted in state-of-the-art ceramic!
Omega is an icon in the watch industry and within it’s ranks some of it’s watches are just as iconic, like the Speedmaster Moonwatch, the Seamaster Professional Diver and Planet Ocean. Not a brand afraid to innovate, they’ve brought their latest material innovation in the way of the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey.
The new Planet Ocean Dark Grey is a bold timepiece crafted in silicon nitride ceramic [Si3N4]. Whilst most of us are not scientists, it’s essentially a ceramic material that is 2x lighter than their standard Zr02 Ceramic – perfect for getting out there and putting it through it’s paces in the wild. This is the first time that silicon nitride has been used by OMEGA on such a large scale in a watchmaking piece.
The Dark Grey comes in a larger 45.5mm case, at 17.4mm thick and 51.5mm lug to lug, so it’s a large watch, slightly smaller than the Ultra Deep. However, the use of both the ceramic and Titanium in the case and movement works to keep this feather light and wearing much more comfortable than the numbers would suggest. OMEGA has used Grade 5 Titanium for the dial, bezel, and clasp as well as parts of the movement, giving the watch not only weight savings, but a clean greyed out stealth look.
The sand-blasted dial with its anthracite hands and indexes gives the watch some contrast, and this combined with the orange accented writing of the Seamaster, GMT and depth rating on the dial as well as the GMT hand’s arrow – a nod to the Planet Ocean Orange.
Keeping with the theme, the movement has embraced the dark aesthetic too. The OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8906 has a free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring, two barrels mounted in series and an automatic winding bidirectional rotor. It also incorporates a black ceramised grade 5 Titanium main plate and bridges with laser ablation to decorate it. Being a Master Chronometer, and METAS Certified, it’s accurate to 0/+5 seconds per day.
The entire watch is water-resistant to 600 meters keeping with the Planet Ocean line up, and with this model you also have the added benefit of the GMT function with 24hr scale on the inner rehaut. The watch also sits nicely on the OMEGA dark grey structured rubber strap with Grade 5 titanium folding clasp with push buttons. And if this isn’t quite your thing, the Planet Ocean Dark Grey can be paired with any number of leather or NATO straps available online or via OMEGA boutiques.
Final Thoughts
For those that are fans of OMEGA, and especially the Planet Ocean, we feel that this will be a hit. OMEGA’s grey ceramic is stunning and this dark grey is sure to win a few others over. Whilst some people don’t love monochromatic watches, the new Planet Ocean Dark Grey has enough shades and contrasts so it’s not boring and the orange accents fit in with this colour scheme nicely.
Whilst it’ not a small watch being 45.5mm and 17mm thick, the light weight and rubber strap means it should hug the wrist and wear much better than the specs would suggest. If you’ve ever tried on the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Titanium which is larger lug to lug and thicker, you will know what we’re talking about here – somehow you can wear it! The one sticking point for some will the price. At $36,900 AUD, it’s not a cheap watch considering the standard Planet Ocean Titanium on rubber is less than half the price at $14,200, albeit without the GMT function and the new materials and movement. We’ll let you decide if this is worth the additional $22,700!
Reference: 215.92.46.22.99.002
Specification:
- Case: 45.5mm, 17.4mm Thick, 51mm lug to lug
- Case Material: Grey silicon nitride ceramic [Si3N4]
- Dial: Grey sand blasted titanium with anthracite hands and indexes
- Crystal: Domed scratch‑resistant sapphire crystal with anti‑reflective treatment on both sides
- Water resistance: 600 meters / 60ATM
- Movement: OMEGA self winding automatic calibre 8906, Co-Axial escapement. Certified Master Chronometer, approved by METAS. Vibrating at 3.5Hz / 25,200 VpH, antimagnetic to 15,000 Gauss
- Power reserve: 60 hours
- Strap: Grey textured rubber strap with Titanium folding push button clasp.
