The history of Omega begins in the distant 1848, when the brand's founder, Louis Brandt, began to hand-assemble pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen in his native province of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It is important to say that Omega is not mentioned until 1894, when Louis Brandt passed away and his business was taken over by his sons – Louis-Paul and César Brandt.
Today, Omega is known for its precise approach to testing all new movements, cases, and all other parts of its timepieces. Every new Omega movement is tested in already existing models and in real-world conditions before a decision is made to integrate it into new models. The brand's headquarters is in Biel / Bienne, Switzerland, and it continues to produce arguably some of the best luxury watches in the world. At present, the Omega collection includes the Constellation, Seamaster, Speedmaster, and Deville series.
Nowadays, every Omega enthusiast has the opportunity to choose from three varieties of the Seamaster: Seamaster Professional (“300 M”), Seamaster Planet Ocean, and Seamaster Aqua Terra. All have a screw-down crown, and all (with the exception of the GMT) have a helium escape valve located at “10 o’clock”. The automatic versions use the Omega-modified ETA 2892. When the series was introduced, it used the Omega 1109, but in 1996, Omega replaced it with the Omega 1120 to improve the movement's durability by adding rhodium plating. In 2006, the Omega Seamaster received the Co-Axial Omega 2500 (also based on the ETA 2892), which is still in use today. Every Seamaster Pro has a unidirectional bezel – initially with an aluminum insert, and in 2012, Omega began offering the Seamaster Pro with a ceramic insert and renamed the series to “Seamaster 300 M”.
The watch presented is one of the flagships of the “Diver 300 M” series, introduced in this form in 2019, and today's is a special example, as it is the version in a combination of 18-karat yellow gold and steel – which, in combination with a blue dial, makes the overall ensemble very balanced and attractive.
The lacquered blue dial with the distinctive «waves» offers excellent contrast thanks to the applied oversized hour markers and the gold rings on the subdials. The date window is positioned at “6 o’clock”, and the skeletonized gold hands have Superluminova inserts. One of the things that is almost impossible to show in its full beauty in photographs are the different dimensions of the dial. The subdials are recessed, separated by a different guilloché, and the metallic raised Omega logo make this watch look great, and truly catch the light.
Separate attention must be paid to the movement of this wonderful timepiece. Under the name Calibre 9900 lies the next generation of what has been repeatedly recognized by specialists as one of Omega's best in-house movements of the last 15 years. The differences compared to the 9300 are few, but significant – first, it is now a Master Chronometer (It has passed the Metas certification - with much stricter criteria), second, it operates at 28,800 vibrations, third, it provides much longer service intervals, the other parameters are familiar – automatic chronograph, two barrels, 54 jewels, and 337 components – with Omega's co-axial escapement and Si14 silicon balance wheel – Metas certified and with a power reserve of over 60 hours. Co-Axial is a patented Omega technology that significantly reduces friction in the heart of the watch's movement and offers improved reliability and accuracy, as well as longevity of the movement's use. The column-wheel chronograph guarantees a smooth start of the seconds hand when the chronograph is activated and ensures precise stopping and resetting.
The inclusion of a transparent case back allows us to enjoy the operation of this movement and makes the entire product look even better.
The bracelet has a classic design – very comfortable because of the clasp with its easy-to-use release buttons and because of the interesting micro-adjustment system – clean and of very high quality.
The bracelet (or in this case, more of a jewel-like bracelet) is very comfortable because of the clasp with its easy-to-use release buttons – clean and of very high quality. Brushed with polished yellow gold inserts separating the plates of the links, and the density with which it envelops your wrist, once again show the high quality of the watch's craftsmanship.
