Central secondsLuminous handsRotating BezelScrew-Down CrownLuminous indices
Description
The history of Omega begins in the distant year of 1848, when the brand's founder, Louis Brandt, began hand-assembling 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 work was taken over by his sons – Louis-Paul and César Brandt.
Omega watches have long been closely associated with glamorous screen and sports stars – for example, the Omega Seamaster is known for being the choice of James Bond for many years, starting with Sean Connery and up to the current Bond – Daniel Craig. Such celebrities as Pierce Brosnan, Nicole Kidman, Anna Kournikova, and swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe also proudly carry the title of its ambassadors.
Today, Omega is known for its meticulous approach to testing all new movements, cases, and all other parts of its watches. Every new Omega movement is tested in already existing models and under real-world conditions before a decision is made to incorporate it into new models. Today, the brand's headquarters is in Biel / Bienne, Switzerland, and it continues to produce arguably some of the best luxury watches in the world. The spirit of Omega is linked to innovation and pioneering firsts – which is quite natural, after all, Omega was the first watch on the Moon. Currently, the Omega collection includes the Constellation, Seamaster, Speedmaster, and Deville series. Whichever Omega model you choose, however, you can be sure that every single one of the watches meets the brand's highest standards.
The present watch is a representative of the series the brand launched in 2022, whose purpose is to show what Omega can do in the production of deep-sea watches, and, of course, to fill the gap in the model range that opened up after the discontinuation of the iconic PloProf. The stylish OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep pays tribute to Omega's diving heritage. Specifically for this model, the brand developed a unique alloy and named it with the modest name O-Megasteel.
A nickel-free alloy, which is claimed to provide better hypoallergenic properties, as well as better resistance to corrosion. Furthermore, its color is considerably whiter than classic 316L or 904L alloys, resulting in more brilliance, and another characteristic is that the material is much more complex to machine and polish. But the biggest differences compared to alloys traditionally used in the watchmaking industry are in the mechanical characteristics, where O-MegaSteel delivers its best results. In terms of yield strength, it offers approximately twice the resistance of other steel alloys. For comparison, 316L steel has 200-250 MPa (depending on the alloys), 904L has 220 MPa, and Grade 5 titanium has 800-900 MPa. O-MegaSteel is rated at 560 MPa, which indicates a resistance to stress and fracture at least twice as good as other traditional steel alloys. As for hardness, which in real life indicates scratch resistance and thus the ability to keep your watch looking fresh and shiny, 316L steel has a hardness of 200 HV, 904L steel has a hardness of 175 HV, and the new O-MegaSteel has a hardness of 300 HV, or about 40% better than classic steel alloys. All these elements create a new alloy with excellent mechanical properties, but also an alloy that is perfectly suited for the production of luxury watches.
The other innovation is the special 5.2 mm thick EFG sapphire crystal with a shape inspired by the viewports of the Five Deeps submersible (for whose dives the prototype of the model was created). And last but not least, the overall architecture of the case, case back, and crown – whose structure is built with the help of 4 new patents from the brand, and combined with the entire heritage and all the years of experience, this allows the watch to have an incredible water resistance of 6000 m (and considering it was tested to 7,500 m, we really have to give Omega the palm for supremacy in the production of deep-sea watches). Thanks to all this, the watch easily meets the ISO 6425 standards, and along with the accuracy of the movement and its magnetic resistance, it also meets the highest standards of METAS.
This watch provides exceptional performance and great style, both above and below the water. The massive steel case, the grey-black dial with luminescent hands and markers aimed at ensuring excellent visibility even in low-light conditions, the orange tip of the seconds hand, and the steel Arabic numerals '3', '6', '9', and '12' – all this allows this watch to be a true instrument in the hands of professionals. The dial is sealed by a scratch-resistant sapphire with an anti-reflective coating and is 'crowned' by a unidirectional rotating steel bezel with a ceramic insert, with a minute scale and serrated edges for easier grip.
The movement provides new reasons for admiration – Omega's new co-axial – 8912, operating at a frequency unusual for other movements of 25,200 vibrations (3.5 Hz), with a power reserve of over 60 hours, 39 jewels, and 202 components. Two barrels, the brand's Nivachoc anti-shock system, etc., etc. – all this enables Omega to offer a 5-year warranty for some of its watches with this movement.