Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition

A couple of days ago, Omega announced a new edition of its Seamaster Diver 300M. Not just a new colour scheme, but a watch with solid environmental conservation credentials that reflects Omega’s support of the Nekton foundation. A leading UK not-for-profit association, Nekton is committed to protecting our oceans by accelerating scientific exploration. The new Seamaster Nekton Edition comes with a black ceramic dial, is fitted with Omega’s Master Chronometer calibre and features a special engraving on the caseback to celebrate its partnership with Nekton. Available in two formats, with an integrated steel bracelet or a black rubber strap, the Nekton Editions stand out from other Seamaster Diver 300M models with their matte, monochromatic look. And, in yet another departure from most of the regular models in the line-up, the Nekton Editions do not have a date window.

Brief background Seamaster and Nekton

The Seamaster Professional 300M – originally available with a quartz or an automatic movement –  took its first plunge in 1993 and achieved worldwide fame following its appearance on Pierce Brosnan’s wrist in Goldeneye (1995). For a comprehensive review of the Bond Seamasters, don’t miss this fun article with images of all the Omega x Bond watches. Following a complete overhaul in 2018, the Seamaster Diver 300M was kitted out with Omega’s superlative calibre 8800 Master Chronometer. The new Nekton Editions belong to this last generation of Seamasters.

Nekton is a UK not-for-profit association and charity committed to the exploration and protection of the world’s oceans. Working in collaboration with Oxford University, Nekton works with ocean nations to accelerate scientific exploration and protect the health of our oceans. First Descent is a series of missions currently underway in the Indian Ocean. To perform this mission, Nekton relies on a deep-diving submersible, which the team has nicknamed Seamaster 2 in tribute to the boat skippered by the late Sir Peter Blake, a famous yachtsman who was also a passionate advocate of ocean conversation and a close friend of Omega.

What’s new?

Unlike many Seamaster Diver 300M models in catalogue with polished ceramic bezels and dials, the Nekton Editions shy away from shiny surfaces and adopt an almost stealth personality. Like other divers in this family, however, the case size remains the same with a 42mm diameter and 13.5mm height and the hallmark helium escape valve at 10 o’clock. The stainless steel case, with its traditional lyre lugs, 12-notches below the bezel and crown guards around the screw-in crown, features polished and brushed finishes. The novelty here is the incorporation of a grade 5 titanium bezel with a laser-ablated diving scale. The rough gritty surface produced by the ablation process provides the background to the diving scale numerals in positive relief, similar to a luxurious limited edition (Ref. 210.60.42.20.99.001) in titanium, tantalum and Sedna gold.

The black ceramic (ZrO2) dial has a sleek matte finish and the laser engravings marking the iconic wave pattern are sharp, well defined and polished (also in positive relief) – in the same vein as the Ceramic version here. Other elements on the dial conform to the traits of the Seamaster Diver 300M family, like the large applied luminous plots and the skeletonised hands, also treated with Super-LumiNova. A touch of red enlivens the monochromatic scenery with the Seamaster inscription on the dial and the central seconds hand. The exclusion of a date window will be welcomed by many and certainly adds to the instrumental look of this Nekton Edition.

The caseback has also been prepped for the occasion and displays an embossed medallion of the Nekton diving submersible surrounded by a matte rippling pattern (depicting the sand you’ll find at the bottom of the sea). The 300m/1000ft water-resistance and the Naiad locking system that ensures that all the engravings on the caseback are oriented correctly are also shown on the caseback.

Master Chronometer movement

Below deck is Omega’s superlative calibre 8806, a movement that has been certified by METAS as a Master Chronometer and which was first introduced to the Seamaster 300M family in 2018. This precision automatic movement with Co-Axial escapement and a 55-hour power reserve is resilient to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss and is fitted with a silicon balance spring. Despite being hidden below the special engraved caseback, the finishes include Geneva waves in arabesque and rhodium-plated bridges and rotor.

Price

As mentioned, the Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition is available in two formats: one with an integrated stainless steel bracelet and the second with an integrated black rubber strap, both with polished and brushed buckles that echo the finishes of the case. The steel bracelet model will retail for CHF 6,150 and the rubber strap for CHF 5,800.

For further information, please visit omegawatches.com.