The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Gets Back to its Roots, with an Original Orange Bezel

The Omega Seamaster is more than a collection. It is an entire family of watches, all inspired by the sea… Nautical, sporty, diver-oriented or even elegant, the Seamaster has been around since 1948 – you can watch at this in-depth video for a complete history of the Seamaster. Among all the watches in the family, one has been quiet for a while, the Planet Ocean, but this year, it makes a strong comeback with the colour that is, to us, the real deal with this professional timepiece.

There are multiple milestone moments in the 71-year-old life of the Omega Seamaster: 1948 – creation of the model; 1957- introduction of the Seamaster 300 CK2913, which will define the collection as mostly a dive watch; 1995 – creation of the Seamaster Diver 300M, which will become famous as the James Bond Watch. 2005 was another important date for this extensive family of watches, and marked the debut of a new collection, a higher-end, even more professionally-oriented watch, the Planet Ocean 600m. And back then, when was introduced to the market, its signature model featured a very original and colourful bezel in bright orange.

At the “Time To Move” event, Omega resurrects this colour scheme in a new combination of materials, tones and straps, to make orange great again. The icon just found its way back on the wrist, in a modernized, summery attire.

Above: Evolution of the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m, with the two 2005 models on the left, and the evolution with calibre 8500 and ceramic bezel on the right.

The new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m with Orange Bezel is not just a new colour. It is a compendium of all the small or major evolutions found on this model since 2005… The PO began life with a 42mm case, a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock and the calibre 2500 inside, a modified ETA 2892-2 with co-axial escapement. The bezel featured an aluminium insert back then, available either in black or in bright orange – the most emblematic of the models. Later, this watch evolved with the addition of ceramic bezels and new calibre 8500, this time, fully manufactured in-house. In 2016, Omega launched a drastically revamped version, fitted with a new Master-Chronometer movement (calibre 8900), a new 43.5mm diameter, ceramic dials, rubber-and-ceramic bezels and lots of improvements on the case/bezel/bracelet. Still, the orange signature bezel was no longer available (orange was used as accents only)… But orange is back.

Orange is part of the DNA of the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m although Omega has chosen a slightly different path this year by introducing something fresh and new. This new colour combination is based on the classic PO 600m, with a 43.5mm diameter case in polished and brushed steel. All the technical features are retained, with the 600m/60 ATM water-resistance and the HEV (helium escape valve) positioned at 10 o’clock. Altogether, a robust and functional dive watch.

Novelties include, of course, the new bezel insert in orange ceramic (a new process patent pending). To be honest, this a nice tone of orange, rather more subtle and less vivid than the colour used in past models with an aluminium ring. A bit more red, less bright… The 60-minute diving scale is filled with liquid white ceramic and Super-LumiNova (meaning that the full scale and its inscriptions are visible in the dark).

This new orange bezel version of the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m will be available with the classic 3-link steel bracelet of the collection, featuring a folding clasp with micro-adjustment, under reference 215.30.44.21.04.001. The second version, under the reference 215.32.44.21.04.001, is a more original and very “summery” take, with a white-silver-orange striped NATO strap, giving a less toolish look to this highly robust dive watch.

The dial is also brand new. In the past, this model was always fitted with darker colours – blue, dark grey and, of course, black. Omega now introduces a white ZrO2 polished ceramic dial on the PO 600m, as it did with the SM300, here. Hands and applied indexes are identical to the other models in the collection (all filled with a large amount of Super-LumiNova), however, there are more orange accents on the dial, on the varnished orange Arabic numerals, the model name, the depth rating and the tip of the seconds hand. This bright dial works great with the darker orange used on the bezel and provides a lighter, less serious take on the model.

Powering this version is the same calibre 8900 as all Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m, meaning a Master Chronometer in-house movement with superb precision, advanced technical solutions and high resistance to magnetic fields. This movement provides a comfortable 60-hour power reserve and is decorated in the traditional Omega way, with blackened screws and arabesque Geneva stripes.

Price and availability

The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Orange Bezel will be available as of October 2019 and is priced at EUR 5,800 on a NATO strap and EUR 6,100 on a steel bracelet – the same price as other steel models with different bezel and dials.

More details at omegawatches.com.