REVIEW: OMEGA Seamaster DIVER 300M 007 Edition - finished

[MartynJC (UK)]

OMEGA SEAMASTER: DIVER 300M CO‑AXIAL MASTER CHRONOMETER 42 MM 007 Edition

Pre-amble

I have a long history with the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m and variants. My very first 'expensive' watch was the quartz blue bond version I guess Golden Eye - Omega Seamaster 300M Quartz Professional 2541.80.00. I had tried the 120M multi function (2521.81.00) but it flooded in the bath so went straight back. (This is many years ago). The SMP Quartz - I wore for many years, until I found TZ really where swapping and changing watches became a way of life.

My 2541



But lets go back at the SMP lineage to see how it has progressed from this:



To this:



The revised available in blue / black etc model was quite close but sadly for me was the added thickness probably due to the open case back adding thickness. The non-tapering steel bracelet was not so great. These are some of the variants:



Included is the non-wavy dial with the earlier bracelet.

All this was all kinda negated with the rose gold and steel version on rubber that I actually enjoyed for a while







I tried the ceramic version which was also very comfortable - slightly larger 43.3mm but still works for me



non date - so quite similar to the Bond LE - but the bezel not lumed....



So onto the main event:

Discussion of Ti on Ti model: 210.90.42.20.01.001
OMEGA SEAMASTER: DIVER 300M CO‑AXIAL MASTER CHRONOMETER 42 MM 007 Edition

Dial - dark chocolate brown, black in some lighting. Apparently will develop patina over time. Plots neo-vintage Ti surround.

Crystal - domed (but sapphire) with a vintage feel which, actually

Hands - skeleton with lume along edges and tips. Typical SMP style.

Bracelet - Ti lightweight Grade 2 mesh.

Bezel - not ceramic (yeh!) but has been treated and also fully lumed indices

Case - Grade 2 Ti brushed finished, all matt. 42mm in diameter (quoted)

Movement - 8806 METAS tested with 15,000 gauss resistant, and power reserve 55 hours.

Case back - solid, so slimmer and some silly marketing emblems on the back.

Personal Opinion

This is an expensive watch compared to its siblings. But put aside the price (if you can) and look at it on its merits and I think it works very well. Being Ti it is very light weight and I find the bracelet comfortable to wear. The deployant may seem unnecessarily bulky with the three layers - top layer, deployant, bottom tuck layer of Ti mesh. But it does not feel bulky on the wrist. I find the mesh moulds to my wrist, I would suggest checking before you buy as perhaps it may not fit everyones wrist profile.

The dial is super. It has a chocolate brown feel to it, but the visibility is good with enough contrast between the dial, hands and markers to make time reading easy in all light conditions. There is a splash of red writing for the Seamaster wording. Even the extra broad arrow at 6pm is not too obtrusive.

The iconic external He release valve is still present - and why wouldn't it - being a SMP with its 300m wrt tested in METAS tests? I like that, and would not have it any other way.

Accuracy has been great and within spec - I am getting too old to worry about more than seconds a day - but with the recent time change I will have to start my time trials again. So far I can't fault the accuracy being a few sec/day. This is a hacking movement, being non-date means the second hand is paused while changing the hours and minutes.

Comes with 5year warranty as standard.

Here are some illustrative pictures:



















Scoring

I actually like it (a lot). So much so that I have been wearing it continuously since buying it. This could be the honey moon period but I really think it could stay in the collection for quite a while, considering it marked the occasion of moving house and moving country.

Value for money: 6/10
Comfort: 8/10
Exclusivity: 9/10
Flipibility: 4/10 (low means I don't intend to flip)

Thanks for reading.

[Ghost Chilli]

For me this is the best Seamaster since the 2254/64.

[higham5]

Martyn is this like the Bond film, we have to keep waiting for the release, which is continually delayed :)

[MartynJC (UK)]

Martyn is this like the Bond film, we have to keep waiting for the release, which is continually delayed :)

Hopefully not long now!

[AmosMoses]

I absolutely adore this model, looking forward to reading your thoughts.


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[MartynJC (UK)]

ok - finished (I think!)

[jukeboxs]

Thanks Martyn, a good read as always, and some cracking photos (especially the first, with brogues also in shot!). When you get a chance, could you perhaps add a photo of the clasp when worn? I'm interested to see how thick it looks.

I was interested in the rear numbers, so I looked them up - explanation pasted below, although sure you know this already.

Most of the markings are actually identical to those found on the vintage originals. “0552” indicates the British navy – James Bond is a commander in the Royal Navy – while “923-7697” refers to a diver’s watch, and “A” means the watch has a screw-down crown. “007” is obvious, and “62” refers to the year that the first James Bond film, Dr No, was released. On a vintage military-issue watch, the serial number of the watch would take the place of “007”, while the year of issue would replace “62”. And the broad arrow on the dial and case back is historically used to indicate property of the British government, and in recent times equipment belonging to the Ministry of Defence.

On your scoring, I would have marked Flipability the other way (higher score if being retained), but horses for courses!

I'll be interested to see how the titanium ages over the years (assuming you do keep it that long), and how it changes the overall look with the eggshell lume.

What do you think of the leather watch roll that it comes with, instead of the normal box - an improvement?

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[ellsy_79]

Very good and honest review


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[MartynJC (UK)]

Thanks Martyn, a good read as always, and some cracking photos (especially the first, with brogues also in shot!). When you get a chance, could you perhaps add a photo of the clasp when worn? I'm interested to see how thick it looks.

I was interested in the rear numbers, so I looked them up - explanation pasted below, although sure you know this already.

Most of the markings are actually identical to those found on the vintage originals. “0552” indicates the British navy – James Bond is a commander in the Royal Navy – while “923-7697” refers to a diver’s watch, and “A” means the watch has a screw-down crown. “007” is obvious, and “62” refers to the year that the first James Bond film, Dr No, was released. On a vintage military-issue watch, the serial number of the watch would take the place of “007”, while the year of issue would replace “62”. And the broad arrow on the dial and case back is historically used to indicate property of the British government, and in recent times equipment belonging to the Ministry of Defence.

On your scoring, I would have marked Flipability the other way (higher score if being retained), but horses for courses!

I'll be interested to see how the titanium ages over the years (assuming you do keep it that long), and how it changes the overall look with the eggshell lume.

What do you think of the leather watch roll that it comes with, instead of the normal box - an improvement?

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

The case is an improvement - especially in carry on luggage, I can’t imagine carrying a moonwatch would have worked!!

[kultschar]

Just to add to Martyns review - Omega have since released 3 diff bracelet sizes for this model.

I did find I was in-between holes so was going to look into a diff length mesh but at the moment I am wearing this watch a lot and it was better then earlier in the year where I had to wear it too loose or too tight (guess I have got fatter wrists or the weather improvements in the Southern Hemisphere has helped!)

[learningtofly]

Very nice indeed. Looks great on the OEM NATO as well.

[Onelasttime]

The case is an improvement - especially in carry on luggage, I can’t imagine carrying a moonwatch would have worked!!

Good review and I love the look of this version, but that off-centre clasp would make me cry every time I put it on.

I wonder if they’ll release a full Ti bracelet for the model?

[oldoakknives]

I like pretty much all the Seamaster range and have owned quite a few, and still own three. The only thing I dislike is the skeleton hands, but I can live with them as I like the package as a whole.

[MartynJC (UK)]

Lovely watch and a future classic for sure. Oozes class. Did you have to pay the full price?

Very nice indeed. Looks great on the OEM NATO as well.

I got a small discount for the price of the NATO which I hope to add later.

as regards the clasp location - it is mostly central. Just slipped in those pics - here is one this morning

[Tetlee]

Great watch. Love these, congratulations.

[Craizeehair]

Thanks for that Martyn,

Good to see the bracelet and clasp, that and the skeleton hands are the two things that make me think twice, the hands I could get over and now hearing some real life feedback makes me think the bracelet and clasp could be ok too.

[SteveDSSD]

A great review and the photo's capture the matt detailing of the dial, hands and bezel insert nicely. I did like those photo's of the ceramic model as well.

[Stanford]

Nice review and super looking watch...love titanium
My only reservation is the skeleton hands and the similarity of lume dots on the minute and second hands (and the hour markers).

[noTAGlove]

Really lovely watch but at nearly £7k it is far too expensive.

[geordie]

I've never really been a Seamaster fan (although I love a Speedmaster!) but that's a very striking watch, congratulations and thanks for sharing your thoughts on it

[Jon Kenney]

Great review and photos, Martyn.

We share a mutual love for the 300.

[RAJEN]

Great review and a super duper watch. I have worn it the most in last year.

[Lyons]

I love the watch and the bracelet, but can’t have them together. Suits the nato much better in my opinion.

[notenoughwrists]

Why did they not lume the bezel on the regular version?
Looks great on that Bond one.

Thanks for taking the time to write all that up.


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[Christian]

Can the hour hand be set independently by jumping it for quick timezone changes or is it a standard movement to set?

[dkpw]

Thank you Martyn for your review and photos.

I really shouldn't like this one. I don't like the HE valve, skeleton hands, the lack of gription on the bezel and that it's a Bond film tie in.

But I do. The Ti makes it very attractive, as does not having the awful standard bracelet, the comparative thinness is a positive, as is the subtleness and location of the Bond references. The killer though is the dial and the lume colour, matched with the darker Ti case. It's a perfect mix of vintage vibe with modern appearance and materials.

The price means I'd have to rejig my entire collection to afford one, and that's not going to happen. So I'll content myself by sitting back and continuing to admire it. Congratulations. And yes I agree, I think this could easily become a sought after collector's classic.

[Kash]

This is such a lovely watch. I tried one today. On the bracelet it wasn’t going to work, it just does not fit small wrists and looks silly, too many gaps. On the nato though it was great.

Discounts from greys seem to be about 950 at the movement but it’s such a great watch. I suspect once these are all sold prices will climb. At the moment there seems to be a lot of availability, but don’t underestimate how cool the watch is on the wrist, I was very surprised.

[kultschar]

I think these are being kept in production until the next Bond watch rather then it being a LE

[M4tt]

It's a lovely watch, but isn't that Eddie's Broadarrow?

Asking for a friend.

[MartynJC (UK)]

I think these are being kept in production until the next Bond watch rather then it being a LE

That's what I heard too. Maybe better described as a SE?


This is the LE version - so much better (not)

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/w...21022422001004

[Yorkshiremadmick]

I like pretty much all the Seamaster range and have owned quite a few, and still own three. The only thing I dislike is the skeleton hands, but I can live with them as I like the package as a whole.

My autism stops me liking the hands. They look wrong. I’m sure I’d like an Omega with substantial conventional style hands.


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[TH14TH14]

This is such a lovely watch. I tried one today. On the bracelet it wasn’t going to work, it just does not fit small wrists and looks silly, too many gaps. On the nato though it was great.

Discounts from greys seem to be about 950 at the movement but it’s such a great watch. I suspect once these are all sold prices will climb. At the moment there seems to be a lot of availability, but don’t underestimate how cool the watch is on the wrist, I was very surprised.

I've had the watch for a couple of months now and I'm a big fan too. I love the matte dial and bezel and the all brushed finish of the darker metal. It wears a little closer to the wrist than the standard 300m and is so light and comfortable with the bracelet if you can get a good fit. To that point, you can order the watch with a shorter bracelet which definitely helps to eliminate the gap issue. It also means that less of the bracelet is tucked under the clasp. Here's a few photos on my 17cm wrist:

[GMT2]

Great review, thanks for posting.

For me, this is the highlight of the Seamaster models. The titanium case, vintage looks aluminium bezel and a dial which may potentially patina in time will be historically significant for this model.

I came across this recent video. The Omega CEO suggesting this model has nearly sold out.

https://youtu.be/_nNsjse46X0

(14 minute mark)

[kultschar]

Prob just low stock whilst the film peaks.

Sure they will be easy enough to buy soon enough

[Nono]

Honestly, then the watch was first released I was like: "Meh...". Another L.E. Bond watch with even horrible bracelet than the original one. And then I look at it from another angle. And then I tried one. And damn, that watch is fine. There are watches that look soo much better in photos and dissapoint when you put them on the wrist. This is not one of them, it's totally other way around.

I love the fact it doesn't have 007 branding anythere except on the caseback which is not visible on the wrist, I love the fact that it has that Military vibe and it's very much different than the standard one. And I really, really hate the price. Now I know that we can debate on this for ages, and it's not worse in terms of quality than lets say Rolex Sub (I actually think NTTD is better), but it's hard to digest in comparation to standard SMP.

I would love to see it on other straps, like a distressed leather or maybe olive/gray NATO, haven't seen one even on forums. I guess people really like the OEM bracelet and OEM NATO.

Thank you OP for great review and photos. Loved to read that.

[Fender]

I'd rather they had released it with both straps. Can you buy the Nato separately ?

Edit: just saw one video review that showed a nato included with the bracelet. which is what I would have expected. Maybe he purchased it at the same time.

[MartynJC (UK)]

Bumping this as now added the NATO. They were out of stock for ages then Omega would only ship online to UK and so on. Anyway here now.

need to wear it in to get it fit more snuggly. Photo is not great (sorry)

[maseman]

I agree with this. Great review and i too love the watch, but it's nigh on impossible to read the time
in the wee small hours. It's fine for the first wee while - especially if you give the lume a quick charge,
but a few hours later it's no good.

maseman

Nice review and super looking watch...love titanium
My only reservation is the skeleton hands and the similarity of lume dots on the minute and second hands (and the hour markers).

[MartynJC (UK)]

I agree with this. Great review and i too love the watch, but it's nigh on impossible to read the time
in the wee small hours. It's fine for the first wee while - especially if you give the lume a quick charge,
but a few hours later it's no good.

maseman

I’ll report back @ 3am IMHO the Seamaster has been one of the best lumed watches

sorry fell asleep. Maybe another time.

[Padders]

No SL lume watch is great 5 hours into the dark, even a 2254 or Seiko Monster both of which are otherwise excellent. If you want to know the time at 4am, get a cheap Apple Watch, put it on its side and use it as a tap-to-look bedside clock.

I think Martyn’s summary is pretty spot on, he always was a Omega connoisseur. I do hope you haven't fallen out of love with it yet Martyn!

I just got one of these. I think it is the best SMP since the original Bond and 2254/5 generation (in fact the 2230 non-AC is my absolute fave of those). The NTTD feels like a very slightly scaled up 2500 movement Bond (ie thin but not quite as thin as the original 1120 models), whereas some of the other recent models have got as thick as Planet Oceans and nearly as wide in some cases. I really have to put them side by side to notice the difference, on the wrist it feels the same as the 2531.

The tool roll pouch seems a bit sparse for a watch of the price bearing in mind the amount of crap the Suitcase Speedy came with but you can't wear the box I guess. Including the NATO would have been nice but since I hate them, it doesn't really bother me.

The bracelet in particular (which was developed by Staib) is really lovely and reeks of quality despite some legitimate fitment gripes from those with smaller wrists due to the overlap. You have to ask yourself how come a Staib steel mesh is like £200 but the Omega steel one is more like £750? I wonder if Staib sell a titanium one? It would presumably be more like £400 than the £1,400 Omega charge.

My take is that if you have a wrist sub 7" you really do need the shorter bracelet as you don't want the 6 side intruding beyond the end of the clasp and that means using the 3rd or ideally 4th hole or higher.

[rgwarden]

That’s a seriously good looking watch. I’m a big fan of Seamasters generally but this seems like a really special iteration.


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[MartynJC (UK)]

…The NTTD feels like a very slightly scaled up 2500 movement Bond (ie thin but not quite as thin as the original), whereas some of the other recent models have got as thick as Planet Oceans and nearly as wide in some cases. I really have to put them side by side to notice the difference, on the wrist it feels the same as the 2531.

Hi Padders. I believe this is because the NTTD uses a single barrel but the 85xxx style movements are double barrelled so thicker, plus display backs add thickness. I noticed (for example) the Speedmaster ceramic with the same movement as the PO chrono felt as thick as the PO. I agree the NTTD with closed back is more back to the original SMP in thickness and fit. Maybe Omega will bring out a range in steel?

Martyn

[jsong6688]

Absolutely stunning watch and a cracker review. Agree 100% on the value for money front. I've passed this watch multiple time on that basis - it's a little too pricy relative to what the standard SMPs offers.

[Padders]

Absolutely stunning watch and a cracker review. Agree 100% on the value for money front. I've passed this watch multiple time on that basis - it's a little too pricy relative to what the standard SMPs offers.

Yep, viewed objectively it could be argued its just too expensive. Especially after the latest rise that kicked it above £8k. Regardless of production volumes, it is likely the cost which will keep this relatively rare I reckon. If it had been priced at, say, £6K they would have been a much more attractive proposition. The price jump over steel seems purely arbitrary, the use of titanium shouldn't really make the watch cost 80% more than std. I checked my 2001 price list and interestingly back then the 2231.50 titanium SMP cost £1,550 vs the £1,050 for the steel 2531.50 so the increase is even more extreme here. I suppose there was some Bond tax thrown in too.

The thing is, I tried the current standard watch and just didn't Bond with it (see what I did there). It felt rather too scaled up vs the 1120 movement models I love and while the quality was certainly superior I didn't want it on my wrist so mentally I am able to avoid the comparison with the std model: I want to wear this one and didn't the other. No comparison!

[shalako]

Thanks for the detailed review Martyn, it eventually led to picking up one of these myself, as others have said the pictures didn’t inspire me to invest until I saw one in person and had a chance to try it on, there is something about it that’s hard to quantify because its so unlike any other watch I’ve ever owned - it just looks/feels amazing.
At first I struggled with the fit of the bracelet, it was either too lose or too tight, my wrist is 7.25” and I seemed to be between holes, however I persevered with the loser setting and now it seems to fit perfectly, perhaps the mesh has become less stiff and contours better to my wrist? I have ordered the NATO to complete the set bit I’ve never been into them and have never worn a NATO so lets see…..
These now retail at £8600 on the bracelet with the NATO costing an extra £300, definitely over priced, I guess its the ‘Bond tax’, I think it’s incredibly miserly by Omega not to include it all together at this point but the accountants probably trying to maximise profits.