Omega representatives reminded us during the meeting that this is still supposed to be suitable as a professional diver’s watch. Note the special anthracite-colored Super-LumiNova lume (that glows blue). Similarly, Omega mixes shades of gray and interesting finishing techniques to offer a “phantom” watch aesthetic with all the legibility of a tool watch. Bell & Ross had a phantom version of the BR01 a long time ago that similarly was able to create an all-black experience using shades of gray on the dial. The other interesting talking point that I believe more people will appreciate is the fact that this is probably the most legible “all-black” watch I’ve seen in a long time. That includes the 43.5mm wide (sometimes referred to as 42mm wide depending on where the case is measured), roughly 14.5mm thick, 300 meter water resistant, case, bezel, crowns, dial, and even the strap buckle. Today things have advanced.Īn interesting talking point of the Seamaster 300M Black Black is just how much of the watch is in ceramic. The latter metal was chosen for its weight savings, as well as the fact that it was relied upon for parts that (at the time) Omega could not machine in ceramic. As the name implies, that watch (which more or less shares the same form factor as this new one) was a blend between ceramic case components and some in titanium. To understand the evolution of the Seamaster 300M as a ceramic watch, it is a good idea to compare this new 2021 Seamaster 300M black ceramic model with its predecessor, the 2019 Omega Seamaster 300M Black Ceramic & Titanium. Today things are different, and sophisticated watch makers which benefit from the industrial excellence of the Swatch Group can make black ceramic feel fresh all over again. Previously, such parts could not be made out of ceramic, because it was too difficult to mill pieces of ceramic into such precise components in any volume. This is achieved thanks to a sophisticated ceramic injection molding technique. An excellent example of this for the new Seamaster 300M Black Black is that the crown and manual helium release valve are not black-colored PVD-coated metal, but all ceramic. That includes not just new colors, but also new formulations and machining techniques. Since the Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon was released, Omega has continued to explore and experiment with ceramic in several interesting ways (notably for a variety of Seamaster Planet Ocean watches in ceramic). Omega really popularized the idea that if you polish ceramic as you might metal (you can’t exactly use the same machine processes for that given how much harder the surface “high-tech ceramic” – zirconium dioxide – is), a ceramic watch can offer the benefits of ceramic (scratch resistance, color permanence, etc…) with the traditional beauty of a polished metal timepiece. Until then, most ceramic watches had a single case polishing finish. It feels hard to believe that it was released back in 2013! Omega didn’t need to reinvent the Speedmaster, but what they did was finally make a black ceramic watch that was finished like traditional metal with features such as contrast polishes. Omega and ceramic are nothing new, but some people may have forgotten the absolute winner that the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon watch (aBlogtoWatch review here) was for the brand and its fans. This version of the Seamaster 300M also shares a name (and color scheme) with my favorite chewing gum, a caffeine-infused Lotte product called Black Black from Japan. In other respects, this is a very different watch from the other models, given how it feels and looks on the wrist - as well as the fact that it has finishing styles you won’t really see on other modern Seamaster 300M watches. In some senses, this is the core Seamaster 300M, just rendered in black ceramic. This “phantom” Seamaster Diver 300M blends high-tech construction and a thoroughly sexy, masculine wearing experience. Rendered in stealthy all-black ceramic, this is a new version of the still freshly-revised (in 2019) Omega Seamaster 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer (aBlogtoWatch review here) watch that has proven very popular. Right now, however, we are talking about one of the hippest new Omega watches for 2021: the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black. But it also means introducing new materials and techniques, such as Bronze Gold, as well as a new more scratch-resistant aluminum anodization technique used for some bezel inserts (as is the case in the new steel-cased Seamaster 300 models). First, it means new ways of finishing popular materials like ceramic. For Omega, that means two things this year. When aBlogtoWatch met up with Omega to cover some of its new 2021 watch releases, it became immediately clear how important materials science was to the team in Bienne, Switzerland.
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