No Time to Die is the next James Bond film due to hit cinemas in April 2020. The 25th instalment of this hugely popular James Bond saga, actor Daniel Craig limbers up for action in his fifth performance as 007. Although there was speculation which Spectre would be Craig’s final Bond role, he is back to save the world taking orders from M (Ralph Fiennes), the head of MI6.
With only six months before the official release date, Omega capitalises on Bondmania to present a limited-edition of 7,007 Seamaster Diver 300M models for diehard fans of the planet’s best-loved secret agent. Ostensibly aimed as observing the 50th anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the 1969 Bond movie starring Geoge Lazenby as James Bond, the opinion is customised to the gills with Bond paraphernalia.
The fascination with all that Bond rolls hasn’t abated and committed sites allow you to know where to buy his matches, his swimming trunks, his Aston Martins as well as what concerns us, his Chronometer watches. Even though Sean Connery’s Bond began life sporting a Rolex Submariner, Omega’s lineup of Seamasters have been time Bond’s escapades since 1995 using the movie Goldeneye.
As befits a spy who’s all brawn and brains, a rugged opinion is a basic bit of kit. Given its resilience, water-resistance and rugged good looks, Omega’s Seamaster has become the watch of choice for most post-1995 Bonds. In fact, just recently, the Seamaster enjoyed another stellar moment when a specially developed ultra-deep Seamaster accompanied the crew of this Five Deeps Expedition to the deepest aspect of the five seas (10,928m at the Mariana Trench) placing all kinds of depth records and more importantly, surfacing unscathed and in perfect functioning order.
Capable of fathoming depths of 300 metres, the 42mm brushed stainless steel case of this Seamaster Diver 300M is fitted with a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock and includes a black ceramic bezel with a white enamel diving scale to time immersions. Despite its impressive underwater credentials, the case back is not sealed and the sapphire crystal offers a view of the powerful Omega watches Master Chronometer Calibre 8800 beating beneath. This is all pretty standard fare using an Seamaster Diver 300M, but what distinguishes this as a distinctive Bond watch is that the yellow gold plaque placed just beneath the helium valve onto the face of the case, engraved with the limited-edition number of the watch from a total of 7,007.
The swirling pattern portrayed on the black PVD and black porcelain dial isalso, as any Bond fan will understand, a laser-engraved representation of the iconic gun barrel arrangement that has appeared at the beginning of every James Bond movie since Dr No in 1962. For complete fanatics, the 9mm diameter of the bullet is faithfully replicated in the centre of the dial.
Another nod to James Bond is located on the 12 o’clock hour mark. This is not the first time the Bond family crest pops up on the dial of a Seamaster: in 2015 the coat of arms was emblazoned across the whole dial of the Aqua Terra 150M.
The prominent 18k yellow gold hour markers are filled with Super-LumiNova that glows with a long-lasting blue lume from the dark. The only way to spot another Bond secret touch, which is hidden on the 10 o’clock hour marker, is in the dark if the grim lume reveals the amount’50’ in its centre.
The central hour and minute hands are crafted from 18k yellow gold, full of lume and skeletonised however, the minutes hand glows green to coordinate with the scatter on the unidirectional diving scale which indicates immersion times. However, there is more… Every single day of the month, the number seven seems in the date window with exactly the identical ribbon as the 007 logo!
A high-performance engine
Under the sapphire crystal caseback, that bears a metallised black and gold engraving of the Bond coat of arms, ticks the automatic Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8800 using Co-Axial escapement plus a solid 55-hour power reserve. Along with being water-resistant to 300m, the watch can address a serious amount of magnetism, up to 15,000 gauss.
The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a limited edition of 7,007 watches and comes with a black rubber strap. The watch is presented in a dark box with gun barrel patterns using an additional stainless steel bracelet and instrument to switch the strap. At time of publishing, the watch retails for #5,220.
