Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition – the new James Bond watch review
The name’s Seamaster, Omega Seamaster. The new James Bond watch is now out, and the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition packs a punch.
This watch joins the upper echelons of the entry-level Seamaster 300M. The Seamaster has been a staple in the Omega line-up — the Diver 300M collection was first introduced in 1993 and then revamped in 2018 — and undoubtably one of the best value for money entry level luxury watches in the market today. You can read our article explaining why here. The Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer ‘007 Edition’ takes all the technological beauty of these watches and re-packs them in a more high-end look.
The Evolution
Before we head into the new watch, let’s briefly look at how the James Bond versions have evolved over this 25 year period.
1995
Omega Seamaster Quartz Professional Diver 300M reference 2541.80. The watch was worn by Pierce Brosnan in the movie GoldenEye. The watch in the movie has a built-in laser in the bezel. The watch is now discontinued.
1997
Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M featuring an automatic chronometer movement caliber 1109 was worn in the movie Tomorrow Never Dies. The watch in the movie has a detachable remote controlled detonator. The watch is now discontinued.
1999
Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M featuring an automatic chronometer movement caliber 1120 was worn in the movie The World Is Not Enough. The watch in the movie has special LED lights & a miniature grappling hook that Pierce Brosnan fired by pressing the helium escape valve. The watch is now discontinued.
2002
Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M featuring an automatic chronometer movement caliber 1120 was worn in the movie Die Another Day. The watch in the movie has a detonator pin replacing the helium release valve, which is controlled by twisting the bezel, and a laser shooting from the crown, which is activated by pressing on the actual dial. The watch is now discontinued.
2006
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M & Omega Seamaster Diver 300M are both worn in separate scenes by Daniel Craig in the movie Casino Royale.
The latter, a tribute to the brand’s maritime legacy, is a 41mm watch reference 2220.80.00 powered by calibre Co-Axial 2500 and features a blue dial decorated with a wave pattern and a date window at the 3’o clock.
The former reference 2900.50.91 uses the same calibre movement — automatic chronometer, Co-Axial escapement movement with rhodium-plated finish — and is a mammoth 45.5mm in diameter. Both these watches are now discontinued.
Image Courtesy ©Omega 
Image Courtesy ©Omega
2008
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M steel on steel reference 2201.50.00 is worn in Quantum of Solace by Daniel Craig. It used the same calibre Co-Axial 2500 movement. This watch is now discontinued.
2012
Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Omega Co-Axial 42 steel on steel reference 232.30.42.21.01.001 with the Co-Axial calibre 8500 movement is worn in the movie Skyfall, making it the third time James Bond wears a Planet Ocean watch.
In addition, James Bond also brings in Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150 — reference 231.10.39.21.03.001— to the mix, which is again powered by the same movement as the Planet Ocean above. This 38.5mm stainless steel case on a stainless steel bracelet model featured a blue dial decorated with the Teak Concept pattern found on wooden decks of luxury sailboats, and a date window at 3’o clock. Both these watches are now discontinued.
2015
In Spectre, Daniel Craig leaves Planet Ocean out of the mix and continues with the Aqua Terra, though a different version. It’s meant to be a tribute to Omega’s rich maritime heritage, given the character of Bond has a naval background.
The reference 231.10.42.21.03.003 is now powered by a similar movement that has been upgraded to now be called the Master Co-Axial calibre 8500 movement which makes the watch resistant to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss.
The watch also features the similar sun-brushed and lacquered blue dial, but is different in terms of its size, now coming in at 41.5mm instead of the previous 38.5mm. This watch is still in production retailing for 7’250 AUD and you can purchase it from here.
Daniel Craig paired this with a new, limited edition of 7007 pieces watch, aptly called the “SPECTRE” Limited Edition reference 233.32.41.21.01.001. This watch had a fair few firsts for the iconic spy:
- It was the first time James Bond wore a watch on a NATO strap (5-striped black and grey)
- It was the first time a limited edition was released of the actual worn in the movie
- It had a black ceramic bi-directional bezel ring, built with a 12-hour scale in Liquidmetal™
- The dial featured Super-Luminova coated rhodium plated hands and a “lollipop” central seconds hands
- A bi-directional rotating GMT bezel
- The movement also changed to Master Co-Axial calibre 8400, a revolutionary movement that is resistant to magnetism up to 15,000 gauss. This new movement provided 60 hours of power reserve and comprised of free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring, two barrels mounted in series, and featuring the bridges and oscillating weight in exclusive Geneva waves in arabesque decoration.
An additional watch was also released to commemorate Spectre, though this was not worn in the movie. It was another limited edition run called the “Commander’s Watch”.
It was a Seamaster Diver Co-Axial 41mm watch, steel on NATO reference 212.32.41.20.04.001 which retailed for 7’175 AUD. It featured facetted blued skeleton hour-minute hands and varnished red second hand with “007” gun logo counterweight on a white dial and was powered by the Omega Calibre 2507 which is a self-winding chronometer with a Co-Axial escapement and rhodium-plated finish providing for a 48 hour power reserve.
The 2020 watch
Identical to 007’s (Daniel Craig’s) watch in the upcoming movie No Time To Die, presenting the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition in titanium, the reference 210.92.42.20.01.001 on NATO.
And before we even proceed, we are happy to report, it is not a limited edition. You got that right, it will be a part of the regular, ongoing Seamaster collection. It is finally time for you to take home a part of the James Bond universe.
The new James Bond follows the same design codes of the Seamaster 300M collection but ups the ante with its lightweight titanium body, a unique tropical brown dial colour and very Bond aesthetics.
As a side note, the Seamaster was first used in a Bond movie 25 years ago, in 1995. And this new watch has been released to commemorate the 25th James Bond movie. Coincidence or planned perfect timing, we’ll leave that with the makers.
What we do know is that over the years the James Bond edition Omega Seamaster 300M has built its legacy with real-life divers and style aficionados, and secured for itself a permanent position in any collector’s life, and it is safe to say that the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition watch is the best James Bond watch yet.
The Design
The brown tropical aluminium bezel ring and dial have a unique sense of patina and cool factor to them. The legibility is very good, keeping in line with the watch collection’s standard. The Helium Escape Valve at 10’o clock may appear a bit odd to some on the normal Seamaster 300M range, but given this is a James Bond watch, it acts as a charming addition, a sort of nod to the fact that James Bond watches have surprise, hidden features activated by pushers. And while this is not the case with the version the general public is going to buy, it is still good to know that James Bond could be using this very valve to try something uber cool.
Another feature we like is the use of varnished red tip at the end of the seconds hand that really pops out against the brown dial. This red complements the red of the ‘Seamaster’ text at 12’o clock, and overall ties the watch colour geometry in very well. The indexes are applied and raised, and are luminous. They compliment the brown dial very well.
The Daniel Craig Factor
When Daniel Craig embarks on his next mission as James Bond in No Time To Die, an identical version of the watch will appear on screen. Since Daniel Craig will be wearing it, it was only natural for the actor to include some design inputs in this watch.
Given he is playing this character for the fifth time, his knowledge of James Bond has brought about invaluable insights to Omega’s watch developers and designers.
Says Craig: “When working with OMEGA, we decided that a lightweight watch would be key for a military man like 007. I also suggested some vintage touches and colours to give the watch a unique edge. The final piece looks incredible.”
Daniel Craig courtesy ©Omega
The Military Factor
Incorporating the stealth choice of colours and the durable yet lightweight Grade 2 titanium, the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition has been purposefully built with military needs in mind.
The closed caseback features a series of numbers that follow the format for genuine military-issue watches:
- “0552” is a naval code-number
- “923 7697” being the number for a divers’ watch
- The letter “A” signifies a watch with a screw-in crown
- “007” is James Bond’s iconic agent number
- The number “62” refers to the year of the very first James Bond movie
Yet another cool nod to the military/government history of James Bond character is the use of a broad arrow insignia at 6’o clock, that is a reference to the symbols usually used to mark the issued property of the British government.
The Movement
The movement used — calibre 8806 — is self-winding with a Co-Axial escapement movement allowing for a decent 55 hour power reserve. It is certified Master Chronometer and approved by METAS.
It is resistant to magnetic fields reaching up-to 15,000 gauss and is also highly shock absorbent leading it to be used for just about anything a super spy would need it for. It is built for daily wear and can take a beating. The water resistance is a good 300m (30ATM) making it a perfect companion for those underwater adventures.
The movement displays functions of hours, minutes, and seconds, and beats at a frequency of 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph) and contains 35 jewels. The movement has a free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring and features the capability to be automatically wound in both directions.
The Calibre 8806 offers the standard Seamaster 300M power reserve of 55 hours, and the movement is cased inside a 42mm titanium case with a scratch-resistant domed sapphire crystal that has an antireflective treatment on both sides and is slightly slimmer than the standard Diver 300M models.
Other Features
Even though the movement is decorated with a rhodium plated finish and Geneva waves in arabesque, it is presented here inside a closed case-back that has special numbers engraved on it (as mentioned earlier). In addition to these engravings, the watch has a NAIAD LOCK caseback, that helps to keep all of the engravings in correct alignment.
The Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition comes with a screw-in crown to achieve its high water resistance and a unidirectional rotating bezel for the diver to see time elapsed.
The strap options are two, a striped NATO strap in brown, grey and beige with 007 engraved on a titanium loop, or a Grade 2 titanium mesh bracelet (reference 210.90.42.20.01.001) with an innovative adjustable buckle. The mesh bracelet adds a great deal of comfort for a bracelet wear, though our preference is the NATO strap, given it really brings an undercover cool stealth look to the watch.
The new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition model comes in an exclusive brown fabric pouch and with Omega’s full 5-year warranty.
#WatchYaGonnaDoAboutIt assessment
The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition is a good looking sports & utility watch release. It is classically built in a very diver watch architecture. The size of 42mm does come off as bit big especially for anyone under 16.5cm wrist size given these watches wear big. The high water resistance of 300m —so diving, swimming, showering, the works really — is an added bonus even. The watch colours and tone is very masculine, so we aren’t recommending it for our His+Her list.
Overall, it’s a stunner of a watch. The value for money proposition however, is a tough one to call.
The new 007 watch on NATO retails for 11,550 AUD while the entry-level Seamaster 300M retails for a way less 6,950 AUD. That’s a difference of 4,600 AUD, and that too for a watch — 007 edition has no date — that is without an added complication. The end call is on you and your personal tastes, but in terms of value for money, given these are both the same size, same movement (barring date function), and not limited editions, our vote goes to the white ceramic Seamaster 300M.
That said, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition model is truly mesmerising in its own right, is made of lightweight titanium, has a very cool James Bond connection and a patina look that will fade and evolve over time. The softer tan lume works very well with a dial that changes colour from brown to matte grey/black in lighting changes, and is a great overall blend of old and new design languages.
If this is worth an extra 4,600 AUD to you, go for it; either way, you can’t come up short with an Omega Seamaster 300M.
His+Her: No
If you simply peruse the technical specifications, please head here to our Sneak Peek review.
Alternatively you can also check out our Infographic on this watch here.
To find out more about this and other Omega watches, visit the Omega website here.
