MMXXVI VOL21 No.921

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James Bond Omega Seamaster watches

Brief history of the Swiss manufacturer Omega. Its most notable moments in the history of horology with the first watch that was on the moon. The replacement of the legendary Rolex Submariners by the Seamasters on 007's wrist. Reasons given and revisions of the model until the spectacular edition appeared in No Time To Die, which recovers all the vintage aesthetics that a Bond watch should have
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James Bond Omega Seamaster watches

In the film GoldenEye (1995), the producers of the 007 saga, “Eon Productions” decided to sacrilegiously replace the legendary Rolex Submariner watch that James Bond wore on his wrist since the first installment Dr. No (1962).

In this article we briefly review the history of the Swiss manufacturer Omega. Its most notable moments in the history of horology as building the first watch that was on the Moon. The reasons given by the producers of James Bond to replace the legendary Rolex Submariner by Seamasters and the revisions of the model until the spectacular version that appeared in “No Time To Die”, which recovers all the vintage aesthetics that should have a Bond watch.

Omega is characterized by the precision of its movements

Omega is a Swiss watch manufacturer that opened its first shop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in 1848, as “La Generale Watch Co”. The manufacturer didn’t adopted Omega trademark until 1903.

Throughout its existence, Omega has been characterized by the high precision of its mechanical movements, especially its chronometers.

Historically the brand has had several highlights. In World War I Omega supplied watches to the British Air Force since 1917 and since 1918, to the U.S. Army.

In World War II Omega was one of the manufacturers of the Dirty Dozen watches purchased by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) to equip both, the RAF, the Royal Navy and the Army.

Omega Dirty Dozen
A Dirty Dozen Omega from WWII. These were very small case watches, 35mm in diameter, very simple, with handwound movements, although very accurate.

Omega produced some 25,000 Dirty Dozens, with a size of 35mm, which today exceed 3,000$ per unit in the vintage market.

Thanks to its high precision chronometers and the Speedmaster model launched in 1957, in early 1960, Omega was awarded the contract that supplied watches for NASA astronauts during the space race to reach the Moon.

The Speedmaster became the first watch ever on the Moon, strapped to Buzz Aldrin’s arm when he descended from the lunar module following Neil Armstrong on July 21, 1969, during Apollo 11 mission.

Omega Dirty Dozen
The Omega Speedmaster Professional, in production since 1957, the first watch ever on the Moon. On the right, one of the historical milestones of horology; Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster in the lunar module about to take a walkmoon. NASA astronauts wore the watch on a long strap because when they went into space they could not tie it to their wrist, which was covered with the huge glove of the space suit. It was strapped to the forearm above the sleeve. Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the Moon, had to leave his Speedmaster inside the lunar module as a backup unit because the clock on the spacecraft’s instrument panel was failing… while the Omegas were still working flawlessly. Buzz Aldrin was going to leave his Speedmaster inside the module as well, thinking that the last thing he needed to know in the middle of the Moon was the time in Houston, Texas. At the last minute, he changed his mind because he thought any additional pieces of equipment might come in handy.

From then on, Speedmasters are referred to as “Moonwatches” and became the most desirable model of the Omega brand.

The owners of Omega did not survive the quartz crisis that occurred in the 1970s. In short, Swiss makers invented the quartz movement and quickly discarded it.

Soon after, Japanese manufacturers adopted this new technology and went on to dominate the global watch market, driven by cheap integrated circuits. The consequence is that in the 1980s the Omega brand was eventually absorbed by the Swatch Group.

In 1995 the Omega Seamaster 300 became the James Bond watch

In the film GoldenEye (1995), with Pierce Brosnan in the role of James Bond, Agent 007 sacrilegiously replaced the mythical Rolex Submariner 6538 with a remodeled Omega Seamaster.

Ian Flemming, the author of the Bond novels, imagined 007 wearing a Rolex Submariner on his wrist so he could knock out his enemies by using the watch as if it were a brass knuckle.

During Rolex’s “tool era” in the 1960s, the Submariner was a sports watch designed expressly for diving. Submersible to 200 meters (660ft), with a 40mm diameter steel case and curved plexiglass crystal, perfect for stamping it against the noses of the opposition.

Omega Dirty Dozen
Re-edition of the first Seamaster model launched in 1948. Submersible, the style is neither sporty nor military. It looks more like an elegant dress watch.

In the first film of the saga, Dr.No (1962), Sean Connery wore a Submariner 6538 in a NATO strap, popularizing this fastening system despite the fact that Ian Fleming had expressly stated that 007 should wear a steel bracelet, in keeping with the brass knuckle theme.

The 1962 Omega Seamaster, was the same model launched in 1948. A dressy diver, somewhat outdated by now, with a much thinner plexiglass crystal than the Submariners.

Historically Omega did not compete with Rolex. It competed against Patek Philippe and Bulova in the field of chronometers. Omega had excellent precision movements but aesthetically their watches were less sporty, less trendy or attractive than Rolex with few exceptions like the Speedmaster.

Omega Dirty Dozen
The Seamaster GoldenEye, the first Omega worn by James Bond. More refined looking than a Rolex Submariner, the undulations of the dial are not to everyone’s tastes, nor the bracelet. It does not look like a watch for scuba diving.

The decision to sponsor the 007 films was part of an ultra-aggressive advertising campaign initiated by the Swatch Group to promote the Omega brand, which included a huge amount of media advertising, press, TV, sponsorship and product placement in films.

As Rolex had never paid for its watches to appear in the James Bond movies, nor showed interest to start paying, the producers of the saga decided to make a public offer looking for a new horological and financial supplier. Omega won the bid.

Omega Dirty Dozen
Seamaster 600 Planet Ocean. It appeared in the film Quantum Of Solace (2008). This model was followed by a very similar Seamaster 600 Aqua Terra.

The first Seamaster 300 delivered for the 1995 GoldenEye film was a Submariner semi-copy, with similar but dark blue dial, as was the 60-minute graduated bezel. It featured date function and a strange helium valve on the side of the case at 10 o’clock.

In addition to the fact that visually the Seamaster 300 was less desirable than the Submariners, the version that was made available to the public, did not bring mechanical movement. It was cheap quartz.

This was somewhat unethical on the part of Swatch which was repeated with the Speedmaster. Tag Heuer had done the same since 1979, irreversibly damaging its brand image until they were bought by the French holding company LVMH (Louis Vuitton).

Lindy Hemming, GoldenEye costume director in 1995, justified the change of 007’s watch on the grounds that historically, the Royal Navy had equipped its troops with Omega watches, which is true. James Bond was a spy and commander of the British Navy.

Still, Ms. Lindy Hemming was forgetting that the Royal Navy in 1971 replaced the Omega Seamaster issued to elite British divers with the more robust and suitable Rolex MilSub, which was a Submariner 5512 modified specifically for the MoD.

Omega Dirty Dozen
The Seamaster 300 Spectre made by Omega for the film Spectre (2015).

In the film Quantum Of Solace (2008), with Daniel Craig playing Bond, Omega updated the Seamaster to the Planet Ocean 600 version, followed by another very similar one called Aqua Terra 600. Both were quite unappealing. Water resistance was doubled to 600 meters (2000ft) but it was still a watch that was not perceived as a diving tool.

Aware, the manufacturer updated the model again with a version designed specifically for Spectre (2015). It was the Seamaster 300 Spectre. Similar to the Aqua Terra, the piece featured vintage details, such as a no-date dial, a 12-hour scale bezel and aged cream luminescent pigment on the dial. It also recovered the classic Bond-style NATO strap in black with gray bands.

Omega Seamaster 300 edition 007 James Bond, 2021

The most striking Bond Omega watch of all the series was the “Seamaster 300 007 edition” featured in “No Time To Die” (2021), greatly improving the vintage aesthetics. This is the most eye-catching Omega 007 has ever worn on his wrist.

The Seamaster 007 edition is a mix between the GoldenEye Seamaster 300, a Dirty Dozen and a dial similar to modern Submariners. Numerous vintage details are combined with modern mechanics and elements.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
Seamaster 300 007 Edition, the most eye-catching Omega 007 has ever worn on his wrist.

The 42mm and 13.5mm thick case is made entirely of lightweight titanium grade 2. It is waterproof to 300 meters (1000ft) and the 1960s-style curved crystal is rescovered, made with modern artificial sapphire.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
Omega Seamaster 007 Edition, with titanium bracelet on the left and NATO Bond strap on the right.

The most attractive features of the 007 edition are the tropical dial and the bezel with the 60-minute scale, finished in aged brown color.

The big novelty is that the bezel markers are illuminated with the same luminescent pigment used on the dial, as well as being protected with a rhodium coating. Rhodium is a rare metal extremely resistant to corrosion, a luxury alternative to the ceramic bezels that Rolex offers.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
Omega Seamaster 007 Edition tropical dial and helium valve. The watch in these images was wore by Daniel Craig during the filming of “No Time To Die”. They were taken and published by Chrystie’s auction house, which sold the piece after the film’s release.

The hands, the inscriptions on the dial and the engravings on the case back are a clear reference to the Omega Dirty Dozen.

The arrow is a symbol used by the English army since the 16th century to mark war materials owned by the crown. Originally the arrow was part of the coat of arms of Sir Philip Sydney, the first British military supply manager who began stamping objects to prevent theft.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
The engravings on the back cover of the Omega Seamaster 007 and the night illumination. The arrow symbol is a detail reminiscent of the mythical Dirty Dozen.

Like the GoldenEye Seamaster 300, the 007 edition brings the odd helium valve placed on the side of the case at 10 o’clock. The vintage-style rounded crown is much more attractive.

The automatic movement of the Seamaster 007 is an Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8806, with 55 hours of power reserve. The co-axial system, invented in the 1970s and adopted by Omega, exerts less friction on various internal parts, allowing longer times between servicings.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition
Seamaster 007 edition with NATO Bond strap.

The 007 edition went on sale with two types of optional straps. A bracelet made of titanium mesh, identical to the case metal, or a classic Bond-style NATO strap, in black, with gray-cream bands, matching the tone of the watch.

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