It was Lindy Hemming, the Oscar-winning costume designer who worked on five Bond films between GoldenEye (1995) and Casino Royale (2006), who proposed that 007 should wear an OMEGA. Talking about her choice of the Seamaster, she said, “I was convinced that Commander Bond, a naval man, a diver, and a discreet gentleman of the world would wear this watch.”
Hemming was right in linking Omega with the British Royal Navy. The company has an authentic connection to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), having delivered more than 110,000 watches to pilots, navigators and soldiers during World War II.
The Seamaster 300, originally released in 1957, was issued to military divers around the world and, in 1967, a famous batch of 2nd generation Seamaster 300s was also delivered to the MoD for issue to certain units and so it is entirely plausible that Commander Bond would have been issued with an Omega watch.
Inspired by the very same Seamaster that 007 wore in GoldenEye, the new 42mm timepiece in stainless steel creates watchmaking magic through its film-themed caseback, which replicates the famous 007 opening sequence – with Bond in silhouette and a spinning gun barrel design.
This dynamic scene plays out beneath the sapphire, decorated with micro-structured metallisation. The patent pending “moiré” effect animation is linked to the running of the lollipop central seconds hand, so the action never stops.
The watch is driven by a precise Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806 and is presented on a mesh-style bracelet – in the same style as James Bond’s OMEGA watch in No Time To Die.
The bezel and dial are both made from blue oxalic anodized aluminium, with the dial featuring laser-engraved waves, and the bezel featuring a diving scale filled with white Super-LumiNova.
Also spot the commemorative “60” which replaces the diving scale’s traditional inverted triangle, and luminescent green dot which links to the minute hand.
For collectors of the steel version, there’s a blue wooden presentation box in the original Diver 300M wave pattern, with three dots inspired by the classic Bond opening title sequence, including a secret push button.