In the 30-plus years since Pierce Brosnan first strapped on a Seamaster for 1995’s GoldenEye, James Bond—and his fans—have had plenty of handsome Omega watches to choose from. However, it appears the Biel/Bienne-based brand realized they were missing out on the other half of that market: 007’s nemeses.
Not anymore. If you happen to wear a ring with an octopus logo on it and have aspirations of global domination; if you prefer a grey Nehru jacket and a white cat but are only ever seen from the neck down; if you occupy a lair in a hollowed-out volcano on a Japanese island deep in the Pacific…boy, do we have the watch for you!
Meet the new Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond and Spectre Collection. Consisting of six different timepieces, it offers cool new takes on the brand’s flagship dive watch for fans of both 007 and Spectre. The two headliners are joining the main catalog. One is a Bond tribute while the other nods to the villainous organization bent on his destruction. The 007-dedicated watch with a dark-blue dial features plenty of nods to the superspy. At 12 o’clock is a coat-of-arms index honoring Bond, while the Naiad Lock caseback allows a view of the gun-barrel decoration featured on the movement’s rotor. Finally, a brushed stainless steel mesh bracelet and a special blue presentation box complete the picture.
However, it’s the Spectre watch that really sets this batch of releases apart from any previous Bond watch. The villainous version of the watch leans right into its dark nature with a black bezel and matching grained dial. Unfortunately, Spectre's very cool evil-octopus figure is tucked away on the rotor, which is only visible when you flip the watch over, rather than printed prominently on the piece’s face.
Beyond the two non-limited watches available individually, there are also two two-watch sets limited to 77 pieces each. The duo starts with one of the designs we've already discussed but completing the picture is a second piece that is not available individually. For Bond, it’s a platinum-gold Seamaster 300M with a limited-edition plate and a polished blue ceramic bezel with a platinum diving scale in positive relief. The dial is striking: executed in 18K white gold with a blue PVD gradient and gun-barrel pattern, it’s an ultra-luxe riff on a familiar Bond motif. Flip the watch over, and the pattern is featured in 18K Moonshine Gold and blue PVD on the watch’s rotor. Rather than a bracelet, it’s fitted to a dark blue leather strap with a platinum-gold pin buckle.
Of course, the Spectre cadre wouldn’t be satisfied without its own precious-metal timepiece. Thankfully, there’s an equivalent watch in platinum-gold with a polished black ceramic bezel insert featuring a platinum diving scale in positive relief; an 18K white gold case with a dark grey PVD gradient and octopus-pattern dial; a Spectre octopus-motif rotor in 18K Moonshine Gold; and a black leather strap with a platinum-gold pin buckle. This is immediately one of the dopest Seamaster 300Ms in Omega’s entire catalog, and it’s a shame that this particular design isn’t available in a non-limited steel edition, as I suspect that anybody would be happy to wear that dial.
Certainly there’s no dearth of 007-themed watches out there. And while celebrating Bond’s villainous rivals could well have been a timepiece too far, the Spectre editions are tasteful line extensions that offer a fresh way into the Fleming Cinematic Universe without smacking you over the head with overt branding. Now, if only Amazon could decide who will have the honor of wearing these new pieces.