OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M
The OMEGA Diver 300M (Seamaster Professional) is among the world’s most iconic dive watches. Since the mid-90s, the watch’s consistent design and partnership with the James Bond film franchise has made it the super spy’s watch of choice.
OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M History and Cultural Significance
The Seamaster line has been around for over 60 years. It is OMEGA’s longest-running line still in production. The Diver 300M made its debut in 1993 and soon became one of the brand’s most popular and important watches of the modern era. The style rolled out in dozens of varieties, including time-and-date, chronograph and GMT styles.
The Diver 300M has courted a “love it or hate it” aesthetic — not everyone likes the watch’s strong design choices, but fans won’t be satisfied with anything else. One example of this is the inclusion of what looks like a second crown at the 10 o’clock position. The mark of a true professional’s watch, this “crown” is a manual helium escape valve (the first OMEGA watch to include one). It’s a feature intended for professional divers who spend a lot of time in decompression chambers post-saturation diving. This is not something that will be used practically by the watch’s target demographic, but it’s an important part of the watch’s identity. Other strong design choices that define the watch’s look are a scalloped 12-sided bezel, skeletonized hands, a wave pattern on the watch face and the famous blue dial (available in other colors too).
Due to its divisive design, the Diver 300M saw only modest sales in its first two years on the market. However, it exploded in popularity in 1995, due to the Diver 300M’s appearance in the James Bond film “Goldeneye.” Costume designer Lindy Hemming wanted a watch that could straddle the line between dress watch and tool watch, and capture Bond’s effortless transition from suave playboy to action hero. She settled on the Diver 300M because of the OMEGA brand’s long relationship with the Royal Navy, which Bond had been a part of. Once the watch was seen on Pierce Brosnan’s wrist, demand skyrocketed, and sales boomed. Brosnan would continue to wear Diver 300Ms throughout his time as Bond. It was inherited as the “Bond watch” by Daniel Craig, too, who wore it in “Casino Royale.”
The newfound popularity of the Seamaster Diver 300M spawned multiple branded “007” models in case material, dial color and so on. In 2018, for the model’s 25th anniversary, it received a face-lift. This modernized the look, giving the watch a thoroughly 21st-century style after decades as a “’90s watch.” It also updated the mechanism and materials to reflect the highest standards of modern horological technology.
OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M Design and Features
From its inception, the Seamaster Diver 300M has exhibited a strong design language and remained largely consistent aesthetically. Certain design elements, like the wave pattern on the watch dial, have come and gone over the years, but the watch’s overall look has been steady. Internally, however, it’s another story.
Since its debut over 25 years ago, the Diver 300M has been home to three different calibers that showcase OMEGA’s progress and technical prowess. The first movement was Caliber 1120, an OMEGA version of the ETA 2892-A2. Next came the Caliber 2500 and finally, as part of the 2018 face-lift, the Caliber 8800.
Each iteration of the watch, defined by the change in caliber, represents a big step forward in terms of precision and mechanical sophistication. The 1120, found in the earliest Seamaster Diver 300M models, was a chronometer-certified version of an ETA movement that was not COSC-certified. The 2500, incorporated into the Seamaster in 2006, showed OMEGA’s growing technical sophistication and shift toward developing in-house movements and technologies. Though still a modified ETA caliber, it was the first production caliber to use OMEGA’s coaxial escapement. It represented a huge technical achievement that would dominate future OMEGA designs. Finally, Caliber 8800, released in the newest Diver 300M models, is a full in-house movement that is also Master Chronometer certified.
The 2018 face-lift, with the inclusion of Caliber 8800, represents the logical destination of the Seamaster’s journey. It doubles down on the brand’s now-iconic design, but, as with the new caliber, employs modern technical advancements to subtly reinvent a classic. The new version features an ultra-smooth, all-ceramic dial and bezel with enamel markings that are more durable. The classic wave pattern on the dial is now laser-cut and thicker, making it more visible than before. The current release does everything fans have loved since the model’s release — but better, using the most advanced materials, production processes and technical developments available.
OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M Buyer’s Perspective
Fortunately, for fans, the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M has always been one of the brand’s more affordable models. Depending on the watch’s age and condition, secondhand models are available starting from around $1,000. Even the brand-new face-lift versions released in 2018 run under $5,000 for the basic style. Most of the models are (or were) in standard production. This means they are readily available and not too difficult to find whether new or secondhand.
Serious Diver 300M line collectors will also love the wide array of special editions and collaborations OMEGA has released over the years. For instance, OMEGA has produced several James Bond special editions with limited production runs of 7,007, including one to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (210.22.42.20.01.004). In addition, a special version for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (212.30.41.20.04.001) was limited to 2,010 examples. These editions are a great choice for collectors seeking rare or historical examples of the Diver 300M.