OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph in TITANIUM, TANTALUM & 18K SEDNA GOLD

Omega’s lab techs have been busy cooking up their latest creation!

Q: What do you get when you take an SM Diver 300M Chrono, a cup of Ti Grade 2, a pinch of Ta, a teaspoon of 18k Sedna Au and a sprinkle of ZrO2 (for good measure)? 

A: One confused OceanicTime reader; and one very expensive, high-end diving chronograph that you wish you owned.

Introducing the new Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph from Omega, a watch created using a highly sophisticated blend of aerospace-grade materials;  Titanium, Tantalum, 18k Sedna Gold and Ceramic come together in this unexpected new SM Diver 300M family member.

Tantalum made its Omega debut back in 1993; an auspicious time when some of us could spend the whole night getting smashed and still wake up as fresh as daisy the next morning. Those were the days! 

It’s a different story today, when once again this lustrous material will finally see the light of day after 27 years, in its comeback for this new timepiece.

Tantalum AKA Ta (previously known as Tantalium) is a lustrous transition metal. It is quite literally a badass metal: it is twice as dense as steel with an incredibly high melting point of 2996°C (5425°F) and a hardness of 200 Vickers.

It is also super expensive; for example it is nearly 5x the price of its cousin, Tungsten, and what’s more it’s named after a bad guy from Greek mythology – 

Tantalus who did some bad sh!t and was duly condemned to stand up to his chin in a pool of water in Hades (the ancient Greek hell) with dangling fruit in a tree above and fresh water below, both torturously out of reach, for eternity.

Ascetically, Tantalum has a subtle bluish/dark grey tone. As well as its use for electronic capacitors, it is used in medicine for surgical and dental implants, as it doesn’t trigger an immune response. Omega’s 44mm Master Chronometer is a Numbered Edition which is actually largely made from hypoallergenic, Grade 2 Titanium, but with 18K Sedna Gold and Tantalum elements which can be found on the base of the bezel and the bracelet’s center-links.

The 18K Sedna Gold bezel ring features a laser-ablated dive-time scale, while the polished blue ceramic [ZrO2] dial sports laser-engraved waves, a date window at 6 o’clock, and sub-dial rings with touches of 18K Sedna™ gold. 

More 18K Sedna Gold can be found on the case side in the form of an engraved plate with the watch’s serial number.

The reverse of watch reveals Omega’s iconic Seahorse motif, which has been laser-engraved and white lacquered on the Sapphire crystal case-back – which affords a view Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 9900, certified by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). The watch is equipped with Titanium bracelet which includes Omega’s patented extendable fold-over rack-and-pusher with extra diver extension. The watch is water-resistant up to 300 meters and is presented offered inside a special box in the style of a water-resistant chamber. MSRP for this exotic creature is 18’100 CHF.

Thoughts? Does Omega think we’re made of money?! The few model releases have been pretty high-n. It’s bout’ time for some middle of the road sh!t; 

I mean show something new that won’t cost me an arm and a leg. Otherwise, this is a pretty amazing watch, a golden show pony, but sill amazing. What do think?

 

BREITLING Superocean Heritage B20 Automatic 42 +18K RG

You see, I told your there was a lot of gold about recently. This is the new Superocean Heritage B20 Automatic in blue plus 18k red gold. While the SO Heritage B20 pays tribute to its forefather (the iconic 1957 Superocean) with its old school good looks, it is a high performing, high-tech diver’s watch. It features an ultra-hard, scratch-proof, high-tech ceramic bezel in blue to match its sun-brushed dial and is powered by an officially certified chronometer, Breitling’s Cal. B20. The B20 Caliber automatic mechanical movement is a high frequency, Manufacture movement with 28 jewels, a beat rate of 28,800 vph and an autonomy of approx. 70hrs. It is based in Tudor's MT5612. The watch's 200m water-resistant, 42mm in diameter Stainless steel case is fitted with an 18k red gold diver’s bezel with said blue ceramic inlay plus a matching red gold dive-time scale. Color-coded to the watch’s blue dial with its golden hands and markers; is a blue rubber diver’s strap inspired by a Milanese shark-mesh bracelet. If you aren’t down with the faux shark-mesh, the watch can also be configured with a full Stainless steel mesh bracelet.

MSRP is 5’715USD Excl. Sales Tax. Thoughts? 

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of gold; firstly I can’t afford it plus it won’t hold up very well over time unless it’s part of some sort of mega expensive, high-tech alloy – but this is pretty damn classy especially on the steel mesh. What do you think? 

BREITLING Superocean Automatic 46 BLACK STEEL +18K RG

Since the demise of the Baselworld fair this year and the rise of you know what, Swiss watch releases have been a bit sporadic or at best staggered which actually isn’t such a bad thing. Breitling has been slowly drip feeding us new models and iterations all year; here’s one that combines black DLC-coated Stainless AKA Breitling’s Black Steel with 18k Red Gold, a winning combination. And the lucky model to get this sexy new look, the Superocean Automatic 46 which features a sturdy 46mm DLC-coated Stainless-steel case, water-resistant to a mighty 2000m. This is accented with an 18k red gold diver’s bezel with a gold dive-time scale and a matte black dial with matching gold applique markers and hands. The case-back is also with gold text. Powering the watch is Breitling’s Caliber 17 automatic mechanical movement with 25 jewels, a beat-rate of 28,800 vph and an autonomy of approx. 38hrs.

MSRP is 6’100USD Excl. Sales Tax. 

Thoughts? Is it just me or does there seem to be more gold and two-tone models out this year than usual? This is one of the nice ones. What do you think?

 

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 DIVER ORANGE

I think I might have unwittingly become a bit of a fan of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. Admittedly only coveting from afar thus far but maybe one day! 

Did you see their new FULL-LUM watch? Pretty damn nice, so is this Vitamin C-packed addition to BR 03-92 Diver, simply known as the BR 03-92 Diver Orange.

The watch will only be available from Bell & Ross' boutiques and e-boutiques. It is a Limited Edition of 250 pieces. Special features of the watch include: a bright lifeboat orange dial which has been appointed with appliqué metal indices with Super-LumiNova inserts.

The dial also gets metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova-filled hands while the date wheel (found between 4 and 5hr) has been subtly finished in the same orange as the dial. Powering the watch is a Bell & Ross caliber BR-CAL.302 automatic mechanical movement with hours, minutes, seconds and date. The watch’s 42mm in diameter case is in satin-finished and polished Stainless steel. Water-resistance is 300 meters. It is fitted with a unidirectional rotating steel bezel with 60-minute scale and black anodized aluminum insert and a Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Finally this watch comes with two straps: a woven black rubber and an ultra-resilient orange synthetic fabric. Both are with satin-finished and polished Stainless steel pin buckles. The new BR 03-92 Diver Orange Ref: BR0392-D-O-ST/SRB from Bell & Ross has an MSRP of approx. 4’240USD. Thoughts? This is such a GREAT looking diver – however I’m left scratching my head because it has an aluminum bezel inlay. 

 

Ceramic inlays aren’t expensive to produce these days and they hold up a million times better than aluminum ones do. 

 

No self-respecting diver’s watch should be using such outdated materials, especially when they have a contemporary design and are sold at this sort of price-point. What do you think?

 

H2O KALMAR 2 RACING EDITION

Gentlemen, start your engines!



H2O Watch might just have created the perfect crossover model, a new diver’s watch for drivers.



The dial of the new Kalmar 2 Racing gets the same iconic powder blue and orange stripes once seen on Le Mans legends such as the Porsche 917 or Ford GT40.



In addition to the racing livery, the blue and orange stripes are flanked by swirls of perlage reminiscent of that found on the aluminum dashboards of vintage racing cars such as the Bentley.



One further racing feature is the color-matched blue and orange cross-stitching on the Kalmar 2 Racing’s custom handmade Italian calf leather band.



If you aren’t proponent of leather, fear not as the Kalmar 2 Racing also comes with a set of racing-harness / seat-belt inspired NATO straps in matching race colors.



Otherwise, it’s business as usual for this rather unusual 3000 meter-water-resistant automatic diver’s watch. All you need now is the car!



Okay actually that’s not quite true (about the business as usual that is) because in addition to a dive-time bezel, a sterile bezel, H2O has a new Heart Rate Count bezel!



Follow the link below or the one HERE for more details including pricing plus a full list of technical specifications for the new Kalmar 2 Racing.



Thoughts? Something quite unexpected from H2O Watch but then again, they are the master s of surprise. If this proves popular – what’s next for the Kalmar 2 Racing?



My money’s on a black DLC variant inspired by the iconic John Player Special's black and gold livery – I’d eat that one right up!

E.C. ANDERSON Calypso Denise DATE

Introducing the new Calypso Denise Date from Gothenburg, Sweden-based, E.C. Anderson; a quirky yet ultimately charming Scandinavian diver.



Despite the new Denise Date being more functionally complex than its predecessors, its design is said to be even more harmonious than they were.



Although its design is largely utilitarian with: a large calendar display, power-reserve indictor, compass and time with - hours, mins and secs; it was designed so as not to be too eye boggling.



Despite all of that, it does appear to have a remarkably balanced design. Certainly quirky with features such as its square (sometimes triangular) indexes and (you know what I’m gonna’ say)

that big f#ck off date wheel which is reminiscent of the Wheel of Fortune’s wheel, but ultimately cool, calm and collected.



Said incorporated calendar function is a first for a Denise watch; I think it’s safe to say it’s a first on any diver’s watch.



The calendar-eye is slightly recessed into the dial to create a feeling of depth while the matte finish inside contrasts against the otherwise lacquered black dial.



The skeletonized hands are an eclectic bunch displaying hours is a large arrow-head, minutes and seconds pointer with an elongated diamond design and a dwarf sword for the power-res.



In order to maximize legibility, the hands have been bead-blasted, so they should be more or less reflection free.



The lume on the tips of the hands has been generously applied to ensure visibility well into the night, in fact it is said to be 5x longer lasting than those of previous Denise models.



The power-reserve’s + and – indications are also in red. The indicator itself has been seamlessly incorporated with the center stem and is subtly viewed around the calendar with a red pointer.



In order to not be mistaken by the hour-hand, the pointer has been colored red with a polished frame.



The watch’s scratch-proof ceramic bezel is dual purpose thanks to a set of cardinal points serving as compass or dive-timer.



The watch comes on either a solid bead-blasted bracelet with screw attached links or Italian rubber strap, both with a completely new micro-adjustable diver’s clasps.



The 200 meter water-resistance Calypso Denise Date is powered by what EC Anderson call a precision certified automatic movement. COSC? Follow the link embedded, below for more info.



Thoughts? Very nice indeed, I like something a bit different but I also like something with a bit of substance to it; this appears to have both - but who tf is Denise when she's home???