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?
I’d take that diving 😄
ReplyDeleteSure why not! :)
ReplyDelete