“He could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex.” Wait what, really? While this was an excerpt from the widely-popular spy novel titled Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, but it seemed like Omega had clearly became 007’s choice of timepiece over the past couple of decades. Interestingly, while it was Rolex had ruled the wrist of Mr Bond in the 60s and the 70s, he veered towards the East with Seiko in the mid-70s and 80s. And since the 90s, it was Omega that had remained as 007’s faithful servant in his pursuits of destroying villains and bedding gorgeous babes.
For 2015, Omega had launched two limited edition James Bond watches. The first one is from the Aqua Terra collection, in which it is purely a commemorative timepiece. The second one, from the Seamaster 300 collection, is a little special. It is the first time that Omega is making a limited edition piece from a watch that is officially featured in the movie, which in this case would be the upcoming Bond film titled SPECTRE.
The Omega Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition
The Omega Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition. The watch, thanks to its design cues, gives off a nice vintage vibe.
When we first received the notice that we were going to have a hands-on session with the new James Bond limited edition pieces from Omega, we were visibly excited. As mentioned, this is the first time that Omega is releasing a limited edition timepiece that is featured in the Bond film itself, which in this case would be the brand-new Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition. For many Bond fans, this is definitely something that would get us wet in our pants.
At the first glance, we thought that the latest iteration of 007’s timepiece is a sight to behold. In our previous article on the endearing Seamaster 300, which is the watch that Omega used as a base for the new limited edition SPECTRE on, we were charmed by its vintage good looks. The SPECTRE Limited Edition is no different. Perhaps even more gorgeous as Omega had added some interesting touches to this timepiece.
The Omega Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition (left), together with an ordinary Seamaster 300 (right).
First off, the greatest difference between the two watches would be its bezel. Instead of the usual diving bezel that features a 60 minute scale on the Seamaster 300, the SPECTRE Limited Edition is fitted with a bi-directional rotating bezel that features a 12 hour time scale. While the latter does not allow the user to keep track of his or her dive time, but it allows the owner to keep track of a second timezone. Perfect for jetsetting Bond.
Next, the SPECTRE Limited Edition features a slightly different dial. Notably, the number “12” is omitted from the dial. Interestingly, both the Omega logo, as well as the words “Omega” and “Seamaster”, had been enlarged. We have mixed feelings on this. While the author preferred the dial on the Seamaster 300, but the editor-in-chief opted for the SPECTRE Limited Edition.
In the latest reiteration, the timepiece features a lollipop seconds hand. This adds a nice touch to the aesthetics, and it gives an interesting vintage vibe to this already classic-looking watch.
The view on the caseback. The one on the left is the Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition, while the other one on the right is the Aqua Terra Limited Edition James Bond.
As for the caseback, we thought that Omega could have done a little bit more. For the past commemorative versions of the Bond watches, Omega would usually include a gun barrel motif on the caseback or the self-winding rotor. In the above picture, we can see that the motif is present in the other limited edition Bond timepiece: the Aqua Terra Limited Edition James Bond. Overall, the finishing and aesthetics of the Omega Co-Axial 8400 movement is rather good. But we felt the rotor design on the Aqua Terra made it more special.
A picture of the Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition, from another angle.
The SPECTRE Limited Edition timepiece is fitted with a grey and black NATO strap. The strap is a reminiscence of the one that is worn by James Bond previously in both Thunderball and Goldfinger, although there is a difference in both the color scheme and style between these two straps. Additionally, the watch also comes with a stainless steel bracelet, and this allows the owner to customize the looks of his/ her timepiece depending on the occasion that the watch is being called upon.
The Movement
A macro of the Master Co-Axial movement that is fitted to the Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition.
The watch is powered by Omega’s Master Co-Axial calibre 8400, a self-winding movement that features a power reserve of approximately 60 hours. It is equipped with the latest anti-magnetic technology, hence its ability to resist magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss. Unlike the conventional anti-magnetic watches which use a Faraday cage to protect the movement, Omega uses non-ferromagnetic materials to construct certain parts of the movements instead. The end results are similar; they are able to protect the movements from magnetic forces of up to certain magnitude.
Concluding Thoughts
The Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition on the wrist. We thought that it looks pretty good.
Overall, we thought that this is a nice addition to both the Seamaster and the Bond Limited Edition collection. The watch, we reckon, is one of the nicest Seamasters that we have seen. Not only does the watch looks good, but it is also rather comfortable on the wrist. The size is just right and the use of the NATO strap is soft and comfy. The dial is very legible, and a clean design.
The Omega Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition is limited to 7,007 pieces, and each of them is numbered individually on the back of the watch. The watch is also presented in a special watch box, in which we think is a nice tribute to the Bond franchise (hint: the watch box is fitted with a number lock, so well, you can let your imaginations run wild and think about how it looks like). In our opinion, this is a nice watch, and will be a big hit with Bond fans. We reckon this is probably the best James Bond commemorative watch to date.
