Post by timelessluxwatches on Sept 19, 2015 12:29:18 GMT -6
Omega Seamaster 300 Review
The new Omega Seamaster 300 is a retro return to a model of the same name from 1957, yet despite its vintage roots, it's actually one of Omega's most technologically sophisticated watches. Read on to learn everything there is to know about this popular new watch.
The Introduction
Of all the existing collections of Omega, which do you think is oldest? Speedmaster? DeVille? Constellation? Actually, it's the Seamaster, starting in 1948. Consequently, the Seamaster has a great deal of heritage from which to draw inspiration from. This Seamaster 300 is the product of that heritage.
This is a photo of the original Omega Seamaster 300, which debuted in 1957 (an important year for Omega, as this is also the launch of the Speedmaster collection). This new version borrows liberally from the original: the hands, indices, numerals and bezel, for instance, are all quite similar to the 1957 model.
Technology is one area in which the Seamaster 300 owes nothing to its predecessor. This watch is equipped with the latest 8400 Master Co-Axial automatic and ceragold bezel, for instance. As vintage-styled watches go, this, along with perhaps Omega's own Tresor, is arguably the most advanced in the world.
The Dial
The SM300 is a member, perhaps a leading member, of the Renaissance of classic watches. Some of them, of course, never left us, like the Speedmaster, but this watch's predecessor did and it's very nice to have it back. Omega did a great job making it faithful to its predecessor. It's no replica, to be sure, but that's for the best. Watch design has changed over the last half a century, so the Seamaster 300 is instantly recognizable as an homage to the original, yet not altogether out of place in 2015 either.
Of course, like most Omega models, there are dozens of versions of any given watch to choose from. Usually choosing one of the watches isn't a problem for me because it just happens to be the first one we get in. With the Seamaster 300, I had a selection, and I made the inevitably divisive decision to go for this model on leather with a two tone case. I did this for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly, I felt that the yellow gold and brown strap actually worked in the watch's favor, from a vintage look perspective. Second, it gave me an opportunity to talk about Omega's "Ceragold" technology, which allows for the seamless combination of gold and ceramic components. Suffice it to say that if you wanted a steel, titanium, rose gold (solid or two tone), platinum or solid yellow gold model, those all exist as well.
The dial is matte black, but not of your typical variety. It looks like Omega paid very close attention to the 1957 model because they appear to have an identically "rough" texture to them. This texture actually contributes to a slight dark-gray appearance in bright light. With regard to the text here, obviously the original was not a co-axial, as it hadn't been invented yet, nor a chronometer, but instead simply wrote "Seamaster 300."
300 has been lost to time, but the cursive Seamaster text lives on, now adjacent to the 12:00 marker. The hour markers are very interesting in the Seamaster 300. They're slightly recessed, maybe half of a millimeter into the dial, not unlike you'd find in a Panerai. Inside is a substantial amount of lume, but it has been specifically colored to give it a vintage look.
The numerals mark a positive change from the original SM300. In that watch, the numerals matched the lume, but here they receive a silvery paint that really stands out against the dial.
This is the date, or rather where the date probably would have gone. In truth, this Seamaster 300 is merely following the precedent set by the original, but Omega is answering a lot of fan requests by making another diver with no date. If there's any kind of watch that needs no complication, it's a diver, and the look definitely works here. This is particularly true since the current iteration of Omega movements, amazing though they are, have a rather slow date change anyway, so there's no special reason to shoehorn them into a watch like this.
This particular Seamaster's hands are made from matching yellow gold, which again, in my opinion anyway, contributes to the vintage look and actually goes well with the color of lume. The hands are typical to the Seamaster style and are very similar to the original watch's, although in the modern interpretation they now have a crease down the middle. Most obviously, the seconds hand is basically all new, as the original lacked the shape and lume of the current iteration. Like most movements in the 8500 family, the hour hand is independent, making this very easy to set, particularly since there is no AM or PM to worry about.
Moving on to everyone's favorite part of dive watches, the lume. The lume, of course, is excellent, and is apparently a unique blend of Super-Luminova literally called "Vintage." The lume on the hour markers is not quite as bright, to my eyes, as on something like the Planet Ocean, for instance, I assume due to the coloring, but for whatever reason the same isn't true for the hands, which are very bright. I like that the hour and minute hands are different colors, making it very easy to read, although I wish the seconds hand was either not lumed or was more of a different shape than the hour hand. Still, it seems like it would be hard to mix them up if only due to the size disparity, unlike, say, the Aqua Terra.
It's always nice to see a vintage-styled watch that's very faithful to its source material. The Seamaster 300 is one such watch. If it lacked the cutting edge technology that it has, this watch would have surprised no one if it were sold in the late '50s. What the dial does, then, is give fans of vintage Omegas a way to have that great, authentic look, without any of the compromises that come with owning a 50+ year old watch.
The Case
The 41mm case of this particular Seamaster 300 is rather interesting primarily because of the Ceragold bezel.
As I mentioned earlier, this particular SM300 has a two tone look. The case is solid steel while the bezel and crown are solid gold, the former with a ceramic insert. But what makes it so interesting is the process that goes into the bezel. Specifically, the ceramic insert is engraved by laser, then a conductive layer is added to it so that gold can adhere to the ceramic. The ceramic rings are then placed in an electrolytic bath for 48 hours while 18k gold accumulates, filling in the engraved areas and eventually covering the entire insert. Then, the insert is polished, removing the excess gold but leaving the gold in the numerals and markings. The result is a perfectly smooth, seamless transition between ceramic and gold.
A nice touch is that the pip also receives the "vintage" lume, which, in this case, glows green. As per the feel of the bezel, I'm on a bit of a hot streak because this is yet another in my list of bezels that feel really high quality. Like the Pelagos I recently reviewed, this bezel is very solid. I would say that acoustically it's not quite as pleasant, or as loud, as that watch, but I was very impressed with how well it finds detents. Even a high quality unidirectional bezel can ordinarily be pushed into an area in between two detents and left there, but there was some built in tension that always pushed the bezel into a nice locking spot, so it was always right on a given minute marker.
Here we can see two important things: the gold unidirectional rotating bezel and the lack of a helium escape valve. For all practical purposes, a helium escape valve would have been superfluous and I'm glad they kept a streamlined look like the original, as opposed to a big manual valve like the Planet Ocean's (although it does look cool on the PO).
This view highlights the gold crown, a really nice touch. It closely resembles the original (aside for the gold, of course), except it's a bit longer. I suspect this was done to make screwing and unscrewing the crown more convenient.
Up close we can see that the finishing is very good with a coin edge for grip. The peaks are very polished while a rougher look is given to the valleys. This combination really accentuates the appearance of gold.
A very noteworthy change, and improvement (in my opinion, anyway), from the original, is the addition of a sapphire back. We'll get to the movement later, but for now, it's merely worth noting that Omega details all of the features of the watch on the back, and I'm very thankful for that. The temptation is there to write half of these things on the dial, but Omega showed restraint.
The Movement
The movement in the Seamaster 300 is about as far away from the original's as you could possibly get. It is, without a doubt, among the most technologically sophisticated mechanical movements ever made. It's particularly interesting for me because it's the first time I've reviewed the Omega 8400, having spent most of my time with the more common 8500 and 9300.
I suppose we should start on what makes the 8400 movements different from the far more prolific 8500. The answer is quite simple: it lacks a date. While we're on the subject of nomenclature, I think this would have been a great opportunity to use a "1" movement. The 8401, as opposed to this 8400, includes a gold rotor and balance bridge and I think that would have matched the two tone case really well. Alas, movements ending in 1 are largely reserved for solid gold Omegas. It's not as if this 8400 is a bad looking movement without it, however. I think it's downright beautiful.
Personally, I'm glad they skipped the date on the Seamaster 300. It keeps it more in line with the original and leaves the dial uncluttered.
I mentioned earlier that this 8400 was one of the most advanced movements in the world. It combines virtually all of Omega's technology with traditional high-end Swiss watchmaking approaches to create a real tour de force. It's a master co-axial, which means that it's immune to any real-world dosage of magnetism you could hope to encounter, in large part thanks to its silicon hairspring. This makes it one of the only truly anti-magnetic watches with a display back, which is nice because the 8400 is something you're going to want to see.
The magic begins right here. What we're looking at is the balance bridge, balance wheel, hairspring, and beneath all of this, the co-axial escapement. The co-axial escapement is now synonymous with Omega, but although it is an Omega exclusive, it was actually created by watchmaking legend George Daniels. This radically new approach to movement design is supposed to substantially reduce the friction in the most quickly-wearing part of a movement, the escapement. This should allow it to run for longer between services, but also increase accuracy over long periods of time (multiple years) as the lubricant ages. The 8400 master coaxial is not a one trick pony, however.
As I mentioned in my Tudor Pelagos and North Flag reviews, the free sprung balance is practically synonymous with high-end Swiss watchmaking. Omega, of course, has long utilized this approach in their co-axial movements, including their older 2500s. Here we can see the free sprung balance highlighted against the rest of the movement. I love that it's black, something I really only see from Damasko's in-house movements, although Omega was doing it before it was cool.
Free sprung balances lack a regulator by definition. This removes a non-ideal external influence from the hairspring which should contribute to stability. You still need a way to adjust the rate, however, and that is usually done with a variable inertia balance, like we see here. I've highlighted the heavy gold screws on the inside of the rim. This approach closely resembles Rolex's and is atypical in that the screws do not protrude from the outside of the balance. This allows the balance wheel to be as massive as possible, again contributing to stability, without enlarging the rest of the movement to create the additional space that would be taken up by the screws. In my opinion, Rolex's and Omega's approach is very elegant, above the traditional approach (often used by JLC, for instance), and roughly comparable (although dissimilar) to Patek's Gyromax. Regardless, by moving two opposing screws farther away from the axis of the balance, the rate can be slowed. These screws can also be used to adjust the poise of the balance. While many of my favorite watch companies focus on regulated designs, like Grand Seiko, Nomos, A. Lange & Sohne, Glashutte Original and Vacheron Constantin, I personally prefer the free sprung approach. I appreciate its simplicity.
The unsung hero of accuracy is the hairspring. This component plays just as crucial a role in stability as any other single aspect of movement design yet, up until recently anyway, it has received little attention. Omega is the first company to mass produce silicon hairspring based watches and is, in my opinion, the brand that is almost entirely responsible for popularizing the use of silicon in affordable watches. Silicon has many properties that make it desirable for use in a hairspring, one of which is a high degree of dimensional stability. Dimensional stability may sound like something from quantum mechanics or science fiction, but for our purposes, the term is somewhat mundane and only means that the object likes to retain its original size and shape. This means that the Si14 hairspring can undergo quite impressive stresses and return to its intended shape. Furthermore, silicon is lighter than the metallic alloys it replaces, which should mean that accuracy losses due to external vibration and shock have a smaller impact on overall timekeeping.
But for Omega, the really exciting part is that the hairspring, conventionally a troublesome component due to magnetism, is now completely nonmagnetic. This is the cornerstone of their Master Coaxial program, of which this watch is a member. Thanks to the Si14 hairspring, and a number of other tweaks throughout the movement, this watch is now fully anti-magnetic. Anti-magnetic watches are nothing new, but this approach, in my opinion, is vastly superior to its predecessors for two reasons. The first is that the watch is intrinsically lighter than thinner (all things being equal) since it needn't contain a soft iron shield to protect the movement. Second, and perhaps even more importantly to me, it makes display backs possible without any compromises. This is especially fortunate since Omega decorates their movements about as well as anyone in the sub $10,000 category.
Omega employs a full balance bridge as opposed to the far more common balance cock. The balance cock, which is used in almost all watches these days, suspends the balance with a bridge secured by only one side. This approach works fine, of course, and is used by everyone from ETA all the way to Patek Philippe and Grand Seiko. Rolex and Omega, however, prefer to use the balance bridge, which does the same thing but is secured on both sides of the balance wheel. In theory, this will result in a more rugged movement. The only cost of this design is that less of the balance is visible, but I actually prefer how balance bridges look, so this is a win-win for me. In general, I prefer a balance bridge, both functionally and aesthetically, to the balance cock.
An interesting, and often overlooked, aspect to movement design is the shock absorber. Shock absorbers like the one I've highlighted here have contributed greatly to movement durability in wristwatches. Almost all luxury watches employ either Incabloc shocks, generally associated with entry and mid-range watches, and Kif shocks on the higher end, although you can find exceptions to either. For the 8500, they worked with Nivarox to create this proprietary Nivachoc absorber, which Omega says "is an improvement." I can only assume this means that it resists shock better, but I must confess that I lack an intimate knowledge of these devices. Basically, they are tiny springs on each pole of the balance shaft which allow the mechanism a very small amount of movement before safely returning it to its original orientation. Suffice it to say, the 8400 here has some sort of improved version of a shock absorber, so this should make the watch a little tougher against various trauma. A lot of attention has been paid to durability in general in the 8500 family of movements.
One aspect of durability that has been address is in the automatic winding system. The 8500 family, including this 8400, glides on ceramic ball bearings, which are incredibly wear resistant. Jaeger LeCoultre is probably to thank for popularizing this design, but Omega is the one to bring it to the masses. It appears that even Rolex, long an adherent of the sleeve bearing alternative, is caving as their two newest movements, as well as Tudor's new movements, are using a very similar approach.
With regard to the winding system, Omega has stuck with bidirectional winding for the 8500 family. This means that, given sufficient travel, the rotor will wind the movement in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. This apparently has surprisingly little effect on efficiency, but it does have the interesting byproduct of making it much quieter than competing unidirectional solutions, as well as insulating the wearer from rotor wobble.
The rotor is ultimately connected to these, sequential double barrel mainsprings. This design has allowed Omega to achieve 60 hours of power reserve, up from 48 in the 2500, and precisely 50% more than the industry standard of 40. However, Omega's approach is not simply a twin mainspring design-these actually wind in sequence. Their asymmetric winding and delivery contribute to a more stable supply of energy to the escapement. This is important because watches perform differently, sometimes very differently, as the reserve drops. Thanks to Omega's design, this difference in accuracy can be significantly reduced.
The 8500 family of movements, of which this 8400 is a member, is absolutely stunning. The decoration is extremely impressive for this price point and it's a movement you're really going to want to look at frequently. The Arabesque lines are a really unique touch and the red writing, matching the red, almost purple, jewels really pops. I suspect this may be the prettiest in-house short of $10,000 and it really is a stark comparison to its direct competition, the Rolex 3135 (although you can't see the Rolex movement anyway).
Speaking of writing, there is a 5 positions and temperature adjustment script around the perimeter of the 8400. This is there largely because the 8400, as are all current-generation Omega movements, is a chronometer, and consequently must be adjusted in at least 5 positions. This will greatly reduce positional instability, which is the loss of stability due to the movement being in a different position at any given time.
The Video
Check out the Omega Seamaster 300 HD video here.
The Conclusion
The Seamaster 300 is a very interesting watch to write about because it does have that flawless blend of old and new.
The face of the watch is impressively faithful to the 1957 version. Only the most subtle updates have been addressed, but even these would not have looked out of place in its predecessor's era. Yet, even with a look that so resembles a roughly 60 year old watch, Omega's high-tech obsession with material science is present in the form of its Ceragold bezel. Of course, you don't have to get a gold version, or if you do, you can always opt for a rose gold as well, but I think that this is my favorite of all the Seamaster 300s.
If watch collectors of the 1950s would have felt right at home with the front of the watch, they would be totally mystified by the back.
That would be partially due to it having a display case back, but much more importantly, the 8400 Master Coaxial. This movement is part of Omega's anti-magnetic vanguard, ushering in a new era of movement technology in the form of silicon hairsprings. Because coaxial escapements are proprietary to Omega, they will probably not catch on the way silicon hairsprings are, but it's still very cool to be able to wear a watch that combines so many great technologies and designs.
We tend to get caught up the coaxial and silicon talk, but there's a lot more going on here than those features. The Nivachoc shock absorber, the ceramic ball bearing winding system, the free sprung balance, the balance bridge, and of course, the decoration, are all features worthy of watches costing quite a bit more.
I know the two tone yellow gold isn't for everyone, but you should definitely check out the full lineup of Seamaster 300s before you make your decision. They come in virtually every color and metal combination you could dream of, so if you're looking for a vintage-styled diver with no compromises, take a look.
