Omega Picks of 2017
Seamaster Planet Ocean
Sporting an eye-catching navy blue and burnt orange colourway, “Big Blue” as Omega have nicknamed it, is bold in style, clever in design and grabs attention in a manner vastly different to your standard luxury watches.
Omega have springboarded off the success of last year’s Planet Ocean “Deep Black” and have dived deeper into the realm of ceramic watchmaking with this bold piece. The 45.5-millimetre case, bezel, crown and dial are all carefully crafted from a single block of blue ceramic, the hands and indexes beautifully complimenting the blue in 18k white gold. Ceramic has two key advantages over conventional materials like stainless steel, gold and platinum: it’s incredible hardness render it practically scratch-proof and its light weight rivals aluminium.
Omega’s Liquidmetal technology comes into play, bonding the ceramic and adorning the bezel in Arabic numerals. Painstaking research has gone into Liquidmetal – an alloy boasting a low fusion temperature and hardness three times that of stainless steel. Don’t be mistaken, the strap looks like fabric but is in fact rubber, covered with an anti-bacterial coating and grooves to allow for sweat evaporation.
“Big Blue” is part GMT watch and part diver’s watch (600m water resistance plus helium release valve), but whether you’re venturing into Davy Jones’ locker or staying ashore as a grounded landlubber, the Planet Ocean 600m is sure to stand out.
Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer
Omega’s iconic Speedmaster openly displays its motor racing heritage with class and high performance. The dial design is the definition of well executed neo-retro design, the roots linked to the 1968 Speedmaster’s layout which prioritised better readability. Alluring jet black decorates the dial housed in a precise 44.25cm case. A beautiful tachymeter decorates the stainless steel bezel, the sapphire crystal redesigned for a sleeker look, and slick white and orange hands round out the alternating minute-track dial.
Deep black flaunts the leather strap and speckles of orange rubber pop through the middle – pairing well with the tones of racing orange on the dial face. The Speedmaster’s movement is driven by a calibre 9900/9901 – the peak of the Swiss watch industry’s standard for performance and precision. The masterful execution of reviving racing themes of Speedmasters past, coupled with sheer power and performance make this year’s Speedmaster Racing Master chronometer a timepiece that stands head and shoulders above the pack.