Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Monochrome Watch Review

Most watchmakers leverage their ambassadors for big, flashy campaigns, shouting about the newest watch in their collection in a tightly marketed flurry of pomp and ceremony. Then there’s Daniel Craig. The former 007 has recently swapped sharp suits for slouchy cool, but his wristwear game is still on point. While he’s no longer the consummate superspy, he’s been clandestinely showing snapshots, not just of his own collection of Omegas, but upcoming watches even our counterintelligence operatives can’t dig up.

We first saw it happen with this year’s white lacquered Speedmaster, a crisp, tasteful refresh of the classic Moonwatch. But the under-the-radar flexes don’t stop there. While at the Olympics, Craig was spotted with a completely new Seamaster 300M on his wrist. The proportions and distinctive bezel made the collection obvious, but the black, metallic dial was entirely unknown.

Well, now we can shed some light on that particular piece of information. Craig was wearing one half of a two-piece new run of models that mixes up the usual ceramic look of modern Seamasters. Craig’s was the half in black, both bezel and dial in black aluminium with those signature engraved waves that we know (and some of us love) on the dial. The one we have here though it a bit more of a departure – and arguably the more interesting.

Titanium in the first instance might sound like a bit of a downgrade from ceramic and, well, it is. It’s not as hardwearing or high-tech by a stuntman’s death-defying leap. But it is more practical on something that’s designed to take some serious knocks, as it’s not only more lightweight, but it’s a lot less brittle. It’ll scratch but it won’t shatter or chip. Which is key for a diving bezel mounted on a steel case.

Perhaps more importantly, the new pieces take the metallic bezel directly from the coolest Bond watch in years that didn’t have an embedded laser, the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition from No Time to Die. Say what you want about the film, the wrist game in it, heading back to military heritage style, was beyond reproach.

Drop the military colours and NATO strap of that watch and you land somewhere near this new edition. The new 300M has a similar 42mm silhouette with its generally unused helium escape valve, but in monochromatic silver case, bezel, dial and strap. The dial is so pared back that it’s even dropped the collection’s famous wavy engraving, and the result is one of Omega’s cleanest, sleekest divers for a long, long time.

On the wrist it sits like a host of other Seamaster Diver 300M models. The lighter bezel’s not noticeably different, but the less busy dial does give the look a bit more impact in a tone-on-tone cool sort of way. I love monochrome watches almost as much as I paradoxically love bi-colour for that 1970s retro style and this version of the Diver 300M ticks all the boxes.

That’s doubly true of the strap, which is a work of art. The insanely comfortable mesh ensemble has that ‘shark-proof’ chainmail construction but pairs it with reinforced holes for a pin buckle deployant clasp combo for easy adjustment.

This isn’t the first time it’s been done – again, it’s taken directly from the Bond watch – but as we had the limited edition on the NATO, it’s the first time I’ve personally tried this kind of strap on. I’m sold, wholeheartedly.

Inside, the watch is Omega business as usual with the Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8806. The magnetic resistant, George Daniels descendent has a weekend-proof 55-hour power reserve and is tested well beyond what COSC would ever do. It’s also nicely finished, which you can see through the exhibition caseback, even if this is one of the times I’d have thematically preferred a solid caseback instead. Military heritage style and all that.

Of the two pieces in this new metal bezel collection, I prefer this version over Craig’s. At a glance, it’s harder to tell the difference between his and the previous ceramic version (even if in the metal it’s quite easy), and dropping those waves gives the all-silver version its own, stripped back personality.

As for its place in the wider Seamaster Diver 300M collection, this one is priced at £6,100, compared to £5,600 for the normal, ceramic version. That’s an unexpected increase on what can at best be called a lateral move. Granted, that bracelet requires a lot more effort to create than the usual three-link number I’m comparing it against, but that still feels like the price went in the wrong direction. Still, if you want the best-looking Diver 300M in Omega’s collection, it just looks like you’re going to need to pay out – because that’s definitely what this watch is.

More details at Omega.

​Oracle Time 

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