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When you hear “Omega Seamaster,” there’s a good chance that a dive watch comes to mind. Most likely, it’s similar to the kind worn on screen by the James Bond character in various forms since the 1990s: the Diver 300m. The Seamaster isn’t a single watch, though, but a collection that can include everything from hardcore divers to utterly classic dress watches. Brimming with iconic models, history and character, it’s a collection worth unpacking.
The Seamaster is Omega’s oldest current collection
When the Seamaster debuted in 1948, it was part of Omega’s 100th birthday celebrations. That gives you some idea of how old the brand is, and the collection itself is the oldest in Omega’s current catalog โ predating the likes of the Speedmaster by nine years.
In the 1940s, watches were largely dressy affairs, and so was the Seamaster, but it obviously had aquatic intentions. In fact, the first commercially available dive watch, the Omega Marine, would also look somewhat dressy from our modern perspective, with its rectangular, Reverso-like case enclosed in a watertight outer case. So, while the Seamaster built on Omega’s diving reputation, it wasn’t quite a dive watch โ yet.
The very first Seamaster was more than a dress watch, however: leveraging Omega’s experience making watches for the British military in WWII, it was remarkably tough. Thanks to a new kind of gasket called an O-ring, it achieved a water resistance rating of 60m (besting most modern dress watches) and could withstand temperature changes between 50 degrees celsius down to -40. This is what a rugged sport watch looked like in 1948.