Diving Watches
KEITH HAMSHERE/GETTY IMAGES (BROSNAN); DAMELYS MENDOZA (VESCOVO); ALAMY (MAP)1000 and (much later) the
1200m. By now, it’s likely that
you won’t need any help
guessing the level of
permeability of these watches.
For the growing legions of
recreational divers (and desk
divers), Omega continued to
build on the strength of the
Seamaster 300, sticking with
the winning design of the
original for the remainder of the
series’ production life—
reassuringly traditional case
shapes, standardised rotating
bezels, and lots (and lots) of
luminescent material.
The Seamaster earned a
massive boost in popularity
in 1995 following the
release of GoldenEye, the
first of eight movies
featuring Omega’s diving
watch on James Bond’s
wrist. The franchise was also the
springboard for the Seamaster
Planet Ocean—one of Bond’s
favourite Omegas, based on the
number of inclusions in the
franchise — which has since
spawned an entire collection,
including a chronograph versionFrom top:
Pierce Brosnan
wears an Omega
Seamaster as 007
in GoldenEye,
1995; 2019
Omega
Seamaster Planet
Ocean
Chronograph;
Victor Vescovo
with his
submersible;
Mariana Trench
nautical map;
Seamaster Planet
Ocean Ultra Deep
ProfessionalVANITY FAIR ON TIME AUTUMN 2019that caught the eye of another
larger-than-life (and real)
character who decided to treat
himself with one after
successfully ascending the
highest point of every continent.
Vescovo’s next challenge?
Naturally, it’s to dive to the
deepest points in all five oceans.
Hearing of this, Omega
contacted the accomplished
adventurer to make sure one of
its watches would keep time on
the lengthy trip to the Mariana
Trench— one of five poi nts
Vescovo would be piloting
Limiting Factor towards during
his Five Deeps Expedition.
Keeping many of the
Seamaster aesthetic codes alive
— the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep
Professional features “Broad
Arrow” hands and Arabic
numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock
— Omega turned to the latest
technology available to make
sure its watch would survive the
perilous trip, including using
cut-offs from the submarine’s
titanium hull to create the
watch’s case, bezel body, and
crown, while turning to ceramic
for the bezel ring. Omega built
three like it, testing them to
simulated depth pressures of
15,000 metres, just in case.
Between 1957 and 2019, the
depth reached by an Omega
wristwatch before returning to
the surface intact has increased
by more than 10 kilometres.
During that same time, the
company’s diving watches have
remained largely unchanged in
style and size—with one notable
exception—making the myriad
of microtechnological improve-
ments introduced that much
more impressive.
Vescovo’s next and final dive
of the Five Deeps Expedition is
scheduled this September in the
Arctic Ocean—a quick plunge at
5,450 metres. But should he ever
find a trench deeper than the
Mariana, Omega may well
continue to break records.professionals and presenting
substantial improvements to
lure them to the brand—this
time with input from the elite
diving team at the Compagnie
Maritime d’Expertises
(COMEX) in Marseille,
France, as well as Jacques
Cousteau himself.
Officially introduced to the
market in 1971, the Seamaster
600 doubled the watch’s
depth-rating thanks to an
unusual and instantly
recognisable asymmetrical case
design—not unlike the profile of
a submarine—providing an
impermeable seal and
preventing the entry of helium
gas. Rolex took a different
approach to the challenge
posed by deep diving by
developing a helium-escape
valve for its Submariner.
Also known as the “PloProf ”
(early reference books presented
the watch with this quirky
moniker, which comes from the
conjunction of “Plongeurs” and
“Professionels”), the Seamaster
600 is one of the most iconic
divers ever made—it was
famously enjoyed by
Gianni Agnelli, the former
chairman of Ferrari and Fiat
and a man who was known
for his design eye and
superb sense of style.
The PloProf took
Omega’s diving watches in
a very specific—and
short-lived—direction, with
depth-ratings increasing
progressively with the
introduction of the Seamaster66