James Bond Gets His Newest Watch: Introducing the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition

Omega’s new James Bond watch, a tie-in to the forthcoming No Time to Die, has been officially announced. This represents the end of an era, of sorts, for Omega, as it’s Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond. The brand has released a special edition watch for every Bond film going back to 1995’s Goldeneye (the first Bond film to star Pierce Brosnan as the superspy) and over the years these timepieces have developed into something of a mainstream sensation, as far as watches go, anyway. Even folks who are not collectors or watch inclined will easily identify Daniel Craig’s Bond as an Omega guy, so prevalent are the advertisements, and conspicuous the product placement. The films themselves seem to be more hotly anticipated than ever as Craig’s star power has grown, and directors with real cache have flocked to the series (Skyfall and Spectre were helmed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, and the new film is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, perhaps best known for directing all eight episodes of the first season of True Detective). All of that is to say: Bond is huge, Omega is huge, and people have been hotly anticipating this watch all year. So without further delay, let’s get into it.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition

• Case Material: Titanium
• Dial: Black
• Dimensions: 42 x 13.5 x 49mm
• Crystal: Sapphire   
• Water Resistance: 300 meters    
• Crown: Screw down     
• Movement: Omega 8806
• Strap/bracelet: Titanium mesh bracelet  
• Price: $9,200
• Reference Number: 210.90.42.20.01.001 
• Expected Release: February 2020

First things first: there’s a lot of so-called “faux-tina” on this watch. I have a love/hate relationship with making a watch look older, but with modern materials. Here’s the thing: it’s just another color choice. On some watches, it can be truly distracting, but on other watches it’s hard to imagine the crisp white lume or highly reflective glossy dials that modern manufacturing standards inevitably churn out. 

I think it works here because the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, as this watch is officially known, is really a throwback to vintage military divers, much more than a Bond tie-in. There’s no obvious Bond branding to speak of on the dial. No 007 logos, no Walther PPK, and certainly no gun barrel motif. Instead, the relationship to Bond is much more subtle, and I think will have a deeper meaning to hardcore fans. 

It’s all in the caseback. On the watch’s rear you’ll find a series of numbers that correspond to genuine military issued watches. First is “0552,” a Naval code number, followed by “923-7697,” which signifies a dive watch. The letter “A” represents a watch with a screw down crown, and of course you have James Bond’s famous agent number as well (and “62,” to commemorate the year the first Bond film was released). This is a level of detail that I can’t recall seeing on a previous special edition Bond watch, and is much more in line with the minutia included in the original Ian Fleming novels, which seems perfectly appropriate for this final Daniel Craig, Bond/Omega partnership. 

The watch itself is very much a Seamaster 300M as we’ve come to know it, except this one has been cast in titanium (with a matching titanium mesh bracelet, that looks great) and some well executed vintage cues. Beyond the heavy application of radium colored lume, the dial is aluminum, and has been given a brown hue. The bezel, also in aluminum, is color matched. It’s a pretty effective tropical inspired color scheme, though I imagine debate will ensue over how appropriate this level of “browning” is on an otherwise extremely modern design. I tend to like it, and think everything works well together. Some Bond watches are truly jarring when you first lay eyes on them, and look like souvenirs, but this one looks like a real watch, if that makes any sense.

Because these watches are actually worn by Bond on screen, they have not only an inherent collectibility, but a way of capturing the imagination in much the same way something like a Speedmaster does. You can wear the same thing as your astronaut, or spy, hero. It’s a type of escapism typically associated with children, and their toys, and this is essentially an adult version of that. Omega has been incredibly successful in their ability to tap into this idea over the course of their recent history with the Bond franchise, and it will be exciting to see where they go with the next Bond. Until then, this feels like a fitting, sober, and traditional end to the Craig era.

The Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition will be available through Omega boutiques in February with a retail price of $9,200 on the titanium bracelet. No Time to Die hits theaters in April. Omega.