Since 1948, the Seamaster, cornerstone of Omega watchmaking, draws in divers and navigators like a moth to the flame. The challenge back then was to conceive a watch capable of resisting magnetic fields. Today, we can consider that mission accomplished.
We had to wait for the SIHH press conference held on January 17th to hear Omega’s announcement for its latest innovation. Jean-Claude Monachon, after a slideshow about Omega’s greatest moments to remind the public about the brand’s rich heritage, known for its aestheticism, renowned for its technological innovations. In 1957, the manufacturer created the Railmaster, a watch made for electric locomotive conductors in constant contact with powerful magnetic fields. This solution reached its limits in the face of the most vigorous amplitudes. It’s true that magnetic activity has always posed a unique problem for watchmakers. In a world where-as the brand’s president highlights-magnets are more and more present, the functioning of quartz watches as well as mechanical watches has been missing the mark a bit. The former start back up as after exiting the magnetic field, but the latter stay affected and can lose up to four minutes a day, while the norm is a maximum variation of only 2 seconds per day.
A watch resistant to magnetic fields has now finally been released, the fruit of intense research in the domain. By the name of Seamaster Aqua Terra, this watch is build around movement consisting of non-iron parts, without a protective interior casing. Non-magnetic, resistant up to 15,000 gauss (a “basic” watch is only made to resist up to 60 gauss and stops functioning at 80). This is made possible thanks to the first prototype in Co-Axial 8505 caliber movement, something each and every Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra contains.
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