Omega put the first Seamaster, now available in a countless number of models, up for sale in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the brand. Founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt, the brand established itself as a partner for big events from 1909 onwards by sponsoring the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1909. It also made an appearance at the Parisian edition of the Decorative Arts Exposition in 1925. It was in 1932 in London that Omega became the official timekeeper for the Olympics, and the 2016 games will keep with this tradition. Even NASA trusts Omega for its precision; the Swiss watchmaker was chosen to accompany their astronauts in the Apollo space program, meaning their watches were witness to man’s first steps on the moon. If you had to sum up the history of this incredible brand in just a few words, the Seamaster would definitely be one of them.
In 1932, the Marine first appeared, the first wristwatch to be conceived for divers, predating the Seamaster. Indeed, this watch was first made for adventurers of the marine depths; its hands and phosphorescent markers, guaranteeing good visibility under the sea, are there to remind us. Of all the different Omega collections, the Seamaster is today the oldest, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t benefit from a few of the latest technological advances with each new model that comes out. The Seamaster Planet Ocean is the first watch to bring ceramic together with Liquidmetal technology, a zirconium-based alloy. The result is a material translation of Omega’s ambition: renewed durability and aesthetic perfection. Resistance may be de rigueur, but the brand doesn’t intend to sacrifice it’s watches’ design. Tested in extreme conditions with a continuous attention to betterment, each Seamaster shoots for excellence, combining durability, precision, and aesthetics.
An often overlooked fact: the Seamaster was initially thought of as a watch for both city and country, inspired by the watches that English soldiers wore during the Second World War. It soon became a reference for great marine explorers such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It would then go on to attract a larger range of users, men of action. As a little nod to history, Elvis Presley was famously photographed during his brief military career, an Omega on his wrist. The most desirable man of his era, in soldier garb, announced the rising star power of the watch all while endorsing its desirability (“In all the world, the most wanted watch”) without betraying its mission: accompanying men of action without fail. Precision, durability, and elegance, as George Clooney reminds us in the brand’s ad campaigns, as well as its involvement in the James Bond franchise. Ever since Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye, 007 has been sporting a Seamaster; his successor Daniel Craig in the same role hasn’t wavered from tradition in the series’ 23rd opus, with the Seamaster Planet 600 M.
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