HANDS-ON: The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Blue” lives up to its name

Felix Scholz

While one of the key trends of Basel 2017 is a move towards more wrist-friendly dive watches (see exhibits A and B), there’s no doubt that big and bold is still the name of the game. Omega’s latest PO, the “Big Blue”, delivers on both fronts, thanks to its whopping 45.5mm wide by 17.8mm high case made from bright blue ceramic. Why Big Blue? Well, asides from the obvious, it’s an homage to a super funky (and super collectable) Omega diver’s chronograph from the ’70s.

This Big Blue follows on from last year’s release of the fully ceramic “Deep Black”, itself an evolution of successful ceramic Speedmasters, notably the DSOTM. From all this activity we can deduce that Omega is increasingly serious about integrating ceramic in a big way, well beyond bezels, movement components and the odd limited edition. And why not? If you’ve got the technical know-how and production capacity (like Omega does), you might as well use it. The case and dial of the Big Blue are made from pigmented zirconium oxide powder that’s sintered into an ultra-hard ceramic, then machined with diamond tools and plasma-treated to its final shape.

It’s not just the case that’s impressive: the Calibre 8906, with GMT complication, meets Omega’s Master Chronometer standards, some of the most stringent in the industry. So it has what it takes inside and out, but what’s this watch like on the wrist? Well, it’s not one for the faint of heart. This is not a stealthy blue, and the orange elements remove any possibility of this watch flying under the radar. If the fearless use of colour hasn’t sent you running for the hills, I suspect you’ll love this latest PO. The orange accents are cool, especially the piping on the woven-look rubber strap. If you’re after a watch to start a conversation, Big Blue is your guy.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial Master Chronometer GMT “Big Blue” Australian pricing

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Blue”, $15,075