Taking another look at the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Blue”
James RobinsonEditor’s note: Omega’s Seamaster collection is vast and varied, and the Swiss watchmaking powerhouse isn’t shy when it comes to creating new and innovative variants of its iconic diving watch. A classic example of this explorative ethos is this — the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Blue”. The gorgeous and amply proportioned 45.5mm case is hewn from solid ceramic, and finished in a gorgeous shade of blue, and contrasted by bright bursts of orange. It’s a compelling proposition for a great summer watch, especially when paired with its complementing navy blue and orange rubber strap with deployant clasp. What’s more, the Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Blue” is actually an homage to the Omega Seamaster Automatic 120m Chronograph Ref.176.004, which was produced in the ’70s. Anyway, we were lucky enough to go hands-on with the “Big Blue” a little while ago, and these were our initial impressions.
While one of the key trends of Basel 2017 was 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