The Immortals – The Omega Seamaster Professional 300M is a serious contender among modern dive watches

D.C. Hannay

Editor’s note: The Immortals is a new series that examines a watch that we believe deserves recognition as a bona fide modern classic. You’ll already be familiar with most of the watches, we imagine. But DC will delve a bit deeper into these timepieces to explain why they’ve quickly established themselves in the horological canon. Today, it’s the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M.

After many years and iterations since its debut in 1948, by the 1990s, the Omega Seamaster was in need of a reinvention. And that reinvention took place in 1993 with the introduction of the Professional 300M, a 41mm diver with an all-new case, bold lyre lugs, a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock, and now 300 metres of water resistance. It was a serious contender among modern dive watches, and a true alternative to the competition, including the gold standard, the Rolex Submariner. The new model was released to great fanfare, with a high-profile series of endurance tests by noted explorers, adventurers, and athletes the world over. But the new watch didn’t reach critical mass in the public eye until a couple years later.

“Bond. James Bond”.

It doesn’t get much more iconic than that. And although Rolex was there first, the Bond franchise is probably your initial thought when the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M is mentioned. That’s some seriously good branding. And in what became a defining point in the Seamaster’s history, EON Productions struck a deal to feature the new watch in the James Bond films, starting with the debut of Pierce Brosnan as 007 in 1995’s Goldeneye. After that movie was a smash success, Omega never looked back. Brosnan wore the Quartz Professional in Goldeneye, and the Master Chronometer version with the same iconic blue dial in his subsequent outings as the superspy. Sadly, none of the many gadgets (including lasers, detonators, and grappling hooks) were available to the general public.

And Omega’s been Q Branch’s standard issue for 007 since, with Daniel Craig’s Bond receiving some especially choice references over the years, including the blue wave-dialed Diver 300M Co-axial Chronometer 41mm worn in Craig’s debut in Casino Royale (Ref# 2220.80.00), and the hard-as-nails No Time To Die Diver 300M Co-axial Master Chronometer 42mm titanium version (Ref# 210.90.42.20.01.001) with its warm brown tones and matching titanium mesh bracelet. My advice? Avoid the somewhat hokey Bond limited editions, with their in-your-face ‘007’ branding on the hands, dials, and casebacks. These souvenir pieces aren’t the same watches worn in the films. That’s for the tourists, man.

Commander Bond is in pretty good company with some other noted Seamaster owners, including actor George Clooney, Prince William (a gift from his mother, Princess Diana), Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, and even President Joe Biden.

The Seamaster Professional 300M of today is a mainstay of the Omega lineup, with a reference for any taste. I’ll wrap things up with my picks for the modern references I’d add to my collection.

My first choice is the Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42mm with the classic blue wave dial (Ref# 210.30.42.20.03.001). It’s the closest you can get to that original Bond look in the current lineup, and immune to the ebb and flow of fashion.

If complications are more your speed, Omega has you covered with several Seamaster 300M chronograph models on offer. This one (Ref# 212.30.42.50.01.001) is killer in basic black, with a few sexy pops of red on the hands and rehaut thrown in for good measure. At 41.5mm, it wears well on a wide variety of wrists, and doesn’t suffer the overwhelming presence of other overengineered chronographs. Screwdown pushers ensure water resistance isn’t compromised, and the co-axial movement is chronometer certified. And if this isn’t complicated enough for you, there’s also a 44mm GMT version.

Here’s a totally decadent outlier, the Diver 300M Co-axial Master Chronometer 42mm in titanium with Sedna rose gold bezel, handset, indices, crowns, and bracelet links (which also feature tantalum). In case you haven’t heard, two-tone is no longer fashion kryptonite when it comes to watches, and you have to love the way the measured touches of bling play against the satin industrial beauty of the titanium.

And now for something completely different. Omega is going hard in ceramic, with several models now available in white, grey, and even a vibrant blue case, but for my money, always bet on black. The 43.5mm Diver 300M Ceramic is a sinister presence on the wrist, with its high-tech ceramic case, strictly-business NATO strap, and stealthy overall aesthetic. You’ll feel just a bit more adventurous than usual.

Finally, I couldn’t finish off this list without a modern-day nod to Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Released well before the oft-delayed No Time To Die, the Diver 300M Co-axial Master Chronometer 42mm Titanium is pure menace with its bead-blasted finishing, ‘aged’ lume, and tropical-toned dial and bezel. And the matching mesh titanium bracelet? It’s one of those things that must be felt to be believed: it’s that good. Daniel Craig himself had a hand in the design…what more could you possibly want?