If you’re a 007 fan you’re going to love today’s selection of Omega watches. Paul Altieri, Founder and CEO of Bob’s Watches — a leading online marketplace for pre-owned watches — has some insights to share.
The new James Bond film, No Time to Die, is scheduled to arrive in theaters this April, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as Agent 007.
Additionally, ahead of the movie release, Omega has already announced the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition titanium watch, which the brand confirms will be identical to the old one worn on-screen by the British Secret Service agent in the latest Bond movie.
While we wait for both the new movie and the new watch to become available to the public, let’s have a look at some past Omega James Bond watches born out of the partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and the British spy movie franchise that was first established in 1995.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
Pre-Owned OMEGA Seamaster | Bob’s Watches
Released in 2006, Casino Royale was the first time Daniel Craig portrayed James Bond and the film was both a critical and box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing James Bond film until it was dethroned by Skyfall in 2012.
In the movie, James Bond wears two different OMEGA Seamaster watches, one of them being the Seamaster Diver 300M ref. 2220.80.00 (the other a Planet Ocean) that was released the same year as the movie.
The Seamaster Diver 300M ref. 2220.80.00 sports a 41mm stainless steel case with the collection’s customary helium escape valve protruding at 10 o’clock.
On top of the case sits a blue unidirectional timing bezel with the familiar scalloped edge that is central to the look of the Diver 300M, which matches its wave-patterned blue dial perfectly.
The dial is home to the skeletonized sword-shaped hands – a signature design trait of OMEGA’s flagship diving watch – along with luminous hour markers and a date window at the 3 o’clock location. These watches are spectacular and can be found at a reasonable price when searching for a used model on the secondary market.
As a diving watch, the James Bond Seamaster Diver 300M ref. 2220.80.00 is water resistant to a depth of 300 meters, while inside the case beats the automatic Caliber 2500 movement, equipped with the brand’s famous Co-Axial escapement. This particular reference is fitted with a matching stainless steel five-link bracelet, enhancing the sporty style of OMEGA’s Diver 300M.
OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M
Pre-Owned OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean | Bob’s Watches
In 2008, Daniel Craig returned as James Bond in Quantum of Solace and the movie went on to earn $586 million worldwide (the fourth-highest-grossing James Bond film of all time) despite some reservations about it being more violent than what Bond fans were used to.
For Quantum of Solace, OMEGA outfitted James Bond with the OMEGA Planet Ocean 600M ref. 2201.50.00. Although 007 had already worn a Planet Ocean dive watch in Casino Royale, this model was dressier due to its smaller case size and steel bracelet, rather than the version on a rubbers strap that was worn in the previous movie.
The James Bond Planet Ocean 600M ref. 2201.50.00 features a 42mm stainless steel case, also with a helium escape valve at the 10 o’clock location.
There’s also the knurled steel unidirectional bezel in black, along with its matching black dial. With its broad-arrow hour hand and smattering of Arabic numerals accompanying the tapered indexes, the dial design of the Planet Ocean is clearly inspired by the original Seamaster 300 from 1957.
However, unlike the vintage Seamaster 300, the modern Planet Ocean model, first released in 2005, also includes a date window at 3 o’clock and an arrow-tipped minute hand. As its name suggests, the OMEGA Planet Ocean 600M is water-resistant to 600 meters and the ref. 2201.50.00 runs on the automatic Caliber 2500 movement.
OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M
Pre-Owned OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra | Bob’s Watches
The last James Bond movie released was SPECTRE in 2015 and it was the fourth time Daniel Craig took on the famous spy role. While critics were generally not as kind to SPECTRE as Craig’s other 007 films, the movie holds the spot as the second highest-grossing James Bond film, earning a total of $880.7 million worldwide.
In the movie, James Bond alternates between three OMEGA watches: a Seamaster 300 on a NATO strap (which featured a 12 hour bezel and jumping hour hand that allow it to be used like a primitive GMT watch), a vintage OMEGA chronograph from the 1960s, and an Aqua Terra.
Alongside these models, OMEGA created the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M James Bond Limited Edition ref. 231.10.42.21.03.004 for fans of the spy franchise.
Inspired by the Bond coat of arms, the 41.5mm steel case houses a blue dial decorated with a pattern of the family’s crest. Additionally, a miniature Bond coat of arms also appears on the yellow seconds hand, and the yellow accents continue throughout the dial.
Powering the James Bond Aqua Terra ref. 231.10.42.21.03.004 is the automatic Caliber 8507 movement, which is visible via the sapphire caseback. Emphasizing the link to James Bond, this special edition OMEGA is resistant to 15,007 gauss (proudly declared on the dial) and is limited to 15,007 pieces worldwide.
OMEGA Watches Appearing in James Bond 007 Movies
Whether it is the Diver 300M, the Planet Ocean, the Seamaster 300, or the Aqua Terra, OMEGA watches have been proudly featured in James Bond movies since 1995. When you shop for a pre-owned men’s model for sale, there really are no wrong choices; however, the following are all good options to buy if you are trying to achieve your 007 status.
♦ GoldenEye (1995): Seamaster Diver 300M Quartz 2541.80.00 (one of the cheapest OMEGA models ever worn by James Bond)
♦ Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Seamaster Diver 300M Chronometer 2531.80.00
♦ The World Is Not Enough (1999): Seamaster Diver 300M Chronometer 2531.80.00
♦ Die Another Day (2002): Seamaster Diver 300M Chronometer 2531.80.00
♦ Casino Royale (2006): Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial 2220.80.00, Planet Ocean 600M 2900.50.91
♦ Quantum of Solace (2008): Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M 2201.50.00
♦ Skyfall (2012): Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M 232.30.42.21.01.001, Aqua Terra 150M 231.10.39.21.03.001
♦ Spectre (2015): Seamaster 300 233.32.41.21.01.001, Aqua Terra 150M 231.10.42.21.03.003
♦ No Time To Die (Coming Soon, 2020): Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 210.90.42.20.01.001
It is also worth noting that regardless of the specific model, every OMEGA watch worn by James Bond since the brand first started sponsoring the 007 franchise in 1995 has been from the Seamaster collection. Additionally, since James Bond films have historically always featured men as the lead actor, there have never been any women’s models or ladies OMEGA watches that have been prominently featured in 007 films.
Given the OMEGA Speedmaster’s role as the official astronaut watch and the first watch to be certified for space flight by NASA, it would be an obvious choice for James Bond; Daniel Craig even wore a solid gold semi-vintage Speedmaster Moon watch on the red carpet.
However, 007 has always favored stainless steel watches from the Seamaster collection. Although he has worn models from numerous Seamaster sub-collections such as the Planet Ocean and Aqua Terra, James Bond has yet to officially wear a Speedmaster Moonwatch, Constellation, or De Ville (OMEGA’s dress watch collection) in any feature film.
