Exploring the new depth of the ocean
Diving watches are plentiful on the market, as aquatic sports have never been more popular than in the 1950s, when they were first made accessible to civilian. They were originally designed for more serious activities, such as deep-sea sponge diving, and during and since the war for military purposes. A few watchmakers made diving watches to serve these purposes, though they were crude compared with what we have today, as long as they worked. Those few watchmakers have evolved over the decades, and modern-day diving watches did not reach the market until 1956. When it comes to serious diving watches for professionals or serious civilian divers, there are only a handful that are worth mentioning, and Omega Seamaster is certainly one of them, right near the top of the list.
Omega Seamaster first launched its professional diving series in 2005, called the Planet Ocean, which, of course, has its roots in the first Omega diving watch in 1932. Planet Ocean has, since its introduction, gone through three generations, including the latest 2025 iteration, which will be the fourth. What makes the current generation outstanding is that, in most instances, when a watch brand introduces a new generation of a collection, the differences are so small that you really need a magnifying glass to spot them. But with the fourth generation of Planet Ocean, it’s the other way round.
The new generation is strikingly different from its predecessors. The aesthetics hit you right between the eyes when you first lay eyes on them. Only after that do you begin to realise that they are very similar in their basic structure and architecture, and, in my opinion, are so much more effective and convincing. In other words, they carry the basic DNA very much intact, only they are dressed differently. The inspirations behind the current fourth-generation Planet Ocean might make you think it has taken a retrospective step. You are not wrong. The collection is inspired by the Seamaster of the 80s and 90s. It is bolder, with wider enamel-filled indexes and scales on the ceramic unidirectional bezel, with pronounced angular teeth for its grip. That sets the tone for the aesthetics of the new Planet Ocean.
Gone are the softer, rounder edges. It now has angular, sharper bevelled edges around the tonneau stainless caseband. The raised flat sapphire, which sits on a titanium ring, protects the dial, which has been given a new treatment, with mirror-polished steel hour indexes filled with SuperLuminova and Arabic numeral hour markers corresponding to the colour of the bezel. The hour, minute and second hands are given the same mirror-polished finish and filled with SuperLuminova. All of this culminates in a beautifully balanced aesthetic with a retro spirit, yet the modernity is too prominent to ignore, and that’s a good thing.
The stainless-steel bracelet has gone more angular, with flat surfaces and bevelled edges to complement the overall design of the watch, and it has an adjustable clasp. It has gone edge, with pun intended, and well and truly defined. What makes it more alluring and friendly is the thickness of the case. It has gone slimmer. The complaint about a gargantuan previous generation has been silenced with this new model, making the unchanged 42mm diameter a lot more forgiving and pleasing. And to finish it off, it comes with a grade 5 titanium caseback with the Omega Seahorse emblem engraved for reassurance.
Technically, its power house has also been given an upgrade, as the mechanism is driven by the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8912, which offers 60 hours of power reserve and is also the same movement used in the Ultra Deep series. Like its predecessors, it is also water resistant to the still-mind-boggling depth of 600M or 2000ft, you may be crushed, but at least your Planet Ocean remains intact.
The watch comes in seven variants, three of which feature vivid Orange, with an orange ceramic bezel and matte orange Arabic numeral hour markers. It comes with three choices of a steel bracelet, a black rubber strap or an orange rubber strap. Then there are two models for the Blue ceramic bezel with varnished matte white Arabic numeral hour markers, and it comes with a choice of stainless steel bracelet or a black rubber strap. And last but not least, the black ceramic bezel with rhodium-plated Arabic numeral hour markers, it comes with a choice o stainless steel bracelet or a black rubber strap.
The fourth-generation Planet Ocean is definitely a watch you seriously need to consider and one that will definitely grow on you, not just because it’s sporty and great for the weekends, but also because it’s such a robustly built, gentle giant without the heft. On dry land or deep in the sea, it doesn’t discriminate.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL
