While Omega might be best known for its Speedmaster that went to the moon, the Swiss watchmaker has been pushing the boundaries of what is possible here on earth. Perhaps more specifically, pushing what is possible below the surface, with the release of the Omega Ultra Deep that can dive to depths of 6,000 metres underwater.
Regular readers of Boss Hunting will recall back to 2019, when Omega broke the news of its Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional, which had successfully reached a record-breaking depth of 10,928 metres. The watch had been attached to the submarine Limiting Factor, owned by ocean explorer Victor Vescovo as he adventured down into the depths of the Mariana Trench.
Amusingly, while it was the deepest a watch had ever survived underwater, it only broke the record by 12 meters, previously held by Rolex since 1960 when Captain Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard took their Trieste down to 10,916 metres. The 2019 record might have been a depth (is that the right noun?) measuring competition by two of the world’s largest watchmakers, but it did pave the way for the “civilian” spec Omega Ultra Deep, which, unlike the record-breaking timepiece, is available for sale.
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The new Omega Ultra Deep collection consists of four different watches, one of which is titanium, while the other three are steel versions (officially called “O-MEGASTEEL”) in different colours. The titanium reference is the closest relative of the original Ultra Deep from 2019, despite being infinitely more wearable than the 55mm diameter and 28mm thick OG, instead, presenting dimensions of 45.5mm diameter and 18.12mm thick.
Guaranteed to be water-resistant down to a genuinely remarkable 6,000 metres (or 19,685ft), the watches arrive with ISO 6425 certification which sees them meet that depth rating without the need for a helium escape valve. This is made possible thanks to a quartet of newly pending patents, showing the not insignificant R&D that Omega put into this new collection.
While the titanium reference arrives on a NATO strap made from recycled materials, the O-MEGASTEEL references are available on either a matching steel bracelet or rubber strap. The O-MEGASTEEL alloy was reportedly five years in development, offering the benefits of being 40%-50% harder than 316L steel (typical watchmaking steel), which is necessary to survive such immense underwater pressure.
As far as being King of the Deep, the Omega Ultra Deep easily takes the crown as the serial production watch that can survive depths almost no other watch can. The Rolex Deepsea taps out at 3,900 meters, while the Breitling Avenger Seawolf can handle 3,000 meters, seeing Omega set a new low bar for the most capable dive watches.
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep in titanium has an RRP of $18,825, cementing it at the top of the collection. The O-MEGASTEEL references with a bracelet have an RRP of $17,675, while the O-MEGASTEEL versions with a rubber strap have an RRP of $17,175.
