Ever since Omega pioneered the Master Chronometer certification way back in 2015, they have been slowly extending it to the other collections in their line up. This year in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster, the Master Chronometer certification is now extended to this collection as well.

Seamaster Professional Diver 300M

Launched way back in 1993, the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M was the watch that heralded the return of Omega to the realm of diving instruments. This year they gave the watch a long needed makeover offering 14 new references including six in stainless steel and eight in a mix of stainless steel and gold. This refresher comes at the right time as I was told that in January of 2018, the official regulation for professional diving watches will now include the need for an indication on the dial every five minutes; which is why when you look at the watches you’ll see a small marker below the date at 6 o’clock.

Some of the big changes to the watch include a polished ceramic dial and of course the very noticeable wave pattern on it. The helium escape valve in the form of a crown at the 10 o’clock now includes a red ring when unlocked to warn the wearer that it is not secure. Something rather interesting about the bezel of these new timepieces – especially in the steel references – is that the indicators and numerals on the ceramic bezel are now filled with enamel. However the references made in gold will still come with bezels created with Omega’s liquid metal technology.

Seamaster 1948 Limited Edition

Of course being the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster, the original watch can’t be neglected. Born out of a necessity during World War II, the original models of 1948 have now been updated in technology while still retaining all the charm of a vintage watch.

The duo comes in a smaller case size of 38mm, updated from the 34mm case of the original, and one is equipped with a small second counter at 6 o’clock. Of course, due to the year of origin, these watches will be limited to only 1,948 pieces worldwide.

Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8

Not forgetting one of the anchors of the collection, this year the Speedmaster dedicates a reference to the mission of the Apollo 8 in 1968 where they became the first to orbit around the moon. The spectacular thing about this watch is the incredible movement has bridges and a main plate that has been decorated by a process called laser ablation. This removes small amounts of material from the surface and the result is a movement that offers a realistic rendition of the moon on both sides.