As you may be aware, the America’s Cup will be kicking off in a few days on the 4th, with racing set to commence on July 7th. Why should that matter here on a watch site? It’s because Omega is sponsoring Emirates Team New Zealand in the series – and introduced a new limited-edition Seamaster to commemorate the partnership.
Not that the partnership, or relationship with the water, is something new. Omega first sponsored the ETNZ boat in the 1995 America’s Cup (which they won). Along with that sponsorship, Omega has served as official timekeeper in other years, as well as being involved with other sailing efforts.
And when you’re talking about a brand that has received the only marine chronometer certification (which Omega did in the 70’s), it’s not surprising that we have a new Seamaster commemorating Omega’s fifth America’s Cup. That watch, of course, is the Seamaster Diver ETNZ Limited Edition, which we went hands-on with at the June launch in San Francisco.
Grant Dalton, Stephen Urquhart, and Dean Baker
Tucked inside that 44mm case you have the cal. 3330 movement, which features a co-axial escapement (for better transfer of power), a silicon hairspring (resistant to magnestism), and a column-wheel chronograph. Oh, and if that isn’t enough to for you, they’ve also ensure that the movement is COSC chronometer certified. In other words – one great movement.
There’s also an interesting development on the watch that’s an intersection between the movement (which we can’t see on this model), and the case design. The crown at 10 o’clock is for date correction (well, under the crown) – but it’s also hiding the helium escape valve. While it makes for a slightly more complex operation, I think it’s clever that they’ve hidden the valve away in this manner, especially given that the majority of us would likely not even utilize the function.
That then brings us to the aesthetics of the watch. Predominant coloration is black, red, and white – which makes sense, given the ETNZ boat colors. Under the domed sapphire crystal, the dial is a matte black, which complements the unidirectional ceramic bezel. Adding some punch to the otherwise clean (and monochrome) pallet you of course the bold red on the chapter ring, regatta countdown subdial, and the seconds hand.
And speaking of hands – check out the main handset. While many times a skeletonized handset is more decoration than anything else, here (while serving aesthetic purposes), they are also functional, allowing you to clearly see the subdials even if the hands are partially covering them. They also feature Super Luminova along with the applied indices.
To assist you in the event you do use the watch for diving, there are actually two lume colors in use. The faceted hands rely on the more a blue hue, whereas the minute hand and bezel pip rely on green – meaning it’s easier to see, at a glance, the elapsed dive time when you’re under the waves.
Conceivably, this is a watch you could dive with, given the 300m WR rating, and the included rubber strap. Should you want a less sporty look, however, there is also an included bracelet (and tool for changing the strap out) included with the watch. You could also use this (as it’s intended) as a boat racing timer.
And should you forget that this watch was intended to commemorate the ETNZ entry into the America’s Cup, you only need to flip the watch over and view the engraved caseback, where you have the team logo – as well as a wave design on the strap which appears on the boat as well.
Wherever you happen to wear this watch (if you pick up one of the 2,013 pieces made at around 5,500 CHF), you’ll have a great-looking piece on your wrist, one that brings to bear much of the wonderful technology Omega has to offer, along with a style that is functional, sporty, and refined. omegawatches.com
