Hands-On Review of the Omega Seamaster 300 75th Anniversary "Summer Blue"
Just last week I reviewed the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 75th Anniversary. Well, I was lucky enough to also get my hands on another piece from the new 75th Anniversary “Summer Blue” collection to review, the Seamaster 300 Heritage 75th Anniversary. Like the Diver, the Seamaster 300 is water resistant to 300 meters, but where the watch differs is in its inspiration. Yes, they both have the same blue dial and bezel, but thats about where the similarities end.
While the Diver 300M is clearly a modern diver, the Seamaster 300 clearly has vintage inspiration. It is slightly smaller at 41mm (as opposed to 42mm). And while that is still on the larger side for a vintage-inspired watch, the watch sits nicely on the wrist, even at 13.9mm thick including the domed crystal.
But really, the Seamaster 300 is a new variation of the existing model that comes in black or darker blue. The previous models went even further with the vintage aesthetic, with the hour markers and hands a vintage cream color. However, the new Seamaster 300 “Summer Blue” maintains the lagoon blue color for the hour markers, adding consistency with the rest of the collection.
The dial, like on all of the 75th Anniversary Collection pieces, is the star. It is a light blue gradient that gets darker on the periphery. The sandwich dial adds another vintage touch, as do the hour markers with additional 3, 6, 9, and 12 indices (which are also sandwich). The lollipop second hand is another nice touch that says vintage. Because of the lack of vintage lume on this piece, as opposed to the previous Seamaster 300s, the 75th Anniversary is more of a mix of modern and vintage. But this is something I actually like. I don’t see any inconsistencies combining both vintage and modern touches, and Omega pulls it off well.
The modern upgrades can also be seen in the bezel. While previous models of the Seamaster 300 all had aluminum bezels, the 75th Anniversary actually has a ceramic bezel. It makes sense to me because while the watch clearly has vintage inspiration, it does not look nearly as vintage as the other 300s. A ceramic bezel is also just nicer and it won’t scratch and tarnish in the same way as a aluminum bezel. I wouldn’t be opposed to Omega upgrading all Seamaster 300s to ceramic bezels. But I guess enthusiasts can debate that one. The watch also has a domed crystal, and to be honest, who doesn’t like a domed crystal. So I’ll leave it at that.
The bracelet is one of my favorite aspects of the Seamaster 300. Omega seems to have done the inverse of what most brands would do with a three link bracelet, having the outer links polished and the inner link brushed. This classes the watch up quite a bit in my view, though I can understand if people think it makes it seem dressier and less like a traditional tool/dive watch. But when you are spending over $7,000 USD on a dive watch, I am okay with these types of design decisions.
The watch runs on the METAS-certified Co-Axial caliber 8912 movement with a power reserve of 60-hours. Once again this is a beautiful, workhorse movement that is proudly displayed through a display caseback on previous Seamaster 300 models. But Omega opted again here for a closed caseback. Instead we get a deep engraving of Poseidon, much the same as on the Diver 300M Summer Blue. There is nothing wrong with it, but a display caseback is always nice.
Overall, the watch is the perfect diver for someone that wants a nice blend of vintage and modern. So often we get vintage-inspired timepieces in only black, white, or navy, so it’s nice to see something with a little bit more of a daring color. The Omega Seamaster 300 75th Anniversary retails for $7,400 USD on stainless steel bracelet.