Being an official time-keeper of the Olympic Games anno 1932, Omega just can’t waste such a good excuse to introduce yet another special edition diving watch. Although I literally hear the creepy sound of raising eyebrows right this moment, I still feel obliged to tell you about this limited edition timekeeper and offer you to meet the new self-winding Seamaster Diver Vancouver 2010!
Although Omega makes a lot of money selling different versions of its elegant Speedmaster chronograph (the first mechanical watch that reached the surface of the Moon and was the official timekeeper both for American astronauts and -for a long time- Soviet cosmonauts,) the Swiss brand is most readily associated with its diving watches. Mainly, thanks to their successful product placement in the James Bond franchise.
No wonder that Omega pays so much attention to its bestselling Seamaster series.
As you can see on the photos below, the dial is white like snow, the markers are blue as ice and even its anodized aluminum bezel is red as the Maple leaf on the Canadian flag.
All is fine.
However, a diving watch doesn’t exactly look like the best choice to celebrate the Winter Olympic to me. Really.
Actually, there will be two versions: a 41 mm designed for gentlemen (ref. 212.30.41.20.04.001) and a bit more feminine version that measures just 36 millimeters in diameter (ref. 212.30.36.20.04.001.) Both measure the same 12.5 millimeters in thickness so, predictably, the larger watch actually looks more slender, while the smaller one may look a tad awkward on a skinny wrist of a modern woman.
Each model rock the same ETA 2892-based Co-Axial caliber 2500, each limited to a lot of just 2010 units and each bears a unique Limited Edition number in the 0000-2010 range.
To make the watch even more unique, Omega also replaces the traditional sea-horse on its case-back with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games logo featuring “Ilanaaq”, the symbol of the Games.
Doing a little research on the Internet, I found out that the logo is based on the Canadian Inuit inukshuk, which was for ages used as a kind of direction sign for Arctic people but later became a symbol of friendship, cooperation, and the human spirit. Nice.
Just like all other Divers in the series, this particular watch features a unidirectional rotating bezel and a mandatory helium-escape valve because, like all other Divers, this model has a water resistance rating of respectable 300 meters.
The only disgusting thing about the collection is the set of the colored Olympic rings acting as the counterweight of the second’s hand. The rings just draw too much attention to themselves.
The Swiss company doesn’t say anything about the price but some $3500-$4000 would be a good guess.
See also: Omega Five Counter Speedmaster Olympic
Photos: Omega
Omega Seamaster Diver Vancouver 2010 specification
Movement: Omega Co-Axial caliber 2500 (base ETA 2892), automatic, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Power reserve: 44 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 41.25 mm / 36.25 mm
Height: 12.50 mm
Dial: White, with white SuperLumiNova-filled indexes, and hands
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Solid, engraved with Vancouver 2010 Olympics logo
Yep, this is me. Just had my beard trimmed.
I am a founding father of this weblog since 2008.
Bought my first mechanical watch in 1986 and it took me ten more years to realize that I have a problem: at some point in time watches became my passion. Well, it could be worse.