Omega Seamaster: Diver 300M, Aqua Terra, Planet Ocean and Vintage Models

What is the Omega Seamaster?

The Seamaster is Omega's oldest current collection, launched in 1948 as a water-resistant everyday watch for town, sea and country. It grew into a family: the professional Seamaster 300 of 1957, the Ploprof of 1970, the Diver 300M of 1993, the Aqua Terra of 2002 and the Planet Ocean of 2005, alongside vintage dress Seamasters.

From dress watch to diver

The first Seamasters were robust everyday watches. In 1957 Omega added the Seamaster 300 for professional divers, launched alongside the Speedmaster and Railmaster (Wikipedia).

The Speedmaster has its own Speedmaster guide.

How old is my Omega Seamaster?

Find the movement serial number, inside the case on vintage Omegas, and the reference number inside the case back. Omega serial numbers run in sequence and date a watch to within a year or two. For a certain answer, Omega's heritage department issues an Extract from the Archives giving the production date and destination.

How can you spot a fake vintage Omega Seamaster?

Open the case back: a genuine vintage Seamaster has an Omega calibre with its number and serial, and the inside of the back carries the Omega name, the reference and often the Seamaster hippocampus. Check that the dial printing is crisp and suits the reference. Redials and mismatched movements are more common than complete fakes.

What should I look for when buying a vintage Omega Seamaster 120?

The Seamaster 120 is a 1960s and 1970s diver's watch rated to 120 metres when new. Check that the dial, hands and bezel insert are original, that the case back shows the reference and that the automatic movement runs. Its seals will have aged, so treat it as not water resistant until it is tested.

What is an Omega Seamaster De Ville?

The Seamaster De Ville was a slimmer, dressier Seamaster of the 1960s, often in gold or gold-capped cases with automatic movements. It proved popular enough to become Omega's separate De Ville collection. Vintage Seamaster De Villes in solid gold, with original dials, are the most sought by collectors.

Gold or gold capped?

Many 1960s Seamasters were made in solid gold, others in gold-capped or plated steel. The case back marks tell them apart: see how to tell if a vintage watch is solid gold.

What is the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M?

The Diver 300M, launched in 1993, is the Seamaster diving watch best known for its wave-pattern dial and its helium escape valve. It became James Bond's watch with GoldenEye in 1995 and has appeared in more Bond films than any other Omega. Early versions came in quartz and automatic form.

What is the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean?

The Planet Ocean, launched in 2005, is the professional diver's line of the Seamaster family, originally water resistant to 600 metres, with a helium escape valve and a bold dial. It has been made in several case sizes and materials, including chronographs and ceramic versions, and experimental Planet Oceans reached the Mariana Trench in 2019.

What is the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra?

The Aqua Terra, introduced in 2002, is the Seamaster family's dressier everyday watch, with horizontal teak pattern dials inspired by yacht decks and no rotating bezel. It is water resistant to 150 metres and continues the original 1948 idea of a Seamaster for town and sea.

Sources: Wikipedia, Omega Seamaster; Bob's Watches, Diver 300M; Monochrome Watches, Planet Ocean 2005 to 2025; Teddy Baldassarre, Seamaster history.

Can you overwind an automatic Omega Seamaster?

No. An automatic Seamaster has a slipping mainspring bridle, so once the spring is fully wound further turns of the crown or movement of the wrist do no harm. Hand-wound vintage Seamasters are different: wind them gently and stop when you feel firm resistance, never forcing the crown.

Do you buy Omega Seamaster watches?

Yes. We buy Seamasters of every age, from 1950s dress models to Diver 300M and Planet Ocean watches, working or not. Send photographs of the dial, the case back and any papers for a free valuation; post by Royal Mail Special Delivery or free insured FedEx collection, or visit our Mayfair or Braintree office by appointment.

More in our Omega value guide and vintage gold Constellation guide, or browse Omega watches.