A delicate and stable unique proposition.
The Omega Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold, part of last year’s revamp of its retro diver, is a surprise launch that marks the debut of a new gold alloy, joining the brand’s growing stable of proprietary metals such as Moonshine and Sedna Gold.
The unusual properties of gold alloys – with a high percentage of copper and a purity of only 9k – immediately made the new Seamaster 300 interesting. It stands out in the sea of vintage dive watches due to the unique physical properties of the case metal, which develops a patina in a slow, almost unrecognizable manner.
But because the Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold is still gold, even low carat, it’s not particularly affordable, twice as much as steel. That said, from a traditional gold standpoint, it’s easier to get than a typical diver’s watch with an 18k gold case.
Given this contradiction, does the Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold have a value proposition? Omega was kind enough to borrow for a week, so I tried to find out.
First, aesthetics. In metal, the watch is beautifully shaped and has a decidedly retro feel despite the thick case. And it definitely feels more luxurious than the steel version, in part because of the case metal and the seemingly finer details.
Overall, the design feels complete and cohesive—the brown colorway is appealing for its consistency. It’s a warm, natural tone that brings a sense of nostalgia not often found in modern watches, but perfectly suited to a design rooted in the original 1950s.
Aesthetics aside, a good cal also works in its favor. 8912, the undated version of the calibration. The 8900 is found in the Omega fake collection. Carl. The 8912 has thoughtful and functional construction, with features such as quick-set hour hands, and attractive industrial finishes.
More importantly, this watch occupies a unique position in the field of retro diving watches. While similarly styled watches are common, most are either steel or bronze, so bronze-gold alloys are instantly distinctive in both physical composition and aesthetics.
Bronze diving watches are popular because of the alloy’s physical properties, which develop a patina over time due to surface oxidation. Depending on the bronze alloy, the patina may be green or brown, and it’s not for everyone. Therefore, watch lovers who appreciate the bronze look but dislike the oxidized look will see bronze gold as the ideal metal.
While the Black Bay is undoubtedly more valuable – it does have an 18k gold case – the Seamaster 300 is still an attractive watch. The Seamaster 300 looks and feels slightly more expensive, thanks to its more refined finish, especially on the case, with details like mirror-polished bevels on the lugs and crown.
In other words, the Seamaster is slightly more luxurious, while the Tudor is more compact. So relative pricing makes sense, so it comes down to personal preference and budget between the two.
retro chocolate
With Omega’s first professional diver’s watch ref. CK 2913 of 1957, the Seamaster 300 collection brings the beauty of an early diver’s watch. It’s simple and clean — the dial has no date — in stark contrast to most modern Omega dive watches, which tend to have aggressive sporty designs.
But the Seamaster 300 isn’t a one-to-one remake — and since Omega has done some of it, it shouldn’t be — as illustrated by the wider bezel insert and tweaks like the sans-serif font for the numbers and logo, All of these add a modern touch to the Swiss replica watches USA.
At the same time, the construction of the chassis components has also been simplified. The large trapezoidal 12 o’clock marker has been removed from the bezel to give the watch a more elegant look.
While the bezel is simplified, the dial is more refined on the basis of modern watches. While the retro original had radium-filled grooves on the dial, the modern version has a “sandwich” dial. It consists of two dials – with hour-marker cutouts on the top and Super-Luminova printed on the bottom – giving the dial even more depth.
All these details make for a good looking dial. During the week I wore it, I found the dial to be particularly subtle, despite being a single color, as the shades of brown change with the light. Made from an oxidized bronze alloy (rather than bronze gold), the dial appears black most of the time, but takes on a rich dark brown in bright sunlight.
However, I found it difficult to tell the time under indoor lighting because the polished hands reflect black at certain angles, making them blend into the dial. To complicate matters, the faux retro beige luminous material is muted in color so it blends into the background as well. However, legibility is excellent outdoors.
It’s easy to see the time in the dark because both the bezel and dial are fully “luminous”. One thing to pick though – because the minute hand tapers sharply to a point where most of its tip is free of luminescent material. Therefore, the effective distance between the hands and the bezel is considerable in the dark, which means that reading the elapsed time on the bezel in the dark is a challenge. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem like an urgent task for a watch like this.
One of the particularly attractive details is the domed crystal. The importance of crystal may not seem obvious, but it makes a difference when viewing it in metal. When the watch was released a year ago, the crystal immediately caught my eye – and when I finally got one, it didn’t disappoint.
While domed sapphire crystals are common—they even show up in watches costing hundreds of dollars—the domed crystals on the Seamaster 300 feel higher quality, they just look sharper. In low-end watches with domed crystals, edge distortion is usually not seen.
While the domed crystals of modern watches default to ‘box-shaped’ sapphires with distinct edges, the hippocampus 300’s crystals are softly curved, nicely evoking vintage PlexiGlas, again creating a vintage feel.
The quality of the crystals also underscores the high-quality construction of the Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold, as expected from a high-priced Omega. This gives the watch a touch that lives up to and justifies the price.
The appeal of the watch is perhaps unsurprising, as Omega has already done some practice in redesigning the Seamaster 300. The immediate predecessor to the Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold, still in the catalog, is the first generation model, which is available in traditional 18k gold.
Obviously, both the dial and the case, the design has been improved from generation to generation. The lines of the case are now more taut, and the polished bevels on the lugs are wider. There’s less text on the dial – “Master Co-Axial” is gone – and now there’s a “sandwich” structure too. Less obvious but also attractive is the slightly tapered crown, which replaces the traditional flat crown of the first generation.