Omega has had a string of interesting releases since the white dialed Speedmaster became, if only for a minute, one of the hottest watches in the industry. That watch, released just about one year ago, set off a series of new product announcements that saw Omega embracing the watches and properties that make them one of the two or three most important brands in the world. They had, by all accounts, a great Olympics, and followed up a busy summer with a pair of enthusiast focused, Bond adjacent releases. They also gained quite a bit of traction with a new First Omega in Space and a well received (if expensive) Bronze Gold Seamaster. Omega was a brand that we had often talked about as being in something of a slump, but the last year saw them break out of that, at least somewhat. We’ll forgive them the Speedmaster Pilot.

Last week, then, was like taking a time machine back just a few years, when the most exciting thing Omega could muster up was a collection of watches in different shades of blue. The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Worldtimer is a true mish-mash of ideas and spare parts, a huge watch that could only be produced by a brand of Omega’s gargantuan size. 

Part of the Planet Ocean “Deep Black” sub-collection, these watches use the same 45.5mm platform. The case is a solid block of brushed ceramic and measures 18.99mm tall and 52.4mm from lug to lug. For anyone who mourns the era of the big watch, please point them this way. 

The Worldtimer functionality is borrowed from the popular Aqua Terra Worldtimer, and the dial on these new divers is reminiscent of those far more modest and approachable watches. There are two variants, each featuring a laser-ablated topographical map at the center with a honeycomb ring surrounding it. One variant has turquoise accents on the globe and city ring, while the other is a monochromatic, black and white execution. Like other Omega worldtimers, they offer the user the ability to see the current time at a glance across the world thanks to the rotating cities and 24 hour scale that make up the heart of the complication. 

The Planet Ocean Worldtimer has an impressive 600 meters of water resistance. But, then again, you do kind of expect a watch that’s this thick to have better-than-pro specs. We could honestly ask why not 1,000 meters? Or 2,000? As I type this, I’m wearing a Ming 37.09 diver with identical water resistance and a case height of just 12.8mm. A different type of watch, for sure, with a very different movement. But, still, it begs the question of just how much innovation is involved in a release like this, as opposed to a retrofitting of component parts. 

I find this to be a very strange watch, and while I’m sure it is impeccably made and constructed, as all Omegas are, it also almost seems like the end result of an AI prompt. It’s a combination of existing motifs, technologies, and aesthetics into a project that would be hard to justify if you started from a blank sheet of paper. It’s proof positive, in any case, that Omega still caters to an enormous market, one that is probably completely unsaware of big watch/small watch trends, the idea of a “vintage revival,” or similar enthusiast focused ideas. 

The Omega Planet Ocean Worldtimer has a retail price of $14,800. Omega