Omega has a long history with, well, everyone. Their watches been found on the wrists of racecar drivers and astronauts, and they have served as official timekeepers of the Olympic Games. But their latest piece pays tribute to their work with the yachtsmen of the Emirates Team New Zealand—a partnership that dates back to the 1995, when they sponsored Sir Peter Blake's American's Cup campaign. To celebrate the 20-year relationship, they released the Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZ, a piece that takes the best of their decades of racing experience and combines it into one heavy-duty sailing watch.
Designed to stand out, the large 44mm face is encased in sand-blasted, grade 5 titanium, and features a black ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel around the perimeter. A diving scale can be found around the circumference of the dial, and a small dot at the 12 o’clock hour emits a small green light from the top of the bezel. A chronograph seconds track is situated around the edge of the dial, and a minute track ring sits inside around its interior. A helium escape valve can also be found on the exterior of the watch at the 10 o’clock hour.
The interior of the watch face is lit with Super-LumiNova indexes and hands that emit a blue light. On the dial, three complications can be found. A 30-minute countdown timer sits at the 3 o’clock hour, with a five-minute indicator to time the start of the regatta. At 6 o’clock there is a 12 hour recorder and at 9 o’clock there is a seconds sub-dial. For ease of use, all features corresponding to chronograph functions can be identified by their red accents.
Even the watch strap was created with the Emirates Team in mind. The red underside of the strap was stamped with a unique pattern “reminiscent of the sails on the team’s boat” to allow water and air to pass freely over the skin. The ETNZ logo has even been engraved on the back of the timepiece to further underline the connection between Omega and the sailing team.
