No media push, no fanfare, no fuss. That’s how Omega just dropped six new boutique editions of the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M. You’re likely no stranger to the bulky sibling of the Seamaster Professional, the Planet Ocean (though if you are, we’ve got an excellent primer), and these models don’t change the model line so much as expand it in a trendy way that may give it more appeal to the casual, style-conscious watch consumer. With beige, gunmetal, and steel/green colorways, this new sextet of three-handers and chronos has already garnered plenty of plaudits, so let’s see what the fuss is all about. The new three-hand Planet Ocean Boutique Editions are fitted with the 43.5mm PO case, which measures 49.3mm lug-to-lug and a towering 16.2mm thick. If you’ve handled and worn the PO, you know it’s more of an enormous protective linebacker big brother to the SMP little sister, despite the PO having been released less than 20 years ago (the Ploprof is the weird stepsibling that splits its time at the home and at his mom’s). Where the SMP is really more of a gentleman’s diver, this is a legit diving tool. It’s got the 3 o’clock screwdown crown, the helium escape valve at 10, and a sapphire crystal, but a few things are different on these models. There’s no sign of polishing anywhere on the case. Most Planet Ocean models have their chamfers fully polished for a bit of contrast as they expand towards the ends of Omega’s signature bombé lugs, but that’s omitted here in favor of a sportier, more casual fully brushed look. I think it goes well with these three colorways, which clearly take aim at such a customer.Advertising Message The cases of the chronographs are of an identical style, but notable for their even grander dimensions: 45.5mm diameter, 52.3mm lug-to-lug, and a migraine-inducing 19mm thickness. Few brands are so reckless with the health of your wrist as Omega is with the Planet Ocean chronographs. You also get a slightly altered bezel design, with a solid 15-minute block from 0-15, and color-coordinated chronograph pushers. The strap also increases from 21mm to 22mm for a better look with the wider case. A note about the pushers: While they look as though they may be screw-down, they aren’t, which, given the 600m water resistance, is further proof that the Rolex Daytona’s screw-down pushers are absurd. Another new feature for the Planet Ocean 600m line is the finishing on the ceramic bezel. Typically seen in a high gloss, these bezels — bronze (color) for the beige, black for the gunmetal, and green for the bushed steel — are brushed. We’ve seen this before on the Ultra Deep, and here it doubles down on the case finishing and one gets the feeling that Omega seems to be going for a streetwear aesthetic with how casual the watch is. Finally, As the full model name makes clear, these achieve 600m of water resistance — again, this is a proper diver, built to go quite a bit deeper than you’ll likely ever need (though apparently not deep enough). The watches all get rubber straps with foldover buckles; while the straps look like they may have a textile insert, they are in fact all rubber, potentially making them even more worry free. How about these dials. Gone is the typical blue and black. Missing is the pop of orange that’s on almost every Planet Ocean dial. As mentioned, there are three colorways: beige/bronze, gunmetal/black, and steel/green. Right up front, I’ll tell you I’m drawn to the green, and I think that will get the most oohs and aahs. But the gunmetal is probably going to be the bestseller. Like the beige dial, the gunmetal has a sandblasted finish, with applied numerals (brushed, of course) and the broad arrow handset you know and love. In contrast, the steel dial is vertically brushed, not unlike the recent Summer Blue model, and has varnished green cardinal numerals that appear slightly thinner than their brushed counterparts. There’s Super-LumiNova in all the right places, and on the gunmetal dial, it appears to be the much-maligned Old Radium type; here it works well as an aesthetic choice, and the overall look reminds one of the Danish Frogman Seamaster unit watch. Rounding it all out is a 3 o’clock date window. While the beige dial gets a white date wheel that at least coordinates with the lume and bezel markings, the other two get woeful attempts at color matching that instead draw your eye right to it for lack of an exact match and the clash of texture/non-texture on the steel dial model.Advertising Message The chronograph models feature identical colorways, including the utterly charming color-matched Seamaster and depth rating text. The layout is obviously changed, though. Here you’ve got a dual-register chronograph, with a running seconds at 9 o’clock and stacked 60-minute and 12-hour counters at 3 o’clock. This of course frees up the 6 o’clock space for the same disappointing date window as seen on the three-handers. What’s beautiful about the chronographs is that each colorway’s registers — which are color matched, if you’re seeing the theme — get a different finish: brushed on the steel dial, sandblasted on the gunmetal dial, and circular grooving on the beige. The new boutique edition three-hand Planet Oceans get a sapphire crystal on the caseback to put the Omega 8900 caliber on display. The 8900 features the brands signature coaxial escapement and runs at 25,200 vph (3.5hz) with a power reserve of 60 hours. As is par for any new Omega caliber, the 8900 here is a Master Chronometer, meaning an accuracy of 0/+5 seconds per day. But the 8900 has hidden up its sleeves one of the best secrets in modern watches: an independently adjustable hour hand. Without the clutter of an extra hand, you can simply shift the hour hand back and forth an hour without stopping the rest of the watch. So not only are these Planet Oceans super-capable divers, but they’ll likely make great travel companions. The chronographs, on the other hand, get the automatic chronograph Omega 9900 movement. Similarly, this is a co-axial Master Chronometer movement with a 60-hour power reserve, but with a beat rate of 28,800 vph. It features a column wheel chronograph mechanism. It may surprise you even more than with the 8900 to learn that this caliber also has an independently adjustable hour hand — quite rare for a chronograph. The caseback crystal on every model has the Seamaster hippocampus printed on it and the caseback uses the brand’s Naiad Lock system, which just means it will always be aligned properly when fully secured. One wonders what wisdom there might be in so quietly releasing three such boutique editions. These are sure to be crowd pleasers and, with compelling colorways and decidedly casual design choices, will bring a new appeal to the Planet Ocean line. To me, it seems like something that you’d use an ambassador and an over-stylized lifestyle shoot to announce (I’m thinking Ryan Reynolds doing a parkour run that ends in the ocean). The New Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Boutique Editions in gunmetal (Ref. 215.32.44.21.01.002) and brushed steel (Ref. 215.32.44.21.06.001) are priced at $7,100 USD, while the beige (Ref. 215.32.44.21.09.001) is priced at $7,500 USD; the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M chrongraphs in gunmetal (Ref. 215.32.46.51.01.004) and brushed steel (Ref. 215.32.46.51.06.001) are priced at $9,000 USD, while the beige (Ref. 215.32.46.51.09.001) is priced at $9,700 USD. All six models are exclusive to Omega boutiques. For more information, please visit the Omega website.
