Omega is excited for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, where it will once again be the official timekeeper. So eager is it for the biennial event that they’ve released a brand new Seamaster to mark one year until the opening ceremony. Omega has been keeping the time at the Olympics since 1932, with a brief interruption when Swatch took over from 1996 to 2004. The brand released its first commemorative Olympic watch in 1956, the Seamaster XVI for the Melbourne games, and since 2006, has been consistently commemorating the games with new models. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “Paris 2024” Special Edition (only available at the brand’s Paris boutiques) offers a bright new take on the brand’s iconic diver, with a few subtle nods to the Paris games and a two-tone case done in the best way possible.

A big part of me wishes this case was a standard production design. The 42mm-wide watch is stainless steel, including the standard Seamaster bracelet which features the brand’s push-button quick-release mechanism (new for this model line and compatible with rubber straps, but also allowing for normal spring bars). However, the bezel insert is Omega’s proprietary 18k Moonshine Gold, with a frosted finish and positive relief markings. The Moonshine Gold has a bright yellow appearance that shines even more brilliantly in the light; the frosted finish should give it even more play. This bezel style isn’t entirely new and was even featured on Omega’s Beijing Seamaster. This is simple, elegant, two-tone—no small gold links on the bracelet, no gold crowns, just a clean bezel. Of course, the screw down crown remains at 3 o’clock and the helium escape valve is at 10; the watch features 300 meters of water resistance.

In addition to this new model, Omega is releasing five Olympic-themed NATO straps, also exclusively available at Paris boutiques. These straps feature large Paris 2024 typography in the five different colors of the Olympic rings. The straps are priced at $290 USD, which is $110 more than the brand’s standard NATOs, despite the only difference being the special Paris 2024 design. We’ve discussed our thoughts on mark-ups for limited edition anything (not in favor), but if you’d like even more to grumble about, Omega’s James Bond NATOs—also only distinguished by their designs—are priced at $350 USD (Omega has,a strap configurator on the product page, and I have to admit this looks amazing with the grey-and-brown stripe Bond strap). Whatever you think about the price, Omega NATOs are very nice, and I do quite like the designs here and how they offer a colorful Paris 2024 theme without making it too obvious.

The ceramic dial of the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “Paris 2024” Special Edition varies from standard models in subtler ways than the case. You still have the same applied indices, here in Moonshine Gold with Super-LumiNova fill, and the same dial text as you’d expect. But that’s where the exact similarities actually end. For instance, the Moonshine Gold PVD hands have the same skeleton design and lume plots, but the seconds hand features the Paris 2024 Olympic flame logo. Looking at the date wheel, the font has been changed to the Paris 2024 typography. Perhaps even more subtle (though it did jump right out at me) is the positive relief wave pattern. Regular Seamasters generally feature the wave pattern in negative relief (sunken), including the Beijing 2022 model. But this edition raises the waves above the plane of the dial and polishes them, affording a bit more liveliness (this was also seen on another two-tone Seamaster, the Titanium Tantalum LE).

The “Paris 2024” Special Edition runs on the Omega Calibre 8800. This is a Co-Axial Master Chronometer movement with a 55-hour power reserve and an accuracy of 0/+5 seconds per day, the standard movement for Seamaster Diver 300M models. More intriguing is the caseback itself. First and foremost, it features a Moonshine Gold Paris 2024 medallion and the Olympic rings against a frosted steel background. Omega is no stranger to caseback medallions, but they’re more commonly seen on Constellations. To ensure the caseback design always lines up perfectly, the watch features the brand’s patented Naiad Lock system.

Omega released five watches for the 2018 games and two for the 2022 games—and a quintet of three-handed Olympic Seamasters just because— so I think it’s safe to say this release is just the tip of the iceberg for Paris 2024. Having already ticked off the Seamaster box, it will be interesting to see what direction the brand takes with the rest of its Paris 2024 releases. Maybe we’ll get another set of Speedmasters like we did for Tokyo, or perhaps the brand will surprise with a Constellation. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “Paris 2024” Special Edition is priced at $8,700 USD and while not explicitly limited, is available only at Omega’s Paris boutiques and presumably not forever. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.