Although the pandemic-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are only a few months past, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are already fast approaching. As the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, Omega has a long legacy of commemorative Olympic tie-in watches, and for 2022 the brand aims to evoke the look of the Winter Olympics’ defining feature – fresh snow. The new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 combines a classic colorway with detailed and evocative dial finishing for a bright and stylish reimagining of one of the brand’s most versatile lines.

The 41mm stainless steel case of the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 follows the classic Omega lines of the standard model, with the brand’s trademark twisted lyre lugs accented by a smooth sloping polished bezel and an unguarded 3 o’clock crown. The familiar blend of brushed surfaces and the flowing, tapered polished lug chamfer also returns, keeping this design strongly in line with the brand’s DNA in images. Omega opts for a solid caseback for this variant, with a raised and polished rendition of the swoopy abstract Beijing 2022 Olympic logo above a grainy frosted backdrop. Like the rest of the Aqua Terra line, Omega rates this model for a capable 150 meters of water resistance.

Although the dial of the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 is a new stylistic endeavor for the Swiss brand, enthusiasts will likely be quick to draw comparisons to similar designs from competitors. In some ways the intricate snowy texture of this cool white dial is a creative shot across the bow of Grand Seiko and its fan-favorite Spring Drive SBGA211 “Snowflake” design, but in practice Omega’s approach takes a broadly different route. While the Japanese giant uses a dial stamping procedure with translucent painting to achieve its wavy snowdrift texture, Omega instead uses laser engraving on a zirconium oxide ceramic dial base to create its effect. Omega’s interpretation of snow is sharper and more layered than its counterpart, with suggestions of ice and frost in the brightly glossy highlights in initial images. In keeping with this bold and frosty base texture, Omega equips the Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 with deep blued triangular indices and a matching set of the line’s distinctive dauphine and arrow hands. The brand’s use of vibrant red for the traditional “Seamaster” script emblem at 12 o’clock and accents in the outer minutes track gives this design an even bolder punch in images, without resorting to the multicolored Olympic ring references that have characterized many of Omega’s past commemorative watch efforts. Taken as a whole, it’s a sharper, more aggressive take on the “snow dial” concept than previous iterations, with a more outgoing and dynamic character in images.

Like the standard Aqua Terra, Omega powers the Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 with its in-house Calibre 8900 automatic movement. Equipped with the brand’s innovative co-axial escapement and resistant to a hefty 15,000 Gauss of magnetism, the Calibre 8900 is an impressively capable and modern powerplant with METAS’ stringent Master Chronometer certification for accuracy. Power reserve performance is also excellent, with a 60 hour rating at a 25,200 bph beat rate. Omega pairs the watch with its broad three-link stainless steel bracelet, featuring wide mirror polished center links for a bright and dressy look.

With an icy new look and intricate bespoke finishing, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 stands as one of the most attractive and intriguing recent additions to the Aqua Terra line. The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 is available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $6,200. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.