WORLDTEMPUS – 23 mai 2011
Kristian Haagen
Last week, Omega impressively showed its latest Seamaster Planet Ocean models on the small island of Capri in the bay of Naples. A boat sailing around the historic island entered one of the legendary blue grottos, where a mermaid emerged from the water to hand one of the new orange Planet Ocean Chronograph to this reporter. The colorful diver's watch was not a present from a beautiful sea creature, but rather Omega's creative way to present a new watch to the press on board the chartered vessel.
This diver's watch, water-resistant to 600 meters, of the Seamaster Planet Ocean collection – which was originally launched in 2004 – is a sporty Omega. The line includes a three-hander (in both 42 and 45.5 mm case diameters) and 45.5 mm chronograph model in addition to a slightly more feminine 37.5 mm version for women: all are fitted with the latest in-house mechanical co-axial calibers 8500/8501, 8520/8521 or the new 9300 (chronograph).
The chronograph, available in stainless steel with an orange aluminum bezel, a black ceramic bezel or in titanium with a blue ceramic bezel and Liquidmetal markers, displays the 12-hour and 60-minute chronograph totalizers on the same subdial at 3 o'clock. This is the same set-up found on the new Speedmaster Moon. All the new movements are furthermore fitted with a newly developed Si 14 silicon balance spring, which is apparently incredibly reliable: Omega offers a four-year factory guarantee on it.
No more quartz
“We produced 420,000 co-axial movements in 2010,” Omega president Stephen Urquhart explained as he showed the new collection at a scenic beach club located on one of the rocks where sirens allegedly lured sailors with their seductive song.
“That is more than half our total production [of a total of 700,000 watches --ed]. Within the next three years we will fit all our watches with our own movements,” he claimed, indicating the end of quartz as going forward all models will contain mechanical movements, including the women's lines. Though it was pointed out that some women would rather spend their money on a diamond bezel or a precious metal case than a mechanical movement, Urquhart was insistent that Omega “needs to be consistent.”
As much as this represents a changing of guard, it means that Omega's pricing will increase as well. However, it seems to be a clever move as the market with the biggest growth in Swiss horology belongs to a price segment around 15,000 euros, where it was between 2,500 and 7,500 only ten years ago. The entry level price for the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean collection today (with mechanical, co-axial, manufacture Caliber 8500) is approximately 4,600 euros on a strap. The former entry-level model, which did not include a manufacture movement, had a retail price of approximately 3,300 euros.Scratch-resistant
Above and beyond the use of mechanical manufacture movements, Omega also justifies its price increase with innovative external developments, such as the blue ceramic bezel made of Liquidmetal, a scratch-resistant amorphous material. Combined with the high-tech ceramic bezel insert, the bezel comprising these two innovative materials will maintain its appearance indefinitely.
The bright orange bezel version, however, is not yet crafted in ceramic material, but rather aluminum. According to Jean-Claude Monachon, in charge of product development, the orange ceramic material turns beige when exposed to extreme heat. “We'll solve this problem eventually,” Monachon is confident.
New partnership and man from the moonOmega announced a new partnership with environmental activist, photographer and filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand and his organization GoodPlanet. Together with Omega, Arthus-Betrand will produce a film named for the Planet Ocean watches about the earth's oceans. It will serve to remind viewers of the natural beauty that covers two-thirds of the planet's surface and to raise the awareness of what can be done to protect the oceans.
During the event, Urquhart introduced another friend of Omega: astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin, of course, who wore a Speedmaster when he landed on the moon in 1969, has been a decade-long ambassador of Omega. This particular evening, he wore a gold Omega De Ville Chronoscope – and of course an Apollo 11 pin in the collar of his immaculate blue suit.
