Omega announces the Planet Ocean Deep Black

Omega has just shown the world the newest Seamaster Planet Ocean – The “Deep Black”. While most dark black divers are made out of steel that has been PVD coated, the Deep Black’s case is crafted out of a single block of black ceramic, making this a unique diver indeed. 

‘Deep Black’ refers not only to the color, but also the depths (600m WR, deep by any measure) the watch is rated to handle. From what I understand it’s quite an engineering challenge to get ceramics to withstand such pressures, and believe this is a first for any dive watch manufacturer (please correct me if I’m wrong).

The Deep Black is the Planet Ocean take on the Speedmaster ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ ceramic, which was revealed last year.

Four new models of the Seamaster Planet Ocean were revealed:

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The 18K Sedna Gold Deep Black – ref. 215.63.46.22.01.001

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The Deep Black – ref. 215.92.46.22.01.001

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Deep Black Blue – ref. 215.92.46.22.01.002

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Deep Black Red – ref. 215.92.46.22.01.003

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On the Black and the 18K Sedna gold, the ceramic case and dial are polished for a high gloss effect. On the Blue and the Red, the case and dial are brushed for a matt effect, the goal being better visibility underwater.

Wondering why Omega chose to have their models styled in blue and red? Red is the first color to disappear underwater, losing most of it after only about 10ft. Blue light makes it the deepest, reaching down to a couple of hundred feet. If you actually managed to get to the Deep Blacks rated depth, there’d be no light at all except for what you brought with you.

The Deep Black also merges a GMT function into the watch, an uncommon feature on divers. Instead of having the GMT hours located on the bezel, they’re printed on the chapter ring surrounding the dial.

The black rubber straps are designed to look like fabric, with contrasting stitching (matching the color of the face), and treated with an anti-bacterial coating. On the underside of the strap is a wave pattern.

The strap features a fold-over ceramised titanium clasp, with a clasp cover made in pure ceramic that’s been finished to match the case (matt or polished).

The hands and indexes are made from either 18K Sedna gold or 18K white gold. They’re coated in the excellent white Super-LumiNova paint that emits either green or blue in the dark.

None of the markings are simply painted on, Omega uses their LiquidMetal technology in which metal is filled into channels in the ceramic. This lasts much longer and will not scratch away. On the Red and blue models Omega uses vulcanized rubber injected into etched channels on the bezel to get the desired long-lasting colors.

In a rare feature of a diver rated to this depth, the Deep Black features a very large sapphire crystal display caseback that shows off the gorgeous decorated co-axial master chronometer movement. In a move purely to showcase their obsession with detail, Omega designed and patented the Naiad lock (named after water nymphs in Greek mythology), which ensures that the lettering on the caseback is perfectly aligned with the case after screwing in the back.

I’m a pretty big fan of the look of the Deep Black and other black divers. With more and more manufacturers coming out with black divers, and PVD coated cases being such a popular watch mod, I don’t think this trend of dark divers is going to die out anytime soon.

The Planet Ocean Deep Black will be available in stores October ’16 with a retail price of 10,400 Swiss francs for all the models except the Sedna gold, which will retail for 13,400 francs.

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