The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquid Metal ® watch has been launched to mark the 1948 birth year of this, one of Omegas most enduring marques. Produced in only 1,948 pieces, it also attracts a limited edition price of above $6000.00 USD. Orders for this model have been strong and the rumour is that precedence is being given to Omega boutiques, a number of smaller authorised dealerships having little hope of securing multiple pieces.
Liquidmetal® is a new class of alloy that behaves similar to plastics, in that it is able to be heat formed in a very similar way to thermo-plastics, but offers the advantages of high tensile strength, superlative resistance to corrosion and very desirable anti-wearing characteristics. The material was created after many years of research by a team at the California Institute of Technology.
To read up on Liquidmetal®, click here.
Omega is believed to be one of the first manufacturers to use the material to produce parts of a watch case, and this is exciting to Omegaphiles because it’s reminiscent of the ingenuity and creative output during Omega’s first halcyon period of the 1950s and 60s.
The metallic glass alloy is made up from zirconium, titanium, copper, nickel and beryllium and can be formed into thicknesses of as little as a tenth of a millimetre, making it an ideal material to create flawless union of the numbers and scaling to the ceramic parts of the Planet Ocean bezel. The black of the ceramic bezel matches perfectly the black of the ceramic dial. Any future fading, if indeed that occurs, will be uniform, and in the next sixty years of the marque's life it may well be appreciated by those collecting this model as a vintage!
The wearing qualities of a ceramic and Liquidmetal® bezel are a far cry from the bakelite confections seen on early Speedmasters and Seamasters and offer excellent protection against the bumps and scrapes of landlubber use. This is of particular import to the countless army of men who wear Planet Oceans as both a work and life accessory.
Under the dial is one of the best contemporary production movements available today. The calibre 2500 Co-Axial needs no fanfare in this instance, because its global reputation of long-term precision and durability. First-class functional and cosmetic finishing enhances the excellent engineering of this proven performer.
So, is the limited edition a ‘must-have’ for collectors of contemporary Omegas? That depends on the degree to which the alloy is deployed in future Omega dive or water resistant watch bezels. Undoubtedly this model will have a higher collectibility rating because of its limited numbers, but it’s hard to believe that after such an investment in applying this technology Omega will not use it in future models. Thus, the choice becomes one of being first or waiting for the technology to surface on other Omega bezels.
Liquidmetal® is a new class of alloy that behaves similar to plastics, in that it is able to be heat formed in a very similar way to thermo-plastics, but offers the advantages of high tensile strength, superlative resistance to corrosion and very desirable anti-wearing characteristics. The material was created after many years of research by a team at the California Institute of Technology.
To read up on Liquidmetal®, click here.
Omega is believed to be one of the first manufacturers to use the material to produce parts of a watch case, and this is exciting to Omegaphiles because it’s reminiscent of the ingenuity and creative output during Omega’s first halcyon period of the 1950s and 60s.
The metallic glass alloy is made up from zirconium, titanium, copper, nickel and beryllium and can be formed into thicknesses of as little as a tenth of a millimetre, making it an ideal material to create flawless union of the numbers and scaling to the ceramic parts of the Planet Ocean bezel. The black of the ceramic bezel matches perfectly the black of the ceramic dial. Any future fading, if indeed that occurs, will be uniform, and in the next sixty years of the marque's life it may well be appreciated by those collecting this model as a vintage!
The wearing qualities of a ceramic and Liquidmetal® bezel are a far cry from the bakelite confections seen on early Speedmasters and Seamasters and offer excellent protection against the bumps and scrapes of landlubber use. This is of particular import to the countless army of men who wear Planet Oceans as both a work and life accessory.
Under the dial is one of the best contemporary production movements available today. The calibre 2500 Co-Axial needs no fanfare in this instance, because its global reputation of long-term precision and durability. First-class functional and cosmetic finishing enhances the excellent engineering of this proven performer.
So, is the limited edition a ‘must-have’ for collectors of contemporary Omegas? That depends on the degree to which the alloy is deployed in future Omega dive or water resistant watch bezels. Undoubtedly this model will have a higher collectibility rating because of its limited numbers, but it’s hard to believe that after such an investment in applying this technology Omega will not use it in future models. Thus, the choice becomes one of being first or waiting for the technology to surface on other Omega bezels.
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