HANDS-ON: Tantalising Tantalum – the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Limited Edition
Tantalum, what’s that, I hear you say. Well, allow me to explain. Tantalum is a highly corrosion-resistant bluish-grey metal with an extreme hardness and high boiling point. Which are the exact qualities you want in a dive watch, but also qualities that make Tantalum incredibly difficult to work with – and the reason why the material is not often seen in the watch industry. However, when Omega first released the Seamaster Diver 300M in 1993, their flagship model was a tri-coloured chronograph (ref 2296.80) that included a case made from titanium, tantalum, and rose gold. Twenty-five years later, the combination is back, only now it’s without the chronograph, and it features a host of modern updates. At quick glance, the limited edition looks quite similar to its regular collection siblings. But there’s a lot more going on here than first meets the eye. First of all, and most obviously, the bezel insert is 18k Sedna gold, with a frosted finish that tones things down and sets the stage for the muted grey titanium dial – with its laser-engraved wave pattern raised rather than etched into its darkened surface. There’s also no date, but there is a set of familiar 18k…
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The most straightforward definition of the word complication is “a difficulty”. But not to state the obvious, nothing is simple about being complicated. And as watchmakers and watch lovers know, when it comes to watches and their complications, there’s far more than just their difficulty of design and manufacture to appreciate. These added intricacies built into a watch’s movement provide extra functionality that many of us find incredibly handy to use. But are they all really that useful? Not really, but we love them anyway. Here are five examples where usefulness is trumped by straight up awesomeness. The Planetarium Showing the relative positions of some or all of the planets in our solar system, a planetarium complication is by far one of the coolest of the bunch. But unless you plan on navigating to our celestial neighbours as a citizen astronaut with SpaceX, or you absolutely must know if Venus is in Libra, is that really something you would ever need to know? Really, though, it’s knowing that with only a quick check of the wrist I could tell you that Mercury is rounding the Sun for its third time this Earth year that makes the planetarium so special. The…
It’s all about the music, man, it’s always been about the music. At least it is for Raymond Weil. And the Swiss-made brand’s Music Icon Series. Not only does it feature limited-edition tributes to artists such as Bob Marley, David Bowie and The Beatles, but it also pays homage to the instruments and equipment that brought these iconic performers their god-like status on stage. Introduced at Baselworld 2018, the latest in Raymond Weil’s line of musical collaborations is with famed amp maker Marshall. Known for their signature Marshall “crunch” sound, the British manufacturer of guitar amplifiers and loudspeaker cabinets holds status amongst the rock elite thanks to the seminal amp’s ear-bleeding loudness and its unmistakable rock ’n’ roll sound. Before we get to the list of potential wrist rockers, let’s quickly run through the basics. Incorporating many of the instantly recognisable design traits of a Marshall amp, the 43mm PVD-coated case of this brand-new Tango is none more black (any Spinal Tap fans?), while its textured dial is surrounded by a white ring – like the outline of the iconic amp – and reminiscent of the external grill of an amplifier. Gold subdials, which measure the elapsed time of the…
