Omega Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean

At a glance:

• Reference: 232.30.42.21.01.003

• Calibre 8500 Movement

• 600m water resistance

• 42mm

• Generation 2 of Planet Ocean

• Ceramic bezel insert

• Sapphire crystal with AR front and rear

• Applied indices

• Date window at 3 o'clock

• Helium Escape Valve

• 20mm lug width

• 15.8mm thickness

After the purchase of my Mark II Speedmaster Racing I thought I was 'one and done' in this watch collecting thing I had developed like a rapid onset virus. I was soon to learn how foolish this turned out to be. I was hooked and never more so than when I set my eyes on this Generation 2 Planet Ocean from Omega.

This piece was like no other I had ever seen. I loved the colours of black, orange and white, much like our beloved calico cat but less needy. At 42mm it was right in the pocket for my 8.5" wrist. It was also advertised by a trusted consignment dealer in my country. What I wasn't prepared for was the price.

As a metric I usually take Chrono 24's watch collection price aggregate with a grain of salt but this beast is apparently worth as of today 41.2% more than what I paid for it so I think I may have got a bargain. Whilst I am strongly against the notion of purchasing watches as an investment I still delight with how the planets aligned to allow this watch to come home to me.

One thing's for sure about the Omega Planet Ocean series, these things are thick. This is the middle sized model in this line up which included 37.5mm, 42mm & 45.5mm case sizes. The funny thing is I didn't know that Omega made this in 3 case sizes when I bought it so as I was awaiting it's arrival via courier I sweated more than Prince Andrew in the Falklands. Had I made a very expensive mistake and bought a 37.5mm watch. Thankfully the 42mm version arrived and I breathed a big sigh of relief.

At 8.5" my wrist is one of those that could've easily supported the 45.5mm model but am really glad that the 42mm was the one that turned up. Even at a hefty 15.8mm thickness it sits comfortably on the wrist. You know it's there, it's 197g weight is on the hefty side but I suspect this weight figure is including the steel bracelet of which this one was lacking. Instead this watch came with a blue OEM Omega rubber Seamaster strap which I unfortunately had to remove as it was too short. This reference is however a straps monster and looks great on any number of colours and/or styles of strap.

Thankfully I have a straps bin with more than 100 different straps to choose from and at 20mm lug width it shared many of those straps with my Mark II Speedmaster. I regularly change the straps on my watches to suit the weather here in the sub-tropics of Australia and this watch is no exception. No matter what strap I have worn with it this watch delivers.

If you love a diver and want something with a little bit more than your average Submariner then why not try an Omega Planet Ocean 600m?