Omega Seamaster Diver 300M No Time To Die review

Introduction

No watch is perfect. If there was such a thing, surely we would all buy that and then watch collecting would be done. All watches have flaws and quirks. For me, a watch is an emotional item. Rarely do I look at a watch and think "If only...". The watches I love I do so in spite of their foibles.

In my opinion, then, a watch review should present a balanced view of a watch, the good and the bad, irrespective of my personal - emotional - feelings about the watch. I can adore a watch, but still recognise its issues.

The watch

Omega has been associated with the Bond franchise since 1995, when a (quartz) Seamaster 300M graced the wrist of Pierce Brosnan's 007. For the 25th movie in the series, No Time To Die, Omega again released a special edition watch.

The Omega Diver 300M 007 Edition - more commonly referred to as the 'No Time To Die' or 'NTTD' was released in late 2019, to coincide with the release of the movie. However, world events overtook the film's release and it finally hit cinemas in September 2021. This meant Bond fans had nearly two years of speculating about the watch, what gadgets it may contain, and how big a part it played in saving 007's life.

The watch itself is a big departure from previous Seamaster 300M models - retro-inspired looks, a new Titanium case and a unique mesh bracelet. Rumours were that Daniel Craig himself had significant input into the design, desiring a lighter, sleeker and more tool-like timepiece, more befitting of a secret agent.

Omega defines the watch as a Special Edition. It is not limited; however, Omega have also stated the watch will only stay on sale until the next Bond movie is announced. As of Jun 2023 there has been no such announcement from Eon Pictures, so expect the NTTD to remain on sale for at least a few more months.

Dimensions

• Diameter: 42mm

• Lug-to-lug: 49mm

• Thickness: 13mm

• Weight: 93g

Dial and hands

The NTTD eschews the traditional SMP engraved ceramic wave dial, in favour of a matt aluminium dial finished in a deep chocolate brown dial. The printing on the dial is as crisp as you would expect from Omega. The text is colour-matched to the indices, apart from the red 'Seamaster' logo in its traditional script font. The text balances the dial nicely, and reduces the amount of negative space on the dial, without being obtrusive.

A MOD crow's foot logo sits just above the six o'clock marker. This is a little nod to the fantasy of this being a watch issued to MOD agents. Compared to previous Omega 007 releases (like the silly 007 seconds hand counterbalance), this is rather subtle. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but on the whole I can live with it.

The indices are titanium and lume filled. In the flesh the lume is much more of a caramel colour than the more orange hue often seen in photographs. The indices themselves are extraordinarily tight and precise and, with their dark, unpolished finish, give an almost precision machine tool feel to the dial; far more so than I've experienced on any other watch dial.

The hands are finished with deep longitudinal brush. If I'm honest, I'm not the biggest fan of skeleton hands and these particular hands aren't the most legible. In some lights it's difficult to see the hands at all, and you have to rely on the position of the lume pips to read the time.

Overall, the lower contrast of the dial, whilst still remaining legible, gives a feeling of subtlety and restraint, which is something I really appreciate.

Lume

It would be churlish to criticise the lume on this watch. The hands, indices and bezel are all fully lumed with generous amounts of BGW9. The minute hand and bezel pip have applied green Superluminova.

There's so much lume all over the face of this watch I can't imagine how a secret agent could use it at night without giving their position away immediately!

Case

The NTTD has a grade 2 titanium case. Although the case shares the same basic architecture as the other SMP models, it is subtly but significantly different in some of its dimensions.

I'm a huge fan of Omega's case design. I love the visual complexity and interest of the lyre-lug design; far more so than the relative simplicity of, say, Rolex or Tudor.

The NTTD case is thinner than the standard SMP, and has a thinner bezel. This leads to the case wearing wide and flat on the wrist, especially compared to the standard SMP, which I've always felt wore a little chunky. The NTTD definitely feels sleeker than its brethren.

Some have criticised the use of grade 2 titanium as being softer and more prone to scratches than grade 5. I've not owned the watch long enough to comment on its scratch resistance; nor have I seen an example that has 'lived life' long enough to develop significant patination.

The helium escape valve is present, as it is on all Seamaster Diver 300Ms. You either hate it or love it. Personally, I like the asymmetry it brings. After all, the Millennium Falcon is the coolest spaceship in movie history and that's asymmetric! No arguments from me about the complete lack of usefulness of the HEV, though.

The caseback of the NTTD is closed, hiding the movement. It is on the caseback that you find the biggest indulgence to Bond-fantasy. The caseback is deeply engraved with a mock (but legitimate!) NATO stock number, with a nod to both 007 and 1962, when the first Bond movie, Dr No, was released. It's also here that you find the only 007 logo on the whole watch.

Some may roll their eyes at this pseudo-military guff, but again, unlike many other Omega-Bond issues (for example, the moiré gun-barrel sequence on the latest 60th Anniversary Edition) this is relatively subtle and doesn't jump out as an overt "Look at me! I'm a James Bond watch!". As someone who rarely looks at the backs of his watches, and has no interest in open casebacks, I can live with this.

Crystal

I dislike box-domed sapphire crystals. I appreciate that they are relatively expensive to produce, but the Chinese have become so adept at producing them that I nowadays associate 'box-domed sapphire crystal' with 'cheap Chinese watch'.

That said, the crystal on the NTTD is a triumph; and one of the highlight features of this watch. Omega have produced a domed sapphire that reflects (pun-intended) the shape and optical distortions associated with acrylic crystals (which I have a real soft spot for), whilst retaining all the benefits of sapphire. The NTTD also manages to avoid the much-maligned 'milky ring' of box-domed crystals.

The crystal probably takes up about 2mm of the watch's 13mm thickness, which leads to it wearing even thinner than the numbers might suggest.

Bezel

The bezel may be the weakest aspect of the NTTD.

The bezel insert is a matt chocolate-brown, perfectly matching the dial colour. The bezel is fully lumed. Many have commented that a ceramic bezel should be expected for the money. It seems Omega chose aluminium so that the watch dial and bezel would age and patinate consistently with time.

The bezel action is... OK. No more, no less. Because of the lower density of titanium, bezels made in that material tend to sound a little light and scratchy. It's difficult to get a really slick action. The NTTD action is light and alignment is perfect, but there is the tiniest hint of back-play and wobble; more felt with the fingers than seen with the eye. No Seamaster (in my opinion) has a particularly fantastic bezel action; and none is a patch on a Tudor or Rolex bezel. If you're a bezel-twiddler then the NTTD may come as a real disappointment.

Movement

The Omega calibre 8806 is the no-date variant of the 8800-series movements. It features hacking, hand-winding and runs at 25200 vph. It has a power reserve of 55 hours, which is not class-leading in these days where 70+ hours is becoming the norm. If you're going to be wearing this watch as a daily, then 55 hours is more than adequate.

Beyond that, the 8806 is a tour-de-force of modern mass-production watchmaking. It is a truly extraordinary movement and fully METAS-certified. Mine is running at +1 secs/day.

Operating the movement is typically slick. The crown is screw-down and pops out with a satisfying click (although not very far). The action is smooth and provides that 'oily' resistance that the best movements do. I'm not a fan of very light winding actions, that almost feel like the crown has snapped off.

Screwing back in the crown is equally satisfying and the crown threading engages precisely.

The bracelet

For me, the bracelet is another stand-out feature of this watch. The use of a mesh bracelet, without integrated end links, was an inspired choice, and gives the NTTD a fantastic retro feel, whilst remaining modern. The fact that Omega have released a mesh bracelet as a stand-alone option - and that so many owners are switching to it - is a testament to how right Omega got it with this bracelet.

The bracelet is constructed of grade 2 titanium; which must make it hellishly expensive to manufacture. It tapers from 20mm at the links to 17mm at the clasp, and is 3mm thick. The mesh design is wider than a typical Milanese mesh, but much tighter than a shark mesh. The finishing on the bracelet is, frankly, magnificent, given its complexity.

The bracelet movement is super fluid in the hand, but there is a limit to the flexibility; unlike a traditional milanese. The radius of curvature for the bracelet is quite large, meaning there is a limit to how far it can wrap round a wrist. If you have a smaller wrist, you may find that the bracelet cannot flex enough to go round your wrist; and the watch will not sit flat or close.

The deployant clasp is also made in grade 2 titanium. Unlike a normal milanese, the NTTD clasp uses holes in the bracelet for adjustment. The mechanism to lock into a particular hole is simple and brilliant, and beautifully executed. However, there is no micro-adjustment on this clasp, so some may find they cannot get a good fit. I'm lucky, this watch fits me perfectly. The deployant mechanism means there is a lot of thickness under the watch that may bother some; I haven't noticed it. Also, the swing arm of the deployant clasp is curved and I can imagine that for some people, the curve could cause the buckle to either stick out from the wrist, or dig in. Again, I encountered neither of these issues, and the bracelet is an almost-perfect fit.

The NATO strap is a standard Omega quality - that is to say, exceptionally good - NATO with titanium furniture. The strap uses a variation of the classic 'Bond NATO' stripes. Personally, I dislike the look of the watch on the NATO. I find it removes some of the slimness that is such a differentiating feature of this model compared to other SMPs. Additionally, to my eyes, the colours chosen for the stripes doesn't quite work.

Wearability

At 42mm, this is a full-size diver. With a lug-to-lug of 49mm this is not a watch for smaller-wristed people. I'm 6' 4" with a flat and wide 7.25" (18.5cm) wrist, and it wears well on me.

One of the common complaints I hear about the NTTD is the inability to get a comfortable fit. I'm afraid this is either a watch that fits you, or it doesn't. It seems that if you have small, or particularly round wrists, it can be difficult to either get the watch to fit, or avoid it digging in to you somewhere. My advice would be to try before you buy.

Titanium is about 40% less dense than stainless steel, so with both the watch head and bracelet being made of the material, the NTTD feels almost weightless on the wrist. Some people dislike the lightweight nature of titanium, stating that it feels 'cheap'. They prefer the solidity and weight that comes with steel (or precious metals). Personally, I enjoy the lack of weight titanium brings. The precision of the finishing and details of the watch push it toward feeling much more like a high-tech 'aerospace' product than 'cheap and insubstantial'

Fit and finish

This is a luxury watch; fit and finish are essentially without reproach. There is no polishing anywhere on the watch, but brushing is smooth and even; and edges are laser-precise, without being sharp.

The all-brushed finish lends itself perfectly to the stealthy tool-watch aesthetic, but in many ways it also helps highlight all the facets and edges of the NTTD's case architecture. Personally, I find it more appealing than the standard SMP finishing.

Box and packaging

A spectacular and extravagant box is a lovely thing to open at the AD when you pick up the watch but afterwards normally becomes a pain as you have to find a home for it. If you're like me, you probably have cratefuls of empty decorative watch boxes (just waiting until you sell the watch on).

The box the NTTD comes in is a blessedly simple affair. A simple black box, contain a flat, map-case-style watch case. The carry case is made of a fine, brown canvas and latched with leather straps with studs. The case has a simple leather tag with the 007 logo on it. The watch is laid flat inside.

I much prefer packaging like this. Not only does it fit in with the whole 'secret agent kit' aesthetic, it's actually a useful accessory for the watch, should you need to pack it for travel.

Value for money

Titanium is an expensive material that is difficult to machine. That bracelet must be a nightmare to manufacture. The SMP case has been redesigned. There's a complex, high-clarity crystal.

And you're paying the "James Bond Tax".

When it was first released, the NTTD was £3000 more expensive than a standard SMP. At the time of writing this review, and after several years of year-on-year price increases, the NTTD stands at £9300 ($9500), compared to £5500 for a standard SMP. For many, the watch cannot justify its significant price difference.

This was my grail watch. I loved it from afar, always believing it was beyond my means. As I got closer to being able to afford it, it steadily began to accelerate out of my grasp. However, I got lucky, I managed to negotiate a substantial discount on pre-price-increase NTTD. And that's the only reason it exists in my collection.

I can't, with good conscience, call this watch any sort of good value. It was an indulgence for me; maybe a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Conclusions

Ultimately, what you're buying here is a piece of Bond memorabilia, that just so happens to also be an exquisite timepiece. It is an exact replica of the watch worn by Daniel Craig in No Time To Die, and you can look down it on your wrist and pretend you too are James Bond. It is a fantasy wish-fulfilment watch. And there's nothing wrong with that.

As a member of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M collection, the NTTD is a unique piece. It is sleeker, more techy, and feels more refined than a regular SMP.

Some people may baulk at the retro 'fauxtina' look, but I think the biggest drawbacks are the price and the wearability. This is an (overly) expensive watch and if it doesn't fit your particularly wrist there's very little can be done to make it fit.