Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Review

My review today is my Omega Seamaster Aquaterra, in Sedna(rose)gold/stainless with the Omega Rubber strap. This was the first ‘luxury’ watch I purchase new, or rather my wife talked me into this one, as a memento of a nice beach vacation. That was three years ago this month and as usual, she was right, this was a great purchase.

This is definitely a bright shiny watch. With the black strap its not too much bling on the wrist though. The dial is beautiful, the horizontal lines are supposed to evoke the memories of a teak yacht deck, but they probably only due this for a real boat nerd. They just look good, and the uneven width gives visual interest on close inspection. The markers are a highlight, very well cut in a dark steel, they are raised up from the dial in the back an taper in an downward - giving an interesting dimensional look. The markers and hands are lumed. The makers and hour hand is very visible in low light, the minute and second hand have lumed arrow tips - a bit less visible and the minute hand arrow can ‘disappear’ into the markers in very low light.

The bezel is polished rose gold and the case is polished and brushed steel. Both can show faint scratching over time. I don’t baby my watches at all, so this one has seen a good bit of wrist time on the beach and other high wear activities. I like a bit of patina, and I think you can see it in the pictures. The crystal is a very slightly domed sapphire  and totally resists scratching.  The screw down crown is gold with a minor annoyance, when screwing it in it can be hard to engage the threads. The first crown out position allows the hour hand to be set forward or back - nice when traveling. Second position hacks the second hand for precision setting.

I have the 41mm case with the 8900 movement. It is reliable at -4 seconds/day. It is an anti-magnetic movement. The case back is clear and the movement is well finished with a good view of the pallet and escape wheel, if you look in just the right place. There are also a number of very small interesting jeweler marks on the back case and deployant clasp. It’s 13.4mm thick and 47.5mm lug to lug. Wears well on my 7” wrist, but will push up a tight cuff.

The band is part of what really makes this watch special. It is some type of rubber that is comfortable for all day wear, hot or cold. It has a black weaved finish and white stitching accents; from a distance it is easily mistaken for leather. There is a soft scalloping on the inside that may add to the comfort. I’ve worm a number of watches with rubber or silicone bands; this is easily the most comfortable and the most attractive. There is no micro-adjustments on the clasp, but it slots into multiple positions on the band easily, so it is easy to find a comfortable slot and adjust if needed during the day. This is not a diver, but is rated for 150m water resistance and I’ve found no need to baby it. I’ve worn it at the beach and just rinsed in fresh water after. This a favorite of mine. The steel/gold combination is a bit pricey, but the steel case, rubber strap is listed on the Omega site for $5500. Get the rubber strap, you’ll  be glad you did!