Your Seamaster Diver 300 thoughts

I have the black dial which I bought after running out of patience trying to get the green dial. On reflection though, I really wished I'd bought the white dial which I think really pops.

I think it was my dislike of the bracelet that saw me get the black dial but had I got it on the bracelet I'd have changed it out immediately.

It would be a great choice, the dial really is something special.

I’m not an owner but a Seamaster fan. The Seamaster Heritage model is really high on my list. I wish you luck in getting your SM.

I have the seaweed green SMP and absolutely love it.. bought it to mark 15 years of marriage.. also I bought it on a bracelet and later bought Omega rubber band.. it’s one of the closet diver and iconic as well.

They are great watches. My thought process when I got one; The bracelet did nothing for me and it was a rare instance I opted to buy a rubber strap. This is a rare case where the lack of bracelet does not take away from the value. If you have a larger wrist, the bracelet may not bug you. Second, they are great buys on the grey market, even better on the pre-owned. Wish you the best of luck in your quest.

Did you go grey? It is hard to turn down a Jomashop price for a brand new one at basically same cost as used.

Yep. There is no way I would pay full price for one, but you can always try to negotiate with a dealer to match. Your success may vary.

I trust no warranty issues or anything? I’m seriously considering grey as the way to go.

Both of mine came with the warranty cards, papers etc, but it is worth asking them before. Not all play by the same rules, but these days, for the most part, with Omega, the warranty follows the watch regardless.

🔥

Love the dial, not a big fan of the hands

I have the white one and absolutely love it. Best of luck getting one and hope it’s soon!

Here's my experience with my specific watch (results may vary):

Pros:

-sapphire caseback lets you see a pretty good looking movement.

-anti reflective coating on the top and bottom side of the crystal gives a very clear view of the dial. Almost as if the crystal isnt there.

-shiny black ceramic bezel insert and black ceramic dial gives it a very elegant look.

-the scalloped bezel has a nice flow and looks pleasing to the eyes compared to coin edge bezels.

-i like the "tank tread" bracelet design.

-master chronometer certification ensures it goes through testing that's in my mind more elaborate than cosc.

-co-axial escapement is different from the rest of the watches i own and exclusive (?) To omega. It boasts a longer service interval of 8 to 10 years.

-the omega brand is pretty well recognized and respected among enthusiasts and non enthusiasts alike so if you care about getting ridiculed about your watch choices, this is a safe brand to go with.

-the helium escape valve is a signature feature of the watch and i am glad it is there, even if its function may never be utilized.

Cons:

-the nice scalloped bezel shape can have a slight difficulty in grip, but not unmanageable.

-the bracelet may cause wrist fatigue on account of how thick and wide it is (thats what she said) but it doesnt happen for me all the time. It comes and goes.

-the one thing i really dont like about my specific watch is it came to me out of spec even after being bought brand new from an omega boutique. The metas card says my watch will run at +4.4 seconds per day but upon testing (not with a timegrapher) over a 1 week period and checking the time everyday, the watch would always be around +6 seconds daily. That is not a huge gap and it isn't even a big deal but i expected my watch to run within its spec sheet. I had higher expectations from this co-axial movement. At the time this was my most expensive watch purchase and i was pretty disappointed. I am pretty much over it now and i will just bring up the issue when it comes time for a maintenance service. I didnt want them to open up my brand new watch plus it would have been a hassle to fly back to the boutique and skip work just for a few seconds of accuracy 😄

I hope this helps with your decision making. I would recommend the watch and wouldnt stop anyone from buying it if they want to. I still enjoy mine, even with the flaws, since May 2022.

Beautiful watch. I have the grey dial. Highly recommend. Slight negative may the bezel grip compared to others with a better feel.

You can pick up 25% discount on grey market 10/10 unworn if you look hard.

I sold my Rolex Submariner to purchase the SMP in white and another watch. The reason I chose the white dial was that it looked fantastic with the black skeletonized hands, red tipped seconds hand with the red lettering. The black ceramic bezel plays well against the white dial and lastly it's the most underrated dial color and not many have the white variant compared to the other colors. So you will be in the minority, which in this case is a good thing.

I'm still in love with my SMP and enjoy looking at it when it's on my wrist. I didn't have an issue articulating the bezel, like everything in life that's new to you, with repetition comes retention or the know how. I'm not a diver so it's a non-issue. The scalloped bezel looks incredible.

I actually like the bracelet but had an AD put on a red and black nato and oh boy! I haven't taken it off the watch...looking to purchase a rubber bracelet soon. You can't go wrong with the SMP.

I purchased mine from an AD with a significant discount brand new. Jomashop has great prices but you will get their warranty not one from Omega. I saved $800 on mine.

Good luck.

Great plan hope it works out for you

Not a huge fan as design is quite polarizing. I have issues with He valve, skeleton hands and awful/sub par bracelet. Seamaster 300 is better option IMO but if they would just release new "pre-Bond version" ( no He valve and full hands ) and make new tapered bracelet they can take my money.

You can't go wrong with a Seamaster. Full-stop, end of story. But if you want more, I wear a 1999 model myself, which has its roots earlier in the 1990s... yet you still see the design language in today's models. There's a reason for that. Great bracelets, too. The kind of dive watch you put on and think, "Do I need another dive watch? Why?" And although I do have a few other dive watches, I don't really need them. You put one of these on your wrist and unless you want to go over the top and get something like a Submariner, for more money, or a Blancpain for way more money, but neither having any real advantage, then you've hit the top of the charts. Again, you can't go wrong with a Seamaster.

I often say this to people who use it as one of the reasons it’s ‘better’ than traditional escapements. It’s not better, it’s different. And even though the tech is genuinely beneficial in reducing friction, there are currently no real world gains in terms of longevity and accuracy compared to the best traditional escapements, especially when the beat rate has to be dialed down significantly in comparison to improve performance. On paper it’s certainly an interesting and impressive movement — but that doesn’t make it better… I think Omega just needed to drum up some hype for their switch from ETA to in-house; having owned 4 coaxes I agree with you that it’s overrated in practice: the coaxial escapement would be at the bottom of the list of things I consider in acquiring another watch.

I have the white dial on rubber. To me it is the perfect combination of luxury without being too flashy.

Green is def tempting! I am partial to green watches, and I love the shade here. But man, that white is really stunning to me too. Figured I’d see them in the steel at a boutique and probably know what my heart is set on then.

I’ve realized that I like watches that are a little unique. I think the BB58 looks beautiful, but it’s too bland for me. For that reason, while I used to hate the HEV a few years ago when I started collecting, it has really grown on me and now I see it as one of the loveable eccentricities of the piece. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and the bracelet! That is probably my fave of the aftermarket ones, and I have thought about purchasing one of those too if I decide to go the SMP route.

I have the white dial SMP and it’s been very difficult to wear anything else. I considered other colors but the white is just incredibly eye catching and is the best color for the wave dial imo. I guess I am one of the few who don’t love the original bracelet, but it’s easily remedied with the Forstner bullet bracelet… which takes the whole watch up a level (for me). I won’t hesitate to recommend the SMP to anyone.

Great points🤩

I’ve got a black dial one I use at work as a fireman and for doing rough and tumble stuff (ATVs, shooting, etc) and it’s been great. The bezel action is good and it’s easy enough to turn with wet hands. It’s accurate, durable, looks good on a bracelet but isn’t too blingy, and is great overall. The omega AD treated me way better than Rolex so that was also a plus. If you’ve got any questions feel free to ask me

I have the Seamaster 300 and Diver 300. The 300 is a much better watch IMO. Better movement, lume, no date, no HEV. Very low key and very comfortable micro adjust bracelet. Also available for around 4k on the secondary market

I’ve owned several in black on black face, black on white face, blue on blue face, blue on grey face. Also owned the JB 60th. Here’s my reasons.

Pros:

resale value ( not as bad as others )

Great movement

Can dress up or down

Water resistance

Icon of a watch

Holds up well

Great watch for the money

Perfect size ( MM )

Cons:

The escape valve

The bracelet sucks at best

The rubber strap sucks it’s to stiff

You have to buy a different strap

Value retention ( should be better )

Here is mine. I don't regret buying it one bit.

It’s a stunner in person, and I love how it looks on my wrist

Don’t own since:

Bezel is poorly designed, skeleton hands not my bag, AR on the outside of the crystal will always get scratched or scuffed

But will concur - it’s a great looking watch!

One more Lux diver to consider Seiko LX

Similar price as a SM300, better quality IMO. Get used for way under retail.

Downside? absolutely nobody will know it’s a high end dive watch (good or bad depending on your desire to impress others!)

I’ll mention - at a watch meetup yesterday several guys fell over with excitement to see the watch in person, so it does excite the odd watch nerd 😜

How’s the thickness on this bad boy?

I assume you mean the LX?

It's a monster in all ways, but wears like a small dress watch.

105 grams and wears low and snug on wrist, even with a loose strap. So feels amazing on wrist.

BUT - it's way tall - 15.7mm! That said, it wears smaller than all my other smaller divers. 🤪

My old review of it from when I first bought it is linked below. MY long term review - it's a definite keeper. Seiko LX on used market has lots of deals out there, that would be the best way to get one.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Fieldwalker/reviews/seiko-snr043-review-9637