Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Green Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer
How a dial colour can make such a difference.
What we’re looking at today might simply be a new dial colour, but it made quite a lot of noise when we introduced it a couple of weeks ago. Multiple reactions here and on our Instagram account made us realize that a dial colour can make a hell of a difference on a watch. So today we take a closer look, with our own live photos, at the brand new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer with a green dial… And it was absolutely necessary, as the subtle (yet hard to define) colour of this dial looks far better in real life than in official images.
Green isn’t the first colour you might think of for a watch dial. In addition to the all-time classics – that are black and silver/white – blue has been widely used by brands for over 10 years (remember those “blue is the new black” slogans everywhere?) but green remained somewhat unexplored in watchmaking, and for good reason: green is not the easiest of colours. There are dozens of shades available, but not so many that work well on a dial. Khaki can be used in a military watch context, of course, but that was about it. When it comes to a casual, daily-oriented watch, green can be tricky and often hard to match with the rest of one’s attire. Finding the right balance between discretion and originality is key here.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra is Omega’s vision of the daily luxury watch, a watch that can be used in all situations. As we’ve explained in this review, it is one of the best examples of the “one-watch collection” available. It isn’t a specialized watch, like a Seamaster Diver 300m or a Speedmaster, it is a watch that can do pretty much everything, from adorning your wrist at a business meeting to a jump in the pool at the weekend. As such, it was launched in discreet colours, including black, blue, grey and white. Classic, timeless shades to underscore the model’s elegance. But today Omega adds some (controlled) “extravaganza” to it Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m, with a green dial.
The new colour of the dial is the one and only update to this model here, but the colour actually changes the watch a great deal. When we first saw this version on the official images delivered by Omega, the green shade appeared a bit pale, lacking depth and liveliness. There’s no doubt about it, the watch has to be seen in the metal to get a real feel for the colour. The dial of the Seamaster Aqua Terra features multiple patterns, from the horizontal grooves that evoke the nautical world, to the sunray-brushed finish radiating from the centre of the dial. The latter is important here as it is responsible for providing the reflections and changes of colour depending on the ambient light. In this case, it results in a dial that can change from deep dark green – almost black in certain conditions – to emerald green when direct sunlight hits the dial.
If you compare the photo above (very dark forest green), or the three photos below with three different but lively shades of green, you’ll see that Omega has done a great job in making green quite appealing.
Other than that, we’re looking at the same base as all other editions of the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer. This means a well-designed and well-executed 41mm stainless steel case, which combines the signature Omega twisted (lyre) lugs, polished accents (bezel and on the side of the lugs) and compact dimensions, thanks to the short lugs, allowing for great comfort on most wrists. The dial retains the classic Aqua Terra elements, with its teak-like pattern, the triangular applied indexes and broad-arrow hands, as well as a time-and-date display with the quantième positioned at 6 o’clock for better symmetry.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra is legible, well-protected and reliable (screw-in crown, 150m water-resistance), it has a copious amount of luminous material and, despite these elements, still has enough discretion and class to be worn as a business timepiece. This green model is available either on a dark green alligator strap with folding clasp or a classic 3-link stainless steel bracelet, brushed and polished.
Inside the case, we find what is possibly Omega’s greatest asset, the in-house calibre 8900. This automatic movement packs most of Omega’s technologies, meaning the Co-Axial escapement, a double-barrel for a stable 60-hour power reserve, silicon parts all around to provide extreme resistance to magnetism (up to 15,000-gauss) and METAS/Master-Chronometer certification, a guarantee of the watch’s precision and reliability. The movement, visible through the sapphire caseback, is decorated in classic Omega style with Arabesque stripes and blackened screws.
Price and availability
The new Green Dial Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer is now available at boutiques and retailers. It will be priced at EUR 5,100 on a leather strap (ref. 220.13.41.21.10.001) and EUR 5,400 on a steel bracelet (ref. 220.10.41.21.10.001). More details at omegawatches.com.
8 responses
Thank you for a great write up and some superb photographs of this watch. It is a fiendishly difficult watch to photograph, I know I have tried, but you have captured the different shades of green in the dial brilliantly. As I said on the initial article about this watch and it’s new blue sibling a week or two ago you really have to see this watch in person before deciding whether you like the way Omega have rendered the green. As pointed out in the article it is just a different colour dial on an Aqua Terra but it makes such a huge difference to the watch that it sets it so far apart from the rest of the range. At present this dial colour only comes on a bracelet or green alligator strap. Hopefully Omega will introduce a rubber strap soon as that would make the watch even more versatile.
In terms of magnetic resistance, as you already know ( https://monochrome-watches.com/the-prototype-seamaster-that-omega-tested-at-insane-160000-gauss/) they can handle much more than 15,000 gauss. The “up to 15,000-gauss” implies a hard maximum limit rather than the bare minimum used for test purposes, therefore I find what you’ve written is somewhat misleading. It’s a great looking new dial.
I could only hope that Omega would find a way to slim down the thickness of their current in-house 8800/8900 calibers and in turn the case height to a sub 12mm. The countours of this case, dial symmetry, bezel and lug proportions are excellent imo. But this dial green variant seems to be missing for the 38mm in their catalog? Seems like a missed opportunity here. The 38mm with a green rubber strap with deployant would be a strong contender in my book.
Definitely needs a rubber strap, they should ditch the leather strap
Sorry guys, I hate to be negative about what is otherwise a very nice watch, but I went to see it at the Omega boutique here (Singapore) and it was still drab and dull and lifeless (at least to me). I recently turned down the new PAM00995 for the same reason, and got the PAM00619 instead (lovely :-)).
I’m actually a big fan of green dials and I picked up a Squale Alpine Green GMT purely because of the incredible colour-shifting sunburst green dial (on a $750 watch!). That’s one which looks even better in the flesh than photos, and under sunlight it’s amazing. I’d like to have tried the Omega under sunlight too, but they caught me on the way out of the store 😉
Anyway, it’s a personal thing, but I’d really advise people to see before buying, and ordering this piece online from just a photo could lead to disappointment.
I own the watch, the photos here are quite accurate. It’s not drab in person, it’s quite stunning; the only green dial timepiece that compares in looks is the Rolex white gold President at almost 7x the cost. If your not a green dial fan, you should pass, but if you want something that is unique and not mainstream dial wise, this is a bulls eye.
Also, just add, green is a color that can go very wrong. Omega nailed this, its subdued in certain lightning and pops in other lightning.
Congratulations on getting this watch Robert. Wear it in good health. As you can see above I have been looking at this watch. A lot. It is beguiling especially on the bracelet so much so that it is almost tempting me from the Aqua Terra Worldtimer. Now if that watch came with a green dial….