Omega Seamaster 300M Winter Olympic Games 2022 — One Year To Go
Omega has been the timekeeping partner for the Olympic Games since 1932. The last time should have been 2020, but it seems that it is at least postponed till this year (if the planned Tokyo edition goes ahead at all). However, the show must go on, and the Winter Games are already planned for 2022 in Beijing, 14 years after the city hosted a historic summer competition.
To celebrate the countdown to the start of the Beijing Winter Games 2022, Omega introduces to you a special Seamaster 300M.
Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 Edition
When Omega introduced the current Seamaster 300M collection in 2018, it took a step forward concerning innovations and technology, and a little step back regarding design. I am, of course, talking about the wave dial. The previous iteration of the Seamaster 300M lacked the waves, and enthusiasts were missing them. With the recent Nekton edition release, we also saw that they brought back the embossed bezel, as they used on the Seamaster America’s Cup edition around 2000. For this new Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 edition, Omega uses this embossed bezel once more. It looks cool, in my opinion, despite the association people might have with the Yacht-Master. There’s only so much you can do differently from each other, I guess.
Blue Dial and Titanium Bezel
The Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 edition (reference 522.30.42.20.03.001) is equipped with a blue wave pattern dial. It reminds me a bit of the blue that was used on the Seamaster 300M 2255.80 from the early 2000s, which had this electric blue dial, with a steel (color) bezel inlay. One of my friends has it, and it is still a stunning looking watch. It also used to be available in titanium, as reference 2231.80. But, both aesthetically and technically, there are a lot of changes, of course. You can read about it in the special Omega Seamaster 300M Magazine we created a few years ago (available for download here).
The new Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 Edition has a 42mm diameter and made of steel. The bezel is made of grade 5 titanium. The blue wave pattern dial is made of ceramic and has a date aperture at 6 o’clock. I am not particularly a fan of the date window on this watch, but for many people, it is still something practical. It is also the major difference with the Nekton edition, which does not feature a date.
On the blue ceramic dial, you will find the Olympic colors on the markers at 2, 4, 8, 10, and 12 o’clock. This is true to most Omega Seamaster Olympic editions.
9 Rows
As you can see, the Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 edition comes with the famous bracelet with 9 rows of links. I had to get used to the new style bracelet a bit, as it is less rounded than the old one. It is interesting to note that I always found this design a bit outdated. That was until I started wearing my own Seamaster 300M from 2004 again and I realized how good it looks, and how comfortable it is. The new bracelets are of better quality though. They are far sturdier. And if you’re tired of it, there’s a nice rubber strap or NATO you can use on this watch.
Caliber 8800
Caliber 8800
Inside is Omega’s in-house developed automatic caliber 8800. This Master Chronometer certified movement by METAS. It means that it’s anti-magnetic to at least 15,000 gauss and has an accuracy of +5/0 seconds a day on average. The power reserve of caliber 8800 is 55 hours and it has 35 jewels. Of course, like all Master Chronometer movements, it uses a Co-Axial escapement. The movement can’t be admired, as it is hidden under a stainless steel case back. This NAIAD lock case back is decorated with the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 emblem.
One Year To Go
As always, the Olympic clock is now doing a countdown until the Winter Games in Beijing will start. It shows the remaining days, hours, minutes, and seconds till the start. Since Omega is the number one luxury watch brand in China, I expect this release will work miracles. Since the Constellation is one of the brand’s top sellers there, I am curious to see whether Omega will use that watch as well for Olympics, or that it will stick to Sea- and Speedmasters.
Seamaster 300M Beijing Price And Availability
Omega’s new Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 edition will retail for CHF 5,700 Swiss Francs (excl VAT). The watch will be delivered to boutiques in China starting now. Other deliveries start in April. The Seamaster 300M Beijing 2022 will be delivered in a large white box. We’ve also seen this style of packaging with other Olympic editions in the past (such as the Tokyo 2020 models).
More information can be found via Omega online.
