This Is The Best Summer Watch EVER: The Omega Seamaster 300M Takes The Crown
Was it close? Really? Was it ever going to be? The Tudor Black Bay .925 and the Doxa Sub 300 promised much and delivered a fair helping of competition for the ultimately victorious Omega Seamaster 300M, but did they split the anti-Omega vote too far? I guess we’ll never know, but we do know this: after almost one month of voting and jawing, we have our summer supremo: RJ walks away with the title as the much-fancied Omega Seamaster 300M storms to the title.
I also won too: way back in the first round I promised to eat my collection of baseball caps (nay, all hats) if the Seamaster 300M finished anywhere but the first position in this competition. I’m not so much crowing as I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief, having completely forgotten about the Tudor Pelagos LHD, which was my favorite watch in the competition. I had worried that it or something else from the shield would pose a stiff challenge to the Omega simply because of their favorable price/cachet ratio. Luckily, those fears proved unfounded and RJ”s non-standard choice of the white dial punched its ticket to summer watch immortality.
The Fratelli have spoken
But the Fratelli have spoken. The Omega Seamaster 300M (white dial) is the winner. It would have been interesting to see which version of the Seamaster 300m would actually win in a family feud. Would the white dial triumph over the more traditional blue or black? Would the silver/gray dial and blue hand/bezel combination sneak a surprise victory?
If we removed the 5K price cap, of course, plenty more models would come into play. Perhaps the “No Time To Die” version would corrall your vote? Or maybe one of the bi-color or futuristic material models is more likely to tickle your fancy? Even though the Omega Seamaster 300M steel model won for mixture of class, cachet, quality, and price, the higher-end versions of the same stainless steel model we saw romp to victory benefit from that “affordable” foundation. All in all, it is one of watchmaking’s better model collections and one I’m always a little surprised doesn’t get more overt attention.
Sure, we’re Speedmaster specialists on Fratello, so perhaps it just feels like the Seamaster 300M doesn’t get a fair shake. I recently acquired my first one (a ’90s quartz model Pierce Brosnan would be proud of) and I can’t get enough of its wearability. I always wanted one of the modern generation but, perhaps because I feel they will always be there, I haven’t yet pulled the trigger.
Coming soon…
How many of you actually own one? How many of you own the Tudor and the Doxa that finished just behind the Seamaster 300M. Should we run this contest next year? Should we adjust the rules? The price bracket was contentious with some decryng it for being too high for a true summer beater (the majority) and a vocal minority lamenting the absence of brands such as Rolex or IWC.
Pitch in with your ideas in the comments below. We can’t wait for summer to roll around again soon, but we have another tournament on its way to you soon. For those of you already wanting to get in the mood, head over to Instagram and follow @fratelloracing. I’ll see you on the track…
RJ’s winner review and announcement of the water canon winners coming soon.
