In the world of sailing, the America’s Cup is the pinnacle of yacht racing and it goes without saying that precise timekeeping is a must for both the organisers and the competing teams. The event holds the record for being the oldest surviving international sports competition and once again Swiss watchmaker OMEGA steps in as the official timekeeper. For the 37th edition of this prestigious competition, OMEGA is also a sponsor of defending champions ETNZ and has dropped a stunning new version of its Planet Ocean dive watch.
This showpiece event has a simple concept, two teams – the defenders and the challengers – spend eye-watering amounts of money to compete for the coveted trophy, which this year features Barcelona as the main port. For watch enthusiasts and fans of yacht racing, an overlap between Swiss luxury watches and the top-tier sailing teams is something we’ve seen before.
Earlier this year Tudor unveiled a new version of its handsome Pelagos FXD military dive watch that took direct inspiration from the Alinghi Red Bull Racing yacht. That was followed by TAG Heuer’s Skipper model which took its colour scheme from the Intrepid America’s Cup yacht.
OMEGA has returned serve with a deep black ceramic version of its iconic Planet Ocean watch, this time inspired by the logo and sail of the Emirates Team New Zealand. At 45mm wide and with a height of 19mm, this is a substantial watch built for performance. The case is constructed from a scratch-resistant black ceramic and this is paired with a matching brushed ceramic bezel with a white enamel diving scale.
Turquoise is the colour of the moment for watches and it also happens to be the colour used by ETNZ on its logo. The colour is used throughout the watch including on the unusual countdown indicator at 3 o’clock.
This quirky chronograph feature is used to deal with the timekeeping reality of boat racing, namely trying to get two yachts to an imaginary ocean startline at the same time. Additional turquoise accents give the watch a distinctive appearance, with the colourful chronograph hand also displaying an America’s Cup trophy counterweight.
There’s an array of other practical features here, including 600M of water resistance and a helium release valve for those brave enough to dive to real depths. The case back utilizes OMEGA’s own Naiad locking system and this protects the in-house Master Chronometer Calibre 990 movement. The Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black ETNZ Edition is released in time for the Kiwis to defend their America’s Cup title and is priced at AUD$22,150.
OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black ETNZ Edition
Reference: 215.92.46.51.01.003
Diameter: 45.5mm
Height: 19mm
Case: Matte Black Ceramic
Movement: Calibre Omega 9900
Strap: Black and Turquoise Rubber
Water Resistance: 600M
Price: AUD$22,150
