Review: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M "James Bond" 2220.80.00 (2006 to 2013)
President-Elect Joe Biden's favorite timepiece
The Omega Seamaster reference 2220.80.00 “James Bond” watch was a birthday gift given to me by my parents in 2007, so it is very special to me. It was my first luxury watch and my only watch for many years. I took it on quite a few business trips and always paid close attention not to lose it. The watch still looks quite good today without any big scratches. I had it serviced once by Omega 2 years ago so it is in excellent shape under the case. It keeps very good time at +2.8 seconds per day measured over an extended period of time.
This watch was released in 2006 as a “James Bond” watch for the movie “Casino Royale”, the first Bond movie Daniel Craig played the 007 role. The blue dial is filled with the iconic wave pattern and the hour hand and minute hand are skeletonized. The bezel is made of steel which rotates in one direction with a smooth yet firm “clicks”. Many people prefer the steel bezel to the newer ceramic bezel which I would agree with. All three hands have lume and I especially love the small circle on the second hand. The lume is strong and it is nice to see the second hand move in the dark. It is just a perfect dive watch with the sporty construction, 300m water resistance and a helium escape valve. I had a Scuba diving license before, but unfortunately I have not had a chance to dive with this watch.
The caliber 2500 inside this watch is a historical caliber as it is the first Omega caliber with the co-axial technology. It was based on the ETA 2892-A2 movement fitted with a co-axial escapement. Nowadays, most of the Omega watches are powered by co-axial escapements except the Speedmaster collection. When I received the Seamaster in 2007, I just knew that it was a new technology, but only much later did I realize the significance of putting the co-axial technology to production. To learn more about the technology and its development history, you may refer to an excellent article by Monochrome.
The Omega Seamaster 2220.80.00 is a highly capable stainless steel diver with COSC certification, a “James Bond” watch appearing in “Casino Royale”, a watch with a caliber that launched the co-axial technology to market, and a part of the legendary “Seamaster Professional Diver 300M” from 1993 to present. By its own virtues, it is an outstanding watch already at a very competitive price. Owning it for close to 14 year as a gift from my parents simply makes it even more special and precious to me. This seamaster is an iconic watch that I will cherish for a long time to come.
Last but not least, President-Elect Joe Biden is an Omega fan and one of the watches he wears a lot is a Seamaster Professional Diver 300M. An excellent choice for the new President and the Commander-in-Chief. There were reports that he might own 2-3 Seamaster watches. In any case, the Seamaster is “going to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha!”. For more discussions on this topic, please see the following: Quill & Pad, Dmarge, Tatler, and Chrono24.
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