Omega Seamaster Professional Chronograph (Chrono-Diver, 2005 Edition)

Launched in 1993, the Omega Seamaster Professional Chrono-Diver represented the top of the range in the Seamaster Professional 300m line – a collection of divers’ watches guaranteed water resistant to a depth of 300m. All the watches in this collection are equipped with Omega’s helium escape valve, which can be used by professional divers during resurfacing in a diving bell to allow helium molecules to escape from the watch and thus prevent the crystal from being pushed out during decompression.

Furthermore, the Chrono-Diver was the first chronograph in the world with pushbuttons that could operate at a depth of 300m. Its qualities were tested in 1993, when French free-diver Roland Specker set a new world freshwater free-diving record in Lake Neuchatel at a depth of 80 metres with a dive time of 2 minutes 33 seconds.

The quality and reliability of the Chrono-Diver were confirmed when it received the award “Uhr des Jahres 1994” [Watch of the Year 1994] from the renowned German trade publication Armbanduhren International. It accompanied Specker again in 1996 when he set another new world record at 60 metres in Lake Neuchatel in the variable weight category, in which divers must resurface using their flippers alone.

In 2005, OMEGA updated the Chrono-Diver collection by incorporating some considerable technical improvements along with certain aesthetic modifications. The case has a screw-in back, helium escape valve and screw-in crown with double water-tightness system (O-ring gasket and decompression gasket), which guarantees water resistance to a depth of 300 metres. The characteristic wave imprint on the dial of all Seamaster Professional models made way for a pure dial available exclusively in black.

The flange has been removed from the dial, which opens up the face of the watch and highlights the most significant change to the Chrono-Diver: The totalisers have been displaced to 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock. A new date window is places at 6 o’clock.

These models are equipped with the Omega 3303 column-wheel chronograph calibre, a COSC- certified chronometer movement with a power reserve of 55 hours and a column-wheel mechanism, which offers greater precision in the operation of the chronograph functions. The calibre 3303 is also fitted with the Omega free sprung-balance, which helps to maintain better stability of the watch’s going rate over longer periods of use.

These Omega Seamaster Professional Chronograph models are produced in steel with a black aluminium ring on a stainless steel bezel or in titanium with a brushed steel ring on a titanium bezel or a red-gold ring with raised markers on a tantalum bezel.

Furthermore, all models have large luminous hour markers on the dial and easily legible skeleton hands coated with Super Luminova for excellent visibility at night and in poor light conditions.

These timepieces are offered with a matching bracelet in stainless steel or titanium with a safety clasp. Unlike most conventional watch bracelets, which were tapered in width, this Chrono-Diver bracelet is tapered in thickness, which makes it considerably more comfortable to wear. A rubber strap with buckle is also available.