An Omega Seamaster 300m was on my wrist when I started work on James Bond Watches Version 5, so I thought it appropriate to be wearing that same wristwatch for the website re-launch this past New Year’s Eve.
Prior to putting it into its then-latest active duty again on December 18, 2023, it had been running between 2.94 and 3.70 seconds fast. A gain of 2.0 seconds per day is my sweat spot. That round ran until February 9, 2024, with an average gain of 1.84 seconds per day. Once off my wrist, I left this Omega flat on my desk, dial-up; untouched, it then continued to run for 48 hours, 32 minutes, and 50 seconds — or 101% of its specified power reserve.
As plans firmed-up later that month (now almost a year ago) for my trip to Columbia, Pennsylvania, and decommissioning all James Bond displays at the National Watch & Clock Museum, this piece was a contender for accompanying me there, and for some related local research I’d arranged to conduct on the James Bond Pulsar.
But a sudden appearance of fog on the underside of the Seamaster crystal took it out of the running (literally and figuratively).
Although I’d never before had my reference 22208000 serviced, I’d gone much longer intervals with other two 007 double-blue models and never seen anything like this before. On the other hand, this one has been a frequent go-to for me, still looks fantastic, and continues to generate strong, even lume well-after dark. So I took it in for a complete servicing with one of my Authorized Dealers for Omega last fall.
During intake, I had the apparent water integrity issue noted. I specified that the hands, dial, and bezel were not to be replaced; nothing was to be polished. As far as its first generation co-axial movement was concerned, I asked that original parts be returned to me if anything was changed; same regarding anything that might be needed to ensure reliable bracelet performance. Irrespective of original specifications, I asked for its timing to be calibrated for a 2.0-second gain as center-point.
My AD told me that Omega Service now requires an OK upfront in the amount of $1500, and would only get back to me with an estimate if the cost was anticipated to be in excess of that after their inspection upon arrival in Switzerland.
This same model as had been worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006) was back in my hands and back on my wrist November 5, 2024. I paid $1,160.70 (arms-length transaction) when I picked it up.
Over the course of seven days of wear, then, it gained an average of 2.71 seconds per day, based on physical observation. Off-wrist, dial-up, untouched, it continued to run for 47 hours, 7 minutes, and 39 seconds — or 98% of its specified power reserve. I then put the watch on my wrist on December 3, and wore it continuously until January 6, 2025, and saw an average daily gain of 2.68 seconds.
My Omega James Bond 2220.80.00 Seamaster was purchased new during the summer of 2007. Among wristwatch aficionados, seventeen years is anything but “old” (68% of respondents to a February 2008 survey that I ran through one of the online forums daily-wore timekeepers that were twenty years old or older [1]). But I’ll still count this among watches that, having “aged” along with me, never feel old to me.
And thus are not treated as such.
Moreover, this Seamaster 300m is one of those watches that I put on my wrist and never think to change-out based on circumstance. It’s neither bulky nor heavy as a desk-diver [2]. It was on-wrist when I pressed my Troy-Bilt [3] back into service to deal with the first significant snowfall, temperature in the low-teens, in the face of high winds here in Michigan. Then came Christmas Eve worship service and seven days later a quite elegant outing to ring-in 2025 with Mrs James Bond Watches.
Every so often, I’m asked what it’s like to wear a James Bond watch for longer than the limited loaner periods that are the extent of most online reviews. How do they hold up over time, in the real world? What does it take to keep them going?
This one such snapshot, based on my own personal experience.
— Dell Deaton
off-site
Reference
- “Average age of vintage Rolex watch worn daily” / April 16, 2008 / Dell Deaton / James Bond Watches Blog (via Internet Archive, accessed January 8, 2024).
- “Weekend Rewind: We Are All Desk Divers” / September 4, 2021 / Hodinkee (accessed January 14, 2025).
- “Storm 2410 Snow Blower” / Troy-Bilt (accessed January 14, 2025).