Traditionally talking, Omega tends to attend a 12 months or so to roll its newest improvements into the common line, so I’m not completely stunned that we had been pressured to attend almost three full years to get the Aqua Terra Worldtimer in chrome steel, however I’d be mendacity if I mentioned it wasn’t well worth the wait. Restricted to solely 87 items and carrying a price ticket of almost fifty thousand dollars, 2017’s platinum variant wasn’t precisely destined for the everyman, however the brand new model in metal is available in at a fraction of the associated fee with a gorgeous blue dial, on the heart of which is a beautiful laser-ablated titanium map aid that’s fairly frankly, a dramatic enchancment in stage of element over the platinum model’s hand-painted enamel dial.
Just like the platinum variant although, inside the brand new chrome steel Aqua Terra Worldtimer beats Omega’s then-new cal. 8939 motion, which now bears the METAS-certification as a Grasp Chronometer motion. It additionally follows the identical up to date Aqua Terra case footprint from 2017 with the vertical ’teak’ stripes, symmetric date aperture at 6:00, conical crown for higher grip, and a straight downturned strap enabling the large-ish 43mm case to put on extra comfortably on smaller wrists. As aforementioned, on the heart of all of it is the actual star of the present – a map of the earth, whose colours have been rendered by way of the laser’s chemical response with the dial’s floor. We’ve seen these high-tech laser ablation strategies on Omega dials earlier than – most just lately with the Apollo eight Darkish Facet of the Moon Watch from final 12 months, however that is the primary time that the ablation course of has yielded distinctive colours and textures on the similar time.
Specs
Model: Omega
Mannequin: Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Grasp Chrononometer
Dimensions: 43mm
Water Resistance: 150 meters
Case Materials: Stainless Metal
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Motion: Omega cal. 8939
Energy Reserve: 60 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Chrome steel, leather-based, or rubber
Value & Availability: Begins at $eight,900 on rubber strap, accessible Winter 2019
Actually sporty worldtimer watches are literally fairly onerous to return by – notably these with greater than 50 meters of water resistance and a ’true’ GMT motion the place the hour hand might be adjusted independently of the worldtime complication. It’s particularly odd, given how useful this complication might be for frequent fliers – particularly if journey entails the occasional lodge pool or checking in with dwelling while exploring a seashore in some far-flung nook of the world. Fortunately, the Aqua Terra delivers on each fronts, with a screwdown crown and caseback delivering a formidable 150 meters of water resistance, together with the 8939 motion which bears Omega’s ’Journey Time’ function, enabling the wearer to leap the hour hand in single hour increments ahead or backward as she or he jumps between timezones around the globe, with out disturbing the ‘dwelling time’ displayed in 24-hour format across the two-tone (day/evening) glass disc within the heart of the dial.
At present accessible in each chrome steel, and stable gold variants – every with both a rubber or leather-based strap, or stable steel bracelet choice to select from. The worth for the Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer in Stainless Metal begins at $eight,900 on the rubber strap. For more information, head over to omegawatches.com
