With its eponymous golfing Masters on the way, Omega has unveiled a new lightweight watch that would be perfect for any golfer.
The Omega European Masters is right around the corner, taking place August 29-September 1, it’s the Swiss stop on the men’s golf’s European Tour. Right in time for this event, Omega has unveiled its lightest Seamaster yet and we think it’s perfect for your round of golf.
Fittingly named the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light, it comes in at a mere 55 grams, which is around the same weight as an egg or tennis ball. Most Aqua Terra’s for reference are more than three times this weight.
It achieves this feat by crafting the case, case back and crown all from a material called Gamma Titanium. This material has nothing to do with radiation and won’t turn you into the Hulk, it’s a combination of aluminium and titanium, making it super lightweight and resistant to oxidation.
The use of this material, which is used in some space programmes, is a first for Omega. Also a first is the movement you get inside this watch, the Cal.8928 Titanium. Like all modern Aqua Terra’s before it, this watch has a Master Chronometer co-axial movement. Where this watch makes history is the movement being made out of titanium as to reduce weight and friction.
As to reduce weight and add another level of depth to the watch, the dial uses a different type of titanium, Grade 5 titanium. The dark grey dial has the familiar horizontal line styling, and a ceramic bezel, while adding the chemical symbol for titanium (Ti) on the dial for that extra cool factor. Proper Omega nerds may also clock that the dial has no date window, this function was removed as to make the calibre as light as it can be.
All this lightweight goodness makes it an appealing piece to help you keep time on the golf range. According to Omega, the watch has been developed in collaboration with Rory McIlroy, a long time brand ambassador. McIlroy has in the past worked on a series of golf-focus watches for Omega named ‘The Golf Collection’.
The weight of the watch, or there lack of, will not throw you off balance during a particularly tense swing. The crown jewel of this watch’s utility however is the clever mechanics of its crown.
It has what is called a telescopic crown, what this means is that the crown can be pushed into the casing of the watch when it isn’t needed. This serves to streamline the watch and circumvent those pesky moments of the crown digging into the top of your hand.
According to Hodinkee, an Omega representative has said the watch will appear on some of the golfers’ wrists during the Omega European Masters.
Coming with both a rubber or fabric strap, the watch comes in accents of green, red or blue. The watch is said to receive a release to consumers some time in December and has a price of around U.S. $48,600.
One interesting thing we picked up on is that this is the second time this year Omega has released a watch with the word ‘ultra’ in it. The brand recently broke records with its Ultra Deep watch which you can read more on here.
