$5,000 Watches: Best Watches For $5,000 or Less From Omega, Tudor, and More
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The 2022 Omega Seamaster Diver 300m is the best dive watch made by Omega. Easily the equal of the legendary Rolex Submariner, this Seamaster Professional offers far more features and value for the money. With a price of $5,400, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M costs roughly half the price of a $10,600 green bezel Rolex Submariner. The Omega Seamaster is the best dive watch you can buy for around $5,000.
Launched in 1993, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M was the latest in a line of Omega dive watches dating back to the Seamaster 300 of 1957. During the intervening years, Omega redesigned the Seamaster on a regular basis, and no single design endured long enough to warrant comparison to the evergreen Rolex Submariner. And at Basel 1993, few suspected that the Diver 300M design would endure with only detail changes for nearly 30 years afterwards. But sure enough, the current version of the SMP Diver 300M has survived intact long enough to become a second pillar of the Omega brand alongside the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch.
Each version of the Seamaster Diver 300M includes a 42mm case with water resistance of 300 meters. For 2018, the watch was redesigned to include a new conical helium escape valve to allow saturation divers to avoid damage to their watches while decompressing from dives. The bracelet of this Omega Seamaster is visibly related to the 1993 design but more robust and laden with features. A fold-out dive extension continues to permit use over diving suits, but the push-button micro-adjuster facilitates finer sizing over roughly 9.6mm of range. Robust links and tight tolerances convey and impression of solidity from this bracelet.
Omega took pains to keep the design of the original "James Bond Omega" as consistent with the original as possible. Pierce Brosnan inaugurated the alliance of Omega and Agent 007 in 1995's "Goldeneye," and while current Bond Daniel Craig generally has worn Seamaster Planet Ocean watches, the skeleton hand Diver 300M remains the watch most recognizably tied to the famous film spy. For the latest version of the watch, the 1990s "Omega wave" dial returns in fired ceramic, and the signature skeleton hands receive better coverage of luminescent paint.
Internally, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M benefits from the automatic winding caliber 8800. Despite soldiering on for years with evolving versions of the Omega caliber 2500, the Diver 300M was hamstrung by the relative fragility of that movement. Caliber 8800 is thicker and more robust; it's better suited to withstanding shocks and the effects of magnetism. A 55-hour power reserve is respectable, and METAS certified "Master Chronometer" certification attests to the accuracy of the movement.
Despite its credentials as a sports watch, this Seamaster is at home when paired with formal attire. Aside from the obvious compatibility with James Bond's usual tuxedo, the Seamaster is a smart match for business casual, evening wear, and even military uniforms. At 13.7mm thick, this watch is no Patek Philippe Calatrava, but it ranks as one of the thinnest options from Omega in the era of co-axial escapements.
The Omega Seamaster Railmaster also bears attention for those seeking a minimalist luxury watch with strong historical design references and modern running gear. At 40mm in stainless steel, the Railmaster is easier to wear than the 42mm Seamaster Diver 300m, and it's a better unisex option for female watch collectors. For those who want a bit more color on their watches, the Seamaster Railmaster Denim dial is the best option - but get it with the bracelet and buy the denim strap as an accessory.
Relevant Omega watch references include 210.32.42.20.01.001; 210.30.42.20.01.001; 210.32.42.20.03.001; 210.30.42.20.03.001; 210.30.42.20.06.001; 210.32.42.20.06.001; 210.30.42.20.04.001; 220.12.40.20.01.001; 220.10.40.20.03.001; 220.12.40.20.03.001; 220.10.40.20.06.001; 220.10.40.20.01.001
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