Omega Planet Ocean: Which One Should You Get?

The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean has become an icon; and a leading choice among dive watches – it’s often hard to imagine that it was launched just 14 years ago.

Introduced in 2005, the Planet Ocean has always been positioned as a luxury offering within the Seamaster line, but with extraordinary waterproof capabilities. These qualities, combined with a versatile design and striking orange branding, gave Omega another winner on their hands.

From just 3 models, the Planet Ocean line has grown to 27 models and more than a hundred variations. We break down the different types of Planet Ocean watches to help you decide:

With a water resistance of 600M, the Planet Ocean comes in between the Seamaster Diver 300M and the PloProf 1200M. It was unveiled as a modern dive watch that also looks good enough for everyday, all-occasion use.

The first collection was available in two sizes: 42mm and 45.5mm. Both were equipped with aluminum unidirectional bezels, and a Helium Escape Valve for saturation diving. In 2006, Omega added the Planet Ocean Chronograph to the collection.

colors: orange and black bezel
bracelet: steel, rubber or leather
movement: Caliber 2500 / Caliber 3313 (for chronograph)

Omega has been known to test innovations on the Planet Ocean range before going full-scale. In 2009, Omega introduced the LiquidMetal to the market through the limited edition Omega Planet Ocean ref. 222.30.42.20.01.001.

LiquidMetal is a malleable protective alloy applied over the ceramic bezel. Its purpose is to protect the ceramic from discoloration, to strengthen the material, and also to fill the recessed numbers on the bezel, where dirt can sometimes accumulate.

Omega knew that in order to compete with the likes of the Rolex Submariner, it had to constantly improve. Five years after its launch, the Planet Ocean was equipped with a new movement and a number of aesthetic improvements.

Caliber 2500 was replaced with Caliber 8500, which adopts the use of a silicon escapement and hairspring, thus extending its power reserve to 60 hours. It also allows for an independent hour hand and finally made way for an exhibition caseback (versus the steel caseback of the first generation).

Noticeable aesthetic changes were also applied:

In 2013, Omega introduced the GMT function to the Planet Ocean line. The Planet Ocean GMT features an independently adjustable hand that works with a 24-hour bezel and a new case size measuring 43.5mm.

It follows the design language of the Planet Ocean line, with a few enhancements to help distinguish the GMT function: an orange tipped GMT hour hand and 24-hour bezel markers, as well as an orange “GMT” line below the Seamaster text on the dial, in lieu of “Professional”.

colors: black and white, orange and blue bezels
metals: stainless steel
bracelet: steel, rubber or leather
movement: Caliber 8500

With the LiquidMetal bezel fully integrated into the Planet Ocean line, Omega upped the ante with the third generation design. This time, they combined LiquidMetal with galvanized rubber on the bezel, creating a look that’s striking, without the shine.

The black LiquidMetal bezel comes with a 15-minute scale that’s made of orange galvanized rubber. The dial was also changed from matte to polished black ceramic. The effect is a contrast of textures, and if the goal is to keep things interesting, Omega was successful in doing so.

Of course, Omega also went beyond aesthetics and made technological improvements:

In 14 years, Omega has created three major generations of the Omega Planet Ocean, culminating in three main models – Planet Ocean, Planet Ocean GMT, and Planet Ocean Chronograph.

Aside from these major iterations, the collection has also expanded to include ingenious spin-off models: from limited edition James Bond models to collaborative Olympics watches, and even full-ceramic cases.

The Omega Planet Ocean may have a short history, but it has proven itself as a versatile line of watches that gets better with time.