Omega’s recent re-introduction of the original Omega Seamaster 300 Replica Watches from 1957 was undoubtedly one of last year’s most anticipated releases of 2014 — and probably also one of its most discussed. I recently got my hands on one for an up-close review; here are my impressions on this vintage-styled dive watch.

For a Cheap Replica Watches lover, the Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial offers an unquestionably attractive combination of features, starting with a classical vintage-inspired look; a polished Liquidmetal bezel insert; a screw-down crown; and a sapphire crystal caseback showing off the beautifully decorated in-house Caliber 8400, which comes with COSC-certification, 60-hour power reserve thanks to its twin barrels, a more-than-impressive 15,000 Gauss of magnetic resistance, and, naturally, Cheap Omega Replica co-axial escapement. Also, the watch remains water-resistant to a depth of 300 meters. If you consider the significance of the brand, its heritage, the overall quality and the above-mentioned innovations packed into its 41-mm stainless steel case, it even comes at a rather competitive price.

As a purist, or a dive watch lover, however, you certainly could question the choice of the faux-aged lume, the lack of an integrated diver extension, the small bezel pip, the missing “Professional” in its name and appearance and thus rather elegant overall look, the sapphire caseback, the polished center links of the bracelet, or even the dangers of magnetism underwater in general. But at least you might appreciate the missing date window and be glad that Omega Replica Watches did not include a helium-release valve on this watch. And hopefully you would still be able to generally appreciate the efforts Omega made to constantly increase the reliability of its mechanical watches.

Speaking of which, the 8400 movement can be compared to the 8500, except that it has no date function. As mentioned previously, the movement itself is resistant to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 Gauss without the need for a soft iron cage. The movement is not only a pleasure to look at and fills the case nicely, but it also comes with a free sprung-balance with a silicon balance spring, two barrels mounted in series, and its oscillating weight allows automatic winding in both directions. Should you not wear your watch for more than 60 hours and travel often, you can advance the hour hand separately without hacking the Omega Replica or moving the minute hand at the same time.

To be honest, I immediately fell in love with the Omega Seamaster 300 the moment the first teaser pictures were released on Facebook. The more I learned about it before, and most of all during, Baselworld, I slowly started to feel a bit guilty about so unabashedly liking a watch that clearly wasn’t intended to be the next benchmark in the dive watch segment. I also felt a bit sorry for whoever had to find a new naming system for the numerous Replica Watches dive models and came up with the “double master” solution. Yet I was still pretty sure that I would have to get one as fast as possible. My initial enthusiasm waned when I tried the steel version on for the first time: Suddenly, the watch, even at 41 mm in diameter, looked way too small for my wrist — which I am guessing was due mostly to the understated bezel. Even worse, I became rather irritated by the long, flat lugs and the even longer end-pieces of the bracelet; in combination with the raised sapphire crystal on the back, the watch and bracelet just didn’t seem to fit.

Model: Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial, Ref. 233.30.41.21.01.001
Crystal: Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating inside
Bezel: Unidirectional with polished ceramic/Liquidmetal insert
Case/Bracelet: Steel, folding clasp with micro-adjustment
Movement: Omega Caliber 8400 with COSC certification, 25,200 vph, 39 jewels and approx. 60 hours of power reserve; hours, minutes, and seconds
Dial/Hands: Sand-blasted black dial, rhodium-plated broad arrow hands coated with Super-LumiNova, white seconds hand
Water resistance: 300 meters/1,000 feet
Size/Dimensions: 41-mm diameter, 21-mm lug width, approx. 160 grams
Variations: Steel/Sedna Gold, Titanium, Titanium/Sedna Gold, Sedna Gold, Platinum