Reference: 210.92.44.20.01.003

This is not your standard review. I am not going to re-hash Omega’s specifications page, nor am I going to get out my caliper and confirm for you that Omega does indeed know what size their watch is, but insist that it wears like a watch in a different size. This review is more about my impressions of the watch after owning it for a couple months.

First of all, let me throw back at you what we have all heard from our non-enthusiast friends, “I use my phone to tell the time.” If your primary purpose for your next watch is to tell the time in all lighting conditions, this is not the watch for you. It has good readability in well lit conditions, and with lume in pitch black conditions. But if you are in a dimly lit room, forget about it and use your phone. Now that that is out of the way, we don’t need to talk about it anymore.

I am absolutely thrilled with this watch. It is a beast! Every component except for the hands and the movement are made from zirconium oxide ceramic. This is the same stuff they make tooth implants out of. It has properties that close microscopic fractures instead of letting them grow, that is why its good for chewing. So stop worrying about doorframes, handles and railings. It will never scratch or ding. If you want something that will last for generations of wear, not just in the safe, this is it. 10,000 years from now archeologists will pull it off your wrist-bone and have a perfect example of 21st century technology and art.



What Omega has done with the finishing and how it reacts to lighting is simply amazing. I can’t stop looking at it the tiny details of the way the light reflects off the polished portions, while the brushed finishes appear hewn from onyx. Some ceramic watches are very lightweight and appear to be made from plastic. Neither is the case for this watch. It has the heft of quality, and looks and feels as if it’s crafted of a material from the distant future. When seen from the side of your wrist, the scallops on the bezel and the case-back almost resemble gears from a futuristic alien artifact.

Being a novelty watch from Omega, the black black is a stealthy statement piece while remaining completely unrecognizable. I went to a local dealer to get some jewelry repaired, and he saw my watch. He demanded to know almost angrily, “Where did you get that?!” Err umm I thought, from a trusted seller on the forum since you’ve never been able to source me anything I’ve wanted. “Oh, on a trip back east,” I replied. He responded, “I’ve been a dealer for 40 years and I can’t get that watch! I have a waiting list over a year old. I could sell a dozen a day if I could get them!” So while a dealer or enthusiast would certainly recognize this watch, nobody else would even notice it at all. In fact, most people would simply take it for a black smartwatch and not give it a glance.



I think that Omega’s marketing department should get out more. Particularly, if they had ever been to Iceland I am sure they would have named this watch the “Katla Black”. It is a perfect match to the monochrome environment of the Katla volcanic glacier and black sand beaches of Iceland.



If you are a very serious person, straight-laced and black tie, you should probably skip this part because its time for a little bit of fun. What color goes with every other color? Black of course! I think this watch has some huge potential for pairing with brightly colored bands like reds or yellows or pinks or blues. If you like customizing your watch by swapping out straps but don’t want to go crazy, I think it looks very nice on an Omega sailcloth strap with deployant. Although that local dealer said, “Omega intended that watch to be worn on the rubber strap” I found that the sailcloth strap from the Dark Side of the Moon fits it beautifully. Thanks to Art of the Watch for sourcing it for me.




Even though we established at the beginning that this watch is not for telling the time in all conditions, it is the watch for telling you the time after any condition you have been through. After two months from setting it is less than 5 seconds fast. The contrasting movement shining through the case-back is mesmerizing. If you want something indestructible, and enjoy stealthy luxury, the Black Black may be the watch for you.

Thanks for reading my review!

 

Really interesting review of the watch, I thought I was sorted for the Seamaster with my Nekton variant but I think I may have to have a closer look at these - if I can find one to physically see.
Just when I thought I was content with the current watches I have, off I go searching again!!!