Omega Stories: A Full Guide to the Seamaster Pro 300M Chronograph Family

dsio · Dec 13, 2022

So back in the late 2000s, I purchased an Omega 2225.80 Seamaster
Pro as my first Omega, and not long after a very talented designer named Trev saw it and liked it so much that he purchased a steel bezel 2598.80.

The personal inspiration to purchase this watch came from a man I never actually got to meet, Chuck Maddox and his immense appreciation for these watches. You see, while Chuck is inexorably linked to the Moonwatch in a way that few non-astronauts could ever be, one of his favorite watches of all was a titanium Seamaster Pro 300m Chronograph, reference 2298.80. [..]

Visit A Full Guide to the Seamaster Pro 300M Chronograph Family to read the full article.

spacemission · Dec 13, 2022

Nice reading. Thank you 👍

waterproofpt · Dec 13, 2022

Excellent job compiling all that info into a well organized and thorough article. It’s not easy keeping track of the different models and their reference numbers. Well done.

styggpyggeno1 · Dec 13, 2022

Very nice reading! Thank you for your nice compilation and write up of a generation of Seamaster chrongraphs that normally gets too little attention. The good thing as (maybe now - used to be...) they can be found for reasonable money. They have been under the radar for a long time.

I read Maddox writings in the beginning of my watch career and for a long time I tried to get the titanium/blue bezel version - as I took his "advise". The right watch did not surface and I moved along. One day, however, in around 2010 a lightly used ti Seamaster chrono of the next generation was up for sale and I could not resist it. Not as thick as the earlier version I believe and with a dial configuration/design that is a bit easier on my eyes. This combined with the sword hands for extremely good readability has made it one of my favourite go to beater/hunting/boating watches. It might even be one of a very few "exit watches"...

I believe this next generation, as with the one you feature, can be found in a sweet spot money/value position today. The steel/black bezel version seems to come up for sale regularly here in Sweden at affordable prices. Somewhat surprising as its design is very much related to the 2254.50!

I hope you do not take offense in me getting in to the next generation Seamaster chonographs here - but I hope I am forgiven if so (?). They are after all nice watches all of them and share a lot of the Omega heritage. Maybe you could make a similar Omega story on this next generation?

My ti 2293.52.00 (I do have the bracelet but use it on an Omega rubber as I like the hygenic factor of that - easy to keep clean)

dsio · Dec 13, 2022

styggpyggeno1
Very nice reading! Thank you for your nice compilation and write up of a generation of Seamaster chrongraphs that normally gets too little attention. The good thing as (maybe now - used to be...) they can be found for reasonable money. They have been under the radar for a long time.

I read Maddox writings in the beginning of my watch career and for a long time I tried to get the titanium/blue bezel version - as I took his "advise". The right watch did not surface and I moved along. One day, however, in around 2010 a lightly used ti Seamaster chrono of the next generation was up for sale and I could not resist it. Not as thick as the earlier version I believe and with a dial configuration/design that is a bit easier on my eyes. This combined with the sword hands for extremely good readability has made it one of my favourite go to beater/hunting/boating watches. It might even be one of a very few "exit watches"...

I believe this next generation, as with the one you feature, can be found in a sweet spot money/value position today. The steel/black bezel version seems to come up for sale regularly here in Sweden at affordable prices. Somewhat surprising as its design is very much related to the 2254.50!

I hope you do not take offense in me getting in to the next generation Seamaster chonographs here - but I hope I am forgiven if so (?). They are after all nice watches all of them and share a lot of the Omega heritage. Maybe you could make a similar Omega story on this next generation?

My ti 2293.52.00 (I do have the bracelet but use it on an Omega rubber as I like the hygenic factor of that - easy to keep clean)

Not at all mate I’ll get to that generation, and the racing version of that chronograph which is even less known eventually and you’re right in that the second generation 3303 family are chronically overlooked.

JayBe · Dec 13, 2022

Thank you very much for the enjoyable read and giving this line a fresh writeup. I snapped my 2298.80 up when it came up locally as a full set at a too good to pass price. Before picking it up, I was quite unsure, if I had taken the right decision, as I was never too impressed by the 300m design.
Soon after putting it on and wearing it on the walk home, I was surprised by how much I liked it. It is a bulky watch, but it disappears on the wrist and wears very comfortably. The relatively low weight, combined with the pleasant rotor sensations gives a unique experience. The dial is quite busy, but never overwhelming and easily legible. It is sporty and elegant at the same time. Coupled with great water resistance and pusher design makes it a package that is hard to beat. I mentioned in a recent thread that I had not imagined that this would be the watch I'd chose, should I be forced keep only one.
I have to say, this guy, Chuck, sure seems like he knew a thing or two about watches and was sure on to something. 😉

styggpyggeno1 · Dec 14, 2022

One thing I often think about with these watches is their total combination. How many other makers at the time offered a watch with it all?:
Divers watch, 300m rating
Chronograph usable to rated depth
Chronometer movement
Date
Helium valve (controversial I know - and I could do without it - but it is there and we cannot do anything about it...)
An array of dials, bezels, metals, etc.

They really went all in on these.

And were there any real competition - with all the above? I can not think of any. Do you?

dsio · Dec 14, 2022

styggpyggeno1
One thing I often think about with these watches is their total combination. How many other makers at the time offered a watch with it all?:
Divers watch, 300m rating
Chronograph usable to rated depth
Chronometer movement
Date
Helium valve (contriversial I know - and I could do without it - but it is there and we cannot do anyting about it...)
An array of dials, bezels, metals, etc.

They really went all in on these.

And were there any real competition - with all the above? I can not think of any. Do you?

Yea I didn’t want to say it’s the first with underwater usable pushers because I’m not sure, there may have been one that came first but there weren’t that many to have that. The TAG Heuer Aquagraph 500M was a single model that did have underwater usable pushers, it was even larger at 43.5mm and 16.2mm thick. Then JLC released the Master Compressor Diving Chronograph in the late 2000s which had compressor key pushers that could be sort of immobilized by compressing the gaskets or something along those lines, but then the pushers were rated to be usable at full depth anyway irrespective of the compressor key position so it was sort of a pointless feature.

Aside from that all Planet Ocean and Seamaster Pro Chronographs have had full depth rated pushers since the 2599.80 in ‘93, so as far as I know any Omega with a depth rating of 300M or more should be included in that since ‘93.

STANDY · Dec 14, 2022

Being a water skier these were very popular when they came out.

Another great read @dsio

dsio · Dec 14, 2022

STANDY
Being a water skier these were very popular when they came out.

Another great read @dsio

Like casual water skier or one of those nutcases in the Southern 80 type?

STANDY · Dec 14, 2022

Like bridge to bridge warp speed on the Hawkesbury river.

Ski, drove and observed. Owned a boat with a Chevy for a few years

styggpyggeno1 · Dec 14, 2022

dsio
Yea I didn’t want to say it’s the first with underwater usable pushers because I’m not sure, there may have been one that came first but there weren’t that many to have that. The TAG Heuer Aquagraph 500M was a single model that did have underwater usable pushers, it was even larger at 43.5mm and 16.2mm thick. Then JLC released the Master Compressor Diving Chronograph in the late 2000s which had compressor key pushers that could be sort of immobilized by compressing the gaskets or something along those lines, but then the pushers were rated to be usable at full depth anyway irrespective of the compressor key position so it was sort of a pointless feature.

Aside from that all Planet Ocean and Seamaster Pro Chronographs have had full depth rated pushers since the 2599.80 in ‘93, so as far as I know any Omega with a depth rating of 300M or more should be included in that since ‘93.

My meaning was not that they were first with any of it - but that the combination of all of it in one watch must be very rare - even today.

To my knowledge the Heuer Aquagraph/Jaeger Compressor Chronograph are not chronometers. And if something about watches is of maritime heritage and tradition - the chronometer has to be the grand prize! Navigation being at the true center of all things at sea...

tikkathree · Dec 14, 2022

That's a great read, thank you.

Except that.... any model/type listing just leaves me wanting "the other one"! Yikes.

hen · Dec 19, 2022

How does the pusher's work if they aren't screw down?

tikkathree · Dec 27, 2022

hen
How does the pusher's work if they aren't screw down?

The usual way? You push 'em?
Or d'you mean how are they waterproof? Can't say for certain but I'd guess at rubber gaskets under the pushers?

Omega Stories: A Full Guide to the Seamaster Pro 300M Chronograph Family

dsio

spacemission

waterproofpt

styggpyggeno1

dsio

JayBe

styggpyggeno1

dsio

STANDY

dsio

STANDY

styggpyggeno1

tikkathree

hen

tikkathree

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