Why We Love It

After bursting on to the dive watch scene with the Seamaster 300 in 1957, Omega invested heavily in R&D throughout the 1960's in their quest to make their watches up to any underwater task. Indeed, their client list reads like a "who's who" of the golden age of underwater exploration - The Royal Navy, COMEX, and Jacques Cousteau were all known for their affinity towards Omega divers.

Distinguished by it's large satin-brushed monocoque case, notched unidirectional bezel, 9:00-position crown and 5mm-thick mineral crystal, the Seamaster 1000 eclipsed even the the PLOPROF as Omega's most water-resistant model ever produced, having safely been tested at over 1,000 meters (that's 3,300 feet) underwater.

This example of the Seamaster 1000 feels as though it just stepped out of the 1970s — the large steel case sports a mint service dial and bezel that sing a tune typical of 70's divers, and the vibrant orange service plongeur minute hand pops, adding an air of whimsy that many collectors associate with Omegas from this era.

The Story

In the 1970s, the American company IUC (International Underwater Contractors) was a well-respected commercial dive company was famous among professional divers for its forays into saturation diving, laser and radio navigation and experimenting with closed-circuit television equipment. The forward-leaning company was equipped, most notably, with a small submersible with highly articulated arms, known as Beaver Mark IV.

In 1975, IUC tested Omega's latest addition to the Seamaster collection and successor to the famed Seamaster 600 PLOPROF, the Seamaster 1000, or Reference 166.0093, attaching the model to the articulated arms of the compact submersible.