Introducing: Omega’s Newest Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Titanium Was Stealth-Launched With Armand Duplantis’ World-Record Pole Vault
What We Know
Last night, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, the Swedish-American pole vaulting legend representing Sweden in the Olympics, did things only he could imagine. Cool, calm, collected, and joking with friends, he skipped most heights and only started to take things seriously after he had secured the gold by a wide margin. He casually set a new Olympic record of 6.10 and then decided, “Why not beat my own world record by one centimeter?” On his third attempt, he cleared 6.25m (though Omega’s tracking data showed he could have cleared an incredible 6.5m), and the crowd – and Mondo – went wild.
Mondo Duplantis with his new World Record. Notice anything about his wrist? Photo: courtesy of Omega
Then, as he posed for pictures with his record, I noticed something. He was wearing a watch Omega doesn’t technically make – until today, that is. We’re operating in uncharted territory here. I have no press release or information other than what’s on the brand’s website, but I’m sharing it anyway. This is the new Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light, which I’m calling the “Mondo Duplantis Edition.”
In June, Omega announced a steel Aqua Terra 150 inspired by Mondo Duplantis, with a blue dial and blue strap with yellow accents for his country’s colors. It’s a solid watch but essentially a color swap. This titanium Ultra Light model is also just a color swap, but this time, it’s for a world record. The watch measures 41mm by 13.5mm thick, with a 49.2mm lug-to-lug and a special yellow and blue rubber strap that integrates into the unusual lug design. Like the other Ultra Light Aqua Terras, the case is made of sand-blasted Gamma Titanium, with a sand-blasted silicon nitride bezel ring and a tucked-in crown.
The watch is powered by Omega’s caliber 8928 Ti, previously released as the brand’s first ever titanium movement. It’s manually-wound, with 72 hours of power reserve, with hours, minutes, seconds, and a time-zone function that allows you to jump the hour hand forward and back like on a “flyer” GMT. It is also Master Chronometer certified. The kicker is that the titanium movement combined with the titanium case brings the total weight of the watch down to 55 grams (compared to about 148 grams for the watch in stainless steel on bracelet).
In case there was any confusion, when Omega stealth-launched this new watch (they just posted it on their website without a press release as of yet), they have also stated that this is the very watch Duplantis wore when he claimed gold and set a new world record. Now you can get one too – the watch, not the gold medal – for $51,300.
What We Think
Can you tell I have Olympic fever? Well, I do, and apparently, I am really sick, just like this watch. I don’t know what it is about the other Ultra Light Aqua Terras that never really did it for me. Maybe it’s the grey dial on grey case that felt a little flat, but this new watch with the bolder colors really looks so much better.
I wondered why Omega would do a steel watch for a pole vaulter. If anything, I assume this is one of the places where being extra light would really help improve performance and 55 grams really is very light for a watch this size. The steel Aqua Terra was attractive if you were looking at the model lineup, but I definitely wondered about performance. Not that Duplantis needs any help – he sets world records in tiny increments because he gets a bonus for every new world record, once per competition. He’s barely reached his full potential, but building hype like this is just good business. But last night, I was confident that he was wearing something new.
I’ve never actually seen one of the Ultra Light models in person, but I’m hoping to see them very soon. It’s not a cheap prospect, and the tucked-in crown has me curious about how finicky it might be to wind every few days. All that said, hats off to Omega for figuring out a way to drop something new on the biggest stage and to them – and Mondo – for doing it so casually.
The Basics
Brand: Omega
Model: Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light
Reference Number: 220.92.41.21.03.002
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 13.5mm
Case Material: Gamma Titanium
Dial Color: Blue
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 150m
Strap/Bracelet: Yellow and blue rubber
The Movement
Caliber: OMEGA 8928 Ti
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, time-zone function
Diameter: 29mm
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 25,200
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: METAS-Certified Master Chronometer
Pricing & Availability
Price: $51,300
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
