It’s been a long journey for Bond fans. Daniel Craig last donned the tux in 2021’s No Time To Die, and ever since, the franchise has been in a holding pattern of production and rights wrangling worthy of the silver screen itself; the future of the franchise has been opaque at best. But things seem, much like an Aston Martin on a winding alpine road, kicking up a gear, with the rumour mill over Craig’s successor intensifying, a new video game (with its own tie-in watch), and Denis Villeneuve set to direct the next instalment in the series.

One thing we do know, though, is that this quartet of new Bond watches is striking all the right notes. In a surprising twist, we get different takes on the Bond watch: blue dials paying tribute to the spy himself, and black dials celebrating Spectre, his long-time shadowy nemesis organisation that dates back to Fleming’s 1961 novel Thunderball and the 1962 film Dr No. It’s a novel twist on the popular formula, and one that’s sure to have you choosing sides.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “James Bond”

Starting with the winning side, the James Bond edition is a tasteful tribute to the watch Pierce Brosnan wore in GoldenEye: a 42mm Seamaster with a blue dial and titanium bezel insert. From a distance, it can covertly hide in plain sight, but up close the details are revealed. The dial is blue, with a laser-engraved wave pattern that is such a beloved part of the Seamaster formula. These waves are fine and unobtrusive, adding richness and depth without being overwhelming. The skeleton sword hands are equally as important to the model, and they, along with the hour markers, are full of luminous material — blue for the hours, seconds and indices, green for the minutes and bezel pip. One particularly subtle nod to the spy is the coat of arms index at 12, with Bond’s traditional black chevron and three gold coins being rendered in white on the double baton hour marker. Beyond the dial, the case is steel, with a helium escape valve, and a Naiad case back with the movement surprisingly obscured by the famous gun barrel motif, which forms part of, and sits on top of, the traditional rotor, making the most of the rear real estate. The watch comes in a blue Omega box with an inset ‘007’ medallion on the front.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “Spectre”

Fundamentally, the “Spectre” twist on the Seamaster follows the same formula as its blue-dialled equivalent. Same case, same brushed stainless steel mesh bracelet, same Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8806 with 55 hours of power reserve and a 5-year warranty beating away inside. However, the dial here is black, with a grain pattern — a close match for the black ceramic bezel. There are no easter eggs on the dial of this watch, but don’t worry, the caseback more than makes up for it. Here, the rotor is embellished with the ominous, octopus-like Spectre logo, which dominates the entire caseback and, it must be said, just looks cool. While normally we’re not cheering for the baddies in Bond movies, this watch in particular looks incredible. The logo appears again on the black presentation box.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “James Bond” and “Spectre” Limited Editions

The fun doesn’t stop with the two steel editions. On top of that, Omega has pulled out all the stops with two limited editions, each of 77 pieces that are presented as a pair of either Bond or Spectre watches. These limited editions are in platinum-gold, offered on a leather strap and feature special dials. The Bond version has a white gold dial with a blue PVD gradient gun-barrel design, a blue ceramic bezel insert and a caseback barrel logo in blue and gold. The spectre limited edition follows a similar pattern, with a dark grey Spectre octopus logo dial, black ceramic bezel insert and moonshine spectre logo applied to a blackened rotor. The limited editions come in special presentation boxes that also include an additional NATO strap and strap-changing tool, cufflinks, a cord bracelet, a loupe, a leather travel pouch and card holder, and a certificate of authenticity. The limited editions are not sold separately.