The strap also features a patented quick-change mechanism that has existed at Omega for three years but has sparsely been implemented — I’m not sure if it’s ever been used on a Seamaster Diver 300M before.
The system consists of a carbon fiber housing and slider. Press the slider down, and it retracts the spring bars, allowing you to remove the strap without the use of any tools. I love it, as it’s easier to use than any other quick-change strap mechanism I’ve tried on other brands, some of which can be downright painful.
On the back of the watch, you’ll notice another change. Instead of the usual Cal. 8800 engraved on the rotor, you’ll see Cal. 8806. This is the no-date version of the 8800, which means — you guessed it — the America’s Cup Seamaster doesn’t have a date.
We’ve seen other no-date Seamasters, and like this version, they’ve all been special editions (e.g. the “No Time to Die“). But the masses are clamoring for a standard no-date option, and if Daniel Craig’s recent Olympics wrist candy is any indication, we’re going to get one eventually.
Finally, we move to the dial. The lack of a date is the most obvious change here from your standard Seamaster, but there’s another change too. Rather than the wave pattern being engraved into the ceramic dial, the waves on the America’s Cup version are raised in relief. This creates a sort of happy medium between the old stamped waves of the original Bond Seamaster of the ’90s and the current laser-engraved version. It’s a subtle change, but it looks fantastic.
