Omega Goes to the Dark Side

James Bond has been shot at, poisoned, betrayed, and nearly fed to sharks. He’s escaped exploding buildings, survived impossible car chases, and faced villains who seem to have unlimited money and absolutely no common sense. Through much of it, one thing has stayed dependable: the Omega Seamaster on his wrist.

His enemies have never been so lucky. They have private islands, underground headquarters, armies of henchmen, and enough stolen diamonds to bankrupt a small country. Omega did release a “Spectre” watch in 2015, but it was named for the film and worn by Bond himself. Until now, Spectre had never received a watch bearing its octopus emblem. Thirty-one years after Bond first strapped on a Seamaster, that has finally changed.

On October 5, 2026, Omega introduced a collection of Seamaster Diver 300M watches celebrating both James Bond and Spectre, the criminal organization that has been making his life miserable since the early days of the franchise. The timing was deliberate. October 5 is Global James Bond Day, marking the 1962 premiere of Dr. No, the film that introduced Sean Connery as Agent 007.

Spectre’s roots go back to Ian Fleming’s novels, and its leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, became one of cinema’s most recognizable criminal masterminds. With his white Persian cat, elaborate schemes, and remarkable talent for escaping justice, Blofeld helped define the modern supervillain. Now his organization’s octopus emblem has found a new home inside a Swiss watch.

Omega hasn’t reinvented the Seamaster here. It has done something more entertaining and given each side of the story its own watch. Bond gets a wave-patterned blue dial and a gun-barrel-inspired rotor visible through the case back. Spectre gets a black dial, darker styling, and the octopus emblem on its rotor. Underneath, both share Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, and both are 42mm stainless-steel divers. Each is sold on its own for $8,600, and neither is a limited edition. Apparently, when it comes to Swiss watchmaking, international espionage and international crime operate on remarkably similar budgets.

Collectors who prefer a little more supervillain extravagance have another option. Omega is offering two limited-edition presentation sets, one for Bond and one for Spectre. Each pairs a numbered stainless-steel Seamaster with an exclusive platinum-gold version, along with special accessories and an elaborate presentation case. The watches in these sets aren’t sold individually, and only 77 sets of each will be made, at $89,800 apiece. One can almost picture Blofeld stroking his cat while deciding which one to wear before threatening world domination. The price would barely register against the cost of another secret volcano lair.

Long before Omega entered the picture, Bond wore a different Swiss watch. Ian Fleming gave his spy a Rolex, and Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner in Dr. No. The association continued through several early films and helped make the Submariner one of the most recognizable watches in cinema.

That changed in 1995 with GoldenEye. Costume designer Lindy Hemming chose an Omega Seamaster Professional for Pierce Brosnan, believing its naval associations better suited Bond’s background as a Royal Navy commander. What began as a costume decision became one of the most successful partnerships between a watchmaker and a film franchise.

What makes this collection especially clever is its timing. There’s no new Bond film in theaters, Daniel Craig has retired from the role, and as of this writing the next 007 hasn’t been announced. Rather than wait, Omega turned to the other half of the franchise. A great hero needs an equally memorable enemy, and by giving Spectre its own watch, Omega found a way to celebrate the franchise’s past while its cinematic future is still on hold. There’s a wonderful irony in Bond’s longtime watch supplier putting the emblem of an organization built on extortion and global chaos onto a movement.

For 31 years, Omega has helped James Bond keep time. Now it’s helping his enemies kill it.