Omega Seamaster Electronic F300 Hz

The Reference

In 1969, Omega introduced their first quartz watch powered by the Beta 21 movement that was developed alongside 20 other watch brands including Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Jaeger-LeCoultre just to name a few. From that moment forward Omega has continued to produce some of the finest quartz watches in the world. In typical Omega fashion they also branded these watches in every way possible. These lines included Electroquartz, Megaquartz, and Electronic and then to further complicate their naming, Omega paired them with some of their classic lines such as Constellation, De Ville, and Seamaster as seen here. Regardless of the vast diversity of names on their dials the quality of these watches was superb and matches that of Omega’s mechanical watches of the same era.

The History

The Seamaster range of watches, released in 1948, is perhaps the most diverse range of watches ever put under the same brand line in the history of watchmaking. The line has included everything from solid gold dress watches to stainless steel dive watches and even soccer timers. While they make a great watch, nobody has ever said that Omega was the best at branding.

The Seamaster range was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Omega brand. This anniversary also happened to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics, for which Omega was the official timekeeper. The original Seamasters were dressier watches that could go anywhere and do anything with some water resistance. One could call it a gentleman’s sport watch. It wasn’t until a few years after the introduction of the Seamaster 300 in 1957 that the line would become strongly associated with diving watches.

The Case and Bracelet

The design language of this watch would have come across as subtle for the 70s but match with today’s tastes quite well with a robust stainless steel case with an integrated center link bracelet and a simple yet effective dial layout. Overall condition is good with the case edges remaining strong and showing no signs of overpolishing. Scratches and dings from a lifetime of wear are present though. The signed crown and Hippocampus caseback are correct for the watch. The bracelet is in matching condition with little stretch and will fit up to a 7.5-inch wrist.

The Dial and Hands

The silver dial on this watch is in excellent condition and ties together the monochrome sporty look perfectly. The polished applied hour markers feature simple lume plots set against a deep rehaute. The highlight of the dial has to be the deep red Omega logo used as a top hour marker. All of the components are correct for the watch.

The Movement

This watch features an Omega calibre 1250 tuning fork movement which is an Omega branded ESA Cal. 9162 which is a tuning fork movement produced by Ebauches SA under license from Bulova. The movement is based on the Bulova Accutron design and designed by Accutron designer Max Hetzel. Calibre 9162 was one of the ESA “Mosaba” family of movements and was included in the “Swissonic” line of electronic movements in the early 1970s. The watch is running and the service history is unknown.

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