New Omega Seamaster returns a classic dive watch colour to the dial

While modern dive watch culture sees them chained to a desk and devoid of colour, it hasn't always been that way. Many moons ago, these pieces were used as a must-have tool for those who explored the depths, and that meant they had to have certain features.

Some of those are the same things that make them so popular in the modern day – water resistance and hardiness – but it also included bright colours. For many, orange was the pick of the bunch – and now, a new Omega Seamaster model points to that same heritage.

You'd be forgiven for doing a double take, as the Omega Seamaster Orange is, to all intents and purposes, black. Looks closer, though, and you'll spot the nod to the iconic hue much more subtly.

The colour is employed on the seconds hand, around the edges of the hour markers at the three, six, nine and 12 o'clock positions, and on the Seamaster text on the dial.

It stands out, too, as the stark black dial is only broken by that and the white of the other hour markers and the text on the dial. The hour and minute hands are standard fare for the range, with accents of white Super-LumiNova and an aperture in the middle.

Elsewhere, there's nothing which should catch you by surprise. The 42mm case is crafted from stainless steel, and attaches to either a mesh bracelet or a matching orange rubber strap.

Inside, the Co-Axial 8806 calibre can be found, and is also visible through the caseback. That's a METAS certified movement, which offers top performance and even a degree of magnetic resistance.

Priced at £5,800 / €6,700 / US$6,500 / AU$10,950 on the rubber strap and £6,100 / €7,100 / US$6,800 / AU$11,550 on the mesh bracelet, this is a neat addition to the range. It's got enough of a nod to the history of the form to be interesting, but without being overly brash.