Initially released in 1948 and based on watches used by airmen in WWII, the Omega Seamaster has become one of Omega’s best-known collections. Initially, a dress-style watch with thick lugs, the Seamaster was designed to promote daily wear while remaining functional for use in water with 62.5 meters of water resistance. However, the modern Seamaster that we know and love today was born nine years later, in 1957. This was when the Seamaster 300 was released after Omega was inspired to upgrade the Seamaster after they had 50 Seamaster cases with rubber O-ring gaskets tested in 1955, which led them to work with new materials and push their boundaries. However, not every Seamaster is a large and bulky sports watch designed to tackle the seas, as is the case with the example we have here. Offered as a svelte stainless steel offering that verges on the more casual side of watch wearing, this Seamaster retains the legendary Seamaster name but with a distinctly more wearable 34.5mm case that stands just 8mm tall thanks to its thin automatic cal. 1012 movement. Offered only in 1976, the ref. 366.0842 is a rare watch at the best of times, but the example that we have here is particularly special on account of its dial bearing the Bahrain Coat of Arms at 6 o’clock, which marks it as a special order piece ordered by the Bahrain Royal Family to be used as either a gift or a piece for the Royal Family’s own collection.

A casual timepiece that is wonderfully understated, this Seamaster forgoes its typical tool watch DNA and instead opts for a rather casual design that is made rather special with the aid of its Bahrain Coat of Arms.