Introducing: New Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise Watches In 38 And 41mm
Calling the new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise watches in 38 and 41mm summer watches would sell them short. Because of the vibrant turquoise dial with a black gradient effect, these two newcomers don’t look like “Ibiza watches,” but more like timepieces in the style of Terceira Island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. On that island in the Atlantic Ocean, you’ll find Algar do Carvão, a dormant volcano with a unique magma chamber that has become a cavern with a freshwater lake at the bottom.
I can see you thinking, “I’ve seen these Aqua Terras before, haven’t I?” You’re not entirely wrong. Last year, Omega released 38 and 41mm Aqua Terra watches showing gradient turquoise dials. “Then how can the two watches you see here be new?” would most likely be your follow-up question. There are two significant differences between the different turquoise-dialed watches. Most noticeable is the black rubber strap with contrasting turquoise stitching instead of a three-link steel bracelet. The second difference is a bit more subtle but has a substantial visual impact on the watch. Instead of a smooth steel bezel, the two newcomers feature a shiny bezel that underwent a grey PVD treatment to match the hands and indices on the dial.
New Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise watches in two sizes: 38 and 41mm
The combination of the dark bezel, the black edge of the dial, and the dark indices and hands creates a look full of contrast that reminded me of an aerial view of a dormant volcano with its caldera filled with water. Anyway, let’s stick to the facts and start with the specs of the 38mm version.
The 38 × 12.36 mm fully polished steel case with a lug-to-lug length of 45mm and a lug width of 19mm holds the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8800. This 3.5Hz METAS-certified movement with bidirectional winding rotor has 55 hours of power reserve and is outfitted with a silicon “Si14” balance spring.
Through the display case back, you can see the free-sprung balance, decorative Geneva waves in arabesque, and blackened screws, barrel, and balance wheel. The watch is water-resistant to 150 meters and magnetically resistant to 15,000 Gauss.
38mm Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise (220.32.38.20.03.001)
Into the caldera
The turquoise dial that is lacquered, varnished, and polished looks like a mysterious bottomless lake under the domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The three central hands, applied markers, date window, and OMEGA logo all show the same grey PVD treatment. At night, the already intriguing look gets an extra visual effect when the white Super-LumiNova on indices and hands lights up blue.
41mm Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise (220.32.41.21.03.001)
Bigger watch, “bigger” movement
The 41mm version of the new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise is not just different in size. This larger “volcano” of a watch is outfitted with the slightly more powerful Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8900. Thanks to its twin barrels, this METAS-certified movement can beat at 3.5Hz for 60 hours— that’s five more hours than the Calibre 8800.
The rest is pretty much the same, so let’s focus on the proportions. The polished steel case is 41mm in diameter, 13.26mm thick, 48mm lug-to-lug, 20 mm between the lugs, and 17 mm wide at the clasp. Since the watches share the same dial, we can now discuss the strap.
The new Aqua Terra Turquoise models have a black rubber strap with an integrated look, thanks to the polished additional link. The structured strap also shows contrasting turquoise stitching, and you close it with a brushed and polished fold-over clasp. Although both watches’ lug width varies, the strap’s width tapers down to 17mm where it meets the clasp.
41mm Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise
Which one to wear?
How much difference do three millimeters make? Sometimes almost nothing, sometimes a whole lot. Regarding the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise in 38 and 41mm, I’m undecided about which size looks and wears best. The 38mm is “enough,” so to speak, but the 41mm is also not “too much.” Far from it, on the black rubber strap, it sits very well on my 18cm wrist. Maybe the 38mm is a bit more versatile when it comes to wearing it with different types of attire in different periods of the year. The 41mm is the brasher, more outspoken version. The contrasting stitching is something that looks best on the larger model. The 38mm would have looked more subtle with a black-on-black strap, but maybe that’s just me.
38mm Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise
Omega created an intriguing watch that might take some time to appreciate by putting a dark bezel around the prominent, gradient turquoise dial. It’s a provocative look, that’s for sure.
Both the 41mm Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise (220.32.41.21.03.001) and its smaller 38mm sibling (220.32.38.20.03.001) have the same price: €7,700 (incl. VAT).
What do you think about these exotic new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise watches? Please let me know in the comments.
