Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m …. Beast?

Instead of beginning with its history and technical specifications, or the most common question I get asked: “What does the orange button do?”, I’ll start with the most common misconception: “It’s an unwearable beast of a watch”. Truth is, the Seamaster Ploprof 1200m is a beast, but a very much wearable one. It’s all down to its design, weight and its lug-to-lug measurement. Spanning only 48mm from top to bottom and weighing less than a standard Submariner – being made of Grade 5 (for the case) and Grade 2 (for the bracelet and clasp) Titanium, it wears pretty much like any other diver.

The Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m was presented in Baselworld 1969, it was Omega’s answer to the growing need for heavy duty tool watches (apt term for that time) for underwater exploration, off-shore oil constructions and maintenance, as well as sub-aqua military and naval special forces. It is also believed that Jacques-Yves Cousteau helped the Omega “Marine Unit” (yes, Omega created a special unit for this) in its design. The main problem to be solved – except from being able to withstand depth pressure – was how to deal with helium. While other watch manufacturers chose to respond to the challenge with the use of the helium escape valve, Omega thought that we don’t need to find a way to let concentrated helium out of the watch if it can’t get into the watch in the first instance. In comes the PLOPROF. With its monobloc case design the only opening was at the front of the watch and the crown canal. Hence the elaborate and purposeful design of the weird crown. The red (now orange) button was added to release the bi-directional bezel, which can only be turned while the button is pressed down.

In pop culture, the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m was heavily featured in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, a television series and, perhaps, even more famously, over the cuff of style icon Gianni Agnelli, the Italian magnate and CEO of FIAT and Ferrari.

The current model of the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m is still in production, it’s made of Titanium. It measures 55mm x 48mm and is 17mm thick. It is depth rated to 1200m/4000ft. The watch is sold with both the Titanium mesh bracelet and a rubber strap. Interestingly, when you order the watch, they take your wrist measurements to fit you with the right size of the mesh bracelet specifically for your wrist, as you cannot remove or add links to the bracelet. The rubber strap, more conveniently, can be cut to your size. The PLOPROF is powered by the 8912 in-house co-axial master chronometer (METAS certified) calibre, offering 60 hours of power reserve, with time zone function (hour hand can be changed independently) and is anti-magnetic to 15,000 gauss.

Quality: For the almost one and a half years of ownership, I could find no flaws in the built quality of the Omega  Seamaster Ploprof 1200m. Case and bracelet construction is flawless (with a naked eye, I don’t have a macro thingy to put it under more extensive scrutiny) and the movement is pretty damn accurate, within the METAS standards (0 to +5 secs per day). My score: 100%

Value: As the Seamaster Ploprof 1200m is relatively readily available (I only had to wait about a month to get it) and since this is not a watch for everybody, its resale value is less than its retail price. You can get a good example on the grey market for around 8,000 euros. My score: 75%

Style: No justification needed. I mean, even those who would never buy the Seamaster Ploprof 1200m, think this is a damn cool watch. My score: 100%

Wearability: See first paragraph for justification. My score: 75%, mainly due to the excessive height.