SUPER LIGHT

With the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light, Omega put its focus on a sporty look and innovative light weight. A fresh look at every detail resulted in a number of horological innovations. The hand-wound movement is Omega's first titanium caliber — and implementation was no easy feat. We had to wait more than two years to put this watch to our test.

-  Martina Richter

OMEGA SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA ULTRA LIGHT

It is unusual, but not a one-off. It's easy to wear because of the materials used, but not easy to have due to its high price. It's immediately recognizable as an Aqua Terra that's super lightweight.

-The "Ultra Light," as we refer to this new Omega watch, rather than by its full name, weighs only 55 grams on its black textile strap. According to our precision scale, the rubber strap with a titanium folding clasp bumps its weight up to 76 grams. For comparison, the Seamaster Planet Ocean with a titanium case, ceramic bezel and rubber strap weighs 104 grams, or about a third more. This is a valid comparison since the Ultra Light is made of exactly the same materials as the Planet Ocean while there are no comparable Aqua Terra models (apart from a couple of Good-Planet versions).

The telescopic crown is released with light pressure rather than unscrewing it.

Titanium is the primary material used for the Ultra-Light case. Not just any titanium - an alloy known as Gamma Titanium is used for the mid-section, the ring for the sapphire crystal threaded case-back and the crown. This is an absolute first for Omega.

This unusual material is an intermetallic compound of titanium and aluminum, also known by its scientific name: titanium aluminide (TiAl). Named after the third letter of the Greek alphabet, Gamma Titanium-or y-TiAl - consists of 50 to 55 percent aluminum, hence its lightweight. TiAl-based alloys originated in 1970 but have only been used since the recent turn of the century.

Titanium Alloys Help Achieve Lighter Weight