WatchTime tests the Omega Seamaster Ploprof, a re-edition of a classic divers’ watch from 1970 with double the original’s water-resistance and amanufacture caliber. Scroll down for the results, along with a gallery of original photos by Nik Schölzel.
It was 1970, in the midst of an era that delighted in unusual shapes and bright colors, when Omega first released the attention-getting Seamaster Professional 600m, nicknamed the Ploprof. The watch, designed in collaboration with the French industrial diving company Comex, was conceived for professional use: the name “Ploprof” stands for plongeurs professionels, or professional divers. While Omega emphasized its functions, the model perfectly suited the styles of the 1970s, with a gigantic and unusually shaped case, a red button to unlock the divers’ bezel, a bright orange strap and a minute hand of the same color.
The Ploprof achieved fame in the wake of the spectacular underwater missions in which it participated. The most important of these was the Janus Program, with which Comex tested saturation diving for the Elf petroleum company. Three divers manned a pressured chamber 200 meters below the surface of the Gulf of Ajaccio, off Corsica, for eight consecutive days, during which they worked on the seafloor at 250 meters’ depth for up to six hours each day, setting a new depth record. Rolex at this time was experimenting with the helium valve, which it used for the first time in the Sea-Dweller in 1971, but Omega pursued a different strategy with its Ploprof: the case was constructed and insulated so that helium atoms couldn’t penetrate it during the saturation dive, preventing the danger of explosion during the subsequent decompression.
The Ploprof’s pioneering role in the exploration of the underwater world and its water resistance of up to 600 meters, an extraordinarily high degree for its day, made it a cult watch, but its high price — twice that of aRolex Submariner — made it unaffordable for many.
The new Ploprof, which debuted in 2009, looks very similar to its predecessor, but several differences become apparent at a second glance. The original had a one-piece case with a crystal applied under extremely high pressure and secured by a screwed ring, while the new model’s case has a separate caseback. An applied, pressure-fit cover is affixed to the case by a screwed-on ring. The old caseback was adorned only with a striped pattern, but the new one has both stripes and the Seamaster line’s seahorse icon in raised relief. (Click on photos for larger images.)
A nearly 0.5-cm-thick sapphire crystal ensures adequate resistance to pressure on the front of the case, enabling the Ploprof to withstand pressures equivalent to those found 1,200 meters underwater. Thanks to the case’s new construction, with its removable back, the Ploprof now also has an automatic helium valve so professional divers can wear it during saturation dives. The valve is positioned on the underside of the orange button’s outrigger and marked with the chemical abbreviation “He” (for helium) beneath a coating of clear lacquer. The case is very well crafted; the beveled and polished edges contrast beautifully with the other surfaces, which have a matte-brushed finish.
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