In 2012, Rolex participated in the Deepsea Challenge expedition of director and explorer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar), in partnership with the National Geographic Society. On March 26 this year, this expedition descended to 10,908 meters to the Deep Challenger in the Marianas Trench, at the bottom of the Pacific. Attached to the articulated arm of the submersible, an experimental Rolex watch accompanies James Cameron throughout his dive.
A record beaten by 20 meters (10,928 meters) by the explorer Victor Vescovo and his Omega that comes to measure against Rolex on one of his favorite fields: diving in the deepest corners of the planet: those of the pit Marianas.
Remember that this is the deepest oceanic trench currently known on earth. It is located in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, east of the Mariana Islands and near the island of Guam. The lowest known point would be according to the records at 10 971 meters (2.000 meters of "more" than Everest!).
Initiated by Victor Vescovo, a submarine pilot and explorer, this expedition is a world first: he has completed five inhabited dives deep in every ocean. On the surface, the DSSV Pressure Drop is equipped with a very high-fidelity deep-sea sonar. But under water, the Limiting Factor takes over.
This submarine by Triton Submarines is certified for commercial transport by the international maritime authority DNV-GL for long and repeated deep-sea dives. At the bottom of the ocean, three "probes" gather important scientific data.
As for the history of the Omega Ultra Deep, it begins in 2005, with the launch of the Planet Ocean line. Designing a professional dive watch is a routine project for the Bieler watchmaker.
However, the Swiss brand had to start from scratch and take new risks to imagine the timepiece of the Five Deeps expedition. Pushing the limits of watchmaking, the watchmaker has managed to invent a pioneering technology that has not only enabled him to fulfill his mission, but can also be adapted to the production of new diving watches.
The Ultra Deep proves that a watch can keep the line even when it has to withstand extreme pressures. In fact, Omega has managed to reduce its thickness to less than 28 mm (vs 28.5 mm for the Rolex Deepsea Challenge), without sacrificing its exceptional robustness.
To ensure that the pressure on the housing does not exceed acceptable limits, the Omega Ultra Deep has been subjected to multiple analysis simulations using the finite element method.
The Grade 5 titanium pressure hull of the Limiting Factor required the development of a new state of the art forging and seamless assembly technique. The body of the bezel, the caseband, the caseback and the crown were all shaped from titanium scrap used for the submersible hull. These bear the punch of DNV-GL, which certifies the origin, the characteristics and the quality of the material.
The design of the portholes is a critical step in the design of a submarine. The outer surface of those of the Limiting Factor has been designed to minimize pressure on the inner edges of the cone, where the tension is highest. Like the assembly of a porthole on a submarine, the fitting of sapphire crystal on the case of a diving watch in deep water is a delicate moment.
To best distribute the forces, Omega was inspired by this solid conical design and used the Liquidmetal (a solution specific to the watchmaker) to ensure a strong and flexible assembly of sapphire crystal on the case. An innovative welding technique, patent pending, avoids the use of polymer gaskets and reduces the thickness of sapphire glass.
Fully integrated with the titanium case, the horns of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional are slotted to reduce the risk of rupture due to exceeding the material stress in very deep water. Indeed, the watch and the bracelet can be subjected to powerful traction forces. They have been named "manta horns" because of their characteristic shape.
The logo of the expedition is struck on the bottom of the case, in the center of concentric circles evoking the multibeam technology of the sonar. Other important information is laser engraved, as the model, part number, the materials used, the DNV-GL certification and the words "Tested 15,000 m / 49,212ft."
Three Omega Seamaster Ultra Deep Ocean Ocean made the record dive: two attached to the robotic arms of the submarine and the last attached to one of the probes. The materials Omega has chosen for its bracelets are inspired by the brand's experience with NASA. The combination of a polyamide bracelet and a Velcro closure system is reminiscent of the bracelets used during Apollo missions.
All the watches were tested in Triton Submarines laboratories in Barcelona, in the presence of a DNV-GL engineer, to measure their resistance to pressure.
The maximum pressure chosen corresponded to the tolerances required for diving in the Mariana Trench, but to ensure their resistance and meet the standards of diving watches, Omega insisted on adding a safety margin of 25%. Thus, the watches had to face an extraordinary pressure of 1500 bars, corresponding to 15 000 meters of depth (vs 12.000 for Rolex).
After having passed the tests imposed by Triton and proved their value at the deepest part of the Earth, the OMEGA Seamaster Ultra Deep were subjected to 8 tests carried out over 10 days by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). Even after a trip to the abyss, the watches had no trouble getting the Master Chronometer certification.
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