Omega, “Co-Axial”

My inside sources have confirmed that James Bond will, indeed, be getting an upgrade from the straightforward Seamaster style that’s graced his wrist for more than a decade. Believe it or not, the final model has not yet been chosen. But his Omega watch will definitely feature its so-called “co-axial” escapement.

For those speculating on the time period for Casino Royale, use of this technology surely rules out a 007 story line set in the era of the original Ian Fleming novel upon which this movie is based.

Omega touts its co-axial technology as the “last but not the least of the 20th century’s watchmaking inventions…” (emphasis added).

Co-axial movements didn’t exist during the Cold War. Then again, recall that James Bond wore the Omega Seamaster 2541.80 on his Arkangel Chemical Weapons Facility mission (the pre-title sequence in GoldenEye) — almost a decade before that watch was actually produced.

Post Script
11:47 p.m.

Primer on “James Bond Choice” Omega Seamaster watches

Remembering the words of James Bond himself in GoldenEye, “Numbers were never my strong suit,” here’s the “secret decoder ring” for the Omega watches we’re talking about here.

Only the 2531.80 and 2541.80 have appeared in the movies; the 2551.80 and 2561.80 are the mid-sized versions of these. The 2599.80 may be confused for a James Bond watch, as it is virtually identical to the 2531.80, except for its chronograph functions. None of the five aforementioned models has a co-axial movement.

The only current option with a co-axial escapement is the 2535.80 if they want to keep with an appearance similar to the Pierce Brosnan Omega Seamaster watches.