Watches in bronze cases have been proliferating throughout the industry for several years, with brands large and small offering timepieces clothed in the maritime-evocative material. But leave it to Omega to put an entirely new spin on the trend, as it does with the undisputed headliner of its 2021 releases, unveiled today: a new version of its vintage-look Seamaster 300 model, which not only marks the debut of an all-new case metal called Bronze Gold but also the first use of the manufacture’s Master Chronometer caliber in the vintage-look Seamaster 300 series.

The Seamaster 300 in Bronze gold

The Bronze gold that forms the Seamaster 300’s 41-mm case is a patent-pending alloy that combines 50 percent copper, 37 percent gold, and small amounts of other noble metals including palladium and silver. Differing from other bronze alloys used in watchmaking, which are largely amalgams of copper and tin, this mixture produces a metal that will remain corrosion-resistant over a long period of wear but will not acquire the greenish verdigris oxidation characteristic of traditional bronze, the phenomenon responsible for bronze cases’ individual patina but also the one that makes their surface toxic to the skin. The vast majority of bronze watch cases, of course, use casebacks made from non-allergenic materials like titanium to avoid skin irritation and discoloration, but Omega’s alloy can be used for the back as well as the casebody and bezel. It will al...