During his visit to the Omega factory in Villeret, Switzerland, the actor learned about the production of the new Omega Seamaster 300 “SPECTRE” Limited Edition, which will go on sale in September.

Back in May, we talked about what James Bond can teach us about watches.

Today, James Bond is rather the student and not the teacher. Daniel Craig – who will reprise his role as 007 in the upcoming “SPECTRE” Bond adventure - recently made a special visit to the heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry to inaugurate the Omega factory in Villeret.

The actor was given exclusive access to the inner workings of the factory, and was also shown the production process of the new Omega Seamaster 300 “SPECTRE” Limited Edition.

Together with Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek and President of Omega Stephen Urquhart, Craig was shown exactly what goes into making the Omega watches that James Bond sports. An avid collector himself, Craig was fascinated by the engineering process:

“I think what was so impressive was the fact that these watches are made from the ground up. You start with nothing, and then there’s suddenly a working watch. That’s the beauty of it. To see the engineering that goes into it and the legacy that goes into it, that’s what fascinated me.”

The Seamaster has been James Bond’s watch of choice since the feature film GoldenEye in 1995. With its sporty yet classic style, the watch perfectly reflects Bond’s character, especially the new interpretation by Craig.

The watch is driven by the highly innovative Omega Master Co-Axial calibre 8400. The case features a bi-directional, rotating diving bezel made from black, polished ceramic, combined with a LiquidMetal 12 hour scale.

On the outside, other unique features include the “lollipop” central seconds hands, as well as the 007 gun logo engraved on the bracelet’s strap holder. Each watch also has its own serial number engraved, along with the SPECTRE film logo.

The special timepiece will be limited to just 7,007 pieces, to be made available in selected boutiques starting in September. Limiting it to 007 pieces would have been the obvious choice here, but producing only seven timepieces would not do in this case. That’s because this release marks a first for the partnership between Omega and the Bond franchise: until now, only commemorative editions have been released on such occasions. This watch will surely be a hit and demanded by fans of both the watch brand and the film franchise alike, justifying the seven in front of the double-O-seven. (VJ)