The sun shouldn't shine like this on the Northern California coast. At least not at this time of year, and certainly not at this evening hour. Yet here we are - soaring along the Marin Headlands in a crimson Robinson R44 without a speck of fog, the late summer sun flooding the cabin with warm light. The pilot abruptly gains altitude at the historic Bonita Point and directs the four-seater aircraft northwest, leaving the dilapidated mid-century lighthouse to vanish against the San Francisco horizon as a white speck behind the tail rotor. As the shadow of the Robinson streaks along the jagged coastline 1,200 feet below, I tap the shoulder of professional photographer Michael Lax sitting in the front seat and signal with an open palm and forearm toward the vast Pacific Ocean: "Farallones!" I exclaim into the headset. He turns his 70-200mm lens toward the uneven silhouette of the islands, dimly and low lying on the distant horizon, and takes several shots.
On Michael's wrist is the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer - a striking stainless steel model, whose laser-engraved dial details closely resemble the myriad colors painted below, where the cold and turquoise Pacific Ocean meets the muscular orange rocks. This is a fitting watch for a mission to study the numerous textures of this stretch of coastline from above, and a watch that functionally and accurately continues the geological exploration traditions set by its predecessor - the Aqua Terra GMT "GoodPlanet" model.
Seventy-one percent. That's how much of our planet is covered by water - a figure vividly reflected in the blue color of the Aqua Terra Worldtimer's dial. But instead of using traditional hand-applied blue lacquer or enamel techniques usually employed to depict such bodies of water on luxury Worldtimer dials, Omega has taken a much more modern approach: by taking a titanium disc and irradiating it with a laser at varying temperatures and intensities, Omega has colored the oceans in different hues and applied actual texture and structure to the coastlines and land.
The three-dimensional effect is both striking and realistic, placing the Aqua Terra Worldtimer in rare company - here you have travel-ready GMT-equipped watches with an industry-leading Master Chronometer-certified automatic movement that displays time across 24 world time zones, all on an artfully crafted dial protected by a sculptural 43mm stainless steel case with 150 meters of water resistance. Nothing compares to these watches.
Our destination lies at the western edge of California, a true point hidden deep within the Aqua Terra dial. It is the northern corner of the Farallon Islands National Marine Sanctuary, a body of water covering approximately 1,300 square miles, home to countless marine creatures and historical shipwrecks, both documented and undiscovered.
From the heights, the light station at Point Reyes guards these waters and warns sailors of the treacherous coastline with a 16-sided wrought-iron structure mounted on solid rock at the tip of the hook-shaped peninsula. Lighthouses are placed throughout the Pacific coast, but in the era before GPS and autopilot, they were particularly important countermeasures in this region, which typically experiences some of the highest wind speeds on the California coast. But not today - those notorious winds have subsided enough that we can fly a clear path to the lighthouse.
Of course, the chronometry, water resistance, and overall METAS-certified ergonomics aren't the only tricks up the sleeve of the Aqua Terra Worldtimer - it has another feature, which, in fact, is quite rare in other traditional Worldtimer watches, and it's hidden from prying eyes. The central part of the dial is occupied, of course, by a world map - though flattened, executed in the so-called quincuncial projection of Peirce, with the North Pole at its center. This projection, invented in 1879 by mathematician and scientist Charles Sanders Peirce, resembles the traditional gnomonic projection without compressing or exaggerating land masses.
In this projection example, the planet is represented as a conformal square, except for the four extreme corners where the continent of Antarctica would otherwise be. After trimming the circle according to watch dial traditions, a unique display of six of the seven continents is achieved. But more importantly, surrounded by a rotating 24-hour hesalite ring, each of the 24 time zones directly correlates with the time zone of the nearest continent on the center of the dial - simply find your approximate city location on the map and draw an imaginary straight line to the nearest number on the ring. Of course, it's easier to read the time for the 24 cities located around the periphery of the dial, but it's a rather elegant Easter egg that will come in handy if your city or town isn't among the 24 metropolises represented on the dial's periphery.
Specifications
Brand: Omega
Model: Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Master Chronometer
Dimensions: 43mm
Water Resistance: 150 meters
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Movement: Caliber Omega 8939 (automatic with rotating 24-hour central disc and independently adjustable local hour hand)
Power Reserve: 60 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated rubber with folding clasp
Price & Availability: USD 8,900 as configured on strap
Nearly 45 minutes into the flight, we are at the furthest point from the helipad, gaining speed along the arrow-straight sand of Point Reyes Beach, aligning ourselves with the lighthouse located at the peninsula's edge. This evening, in particular, has granted us an exceptionally rare opportunity - a warm coastal window for photography unobstructed by fog or wind. Historically, Point Reyes is known to be a gloomy and challenging place to photograph, partly due to the unpredictability of the fog - a weather condition so dangerous and pervasive that it even inspired John Carpenter to create the supernatural thriller "The Fog" in 1980, shot on the steps of the very lighthouse that just appeared below. But it's precisely this unpredictability and these complex, gloomy microclimates that attracted professional photographer Michael Lax to the San Francisco Bay area - a former Michigan native who has been professionally engaged in landscape and automotive photography here for just over a decade, regularly seeking inspiration among the rugged cliffs below.
Few modern sport watches blend capability and design intent as seamlessly as the Aqua Terra, but it's no surprise - this intent is directly translated into its name, which suggests a watch best suited for an exploratory life, whether at sea or on land. In many ways, the Aqua Terra Worldtimer feels like a spiritual continuation of Omega's own GoodPlanet initiative from 2011, launched in partnership with French conservationist and photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
Drawing inspiration from the planet's wildest corners, the initiative's primary goal was to raise public awareness of the numerous environmental challenges we face, while also promoting more sustainable ways of living on the planet. Omega's commitment to this initiative seems to have come full circle: the watch not only unites key time zones of the planet but also visually showcases the physical places we call home, as well as the bodies of water that make life on this blue marble possible - all through a skillfully detailed dial.
"Alright, guys, let's start," our pilot's voice crackles through the headset. We don't have enough fuel in the safety buffer to linger or make a second pass, and it's a long way home, so Michael will have only one attempt. The Robinson banks sharply to the left, tilting the open left side of the aircraft down toward the lighthouse, which is now framed by glowing orange cliffs and crashing Pacific waves. The fingertips of the peninsula are perpendicular to the helicopter for just a few seconds, and then, just like that, it's all clear - the moment we've been chasing all summer is suddenly over, and we speed back, returning from where we came.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer is offered on an integrated rubber strap or a stainless steel bracelet with brushed and polished three links starting at USD 8,900. More information about the full Seamaster Aqua Terra collection can be found on the Omega website.