Television presenter James May spotted wearing a Omega

The setting is unmistakably automotive — James May behind the wheel on what looks like a closed circuit, seatbelt on, clearly mid-lap. On his wrist sits the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M in its eye-catching orange configuration, the rubber strap and ceramic bezel creating a vivid contrast against his characteristically eclectic plaid shirt. It is a watch that demands attention without demanding formality, which tracks perfectly with May's aesthetic sensibility.

The Planet Ocean 600M in this guise is almost certainly reference 232.32.46.21.01.002, the 45.5mm stainless steel variant featuring a unidirectional rotating orange ceramic bezel, black dial with luminescent baton and Arabic numeral indices, and a date window at three o'clock. Water resistance is rated to 600 metres — 2,000 feet — making it a genuinely capable professional dive instrument rather than mere lifestyle accessory. The orange rubber strap is secured by a titanium deployant buckle, practical and secure under dynamic conditions.

At the heart of this watch sits Calibre 8500, Omega's in-house Co-Axial movement, beating at 25,200 vph with a power reserve of approximately 60 hours. The Co-Axial escapement — licensed from the late George Daniels — was Omega's most significant movement innovation in decades, dramatically reducing sliding friction compared to a traditional lever escapement and extending service intervals considerably. It represented a genuine engineering statement, not a marketing one.

James May has long been associated with considered, slightly contrarian watch choices. He is not a man prone to wearing watches simply because they are expensive or fashionable. The Planet Ocean represents exactly the kind of purposeful, engineering-led horology that appeals to someone who famously appreciates how things are designed and built. The orange colourway adds a layer of personality without veering into ostentation.

On the grey market, this generation of Planet Ocean 600M — now superseded by the Master Chronometer calibre 8900 series — trades at a modest discount to retail, typically between $3,800 and $4,800 depending on condition and box/papers. It remains a highly regarded daily-wear dive watch with strong collector fundamentals and genuine technical credibility.