1970s Omega Seamaster Professional 600 (Ref. 166.077) "Ploprof"

There is something about the early vintage Omega Seamsters that truly embodies the golden era of dive watches of the 1960-1970s. Omega has a long history and heritage in dive watches, which dates back to the 1930s. The Seamaster 600 aka Ploprof is unquestionably the most recognizable watch ever produced by Omega. Ploprof stands for 'Plongeur Professionnel' which means professional diver and relates to the type of watch more than the watch model itself but the name has since stuck. 

Like most tool watches from the golden era of watch design the watch's design itself hails from the watch needing to function while also having form and ergonomics. In the late 1960s deep-sea underwater exploration, off-shore oil and gas drilling saw an increase in demand. This increased the deep-sea diving applications that support the research, military, and commercial market of course increased the demand for heavy-duty submersible watches. The Ploprof was designed to meet the demands of the sub-aqua business and was put forth as a prototype along with the rare and also highly sought after Omega Seamaster 1000 to the most significant marine contractors and research companies. COMEX of course was one of the companies that demanded such an intense piece of equipment. 

So the need for a strong, waterproof, clear, reliable, and high-depth rated watch caused the development of several watches and created the unmistakable Seamaster 600. Omega unveiled the Omega Seamaster 600 Ref. 166.077 "PloProf" at the 1969 Basel Show but interestingly the watch wasn't issued for retail sale until April 1971. Since then there have been many versions of the Ploprof to have come from the Omega making the design iconic, and now a mainstay offering from the Omega Brand.