Introducing: The Sea Quartz 30

Posted by Momentum Watches - January, 04

The Original Sea Quartz 30, re-imagined. The watch famously worn by Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. is back. Same owners, different brand. Based on one of the first quartz dive watches ever made. Learn more about the history of this iconic watch and why we brought it back under the Momentum brand.

Momentum has been making quality watches for over 40 years. We love a watch with a great story. Back in the 1970’s, before I started Momentum, my family owned a specialty watch company called Chronosport, which designed and sold sports watches, watches for diving and sailing, and sports chronographs. The company had a small dealer network, but most sales were mail-order (no internet!), and all the watches were mechanical.

In the mid-1970’s, the first analogue quartz watch movements became available. Many traditional watch and jewelry dealers felt that quartz watches would be a passing trend, but the team at Chronosport loved the new technology and decided to design a diver’s watch, based on it. In 1977, we launched the Sea Quartz 30 diver’s model, well ahead of any other watch brands. Dive shops and serious divers loved the accuracy, affordability, and low service costs of quartz analog.

Within 2-3 years, the Sea Quartz 30 could be found in every reputable dive shop in the US and Canada. It had a unique, coin-edged bezel with a distinctive glass insert, a simple but beautiful case shape that was tested to 300M/990FT, and an ultra-legible black dial with luminous numbers and hands. Small elements like the domed screw-crown and orange minute hand gave the watch a look that was instantly recognizable. When the TV series Magnum PI launched in 1980, they naturally chose the Sea Quartz 30 to put on the wrist of the main character, played by Tom Selleck. This drove demand even more and made the watch into an icon.

Customers who know of my family connection often ask whether we have any original Sea Quartz 30 models still “kicking around”. So, for 2023, we have decided to remake the Sea Quartz 30 under the Momentum brand. I am really excited about this new model. It looks almost identical to the original but has been improved in several important ways. We upgraded both the mineral crystal and the glass bezel-insert to scratchproof, solid sapphire. The Swiss-made, day-date movement is a modern, high-torque quartz movement. The luminous is high-grade C3 Swiss Super-LumiNova, to ensure the time is legible, even after several hours in the dark. While the tapered “Tropic” strap on the original was made of plastic, our new version features a band that looks the same, but is made of soft, flexible FKM rubber, with quick-click springbars, so you can switch the band yourself in a few seconds, without tools.