When the adventurer Victor Vescovo took OMEGA to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in 2019, it was considered to be the deepest dive in human history. Now, his achievement has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records, certifying that his voyage to a depth of 10,925 m (35,843 ft)* is the “deepest solo crewed dive” of all time – the official Five Deeps World Record.
Vescovo’s world record was part of The Five Deeps Expedition, which reached the deepest points in all five of the world’s oceans. When going to the Challenger Deep, he took three of OMEGA’s innovative Seamaster “Ultra Deep” watches, including two attached to the LIMITING FACTOR submersible’s robotic arm and another on a data-gathering unit called a “Lander”.
Surviving the most crushing pressures on Earth, the “Ultra Deep” watches all returned in perfect working order, proving OMEGA’s underwater excellence beyond doubt.
To celebrate the new entry into the Guinness World Records, OMEGA has produced a short film, capturing the pioneering spirit of the expedition, and also highlighting the team’s latest achievements.
In 2020, the LIMITING FACTOR submersible returned to the Pacific Ocean, making a series of scientific and survey dives to all three of the “pools” that constitute the Challenger Deep.
As the mini-documentary shows, Victor Vescovo was joined by Dr Kathryn D. Sullivan, a recent addition to OMEGA’s family of explorers. The former NASA astronaut became the first American woman to walk in space in 1984. On this mission in 2020, she also became the “first woman to visit the Challenger Deep.”
The documentary also goes into the exclusive details behind the “Ultra Deep” watch, with insight from OMEGA President and CEO, Raynald Aeschlimann, as well as Head of Product Management, Gregory Kissling.
To see the incredible effort, ambition and technology it takes to reach the ocean floor, viewers can now watch the OMEGA film on Youtube and through OMEGA’s IGTV account.
*Updated in 2020 to 10,934 m (35,872 ft) ± 3 m
