Last week, OMEGA alongside brand ambassador Aaron Taylor-Johnson hosted an extraordinary dinner at the Tate Modern in London to fete the launch of the Seamaster Planet Ocean redesign. We caught up with Taylor-Johnson about time, the ocean and his deep relationship to OMEGA
Aaron Taylor-Johnson “loves” the ocean. “Who doesn’t love being in the ocean?” he says, noting that he was “literally just” in the ocean in Ponza. “For my wife and I, it’s the best way to start your day. If you get the opportunity to jump into the ocean before you’ve had your coffee, it’s one of the most healing things you can do.”
Taylor-Johnson is speaking of wife Sam Taylor-Johnson, with whom he shares two daughters (he is also a stepfather to her two children from a previous marriage). He and his kids got their PADIs (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in the Maldives just last year, allowing for greater exploration of the wonders of the water. Diving is an experience he describes as “meditative”, even though the ocean is “a sort of scary unknown”. “It’s a whole other landscape that I don't know. That I'm not used to,” he says. “But when we got under there and started to see all the wonderful things, it was extraordinary.” Fittingly, his signature curly hair appears permanently fresh-from-the-sea.
British actor Tom Blyth at the OMEGA Planet Ocean event in London. Photo: OMEGA
Aaron Taylor-Johnson coordinates his OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean with a Tom Ford look. Photo: OMEGA
French actor Pierre Niney sits for dinner. Photo: OMEGA
Given his affinity for the ocean, Taylor-Johnson felt right at home in the depths of the Tate Modern in London at an event celebrating the recently released OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean redesign (a watch that can travel 600 metres under the sea). For the occasion, Taylor-Johnson, who was announced as an OMEGA ambassador last year, coordinated his own Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M with a cobalt blue silk set by Tom Ford (a great complement to his eyes, also blue).
Taylor-Johnson’s relationship to the OMEGA Seamaster runs deep (ocean pun intended). “I also like old traditions. I have a different, deeper connection to the OMEGA Seamaster in particular because my father owned one and so did my grandfather,” he says. “ I’ve kind of grown up with the tradition of watches. OMEGA for me is a really personal connection. Even before being invited to become an ambassador for the Planet Ocean, I already had known the Seamaster.”
The entranceway to the OMEGA Planet Ocean event at the Tate Modern in London. Photo: Omega
The extraordinary dinner. Photo: OMEGA
It’s been two decades since OMEGA launched the first Planet Ocean collection, an offering that, as OMEGA President and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann says, “has evolved into one of our most attractive lifestyle pieces”. “It’s quite symbolic to be celebrating this renewed collection in London – a city that has always been a starting point for exploration, style, and innovation,” he notes. This fourth generation offering is comprised of seven covetable timepieces, in a palette of navy, black and show-stopping orange, with both rubber and stainless steel bracelets.
At the Tate, glimmering projections of the ocean – which gently oscillated from ocean blue to magic hour orange – served as the backdrop for the seated dinner. In addition to Taylor-Johnson, who kicked off the evening with some poignant words delivered from a platform at the centre of the round table, other notable guests included French actor Pierre Niney (a friend of OMEGA) and British actors Tom Blyth and Connor Swindells.
OMEGA President and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann with Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Photo: OMEGA
Speaking of the meditative powers of the ocean, Taylor-Johnson notes that if given more time, he would “meditate more” and spend more time with his kids. “I've been working a lot recently, back-to-back,” he says. “I just would love to be spending more time in my home with my kids.” Up next is not a role, but a couple months off with family, during which time one of his daughters will take her GCSE exam. “It doesn’t really matter – my work, my career – I'm just more proud of being a father,” he says.
Time is a funny thing, particularly for Taylor-Johnson. “Time. Yeah, it really is precious. I'm 35 and I've got teenage daughters already. A lot of people tell me I’m racing through life,” he says. “I started acting at the age of six, so I’ve achieved and done a lot of things. But it also feels like I've only just arrived and started. It's so bizarre. I have a lot of gratitude for the things that I've done, and I feel very much like there's still a lot to learn.” Regardless of how Taylor-Johnson spends his time, we know how he’ll be keeping track: with an OMEGA.