The history of Omega watchesIt dates back to 1848, the year in which the young watchmaker Louis Brandt redefined the concept of watchmaking by creating a workshop in the Swiss town of Chaux-de-Fonds. Until the death of its founder, the company experienced rapid growth and it would not be until 1880, after Brandt's death, that his descendants made the decision to move the firm to Vienna where it has been to the present day. In the last decade of the 19th century the company created important movements such as the Labrador, the Gurzelen and the caliber 19, which they calledOmega. This machine, synonymous with perfection and commercial success, ended up giving its name to the company itself in 1903 and has accompanied the firm to this day. During these years, important innovations were developed such as the wristwatch with a minute repeater and watchmaking pieces with an accuracy of 30 seconds per day were achieved. These advances make watchesOmegaa benchmark in the Swiss watch industry of the time.
With the beginning of the 20th century,Omegabecomes one of the largest watchmaking companies in Switzerland. Wristwatches, military watches and navy watches, among other types, are produced and numerous awards are accumulated, such as the Grand Prix of the Paris World's Fair. With the arrival of World War I, certain economic difficulties meant thatOmegamerges with Tissot into the SSIH group (Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère), predecessor of what will be the Swatch conglomerate. This group would include other watch companies such as Lanco, Lémania and Hamilton, some of which would manufacture some of the most important chronograph movements in the history of watches.Omega.
One of the most notable achievements of theOmega storyIt was the world precision record of 97.8 points awarded by the English Kew-Teddington observatory in 1936. During this first half of the 20th century,OmegaIt focused on producing revolutionary and more professional watches than those of other brands, which is why, in 1932, it was chosen as the first watchmaker's watchmaker to solo the Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1932). From then until now,Omegahas carried out all the Olympic timing, including among its milestones innovative elements such as the photofinish camera. At this time, the Marine chronograph was also born, the first wristwatch designed for divers capable of withstanding up to 13.5 atmospheres (approximately 135m).
By the 1970s, SSIH had become the leading watch producing group in Switzerland and the third largest in the world. Events such as the creation of theOmegaSpeedmaster, the only chronograph qualified by NASA as suitable for space missions, highlights the space occupied by the brand. The Speedmaster, with a caliber 321, was the only wristwatch capable of passing all the tests of the United States space agency, which is why it is selected for its manned space missions. The most memorable moment of this chronograph was reached in 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, when it became the first and only watch to record man's first steps on the moon. From this moment on,OmegaIt becomes the official chronograph of the North American and Russian space missions. Another of the chronometers from that era is the Marine Chronometer 2400, one of the most precise and technologically advanced wristwatches in the world.
During the 1980s, the SSIH group merged its production operations with ASUAG (Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG). Other investors later take over the company and form the SMH (Société de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie) which in the next decade will become the Swatch group, one of the main watch producers in the world. In this decade the watchesOmegaThey continue to win awards and in 1983 they receive their 100,000th official certificate for their quartz chronometers.
The collectionOmegaIt focuses on four lines:Constellation, De Ville, Seamaster and Speedmaster. There are also specialties - which include tourbillon - and the collectionOmega Museumwith retro designs. Each of these collections has unique characteristics and, in some cases, their origins date back to the 40s and 50s. The Constellation are automatic sports chronometers that entered the market in 1952 and have played a fundamental role within the brand. They carry a mark that recognizes them as certified high-precision chronometers. The De Ville series includes the most classic automatic models, while the Seamaster collection includes more current models and is a nod to high-end diving watches. They are considered one of the easiest watches to read due to their luminescent coating. Finally, Speedmasters are manual automatic chronographs that have become legendary due to the Speedmaster Professional, the lunar watch.
Throughout its historyOmegahas expanded its watch manufacturing reputation with numerous innovations. One of them was creating the first wristwatch with a centrally mounted automatic tourbillon or the introduction of the co-axial escapement. This advance, which redefined the entire theory of mechanical watchmaking, involved modifying the escapement, the heart of every mechanical watch with more than 250 years of history, to introduce a co-axial system ofOmegawhich reduces friction due to sliding, has greater resistance and mechanical efficiency allowing greater chronometric precision in the longer term. Introduced for the first time in the De Ville collection, the co-axial escapement ofOmegaIt is considered one of the main innovations in mechanical watchmaking of the 20th century.
OmegaIt is the watchmaking manufacture that holds the largest number of precision records. This fact, together with the inclusion of innovative chronographic movements such as those included in its 33xx, 8500, 8501 series and striking designs, have allowed it to be considered true pieces of art within the world of luxury watches.
Curiosities
- Omega has been the official timekeeper of more than 25 Olympic events where it has used innovations such as the omegascope, electronic timing, contact pads or synchronization of events to be seen online.
- Personalities such as John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Cindy Crawford, George Clooney, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Phelps, Michael Schumacher, Sergio García, Greg Norma, among others have been or are ambassadors of the Omega brand.
- Since 1995, Omega has sponsored James Bond films. In the latest version of the saga the protagonist wears a Seamaster Planet Ocean and a watch has even been made to celebrate the character's 50th birthday, the Seamaster James Bond 50th Anniversary.
- Omega works together with organizations such as Orbis International in projects of social interest such as the aerial eye hospital in the fight against avoidable blindness. It also promotes environmental care by supporting initiatives such as Planet Ocean and Solar Impulse.
- Omega is the official sponsor and timekeeper of sailing and sailing competitions – such as Team New Zealand and the Sailing America's Cup – and winter sports such as monobob and bobsleigh racing.
- The Omega has not only been the watch with which man set foot on the moon, but there is also a Speedmaster Professional X-33 ready for the visit of astronauts to Mars.
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