Omega

Louis Brandt began assembling pocket watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848. His sons moved production to Biel in 1880 and, in 1894, released a calibre whose parts were fully interchangeable and which could be serviced by any watchmaker with standard tools. They named it Omega. The movement was successful enough that the company took its name.

Omega's history is bound up with measurement in public. It became official timekeeper of the Olympic Games in 1932 and has held the role for most Games since, which drove genuine engineering: photo-finish cameras, touchpads in swimming pools, and the timing systems that made hundredths of a second meaningful.

NASA qualified the Speedmaster for manned spaceflight in 1965 after testing chronographs from several manufacturers to destruction, and it was on Buzz Aldrin's wrist on the lunar surface in 1969. The watch has never been substantially redesigned.

The Seamaster line dates to 1948 and covers everything from dress watches to saturation diving instruments. Omega's technical position strengthened considerably after 1999 with the adoption of George Daniels' co-axial escapement, the first genuinely new escapement to reach series production in two centuries, and more recently through Master Chronometer certification testing resistance to magnetic fields at 15,000 gauss.

The company has been part of the Swatch Group since its formation.

Omega holds 12 models, from £6,950 to £33,000. Half cost less than £13,558, and a quarter less than £10,000. 8 of 12 are automatic. 7 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 20 offers in total. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.

1848

Louis Brandt starts assembling watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

1894

The Omega calibre gives the company its name.

1932

Becomes official timekeeper of the Olympic Games.

1948

The Seamaster line is introduced.

1965

NASA qualifies the Speedmaster for manned spaceflight.

1999

The co-axial escapement enters series production.