In common with a number of historic brands, 2020 was meant to be another momentous year for Omega. But then came Covid-19 and the postponement of the latest Bond film, for which the brand had produced its first unlimited official 007 timepiece, followed by the dawning realisation that the Tokyo Olympics would need to be pushed to next year – leaving the Bienne-based brand with another wait on its hands before resuming once again its official timekeeper responsibilities – a position its held since 1932.
And if it's not something every business could take in its stride, it's likely not the first time Omega will have had to concern itself with world-class problems such as these. As if to prove the point, the brand takes its name from an industry first: a serially produced movement that allowed the era’s watchmakers to make their own repairs using supplied parts, rather than – as would have otherwise been the case – fashioning their own.
Although this might not seem such a big deal today, when industrialised calibres (most of them produced by Omega’s parent company, Swatch Group) are the overwhelming norm, in 1855, when Louis Brandt first developed his breakthrough movement, it was unheard of. Brandt justly called his game-changing idea "Omega" and later rebranded the company in its honour.
This would have stood as a historical footnote whether or not the brand survived. But survive it did. And how. In short order, the company began timing sporting events (leading, as mentioned, to its role as official timekeeper to the Olympic Games) and, in 1929, produced the Armature shock-resistant watch, the beginnings of a dedication to robustness that in due course would lead to the world-beating Seamaster and Speedmaster watches of the post-war era.
Following the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, Omega – in common with other Swiss brands – supplied military-issue timepieces to combatants. However Omega was particularly favoured by Allied pilots for its robustness and accuracy, receiving special commendation from the commander of Allied forces, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who later paid a private visit to Omega's headquarters in Bienne to thank its watchmakers.
For its part, Omega used the hard-won intel it garnered during the war to produce the watch that would seal its reputation: the Seamaster, a self-winding, waterproof "civilian" version of the wartime CK2129. Launched in 1948, it would go on to help define the "tool watch" market and today enjoys an admirable "bandwidth" of willing wearers – from James Bond to the Duke Of Cambridge.
The same year, Omega revolutionised another arena of critical timekeeping, when it introduced electronic timing to the London Olympics, linked to a camera that went on to record the first ever "photo finish’ in what would otherwise have been a "dead heat" in the mens’ 100 metres.
Marking its success in another arena of competition, in 1952 Omega launched a slimmed-down Seamaster collection it dubbed Constellation, in recognition of the eight stars that surround its crest, representing its eight wins at Kew Observatory Chronometer tests. But it was the launch of a "trilogy" of professionally inspired watches five years later that would truly seal the brand’s reputation.
Designed to overcome the specific challenges of reliable timemkeeping on land, sea and in the air, the Railmaster was the first commercially available watch able to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1,000 (today 15,000) gauss, the upgraded Seamaster 300 greatly increased the depth to which this famously submersible timepiece could voyage and the Speedmaster swiftly outmanoeuvred its earth-bound origins as a sports chronograph by becoming what’s now known simply as the “moon watch”.
In January 1961, President Kennedy wore an Omega at his inauguration, and a few months later delivered the famous speech in which he declared, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Starting in 1962, when astronaut Wally Schirra wore his own Speedmaster aboard his Mercury spacecraft, Omega would play an integral role in Nasa's space programme.
In 1965, Nasa certified the Speedmaster for all space missions and extra-vehicular activity – and the same year a Speedmaster joined the world’s first spacewalk aboard the wrist of Gemini 4 pilot Ed White. By the end of the decade, the Speedmaster had made the first of its eight visits to the moon, courtesy of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, and by the beginning of the next had aided the crew of the stricken Apollo 13 to successfully navigate back to earth, for which it received a special "Snoopy" award from Nasa – the highest distinction afforded its astronauts (so named for the character’s ability to keep things light in tight situations).
But if the Sixties were to represent something of a purple patch for Omega, the next couple of decades would throw up problems of a greater ordinance than even the most highly decorated Swiss manufacture could endure. By the late Seventies, the mechanical watch industry was nearing extinction, driven by the rise of quartz (a technology Omega had helped perfect). In 1983, a management consultant and industrial troubleshooter named Nicolas Hayek bought the company, forming the Swatch Group in the process. The success of his novel survival plan – a plastic-covered quartz timepiece aimed at a mass audience – would ensure not only the survival of Omega but, eventually, a dozen or so more important Swiss and German brands.
Omega celebrated its survival by producing a centrally mounted tourbillon watch to mark its centenary in 1994. But it was in the field of marketing that it was to truly come into its own, starting with its debut on the wrist of Pierce Brosnan’s 007 in the 17th Bond outing, Goldeneye, and the signing of supermodel Cindy Crawford as a brand ambassador. Both relationships have outlasted most others in their respective fields, with the next generation of the Crawford clan, Presley and Kaia Gerber, joining the ranks of Omega ambassadors in 2017.
If Omega ended its first century in existence by commercialising British watchmaker George Daniel’s revolutionary co-axial escapement – the first meaningful advance in regulating mechanical movements in 250 years – it secured the next with the opening of standalone boutiques and, in 2017, the unveiling of its new production facility in Bienne, complete with its own testing area overseen by Metas (the Swiss Federal Institute Of Meterology), ensuring the brand’s reputation for chronometric competence is set fair for another 100 years.
In the meantime, here are three new watches to look out for...
Debuted in 1948 as a self-winding, waterproof "civilian" version of the wartime CK2129, the Seamaster has served Omega – and history – well. The chosen timepiece of Commander Bond has also seen service in a myriad of ocean-going settings, including, since 1995, the America's Cup. When hostilities resume next March, Omega will be back on board – once again supporting defenders Emirates Team New Zealand – and, for the first time, serving as the competition's official timekeeper. To mark the occasion, Omega has released this special edition Seamaster Planet Ocean, complete with five-minute regatta “pre-start” period markings on the bezel and the AC logo engraved on the sapphire case back. Omega will make 2,021 pieces available. £5,650.
What, no “Speedy”? Trust us, we feel you're well covered in terms of go-to knowledge around the fabled "Moonwatch" – which is why we thought we’d share you something from Omega's dress watch collection. Originally launched in 1994, the new De Ville Prestige collection features 39.5mm cases in either stainless steel, stainless steel and 18k yellow gold, or stainless steel and 18k red gold – nicely resolving that day-to-night dilemma – with elegantly upgraded dials and hands. Powered by a co-axial calibre 2500 movement that comes with a five-year warranty, it's a lot of dress for not much stress. £2,780.
James Bond might have missed his grand entrance earlier this year, when the highly anticipated final outing of Daniel Craig's peerless spy was postponed until November, but fortunately the watch the actor collaborated on with Omega hit its spot in style. Craig's contribution included the nice patina-affect dial and bezel, giving a more “military” bearing than previous editions. In keeping with its go-anywhere forebears, the 42mm case is made from grade-two titanium and comes on either a mesh bracelet or dark brown-, grey- or beige-striped Nato strap with 007-engraved loop. From £6,520. omegawatches.com
Zenith's latest Chronomaster Revival can only be bought in Switzerland
Michael Jordan reminds us he’s also one of the world’s most interesting watch collectors
Tony Soprano’s Patek Philippe shows James Gandolfini’s passion for watches
