Omega: A Brief History
Louis Brandt began assembling pocket watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848. The 'Omega' calibre of 1894 was so successful that the company adopted the name Omega in 1903. Omega has been part of the Swatch Group since the SMH merger of 1983.
Olympic timekeeping
Omega has served as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games at 30 editions since Los Angeles 1932 - initially with 30 split-second chronographs carried by a single watchmaker, today with thousands of timing devices.
Speedmaster and the Moon
The Speedmaster Professional (ref. ST 105.012, calibre 321) was qualified by NASA in 1965 after the most demanding watch tests ever publicly disclosed. It was worn on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during the first lunar EVA on 21 July 1969 (Neil Armstrong's was left in the Lunar Module as backup timekeeping).
Co-axial revolution
Omega industrialised George Daniels' co-axial escapement starting with calibre 2500 in 1999, then redesigned its mechanical line around the in-house calibres 8500/8800/8900 from 2007 onward, all META-certified ('Master Chronometer') from 2015 with 15,000 gauss antimagnetic resistance.
Key facts
- ▸Founded 1848 in La Chaux-de-Fonds
- ▸Olympic Timekeeper at 30 Games since 1932
- ▸Speedmaster qualified by NASA in 1965; lunar EVA 1969