Omega is a watch company based in Bienne,
Switzerland and is one of the more prestigious brands in
timepieces.
History
Omega was founded at
La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1848 by Louis
Brandt. After Louis
Brandt's death in 1879, his two sons Louis-Paul and
Cesar moved the enterprise into a factory in Bienne. In
1881, the company moved into a converted
spinning-factory in the Gurzelen district of Bienne,
where headquarters are still situated today.
Today, Omega is owned by the Swatch Group, a Swiss
company and the biggest watch manufacturer in the world
(about 25% of the watch market). It owns some of the most
famous and fine brands of watches in the history of watchmaking. Its brands include Breguet, Blancpain,
Omega, Hamilton, Rado, Longines and Tissot. Omega
remains one of its most prestigious flagship brands.
 The
Speedmaster Professional 'Moon Watch'
The Speedmaster
Professional is the most famous chronograph among wristwatch collectors and enthusiasts and the
most popular watch Omega manufactures. Originally
created in 1957 for racing competitions, the Omega
Speedmaster Professional was chosen by NASA for space
missions in 1962 after beating out similar watches from Breitling, Bulova, Heuer, Longines, and Rolex in an
arduous comparative test. The Omega Speedmaster
Professional 'Moon Watch' went on Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle
space missions and achieved total reliability on six
successful lunar landings. Today, the Speedmaster
Professional is the only watch flight-certified by NASA
for manned space missions. It is also the watch chosen
for use in outer space by the Russian space agency NPO
Energia.
The Seamaster Collection
Omega's line of water
resistant watches dates all the way back to 1932. The
Seamaster name was introduced in 1947. Up through the
1960's, the Seamaster models paralleled the traditional
style of dress watches. In the 1970's, Seamasters took on a
heavy sport and functional look and came with
professional
diver-oriented features, such as higher depth ratings,
calibrated rotating bezels, helium escape valves, and
high-visibility dials.
Omega Movements and the Co-axial
Escapement
In 1999 Omega made history by introducing the first
mass-produced watch incorporating the revolutionary
Co-axial escapement. Considered by many to be one of the most
significant horological advancements since the invention
of the lever escapement, the co-axial escapement
functions with virtually no lubrication thereby
eliminating one of the shortcomings of the traditional
lever escapement. Through utilizing radial friction
instead of sliding friction at the impulse surfaces the
co-axial escapement significantly reduces friction,
the result is a reduced need for servicing for the
movement and, above all, greater stability of the
watch's precision over time. The Co-axial escapement is
an Omega exclusive and not available in competing brands
at any price.
Omega Museum in
Bienne, Switzerland
My Omega Collection
 
Omega Speedmaster
Professional Limited Edition
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean
Omega Seamaster Professional |
