Omega History
In 1848, aged 23, Louis Brandt founded Omega, assembling pocket watches from component parts in his workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. His company grew, and by the time of Brandt’s death in 1879, it had become highly successful at mass-producing pocket watches. His two sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar, took over the brand and identified a need to manufacture components in-house, as slow deliveries of poor-quality parts were causing delays in production. The brand took mass-produced watches to a new level of precision and quality, and by 1885, the company was manufacturing the world's first mass-produced movement. The laborious process of making watches by hand, one at a time, was no more.
The process was steadily refined, including the introduction of automated manufacturing methods normally seen outside of the industry. Developing each movement with interchangeable pattern parts increased construction speed and reduced cost, without sacrificing quality.
And the innovation didn’t stop there. In 1999, the company introduced the Co-Axial movement, an invention considered to be the biggest advancement in watchmaking since the introduction of the lever escapement.
The brand’s penchant for accuracy resulted in its repeated success in the chronometer trials of the 19th century, held at observatories across Germany and Switzerland. The Constellation watch dominated the trials, and set precision records at the Kew Observatory in England. The Constellation continues to uphold high standards of accuracy.
With Omega’s reputation firmly cemented, the demand for quality timing equipment grew. The company’s innovative ethos and attention to detail earned it the responsibility of timekeeper for the Gordon-Bennett Cup, the famous international ballooning race. In 1932, the brand became the first official Olympic timekeeper, responsible for supplying and operating the thirty watches needed to time all the events at the Los Angeles games, and is still the official Olympic timekeeper today.
But Omega watches didn’t just conquer the land. The 1932 Marine was the first in a line of water-resistant watches that led to the Seamaster in 1947. Ten years later, the brand made the Seamaster a professional dive watch, and continued the dressier style of the original as the De Ville. The brand’s watches were also the first to be chosen by NASA to be flight-qualified for space missions, with the Speedmaster taking the title of first watch on the Moon.
With an ever-growing desire to innovate, the company has pioneered various ideas and technologies to broaden the usability of its watches. From motorcycle-mountable watches to watches with raised markers on the dial for use by the blind, Omega never settles for the ordinary.
Patenting the first mobile photoelectric cell and developing touch pads for timing swimmers are fine examples of the brand’s pursuit of excellence. Even the familiar sight of an athlete's time superimposed onto the television screen is a development of technology that the brand introduced, aptly named, the ‘Omegascope’.
Throughout this quest to develop and innovate, Omega has always remained true to its heritage, producing elegant and high-quality luxury watches with efficient and precise manufacturing methods. Omega watches can be worn in the bitterest cold and down to the murkiest depths, and just as comfortably at a black-tie event.
The famous horse shoe-shaped logo continues to represent quality, earned over the course of more than 170 years.
What are the most popular Omega models?
The Omega line-up has never been so diverse and encompasses a wide range of styles, materials, complications and price points. Below, we look at the four main collections and some of the perennial favorites within them, as well as the smaller sub-collections.
Speedmaster
First introduced in 1957, the Speedmaster is Omega’s most famous chronograph, initially designed as a professional racing and sports watch.
What really set the Speedmaster on the road to horological fame was its selection by NASA for astronaut missions. In the early 1960s it underwent a series of rigorous tests for durability, accuracy and shock resistance, beating several rival watches to become the first watch worn on the moon during 1969’s historic Apollo 11 mission. It went on to take part in all manned moon missions until 1972. Since then, certain Speedmaster models have been named the ‘Moonwatch’.
Today, the Speedmaster collection is vast, coming in a number of dial styles and materials, and it remains NASA’s official mechanical watch, even if its role is now more symbolic.
Some sought-after Speedmaster models include the ‘Silver Snoopy Award’, the black ceramic ‘Dark Side of the Moon and the limited-edition Alaska Project.
Seamaster
Now known for its association with James Bond, who has worn a Seamaster in every movie in the Bond franchise since 1995, this legendary dive watch competes with the Speedmaster for the position of Omega’s flagship model.
First released in 1948, it’s actually older than the Speedmaster, but this sprawling Omega family has been offered in a far wider variety of styles and dial colours over the decades.
It began life as a time-only stainless-steel watch that was little more than splash-proof, only becoming a true dive-worthy watch in 1957 with the Seamaster 300 model, featuring a screwed case and triply thick-domed crystal.
The 1970s saw the addition of the oversized Ploprof to the Seamaster family, which boasted a distinctive locking bezel featured on the side of the case. Later still came the Planet Ocean models which boasted an incredible water resistance of up to 6,000 metres.
These days, the Seamaster collection also includes the slightly dressier Aqua Terra and the vintage-inspired Railmaster sub-collections.
Constellation
Omega’s Constellation line is one of the brand’s two dress-watch families. It is highly distinctive thanks to its ‘half-moon’ facets at each end of the case, an integrated bracelet or strap, and a fixed bezel with two ‘claws’ at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions. The latter first appeared on the Constellation Manhattan model in the early 1980s and are now a feature of nearly every reference.
First unveiled in 1952, the Constellation gets its name from the eight stars that appeared on the caseback medallion of older models. These stars symbolized Omega’s success at the famous Neuchatel observatory trials where it set many records for accuracy. In the contemporary collection a single star appears on the dial above 6 o’clock to acknowledge these remarkable time-keeping feats.
The Constellation is available in a range of case sizes, from 21mm to 41mm, and in stainless steel, gold or two-tone. Among the most sought-after versions are those with unique meteorite dials or gem-set bezels.
De Ville
The second of Omega’s dress-watch collections, the De Ville first appeared in 1960 on a model that was part of the Seamaster family. As the Seamaster evolved to become a professional dive watch, the dressier De Ville became something of an anomaly within that collection. Therefore in 1967, Omega launched the De Ville as an entirely separate collection. More recently, the De Ville family has been divided into three sub-collections: Prestige, Tresor and Ladymatic.
Over the decades, the De Ville range has seamlessly adapted to the trends of the time, featuring integrated bracelets, unorthodox case shapes and vibrant dials made from semi-precious stones.
Contemporary models tend to be more conservative, with minimalist dials, classic round-shaped cases and subtle details. Materials range from stainless steel to rose gold, while case sizes start at 26mm and go up to 41mm.
What materials are Omega watches made from?
Most Omega watches are made from stainless steel or precious metal, although its two-tone models combine both.
Omega uses the industry standard 316L stainless steel for its watch cases and bracelets, which is also used by the likes of Audemars Piguet, Tudor, TAG Heuer and many more.
Its gold watches, however, use one of three proprietary18k gold alloys.
Moonshine gold is Omega’s version of yellow gold and is blended with silver, copper and palladium for a distinct, paler yellow hue than traditional yellow gold.
Canopus gold is Omega’s version of white gold with a unique composition that includes platinum, palladium and rhodium for colour and stability.
Sedna gold is Omega’s own version of rose gold and is blended with copper and palladium.
Even rarer are Omega watches crafted from 950 platinum, often using special proprietary platinum-gold alloys and featuring rare dials like meteorite and enamel. These pieces are usually limited editions and extremely sought after.
Omega also makes several ceramic and titanium sports watches, two materials known for being extremely light in weight.
Where are Omega watches made?
Omega’s main manufacturing and assembly facilities are based in Biel/Bienne, a bi-lingual city in the Swiss canton of Bern. While Omega designs and produces its proprietary Co-Axial Master Chronometer movements, it relies on group-level sister companies inside the parent Swatch Group, such as ETA, for movement components while cases, dials, and raw materials come from specialised Swiss suppliers.
Omega is considered a Swiss-made luxury watchmaker, a designation that can only be used if it meets the Swiss legal requirements, which state that the movement is Swiss and a significant portion of the manufacturing value is generated in Switzerland.
Which celebrities wear Omega?
Although the best-known Omega watch wearer is undoubtedly the fictional spy James Bond, who has worn a Seamaster since 1995, Omega is worn by a number of real-life personalities from the worlds of sport, entertainment and beyond. These are usually official ambassadors paid to support the brand.
Among them are Hollywood A-listers, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney and Eddie Redmayne, as well as sporting superstars such as swimmer, Michael Phelps, and golfer, Rory McIlroy.
Though not an Omega ambassador, Prince William famously wears an Omega Seamaster gifted to him in his teens by his mother, Princess Diana.
At Watchfinder we sell a number of pre-owned Omega models, from the Speedmaster to the Seamaster and many more. Browse our selection online today to find your perfect Omega timepiece and add another chapter to its story.