Ten Things to Know about Omega by WatchTime
Omega is a well-known brand which has associations with NASA, Olympics and James Bond etc.It has the Speedmaster, Seamaster and Constellation collections etc.
What’s in a Name? In 1903, the company changed name from Louis Brandt & Frere to Omega Watch Co.
Precision Timing. The company was known for its accurate timekeeping and ease of repair. In 1931, Omega won prizes at chronometric marathons in 6 categories. The Omega 30i observatory calibre was the first wristwatch to have a tourbillion regulator.
Exploring the Ends of the Earth. Ralph Plaisted was the first surface expedition to reach the North Pole. He and his team were armed with Omega Speedmasters. Arved Fuchs and Reinhold Messner trekked to Antarctica on foot in 1990. They were wearing Omega Speedmasters.
Speedy in Space. Omega was chosen for the space exploration program in 1962. Among other brands like Rolex, Longines etc, Omega emerged the winner after a series of stringent tests. Buzz Aldrin, on July 21, 1969, landed on the moon wearing his Omega Speedmaster Professional. Neil Armstrong left his in the capsule as their on-board clock was spoilt. The speedmaster can work well even under zero-gravity conditions.
Master of the Sea. The Seamaster line was introduced in 1948, to mark the brand’s 100th anniversary. The Omega Seamaster 300 debuted in 1957 and resembled watches that Omega made for the British Army during WWII. The British Special Boat Service chose the Seamaster 300. The Omega Professional Diver 600 was introduced in 1970. Even COMEX divers used the watches and didn’t have any issues.
Olympic Timing. The first chronograph was manufactured in 1898. It was the official timekeeper at the 1932 Olympics. Some of them were accurate up to 1/10th of a second. Later, Omega developed state-of-the-art timekeeping and data-handling technology.
James Bond and Film. Omega has featured in many of the latest Bond films. Omega Seamaster and Planet Oceans are the most popular for Bond watches. The watches worn by Bond managed to fetch a huge sum of monies at the auction. Omega watches may have appeared in many films like ‘The Bounty Hunter’; ‘The Right Stuff’; ‘Event Horizon’; ‘Seven Years in Tibet’. Omega watches came in handy in Apollo 13, when they were used to time the astronaut’s re-entry into Earth.
The Kennedy Connection. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wore a gold Constellation Manhattan. Pope John Paul II wore an Omega De Ville “Classic”. Ringo Starr, Buddy Holly, John F. Kennedy have all wore Omega watches.
The Co-Axial Escapement. The Co-Axial is a low friction escapement. The Caliber 2500 was launched in 1999. It was a new type of watch escapement to be invented in 250 years. The Caliber 8500 has a low friction, mechanical efficiency and uses a free sprung balance. The watch is a COSC-certified chronometer and comes with a 4 year warranty.
Conquering Magnetism. In 2013, Omega created the first movement that is resistant to greater than 15,000 gauss. Most of the anti-magnetic watches use a soft iron inner case. The new movement consists of non-ferrous materials which are already anti-magnetic in nature. It is also possible to see the movement through a sapphire case-back.
The Watches of James Bond by WatchTime
In 1963, James wore a Rolex. Since there, most of the films feature Bond wearing either a Rolex or an Omega.
The Bond Watches. In ‘Doctor No’, Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner. In ‘Live and Let Die’, he wore a high tech watch without a brand. Some of the chronographs given by Q were from the brands, Seiko or Rolex. The Omega Seamaster Professional with the blue dial was worn in 1995’s ‘Golden Eye’. In ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, Bond wears the Seamaster Professional with an automatic calibre. Bond wears the Seamaster in ‘The World is Not Enough’ and ‘Die Another Day’ as well. In ‘Casino Royale’, Bond wore the Seamaster Professional with a co-axial escapement. The second watch featured in the film was the Seamaster Planet Ocean, with calibre 2500, 600 water resistance and a black dial. In ‘Quantum of Solace’, Bond wore the Seamaster Planet Ocean with a 007 logo on the second hand, a special caseback and a film title on the dial. There is also a 50 years of James Bond movies. It is chronometer certified and has a co-axial escapement. One of them also has an open view of the rotor which creates a stylish gun-barrel appearance. The 2007 Skyfall edition has a clear sapphire back and the 007 logo at the 7 o’clock position.
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