Omega

Omega Logo

Summary

Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formally operated as the La Generale Watch Co. until incorporating the name Omega in 1903, becoming Louis Brandt et Frère - Omega Watch & Co. In 1982, the company officially changed its name to Omega SA, which is currently a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group. Omega SA is now a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.

Brief History

Britain's Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as its official timekeepers for its combat units, as did the U.S. Army in 1918. Omega watches were the choice of NASA and the first watch on the Moon in 1969. In addition, Omega has been the official timekeeping device of the Olympic Games since the 1932 Summer Olympics|1932. James Bond has worn it in films since 1995; other famous Omega wearers, past and present, include Buzz Aldrin, George Clooney, John F. Kennedy, Mao Zedong, Elvis Presley and Prince William.

The forerunner of Omega, La Generale Watch Co., was founded at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1848 by Louis Brandt, who assembled key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen. He sold his watches from Italy to Scandinavia by way of England, his chief market. In 1894, his two sons Louis-Paul and César developed a revolutionary in-house manufacturing and total production control system that allowed component parts to be interchangeable. Watches developed with these techniques were marketed under the Omega brand of La Generale Watch Co. By 1903 the success of the Omega brand led the La Generale Watch Co to spin off the Omega brand as its own company, and the Omega Watch Co was officially founded in 1903.

Louis-Paul and César Brandt both died in 1903, leaving one of Switzerland's largest watch companies — with 240,000 watches produced annually and employing 800 people — in the hands of four young people, the oldest of whom, Paul-Emile Brandt, was not yet 24.

Brandt was the great architect and builder of Omega. His influence would be felt over the next half-century. The economic difficulties brought on by the First World War would lead him to work actively from 1925 toward the union of Omega and Tissot then to their merger in 1930 into the group SSIH, Geneva.

Under Brandt's leadership and Joseph Reiser's from 1955, the SSIH Group continued to grow and multiply, absorbing or creating some fifty companies, including Lanco and Lemania, manufacturer of the most famous Omega chronograph movements. By the 1970s, SSIH had become Switzerland's number one producer of finished watches and number three in the world. Up to this time, the Omega brand outsold Rolex, its main Swiss rival in the luxury watch segment, although Rolex watches sold at a higher price point. Around this time it was viewed as Rolex versus Omega in the competition for the "King of Swiss Watch brands". Omega watches tended to be more revolutionary and more professional focused, while Rolex watches were more ‘evolutionary’ and famous for their mechanical pieces and brand.

Motto and Notable Events

One of Omega's company slogans is "Omega – Exact time for life". The slogan was developed in 1931 based on the company's historical performance at the Observatory

The following are some important reference dates for the Omega precision records

• 1894: Creation of the famous 19 caliber named Omega. The company is renamed after this famous caliber in *1903 Omega participates for the first time at observatory trials in Neuenburg (French: Neuchâtel). Albert Willemin, the first "regleur de précision" at Omega, regulated the movement.
• 1911: Albert Willemin leaves Omega and is replaced by Werner-A. Dubois.
• 1918: Werner-A. Dubois leaves Omega (he joins Paul Ditisheim) and is replaced by Carl Billeter.
• 1919: 1st Prize at observatory trials in Neuenburg with a 21 caliber. This caliber was slightly modified to become the famous Cal. 47.7 later.
• 1920: Gottlob Ith replaces Carl Billeter.
• 1922: Omega participates for the first time at observatory trials in Kew-Teddington (achieved 3rd place).
• 1925: 1st place at observatory trials in Kew-Teddington with a Cal. 47.7 (95.9 of 100 points ex aequo with Ulysse Nardin); Gottlob Ith regulated the movement.
• 1929: Alfred Jaccard joined Omega.
• 1930: 1st place at observatory trials in Kew-Teddington (96.3 of 100 points ex aequo with Movado); Alfred Jaccard regulated the movement.
• 1931: Omega achieves 1st place in all 6 categories at observatory trials in Geneva; Alfred Jaccard regulated the movements.
• 1932: Introduction of the first small wrist Chronograph the Omega 28.9 chronograph
• 1933: A Cal. 47.7 regulated by Alfred Jaccard achieved the precision record at observatory trials. Kew-Teddington; 97.4 points of 100.
• 1936: Another Cal. 47.7 regulated by Alfred Jaccard achieved the precision record of 97.8 points of 100. Kew-Teddington. This record was not broken until as late as 1965.
• 1937: 1st place at Kew-Teddington with 97.3 points.
• 1938: 1st place at Kew-Teddington with 97.7 points.
• 1939: Creation of the Cal. 30 (the first 30mm caliber).
• 1940: 1st place with Cal. 30mm at Kew Teddington; movement regulated by Alfred Jaccard.
• 1943: Launch of the 30mm caliber 30T2 (first rose gold-plated Omega movement).
• 1945: 1st place with 30mm caliber at the observatory in Geneva; movement regulated by Alfred Jaccard.
• 1947: Creation of the first Omega tourbillon wristwatch movement (Cal. 30I). Specially developed for the observatory trials (only 12 pieces made).
• 1948: 1st place at observatory trial in Neuenburg for 30mm caliber. 1st time non-Swiss companies allowed to take part.
• 1950: 1st place for tourbillon Cal. 30I at Geneva Trials; regulated by Alfred Jaccard. Joseph Ory joins precision timing department after being Trainer to women timers (regleuse).
• 1951/2:1st place at the observatory trials in Geneva.
• 1953: Alfred Jaccard died.
• 1954: New record in Geneva by Gottlob Ith.
• 1955: Two new records at Neuenburg by Gottlob Ith.
• 1956: Gottlob Ith died aged 66 years; Joseph Ory takes over as head of department. Two 1st places at observatory trials in Neuenburg.
• 1958: New record in Geneva movements regulated by Joseph Ory. Creation of competition Cal. 30GD – a 30mm caliber with better mainspring and higher frequency (25,200 instead of 18,000 vph). This unusual frequency is used again today for the latest coaxial movements.
• 1959: Two records in Neuenburg and one new record in Geneva; movements regulated by Joseph Ory.
• 1960: One new record in Geneva, One new record in Neuenburg and also 1st place in Neuenburg. Movements regulated by Joseph Ory.
• 1961: Two new records in Geneva by Joseph Ory. The first four places for the 'single pieces' category in Geneva are occupied by Omega.
• 1962: 2nd, 3rd and 4th places for Omega, which decides to create a new caliber.
• 1963: Two 1st places in Geneva and Neuenburg. Movements regulated by Joseph Ory and André Brielmann.
• 1964: New record in Neuchatel by Joseph Ory.
• 1965: Omega occupies 2nd to 9th places (1st place goes to Zenith). Pierre Chopard was tasked to create a new Caliber for the observatory trials. Cal. E11 had a very unusual shape to take a very big barrel and its mainspring. It never entered competition because quartz movements arrived in 1967.
• 1966: Three new records for Omega (two in Neuenburg, one in Geneva).
• 1967: Quartz movement Beta 1 (later Beta 21) included in the same category as mechanical movements. Last year that Omega competed with mechanical movements as "old technology" not comparable with quartz. The production watch was released in 1970 as the Omega Electroquartz accurate to 5 seconds per month
• 1968: Omega enters with a tuning fork movement regulated by André Brielmann for a new record.
• 1969: Two new records for the tuning fork movements regulated by André Brielmann.
• 1970: One new record for the tuning fork movement regulated by André Brielmann.
• 1971: Two new records for the tuning fork movements regulated by André Brielmann.
• 1972: André Brielmann retires.
• 1974: Omega Marine Chronometer certified as the world's first Marine Chronometer wristwatch, accurate to 12 seconds per year