The Explorative Alpha In Omega Watches

Omega watches have been to places.

Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin wore an Omega watch during his trip to the moon. It was the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph.

Omega watches have stood as time keepers for the Olympics since 1932.

James Bond (as portrayed by actor Pierce Brosnan since 1995 and actor Daniel Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale) wore/wears an Omega watch too. The Seamaster, from one particular model-type to another has been part of 007’s professional wardrobe.

Indeed, to say Omega watches have been around would be an understatement.

Founded in 1848 (in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland), Louis Brandt (who was 23 years old by that time) assembled key-wound pocket watches, and travelled all over Europe selling them (particularly from Italy to Scandinavia). By 1879 Louis-Paul and Cesar, Louis Brandt’s sons kept the legacy their father had paved and improved on it, opting for an in-house manufacturing and total production control system, rather than the assembly system adapted by their father. By 1894 the world would come to know the Omega calibre in Omega watches.

1903, with the demise of both, Cesar and Louis-Paul Brandt, Paul-Emile Brandt took the reins of an already powerhouse watch making company (240,000 watches were produced on an annual basis by 800 employees), and is known to be the greatest builder of Omega watches, as we know Omega watches now.

By 1925, the economic troubles brought upon by the First World War lead Paul-Emile to work with Tissot, to a merger in 1930 within the SSIH. By the 70s the SSIH became a standard bearer in watch production (ranking number one in Switzerland and number three in the world).

Through a “messy” set of merges and divisions, by 1980 an interest from Seiko (another watch standard bearer) showed plans of acquiring Omega Watches. Nothing did fruit from the talks. By 1998, the Swatch Group now includes Omega Watches within its ranks. Dynamic as its siring, Omega Watches stand to be its premiere flagship brands.

Of the most “notorious” of Omega watches, the Speedmaster Professional is worth noting (as it has been labeled the “Moonwatch”, being the first watch in the moon). Originally launched in 1957, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is a “manual winding” timepiece (of course, the current versions of it boast more sophisticated technology), and was chosen by NASA over five other watch brands.

TAG Heuer, Rolex, Bulova, Longines and Breitling models didn’t quite pass the numerous tests NASA put the timepieces on (the tests included, vacuum, corrosion, intense humidity, shock, pressure, vibration, noise, acceleration, and exposure to extreme temperatures).

With a “resume” as such, Omega watches come out more than just being simply timepieces. Durable and accurate, Omega watches have been to places, and will be going out further, expanding borders, broadening horizons.

To where exactly, only the Alpha behind Omega knows.