In 1848 a 23 year old man named Louis Brandt set up a workshop in the family villa in Chaux-De-Fond, Switzerland. This will later become the birthplace of Omega
When Louis died in 1879 his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar took over the business
In 1880 the brothers moved the business to Route De Boujean but then quickly moved to Rue Jakob-Stämpfli where they have complete control over the full manufacturing process.
The brothers launched their first calibre in 1885 called the Labrador
Fast forwarding to 1894 the brothers created the 19-line Omega calibre using ground-breaking techniques
1901 was the year the first watch was introduced which was especially made to attach to car and motorcycle fuel tanks
In 1905 and 1909 Omega are the official timekeeper at several sporting events in Switzerland and around the world. 1909 also sees Omega watches sold around the world on six continents
Skipping forward to 1929 Omega presented a rather unusual watch, to be worn on the back of the hand connected to the finger and not on the wrist. The platinum case was set with diamonds, rubies, an onyx and with black enamel gold links all connected by cord making it a truly unique timepiece
Omega launched the Armure watch in 1929. The classic square case was equipped with a second sturdy case middle which protected the movement making it super shock resistant
1931 saw the first prototype automatic movement which used two weights to wind the movement in both directions making it a technological breakthrough. Omega also set precision records on all six trials at the Geneva Observatory
Omega make their debut role as official timekeeper at the 1932 Olympic Games on Los Angeles. Omega is still the official timekeeper for the Olympics to this day
1932 saw the world’s first commercially available divers’ watch called the Marine
In 1936 a 47.7mm calibre set the famous unbeaten world precision record in all categories at Kew-Teddington Observatory in London
In 1937 the Dutch Princess Juliana is gifted an Omega jewellery watch for her wedding in which the balance spring was five times thinner than a human hair
From 1940 Omega became the largest watch supplier for the British armed forces
Then in 1947 Omega create one of the first Tourbillon movements which have rotating cages to offset the effects of gravity on their timekeeping performance
On their 100th year anniversary in 1948, they introduce the iconic Omega Seamaster
1957 saw the launch of the iconic Speedmaster chronograph watch, the Seamaster 300 divers watch and the Railmaster.
The King of Rock n’ Roll Mr Elvis Presley received his sergeant stripes in 1960, pictured wearing is Seamaster calendar
In 1962 the first Speedmaster worn by astronaut Wally Schirra was sent into space on the Mercury Sigma 7 mission
On the 20th July 1969 Neil Armstrong and his Speedmaster make their first landing on the moon
In 1974 Omega launch the Marine Chronometer, still to this day it remains the most accurate wristwatch in the world
Fast forwarding ten years to 1984, composed of around 9,000 parts the most complicated table clock in the world is created. At just 18cm x 9cm Each part is engraved, shaped an polished by hand. This was a collaboration with Dominique Loiseau which is based on man, time and eternity
In 1994 Omega create the first self winding central Tourbillon watch
In 1995 supermodel Cindy Crawford became the brand ambassador for Omega. Not only participating in advertising camaigns but also in events and production design
1995 sees the premier of James Bond Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan wearing an Omega Seamaster. Bond has worn an Omega ever since
Omega launch the first practical new mechanical watch escapement in 1999. This is a turning point for the brand as Nicolas G Hayek secured the rights to develop the technology from inventor and master watchmaker George Daniels
In 2013 the Aqua Terra was born. Previously watches described as anti-magnetic were resistant to fields of around 1,000 gauss where as the Seamaster Aqua Terra is resistant to forces over 15,000 gauss.
2014 saw the release of the Master Co-Axial calibres. These mechanical movements deliver mechanical efficiency, reliability and chronometric performance. They also feature the anti-magnetic technology as the Seamaster Aqua Terra
