Omega has been there since 1848 through various names, but its timeless mid-century styles strongly influence its contemporary collection. Even if not as sluggish to change as Rolex, Omega has designed its products so that they seem both traditional and futuristic.
George Daniels was an English orphan who experimented in the 1960s and 1970s to solve a friction issue with the traditional “lever escapement,” which had governed mechanical watches for hundreds of years. He solved the friction problem, making the co-axial escapement the first major horological innovation in centuries.
Omega purchased the patent in 1999 and has progressively constructed modern, high-tech laboratories to bring the co-axial escapement into the twenty-first age. Omega claims that the co-axial system shortens service cycles and improves precision. Thus, when you purchase an Omega with a co-axial movement these days, you purchase an advanced process and a significant piece of horological heritage.
Table of Contents
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean series was introduced in 2005 as Omega’s set of amazingly competent dive timepieces. They have twice the waterproofing of the Seamaster Diver 300m and come in a range of sizes such as 45.5 mm, 43.5 mm, and 39.5 mm, as well as GMT, chronographs, and three-handed date models. All current versions are regulated by Master Chronometer Co-Axial movements and are made of titanium, Sedna gold (18K rose), or stainless steel.
This is a new variation on the initial Speedy that Buzz Aldrin wore on his wrist five decades ago when he landed on the moon. This 42 mm Moonwatch Professional Chronograph retains its hand-wound Omega calibre; it doesn’t get any more classic or attractive than this. It is driven by a ref 1863 mechanical movement and has a stainless steel case and bracelet.
The Skywalker X-33, a new update of the X-33 launched in 1998, was built with astronauts in particular. It has three alarms, countdown functions, a quartz-powered analogue-digital interface with various time zones, a clock, and more. It does not resemble a typical Speedmaster, but it is a logical development of the first Space Age model.
The Omega Aqua Terra collection, a comparatively recent member of the Seamaster family, debuted in 2003. Ass a waterproof watch with an eloquently streamlined design, the collection is more in line with the previous Seamaster prototypes from 1948. However, it’s also highly unique, with 86 various watches in various sizes, including ladies pieces, quartz and mechanical movements, and even some incredible complexities. The 41 mm Co-Axial Master Chronometer comes in many dial colours, each with engraved grooves to mimic the feel of yacht decking. Bracelets are also available in leather, rubber, or steel, giving the item an outdoorsy or stylish appearance.
Omega released the ‘1957 Trilogy,’ a fantastic tribute to the initial Professional Collection, on the 60th anniversary of the success of the revolutionary trio. The Seamaster 300 from the collection is a highly similar conceptual replication, with a slew of styling cues from the iconic retro Omega watch from 1957, but with the brand’s most advanced motion engineering advantage.
It’s worth noting that you can get an in-house annual calendar movement in a watch for less than $10,000. This wristwatch is for the city dweller who wishes to create a statement that says, “I’m traditional, smart, and you should do business with me.” Around 5 p.m., it’s time to raise a drink in recognition of a successful transaction.
Strolling into a room with this piece on would either reveal your money, your failure to adequately handle your finances or your potential to rob valuable items based on your circumstances. Then, when the nuclear holocaust arrives, you could flip it to gain entry to an underground shelter. The centrally positioned rotating bezel is as distinctive as it is beautiful.
The GMT-equipped Planet Ocean 600m is among the most all-around versatile Omega’s flexible diver models, featuring the world’s first polished, bi-ceramic black and white bezel. The vibrant colours on the bezel provide the most substantial evidence of day and night and give the piece a stunning image. In addition, its in-house Co-Axial movement, like the entire series, is Master Chronometer accredited.
This 18k Sedna (rose) gold piece from the Aqua Terra collection features a Worldtimer complication, with an external chapter ring showing the titles of 24 foreign cities, one in each time zone. The inner 24-hour scale spins once a day and displays the time in other positions on the dial, one half in the dark blue to reflect nighttime and the other in silvery opaline to indicate daytime. A wonderfully created globe on a Grade 5 titanium plate, laser-ablated to leave a detailed map of the continents, sits in the middle. At the top of the Aqua Terra line, it appears to be both an incredibly complex dress watch and a 150-meter waterproof one.
The sapphire case side of the Hour Vision collection allows for a unique lateral side of the co-axial movement. This window was created early in Omega’s co-axial program solely for that reason, and it stays rare inside the line to this day. A yearly calendar co-axial movement is also accessible to those who want it.
This is Omega, one of the biggest Swiss watchmakers of all time. It is the first watch on the Moon, a classic model on James Bond’s film, donned on the wrist of Mikhail Gorbachev and JFK at their respective inaugurations, worn by Mao Zedong for 31 years, dressed by Elvis Presley while cruising in his purple Cadillac, sported by George Clooney while cruising on a Vespa, a paradigm-shifting mechanical movement designed by the 20th Century’s greatest watchmaker, a Babe Ruth-style run as some the most accurate watches in the world, the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games over and over, and the only brand to truly compete and dominate Rolex.
Leave a Reply