The History of Omega
Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and it represents perfection and success in the attainment of a task. The Omega story began in 1848 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, when its founder Louis Brandt at the age of 23 opened a comptoir d'établissage, a sub-contracting sales office for watch manufacture. In 1880, due to the greater supply of manpower, communications and energy, Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt moved into a small factory in the city of Bienne/Biel. With the introduction of their first series-produced calibers, Labrador and Gurzelen, in 1895 the watches achieved a precision of within 30 seconds a day.
Four years later, Louis Brandt & Fils became the largest producers of watches in Switzerland, with a production rate of 240,000 watches produced annually and employing 800 people. But this fact did not stop the exclusivity of the watches they produced: a clear example is the minute-repeating wristwatch, developed in 1892 in partnership with Audemars Piguet, and probably the first wristwatch of its kind. The famous Omega caliber became a brilliant market performer when it went into production in 1894. Its major points for salability were in its easily interchangeable parts, and its simplicity of construction. The company's banker, Henri Rieckel, suggested the name "Omega" for the new watch. The overwhelming success of the "Omega" name led to it being adopted as the sole name for all the watches of the company from 1903.
Both Brandt brothers died in 1903, placing the fate of the company in the control of four people, the oldest of which, Paul-Emile Brandt, was only 23 years of age.
Omega made its debut in sports during the international ballooning for the Gordon Bennet cup contest timing several events. The British Royal Flying Corps decided to choose Omega watches in 1917 as their official timekeepers for its combat units, as did the American army in 1918. Omega was the first company to be entrusted with the official timekeeping of all disciplines at the Los Angeles Games in 1932. From sports to scientific scuba-diving, the Omega Seamaster line was created.
One of Omega's most noteworthy achievement was the world record of accuracy granted by the English observatory of Kew-Teddington in 1936.
In 1952, Omega was also awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit for "exceptional services to the world of sport".
The Omega Speedmaster was created in 1957. After rigorous evaluation and testing, NASA decided to use the "Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph wristwatch in 1965 as its official timekeeper. In 1967, the one millionth chronometer was certified.
On 21st July 1969, astronaut Neil Armb became the first man to step on the moon. As he made the famous steps quoting "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", he was wearing his Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph. With this unique accomplishment came a unique nickname: the Moon Watch.
In April 1970 the Omega Speedmaster rescued the Apollo XIII mission from a potential disaster, earning Omega the "Snoopy Award", the highest distinction granted by NASA.
The Russian Space Agency also chose the Omega Speedmaster chronographs to accompany their astronauts.
In 1974 Omega produces Marine Chronometer 2400 which is the most accurate and the most technologically advanced wristwatch in the world. This legendary "Omega Megaquartz" marine-chronometer had a daily timing variation of just two thousands of a second, in a trial lasting for 63 days.
In its search of elegance, Omega has relied on the most prestigious jeweler designers and created real masterpieces of the highest refinement. As a result, in 1985, Omega received the Triomphe de l'excellence europeenne prize for the quality and originality of its models.
On the 18th of May 1983, Omega received its 100,000th official rating certificate for quartz chronometers. A museum for the company was opened on 16th December 1983. In 1995, presentations were made of the first automatic wristwatch with a centrally mounted tourbillion. In 1999 Omega made history by introducing the first mass-produced watch incorporating the revolutionary "co-axial escapement" - invented by English watchmaker George Daniels. Considered by many to be one of the most significant horological advancements since the invention of the lever escapement, the co-axial escapement functions with virtually no lubrication thereby eliminating one of the shortcomings of the traditional lever escapement. This improvement has extended service intervals to around 10 years.

Omega Models
OMEGA CONSTELLATION
Omega Constellation has a very unique design, elegant and sporty at the same time. A case with curved claws, a bezel engraved with Roman numerals, a golden star applied on the dial, and the Constellation Observatory logo on the case back can be mentioned among the most distinctive characteristics of this lineage.
Omega Constellation is chronometer certified which means that it is a high-precision watch. It was tested and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).
Due to its excellency and precision, Omega Constellation has earned the admiration of well known personalities such as Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan and Martina Hingis.
OMEGA SEAMASTER
The legendary Omega Seamaster watch has been created to challenge the toughest conditions and to seize the moment of the most exciting experiences of men. Its precision, strength and resistance make it a favorite choice for many sportsmen; among them, Alexander Popov, who is one of the world's best swimmers of the 1990s. The fictional character James Bond, agent of the international arm of the British Secret Service, owns his life to a Seamaster.
Omega Seamaster has numerous angles and curves which vary the way light is reflected from its case and yet, there are no sharp corners which make it completely comfortable. Omega Seamaster is one of the most legible watches in the dark due to its luminescent coating on the hands and markers which makes it absolutely perfect for deep dives.
OMEGA SPEEDMASTER
In 1969, after satisfactorily passing exhaustive tests designated by NASA, Omega Speedmaster was chosen as the first watch taken to the space. It was worn for intra and extra vehicular activities, including the moonwalks, on all the missions. During extra vehicular activities the astronauts wore the watch on the outside of their pressure suits. After that it became Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph, the first Moon Watch.
Today, on its way to the planet Mars, Omega's Speedmaster X-33 is the pioneer of the space exploration. After 5 years of development and tests, Omega presented a new Omega Speedmaster X-33 watch in 1998, which is now flight-qualified by both NASA and the Russian space agency MIR astronauts and cosmonauts. It is also included as an item of standard equipment and is worn for extra-vehicular activity.
OMEGA DE VILLE
Designed in sake of attracting those who prefer the best classic tradition, with a little touch of the contemporary spirit, the Omega De Ville watches are provided with the best movements that perfectly fit this elegant lineage.
In 1999, a unique and completely new Omega De Ville watch was born. The elegant and exceptional Omega De Ville Co-Axial watch, supplied with a co-axial escapement and free sprung balance, has one of the most advantageous movements and was invented by the well-known English watchmaker Dr. George Daniels. Omega De Ville, well-known for its refined case design and adherence to the classic watchmaking standards, has won many important awards for being the personification of classic elegancy and the most advanced wristwatch movement building technology.