Omega Watch History

OMEGA, the last letter in the Greek alphabet was Louis Brandt’s choice for the name of a pocket watch he created in 1848. OMEGA is the symbol for high accomplishment and perfection. Ironically, Brandt’s first winding pocket watches were manufactured using whatever parts he could utilize. As his business and reputation grew, he began marketing his Omega watches to neighboring countries.

Even today, every Omega that tradition of quality remains in every Omega watch. The dedication to these ideals have contributed to the relationship between Switzerland, fine watches and the Brandt legacy.

For over 150 years Omega’s commitment to excellence has produced global recognition and awards for a product equal in all respects to the industries top names such as Oris, Longines and Gruen.

Omega’s first prestigious awards came at the 1900 Paris World Fair. Here it received awards for innovative design and quality. Thirty six years later, Omega confirmed is reputation by establishing the world precision record at England’s Kew-Teddington observatory.

Most people recognize Omega for their distinction as the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games. For 21 Olympic events, Omega has kept the time and in the 1952 Helsinki games, Omega introduced the first electronic timekeeping system.

After Louis Brandt passed away in 1879 his sons Louis-Paul and Cesar assumed leadership of the Omega tradition and moved the company to Bienne, Switzerland. Less than 20 years later in 1903 both of the brothers passed away and Paul-Emile Brandt became one of the principles in the Omega company at the young age of 23.
Omega expanded with the Tissot merger in 1930 and has since grown to over 50 companies including Lanco and Hamilton. These vendors manufacturer clocks and timekeeping devices.

In 1965 the Omega Speedmaster was chosen as the official watch of the NASA space program. This selection by NASA is particularly notable in light of the competition by other watch manufacturers to gain this distinction. President John F. Kennedy’s stated preference was Omega and this may have had some influence on the selection. The Speedmaster was on the wrist of Neil Armstrong four years later when he first stepped onto the surface of the moon.

In 2007 Omega again demonstrated it’s flair for marketing by developing the Seamaster model specifically for the New Zealand world cup sailing competition. The name Seamaster came from the boat that won the America’s Cup competition in 1995.
Louis Brandt’s reputation for exceptional timekeeping devices forever be attributed to the name Omega.