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This
stylish Swiss watch was Omega's first digital
timepiece. It featured a mineral ruby window, the
LED display shines brightly and is triggered by a
magnetic switch on the side. This model is famous
because the casing was used by Will
Bates for his
NanoComm™ military-ball-busting super computer. A computer that is so
powerful it can hack any, supposedly secure, network in seconds. As you
may imagine, this is very upsetting to military obsessives, because of
the potential to disrupt their long term strategies.
Introduced at the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games, this technology consists of an electronic rifle, headset and target. Between the three stages of the 7.5-kilometre biathlon race of the Paralympic Winter Games, the athletes must hit targets from a distance of 10
metres. Athletes with a visual impairment are assisted by acoustic signals that, depending on the sound of the tone, indicate when they are on target. The competitors must hit five targets in a row with additional time being added to the final result for every shot missed.
2014
OMEGA returned to Sochi as Official Timekeeper of the Paralympic Winter Games.
OMEGA was on-hand with the sporting world’s most advanced timekeeping technology.
Olympic Winter Games, the host city brings together another 575 of the world’s most talented winter athletes for the Paralympic Winter Games – a sporting spectacle highlighted with fierce and hard-fought competition.
Paralympians from 45 different nations competed for a spot on the
podium.
OMEGA
uses innovative timekeeping and data-handling technology to capture and distribute the results of every race and competition that takes place
to assist the athletes on their way to gold
and ensure accuracy.
OMEGA
SCAN’O’VISION CAMERAS
Olympic timekeepers rely on the OMEGA Scan’O’Vision
photo-finish camera to determine the finishing sequence and the times of the competitors in a race. In case of disputes, the
photo-finish camera records the action at the finish line at an
astounding 2000 frames per second. As soon as a racer crosses the finish line, the running times on the scoreboard and television superimpositions are stopped.
Ultimately, it is the photo-finish camera that has measured and captured the result that will be deemed
official in case of ambiguity.
Lightweight and discreet transponder equipment
is attached to each competitor’s left and right legs, making it possible for OMEGA to measure, record and display the intermediate times of the participating athletes, as well as their finishing positions.
All of which adds to the excitement and feeling of
security.
LONDON
March 12 2008 - Omega will not reconsider its involvement with
the Beijing Olympic Games or speak out against China's foreign
policy, despite pressure from one of its most prominent
ambassadors, actor George
Clooney.
Mr. Clooney, who advertises the Swiss watchmaker around the
world, has repeatedly spoken out about the crisis in Darfur and
has visited the region to draw attention to the humanitarian
crisis there.
He told the BBC
website, "I have talked with Omega (about China) for
over a year and will continue to talk to Omega. I have and will
continue to ask China to use its considerable leverage with the
government of Sudan."
Omega
and George Clooney
Admirable stance
An Omega spokesperson said, "We have indeed discussed the
Darfur issue with Mr. Clooney. We have full respect for his
strong engagement in the fight for the good cause and share his
opinion, especially concerning Darfur, and we are proud to work
with a person who has such high ethical values."
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million forced
from their homes during five years of conflict in the Sudanese
province, where pro-government Arab militias are accused of
carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab
groups.
China is a major trading partner with Sudan, and Beijing has
resisted United Nations attempts to force Sudan to accept U.N.
peacekeepers in Darfur.
The Omega spokesperson continued, "We are, of course, well
aware of the controversy with respect to China
hosting the games. However, political issues will always
come into play regardless of where the games take place."
Omega stressed that it is not a sponsor of the games; it has
been paid to provide time-keeping and data-handling services at
the Olympics since 1932, including the boycotted Moscow and Los
Angeles games in the 1980s.
Staying out of politics
"It is our policy not to get involved in politics because
it would not serve the cause of the sport, which helps create
understanding and peace all over the world. We are partners of
the athletes and the I.O.C., not of governments, which is why we
were present during the boycotted games of 1980 and 1984."
Omega said there is no indication Mr. Clooney might terminate
his relationship with the watchmaker over the issue. In a
statement, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said that the
"relationship with George Clooney was never as good as
now," and that Mr. Clooney "wants an even closer
relationship with the brand."
http://adage.com/omega
george clooney article This
stylish Swiss watch was Omega's first digital
timepiece. Nelson bought this classic 27
years ago. He considers this watch to be a design
statement. Featuring a mineral ruby window, the
LED display shines brightly and is triggered by a
magnetic switch on the side.
Rare digital Omega
The
watch is waterproof. It is adjusted by brushing a
magnet against on its reverse side in two special
locations. Nelson has been diving in this watch
also, but prefers to wear this masterpiece for
special evening occasions. Omega
watches were worn on the Moon by Astronauts during
NASA's famous landing. Nelson
relies on his Casio
watch for
deep diving
(200m depths).
COMPANY
HISTORY Omega SA is a watch company based in
Biel/Bienne Switzerland.
Omega Seamaster De Ville, an early "waterproof" watch, with automatic movement and date, in 14k goldThe forerunner of Omega was founded at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1848 by 23-year-old Louis Brandt, who assembled key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen. He sold his watches from Italy to Scandinavia by way of England, his chief market. After Louis Brandt's death in 1879, his two sons Louis-Paul and César, troubled by irregular deliveries of questionable quality, abandoned the unsatisfactory assembly workshop system in favour of in-house manufacturing and total production control. Due to the greater supply of manpower, communications and energy in Biel, the enterprise moved into a small factory in January 1880, then bought the entire building in December. Two years later the company moved into a converted spinning-factory in the Gurzelen district of Biel, where headquarters are still situated today. Their first series-produced calibres, Labrador and Gurzelen, as well as the famous Omega calibre of 1894, would ensure the brand's marketing success.
Louis-Paul and César Brandt both died in 1903, leaving one of Switzerland's largest watch companies — with 240,000 watches produced annually and employing 800 people — in the hands of four young people, the oldest of whom, Paul-Emile Brandt, was not yet 24. Brandt was the great architect and builder of
Omega. His influence would be felt over the next half-century. The economic difficulties brought on by the First World War would lead him to work actively from 1925 toward the union of Omega and Tissot, then to their merger in 1930 within the group SSIH, Geneva. Under his leadership, and from 1955 that of Joseph Reiser, the SSIH Group continued to grow and multiply, absorbing or creating some fifty companies. By the seventies, SSIH had become Switzerland's number one producer of finished watches and number three in the
world.
Weakened by the severe monetary crisis and recession of 1975 to 1980, SSIH was bailed out by the banks in 1981. During this period, Seiko expressed interest in acquiring Omega, but nothing came out of the talks. Switzerland's other watchmaking giant Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG), principal manufacturer of ébauches (unfinished movements produced for a range of other Swiss watch assemblers) and owner of the Longines and Rado watch brands, was similarly saved a year later. After drastic financial cleansing and a restructuring of the two groups' R&D and production operations at the ETA complex in Granges, the two giants merged in 1983 to form the Holding ASUAG-SSIH. In 1985 the holding company was taken over by a group of private investors under the strategy and leadership of Nicolas Hayek. Immediately renamed SMH, Société suisse de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie, the new group achieved rapid growth and success to become today's top watch producer in the
world. Named Swatch Group in 1998, it now includes Blancpain and Breguet. Omega remains one of its most prestigious brands.
Movements and the co-axial escapement
In 1999 Omega made history by introducing the first mass-produced watch incorporating the co-axial escapement — invented by
English watchmaker George Daniels. Considered by
many to be one of the more significant horological advances 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. Through using radial friction instead of sliding friction at the impulse surfaces the co-axial escapement significantly reduces friction, theoretically resulting in longer service intervals and greater accuracy over
time.
On January 24, 2007 Omega unveiled its new Calibres 8500 and 8501, two co-axial movements created exclusively from inception by Omega.
The Omega Speedmaster, the iconic[vague] Moonwatch selected by NASA for all the Apollo
missions
Omega watches in space exploration
The selection of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph as the official watch worn by American
astronauts was the subject of a famous space-race era rivalry between Omega and
Bulova.
All subsequent manned NASA missions also used this handwound wristwatch. NASA started selecting the chronograph in the early 60s and automatic chronograph wristwatches were not available until 1969.
However all the instrument panel clocks and time-keeping mechanisms in the spacecraft on those space missions were Bulova Accutrons with tuning fork movements, because at the time NASA did not know how well a mechanical movement would work in zero gravity.
First watch on the moon
The Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph was the first watch on the
Moon, worn by "Buzz" Aldrin. This watch is now believed lost. Aldrin mentions in his book Return to Earth that when donating several items to the Smithsonian Institution, his Omega was one of the few things that was stolen from his personal
effects.
In 2007, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph, the Omega company unveiled the commemorative Speedmaster Professional Chronograph Moonwatch. The watch had the distinctive
features of the first hand-winding Omega Speedmaster introduced in 1957. It was sold in a limited edition of
5,957.
Sponsorship, product placement, advertising, and sport
James Bond
The Omega Seamaster, a deep diving watch. The second crown (at 10 o'clock) is a helium release valve to allow helium out of the watch after diving at great depth. The watch is similar to that shown in recent James Bond films, in which this valve is transformed into improbable hidden gadgets.Omega has been associated with James Bond movies since 1995. That year, Pierce Brosnan took over the role of James Bond and began wearing the Omega Seamaster Quartz Professional (model 2541.80.00) in the movie GoldenEye. In all later films, Brosnan has worn an Omega Seamaster Professional Chronometer (model 2531.80.00). The producers wanted to update the image of the fictional "super-spy" to a more distinctly sophisticated
"Euro" look.
Another possible reason for the change from the Rolex Submariner that Bond had previously worn was a change in the business environment surrounding modern high-profile films and product placement. Omega was eager to participate in high profile co-promotions/product placement opportunities, especially the James Bond franchise, to further its brand image/awareness. It accomplished this by supplying products and finance (something that the conservative Rolex company avoids, presumably because it sees no benefit for
itself).
Its Seamaster 300M Professional Chronometer is the current official James Bond watch, used by Pierce Brosnan in each of his Bond movies since, but not including, GoldenEye. In the GoldenEye film, the quartz Seamaster 300M Professional, model: 2541.80.00 was
featured.
For the 40th anniversary of James Bond (2002) a commemorative edition of the watch was made available (10,007 units). The watch is identical to the model 2531.80.00 except the blue watch dial had a 007 logo inscribed across it and also machined into the caseback. The band also had 007 inscribed on the
clasp.
Daniel Craig, the current James Bond of Casino Royale, also wears the Omega Seamaster: the Seamaster Planet Ocean (model 2900.50.91) in the first part of the film, and in the latter part (from travelling to Montenegro,) and even goes so far as to mention Omega by name in the film when questioned by Vesper Lynd. In connection with the launch of the film, Omega released an 007-special of the Professional 300M, featuring the
007-gun logo on the second hand and the rifle pattern on the watch face, this being a stylized representation of the gunbarrel sequence of Bond
movies.
Omega released a second James Bond limited edition watch in 2006. This was a Seamaster Planet Ocean model with a limited production of 5007 units. The model is similar to what Craig wears earlier on in the film; however, it has a small orange colored 007 logo on the second hand, an engraved caseback signifying the bond connection, and an engraved 007 on the
clasp.
Omega watches in other popular media
Luc Besson's movie The Big Blue featured Omega's Seamaster Professional 600 which has become a collectible.
Bill Paxton first wore the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch he received in 1993 in the movie Apollo 13, however he grew so attached to the piece that he continues to wear it throughout his new show Big Love.
Top Gear host and celebrity Jeremy Clarkson wore an Omega Seamaster Professional James Bond watch for a few years until due to lack of service it started acting erratically; he recently replaced the watch with a new large size Omega Planet Ocean.
NCIS actor Michael Weatherly used to wear a Rolex Submariner at the outset of the show but has since switched his timepiece of choice to the Omega Planet Ocean with the orange bezel.
Actor Peter Weller wore the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
In the movie War of the Worlds, actor Tom Cruise wore a vintage Omega chronograph that stopped running when the aliens first started to attack.
In the movie Minority Report, actor Tom Cruise wore an Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 disguised as a Bulgari watch.
David Duchovny, in the TV show The X Files, was repeatedly shown wearing an Omega Deville Prestige watch.
In the movie The Edge, Alec Baldwin is given an Omega Seamaster Chronograph as a gift from Elle Macpherson.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was wearing the Omega Constellation in the film Simply Irresistible.
Chow Yun Fat is seen wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch in the film The Corruptor.
Will Smith wears an Omega DeVille Prestige, in the film Enemy of the State.
David James Elliott wears an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver in television series JAG.
Dennis Quaid wears an Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch in the movie The Right Stuff
Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel both wear Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon watches in the movie Frequency.
People advertising Omega watches
The group of celebrities advertising Omega watches include George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan, Abhishek Bachchan and Daniel Craig (representing James Bond movies), and athletes Michael Schumacher, Ernie Els, Michelle Wie, Ellen MacArthur, Ian Thorpe, Dean Barker, Alexander Popov, Russell Coutts, Michael Phelps, and Sergio García. Omega calls them
ambassadors.
Sports sponsorship
Omega has frequently been the official timekeeper for the Olympics, beginning with the 1932 Summer Olympics. It was the official timekeeper for the 2006 Winter Olympics and will be for the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Winter
Olympics as
well.
Providing support to Emirates Team New Zealand and representing the team's official watch, in 2007 Omega introduced the Seamaster NZL-32 chronograph, with the name suggested by the name of the boat that won the America's Cup in 1995. The watch was developed in cooperation with Dean Barker, skipper of Team New Zealand and Omega
Ambassador.
The
Omega Seamaster 007 James Bond watch
Watch models
For men
Constellation
Seamaster Series : includes the Planet Ocean, Aqua Terra, and Seamaster Bond Styles
Speedmaster : includes the famous Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon watch
Deville
Specialities : includes their skeleton Seamaster and Central Tourbillon
DeVille.
For women
Constellation
Seamaster
Speedmaster
Deville
Specialities
LINKS
and REFERENCE
-
Europa
Star technical notes.
-
Phillip
Woodward, Performance
of the Daniels Coaxial Escapement (PDF), British Horological
Institute Horological Journal, August 2004
-
Alan
A. Nelson, "The Moon Watch: A History of the Omega Speedmaster
Professional", NAWCC Bulletin, February 1993.
-
Alan
A. Nelson, "The
Moon Watch: A History of the Omega Speedmaster Professional",
NAWCC Bulletin via [1],
February 1993 issue
-
Omega
Speedmaster's 50th Anniversary
-
"James
Bond's Choice: The Omega Seamaster", commanderbond.net
-
"The
007 Connection", chronocentric.com
-
Watch
Selections James Bond, Omegawatches.com,
-
Lara
Magzan, "The
business of Bond...James Bond", CNN/Money
-
Devin
Zydel, "Omega
Presents James Bond Exhibition in Geneva", Commanderbond.net
-
Devin
Zydel, "Omega
Casino Royale Limited Series Planet Ocean Watch Announced",
commanderbond.net
-
Ambassadors,
Omegawatches.com
-
"Official
Timekeeper Omega unveils the Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock",
Olympic.org
-
Omega
Seamaster for Team New Zealand
-
Omega's
site
-
Omega
Constellation Collectors Hub
-
Omega
Watch Index A handy reference of current Omega watches listed by
case material, bracelet material, dial color, size and model number.
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