====== Omega ======
{{wst>menue|Omega}}

{{wst>image_r|Brandt,_Louis|Louis Brandt (1825-1879), der Firmengründer}}
**Omega SA / Omega Watches** is a Swiss watch manufacturer, currently part of the [[Swatch Group]]'s Prestige and Luxury division.

===== Foundation by Louis Brandt =====
The origins of the brand Omega go back to the //[[Etablissage|Comptoir d´établissage]]// [[Brandt, Louis|Louis Brandt]], which he opens in [[1848]] at the young age of only 23 years in [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]]. With the watches he travels through Europe in order to bring them personally to the appropriate customers. With the entry of his sons [[Brandt, Louis-Paul|Louis-Paul]] and [[Brandt, César|César Brandt]] the company name changes to **Louis Brandt & Fils**.

After the death of their father in [[1879]], the sons go to [[Biel]], where they acquire a factory building in which they gradually build a modern production. It is the age of mechanization, and inspired by American manufacturing methods they equip the factory with modern machines. They also open up new markets, such as the American.

A separate company is created in [[1880]], **Brandt & Frères**, to produce less expensive [[cylinder escapement]] watches. These would later be marketed under the brand **La Generale** and **Helvetia**, and these trademarks would become the foundation of the [[General Watch Co.]] Between [[1895]] and [[1906]] the Brandt brothers separated their company and Omega from this lower-priced firm.

Throughout this time Louis Brandt & Fils grew rapidly. By [[1889]] it had a workforce of 600 employees and produced over 100,000 watches per year.

===== The brand "Omega" =====
[[1894]] a new, 19-[[ligne]]s [[pocket watch]] movement is developed. The banker Henri Riekel suggests the brothers to call it "Omega", after the last letter of the Greek alphabet, to represent the final stage of possible perfection ("Alpha to Omega").

The quality of the aforementioned pocket watch also corresponds to the awards it reaps [[1896]] it receives the gold medal on the [[Geneva]] exhibition, and in the magazine published by the Fédération Horlogère one can read "The Omega is a remarkable watch. It is certainly worth twice its price. That is the only thing one could complain about."

When both business owners die in [[1903]] the company is renamed to **S.A. Louis Brandt & Frère, Omega Watch Co.** and managed by six of their direct descendants. Due to the outstanding technical production equipment, they can not only keep pace in all emerging sectors of watchmaking, but even march ahead [[wristwatch]]es, sports watches, military watches, [[pilot's watch]]es, navy watches, automotive watches, ladies watches and [[complication]]s.

The year [[1930]] marks a major milestone not only for Omega, but also for the history of watchmaking, as Omega, at the initiative of [[Tissot, Paul|Paul Tissot]], who is also Managing Director at Omega, merges with the watch company [[Tissot]], forming the [[SSIH|S.S.I.H.]] (Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère) - a germ of the later [[Swatch Group]].

[[1932]] a well-known [[ebauche]] manufacturer, the [[manufacture]] [[Lemania|Lémania]], also enters the consortium. In [[1983]] follows the partnership with the [[ASUAG]] (Allgemeine Swiss Uhrenindustrie AG) (General Swiss Watch Industry Ltd.), to which belong further manufacturers.

===== In the service of sports timekeeping =====
The reputation that Omega had gained for its precision watches since [[1848]], early in the 20th century led the company to enter the world of sports measurement. In [[1932]] National Olympic Committee in Los Angeles decided for the first time to entrust a single watch [[manufacture]] - Omega - to organize and perform the entire Olympic timekeeping. Since then, Omega has been awarded this privilege 21 times, a record among all watch manufacturers.

{{wst>image_cr|Omega|Constellation}}

===== The four main pillars of the model range =====
The Omega model range today consists of mainly four collections 

  * [[Omega Constellation|Constellation]],
  * [[Omega De Ville|De Ville]],
  * [[Omega Seamaster|Seamaster]] and
  * [[Omega Speedmaster|Speedmaster]].

There is also the "Specialities" range, including the [[Omega Specialities Tourbillon|"Specialities Tourbillon"]], and the [[Omega Museum Collection]] with watches in a retro design.

===== Important and well known watch models =====
{{wst>image_cl|Omega|Moon Watch|Omega Speedmaster Professional "The Moon Watch"|220px}}

The model [[Omega Constellation|Constellation]] enters the market in [[1952]] as [[automatic]] [[chronometer]] and since has played a major role in the model range of the brand.

With the [[Railmaster]], presented in [[1957]], Omega strengthens an already existing strong connection to the railroad world. It is equipped with a special [[antimagnetic]] double caseback to protect the movement against the damaging effects of strong electric fields which often happen in this working area.

[[1969]] Omega writes watch history with the model [[Omega Speedmaster Professional|Speedmaster Professional]]. Now considered as the "Moon Watch", this [[manual winding]] [[chronograph]] has become a legend. Worn by Neil Armstrong at the first moon landing on 21st July [[1969]], it had been extensively tested on space qualification by NASA before and till now is the first and only watch on the moon.

Since [[1995]], Omega also sponsors the James Bond films. So Bond always wears the actual top model of the [[Omega Seamaster|Seamaster]] series, and later on there is also a special Bond edition of this watch, launched on the occasion of the film series.

In parallel Omega rings a furious comeback as a trendsetter of [[dive watch]]es with the spectacular [[Omega Seamaster Professional Chrono Diver|Seamaster Professional Chrono Diver]] in the 1990s.

In the [[Omega De Ville|De Ville]] series mostly noble and classically elegant models are available.

===== The co-axial escapement =====
Omega causes a sensation in [[1999]] with the [[co-axial escapement]], an invention of the Englishman [[Daniels, George|George Daniels]], which was further developed by Omega to mature for mass production. This [[escapement]] differs from the conventional 'free' [[lever escapement]] by a significant reduction of friction costs. As a result, the required escapement system needs less or no lubrication and is maintenance-free for a longer period. With the [[Omega De Ville Co-Axial|De Ville Co-Axial]], a [[self-winding]] [[chronometer]], the new technology is introduced for the first time to a larger market. In the following years it is increasingly used in models of the manufacturer.

===== New manufacture movements =====
{{wst>image_cl|Omega|8501|The extensively [[finissage]]d [[self-winding]] movement [[Omega 8501]] with balance bridge and [[rotor]] in [[red gold]], launched in [[2007]]}}

After the movements of the Omega models over decades had been made by [[ETA]] (or by the [[Swatch Group]] owned [[ebauche]] producers [[Lemania]] and [[Frédéric Piguet]]), [[Hayek, Nicolas G.|Nicolas G. Hayek]] announced his watchword also to offer in-house produced top-class [[manufacture]] movements, as major competitors like [[Rolex]] are continually doing. The [[self-winding]] [[chronograph]] movements of the series 33xx (eg [[Omega 3313]]) as well as the new self-winding movements [[Omega 8500]], [[Omega 8501|8501]] and [[Omega 8601|8601]] fulfill this requirement with flying colors and caused a stir among watch connoisseurs, because in addition to the [[co-axial escapement]] with free jump-balance they offer further interesting innovations.

===== Literature =====
  * Omega-Uhren. Kaleidoskop einer bekannten Swiss Marke; Author Anton Kreuzer; ISBN 3853783546
  * Omega- Modelle; Author Anton Kreuzer; ISBN 3853784186
  * Omega Sportuhren; ISBN 3871880817
  * [[Das ZEITGEFÜHL-Uhrenbuch]]; Author [[Gerd-Lothar Reschke]]; ISBN 3-938607-61-0

===== Address =====
Omega SA\\ Rue Stämpfli 96\\ CH-2500 Bienne 4\\ Tel +41 32 343 92 11\\ Fax +41 32 343 93 29 

===== Weblinks =====
  * [[http://www.omegawatches.com|Omega]], official website


{{tag>Watch_brands Manufactures Watch_brands_Switzerland SSIH Swatch_Group La_Chaux-de-Fonds}}