The Omega Story
The Omega watch story begins in 1848, when founder Louis Brandt began hand assembling key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen in his principality La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the northwest corner of Switzerland. However, the Omega name didn't appear until 1894, after Louis Brandt had passed away and his watchmaking traditions were taken over by his sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt. Omega watches have long been associated with glamorous screen and sports stars--the Omega Seamaster is famous for being the watch of choice for James Bond--with current ambassadors including Pierce Brosnan, Nicole Kidman, tennis player Anna Kournikova, and swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe.
But Omega is more than just a fashionable watch. In 1965, the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was "flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions" as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency's severe tests, including passing grades for extreme shocks, vibrations, and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius. The greatest moment in the Speedmaster's history was undoubtedly 20 July 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man's first steps on the Moon's surface as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Today, Omega is known for its rigorous testing of new movements, cases, and bands. Each new Omega movement is tested on the wrist in existing Omega models, while various laboratory tests are conducted to determine temperature-resistance, shock-resistance and vibration-resistance.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: By Lawny (UK) - See all my reviews I basically swapped my Broad Arrow (BA) for the Planet Ocean XL (PO XL) and I'm glad I did (the XL is the one to go for not the baby brother version). The BA is a fantastic watch but I started to find it just a little too dressy for my taste. The PO XL on the other hand is a fantastic, great looking, chunky sports watch which grabs peoples attention without being too flash. It can be worn as an everyday watch but it still has the class and will look great on that special occasion. The PO is beautifully made and a pleasure to wear. I looked at the Tags (Aquaracer and Link) Breitling (colt) and some others in the price range and they just didn't come close to this one in my opinion. I have had it 6 months now and timekeeping is spot on as you would expect. I tend to get...Read more 16 of 21 people found the following review helpful: By This said I will tell you that this particular watch is what I consider to be a "best kept secret" sort of watch. This is an AUTOMATIC watch (read: Mechanical - NOT Quartz), and of CHRONOMETER grade function. Chronometer as used here is a measure of accurate timekeeping, not quality - a point often misunderstood - and is used mostly from a marketing point of view by companies such as Rolex. HOWEVER. This movement in THIS watch is actually EXCELLENT in terms of quality, time keeping ability, and construction...Read more 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: By This review is from: Omega Men's 2201.50.00 Seamaster Planet Ocean Automatic Chronometer Watch (Watch) I have just purchased this Omega watch and I am completely satisfied. This watch has everything that I was looking for, quality, workmanship, style at an exceptional price for the value. I had an extensive watch collection and had my home robbed, and they took everything I had. This is a start to my new collection, and having purchased the watch now, I find myself only wanting to wear this watch for all occasions. It works for work, going out for the evening or even a more formal affair. Hey George Clooney can't be wrong! Buy it, you will be more than satisfied. |