Omega launches Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition
It is the 31st time they are official timekeeper at the Olympic Games. Omega has been the Games' official timekeeper since 1932 and is now in Paris to time the spectacular games once again. The legacy extends to the Paralympic Games as well, where the brand has been Official Timekeeper since 1992.
Text: Britta Rossander
It is the 31st time they are official timekeepers at the Olympic Games. Omega has been the games' official timekeeper since 1932 and is now on site in Paris to once again take the time at the spectacular games. The legacy extends to the Paralympic Games too, where the brand has been Official Timekeeper since 1992.
It is 93 years since the start of the cooperation in 1932. That was the first time that a privately owned company was given permission to handle all timekeeping within an Olympic Games. It is in several ways a heavy responsibility and consisted at the start of the cooperation of a number of chronographs to developing the system to comprise cameras and touch controls with perfect precision down to hundredths of seconds. A small indication of how big it is today is shown by the fact that at the Olympics in Mexico in 1968 Omega's team consisted of 45 timekeepers who handled eight tonnes of equipment. Today thousandths are measured by about 500 people who work with equipment that weighs 450 tonnes.
And of course Omega makes limited series of ”Olympic watches” in connection with the various games.
This year's watch is made in a combination of gold, silver and bronze so that it will be a reminder of the medals. The case is 39 mm in Bronze Gold where the dial is of Ag 925 silver and the hands in 18K Sedna™ gold. The design has a vintage feel and is inspired by a classic model from 1939 with the manual movement 30T.
The case in Bronze Gold, which is corrosion resistant so that it does not tarnish, has a soft pink shade and it is Omega's own alloy in which precious metals such as 37,5 % gold (stamped as 9K) palladium and silver are included.
The ”Clous de Paris” pattern in the middle of the dial is an elegant decoration and the case back has a stamped and frosted medallion for the Olympics Paris 2024.
A brown leather strap of calfskin, with a sandblasted Bronze Gold buckle with a polished vintage logo in positive relief holds the watch in place on the wrist. The movement is the manual Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 8926. Of course a certificate comes with it as proof that the watch has passed the Master Chronometer tests established by METAS (the Swiss federal institute of meteorlogy)
Here follows a small selection of previous years' Olympic watches from Omega:
Vancouver 2010
To celebrate the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, two limited series of Seamaster models based on diving watches for the professionals were made. The white dial in combination with the red bezel paid tribute to the Canadian flag.
Turin 2006
Ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Turin 2006 a classic Speedmaster chronograph with split second function was made where the Olympic rings were placed as a counterweight on the seconds hand.
Calgary/Seoul 1988
To celebrate the games both in Calgary and Seoul in 1988, which was the 20th time Omega was sole timekeeper, a high-tech Seamaster was made which was the height of fashion at the time. The movement was equipped with more than many functions, among other things lap times, stopwatch, digital displays, analogue chronograph etc.
Cortina d’Ampezzo /Melbourne 1956 & Innsbruck / Montreal 1976
The watch that was made for the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 did not only mark Omega's participation but was also like a confirmation that Omega had received the Olympic Cross of Merit as proof of ”Outstanding service to the world of sport”. It was the Seamaster model that was used and these watches were made in a very small edition and only in gold.
Visit to Omega House in Paris during the games
Raynald Aeschlimann, CEO and group president of Omega, says and ”his” house:
–We have designed Omega House for the visitors so that they can see everything that makes our brand so special.
The address is Hôtel de Poulpry, Maison des Polytechniciens close to the Musée d’Orsay. Here the visitors can follow the timeline of Omega's history with the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Shown here are among other things:
• The timekeeping from the electronic starting pistol to the finish camera.
• Speedmaster history with astronaut memories and a gigantic astronaut doll in gold colour for a perfect selfie.
• Seamaster exhibition
• Her Time, exhibition with watches for ladies made durin the last 100 years,
NB! that Omega House is open, with a complete event schedule for the Olympic Games, for members from Sunday 28 July to Saturday 10 August.
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