In 1948, Louis Brandt opened a workshop in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds. In this village he created the company that in a short time will end up becoming Omega. Thirty years after founding the factory, he established a business to sell his watches to customers around the world. However, in 1879 Brandt died and his son took charge of the business.
In 1885 they released their first mass-produced watch, the Labrador, and in 1892 their first watch that operated by repeating the minutes. Two years later, in 1894, the company was renamed Omega. It took its name from the 19-ligne Omega caliber engine they manufactured and helped the company gain worldwide fame. In 1905 Omega began operating as the official timer at sporting events in Switzerland and in 1932 it consolidated one of its most important partnerships.
During the same year he was “appointed” as the official timer for the Los Angeles Olympics. This collaboration has been continued until today and Omega has served as the official timer for more than 20 Olympic Games. Ten years later, in 1948, the company released the first edition of one of its most iconic watches, the Seamaster, and it became one of the most popular watch models of the Omega family.
In 1962 it stayed in history as the first Omega watch in space. Three years later, Nasa made Speedmaster the official chronograph for US space missions. Until today, Omega watches and space programs operate simultaneously worldwide and help in the development of some of the most effective trading tools. In the 1990s, Omega gained widespread popularity as the official James Bond watch.
From 2000 onwards, the company opened its first flagship in Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich. Thanks to the recognition of this event, people can visit more than 300 Omega boutiques in cities such as London, Rome, Hong Kong and New York. In 2010 the company began re-launching the first women’s wristwatch called Ladymatic, which formed the best watch in the world for the new generation of women.
Last but not least nowadays, Omega has maintained its reputation in both sports and pop culture and in general as one of the most well-known watch brands in the world.
