From Speedmaster to Constellations. The complete history of Omega watches.
- Huan Ni
- Nov 15
- 4 min read
Did you know that Omega didn’t start as Omega? It started as a small workshop in 1848, with one man, Louis Brandt, assembling pocket watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
No grand factory, no Moon missions!
Just a watchmaker, parts on a table, and a vision for precision.
Today, the history of Omega watches is legendary.
We’re talking military contracts, moon landings, Olympic partnerships, and celebrity wrists. But what makes Omega different from every other heritage Swiss brand is how deeply its story is tied to innovation, identity, and iconic design.
Let’s break that story down.
The iconic history of Omega watches.
The pre-Omega era: When Labrador ruled
Before Omega was Omega, the Brandt brothers, Louis-Paul and César, were quietly making waves.
They created calibres with names like Celtic, Jura, and Helvetia. But it was Labrador, a movement introduced in 1885 with a 30-second-a-day precision, that really put them on the map.
Labrador was their first “big hit.”
And the calibre that changed everything? That came in 1894.
To understand why Omega is called Omega, we have to go back to 1894.
Here’s where it gets poetic. That 1894 calibre was revolutionary: industrially made, parts interchangeable, reliable. They called it “Omega”, after the final letter of the Greek alphabet. Symbolising the ultimate. The best.
The last word in watchmaking.
It was so successful, the company took the name. And that’s how the Omega brand history truly began.
The rise of automatic Omega watches
Not every milestone was about space or soldiers. Some were quiet revolutions. In 1943, Omega launched its first line of automatic watches under the leadership of Paul-Emile Brandt.
One standout? The Omega Cosmic. It wasn’t just automatic, it was complicated: time, day, date, month, moonphase. It even had a sweep seconds hand, which, at the time, was a big deal.
Back then, Omega was competing not just with rival brands, but with the very idea of what a watch could do.
Omega watches & the years of timeless legacy.
Omega’s war-time legacy
During both World Wars, Omega played a vital role.
In World War I, their trench watches featured oversized numerals and radium skeleton hands. By World War II, they were supplying watches to the Royal Air Force and even the US Signal Corps.
The Speedmaster and the Moon
Ask any collector: what Omega watch went to the moon?
The answer is the Omega Speedmaster Professional ,also known as the Moonwatch. Worn during Apollo 11 in 1969, it became the first watch on the lunar surface.
But it wasn’t luck. NASA ran brutal tests. High heat, deep cold, vacuum, vibration, acceleration. The Speedmaster survived them all.
In that regard, the Moonwatch isn't just history or legacy, it’s a flex.
Constellation: The star that stayed
Omega didn’t just build tool watches. In 1952, it launched the Constellation, a dressy, chronometer-rated line known for precision and elegance. Roman numerals. Diamond dials. And that iconic gold star on the dial.
It’s still going strong today.
Omega watches in more contemporary times. The technological benchmarks & breakthrough contributions to the watch industry,
Omega today: Still a benchmark
Ask any modern collector why they love vintage Omega watches, and you'll hear the same reasons: innovation, design, heritage.
Whether it’s a Co-Axial Master Chronometer Seamaster or a manually wound Speedy Tuesday, Omega’s legacy is more than a logo.
It’s a lineage.
The Omega production breakthrough no one talks about
One of Omega’s most underrated contributions to watchmaking wasn’t a movement, it was a method.
Long before Henry Ford made assembly lines cool, Omega’s founders implemented something called the divided assembly system. Instead of building one full watch from start to finish, they split tasks among specialists.
Faster. More efficient. Scalable.
This shift made Omega one of the first truly modern watch manufacturers, able to combine precision with production volume, without sacrificing quality.
Omega’s obsession with accuracy
Let’s not forget: for all the design flair, Omega has always chased precision. Whether it was the chronometer-rated Constellations or the Co-Axial escapement pioneered by George Daniels (and adopted by Omega in the late 1990s), the brand has always been focused on what matters most, accurate, reliable timekeeping.
And it’s not just talk. Omega has long dominated observatory trials, timing the Olympics, and leading the charge in antimagnetic technology.
From astronauts to A-listers
Omega’s cultural presence is no accident.
It’s been the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932. James Bond has worn a Seamaster since Pierce Brosnan’s GoldenEye. Cindy Crawford, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Eddie Redmayne, the list of Omega ambassadors reads like Hollywood's who's who.
But it’s not just about fame. It’s about what those partnerships represent: elegance, legacy, trust.
Conclusion: Why Omega’s history still matters today
Understanding the history of Omega watches isn’t just for horology buffs, it gives meaning to the piece on your wrist.
When you wear an Omega, you’re not just wearing a luxury watch. You’re wearing over 175 years of innovation. You're wearing a brand that helped shape modern watchmaking, timed the moon landing, and still refuses to settle for “good enough.”
From a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds to NASA control rooms, Olympic finish lines, and Bond’s wrist—
Omega’s legacy is written in seconds, stars, and milestones.
And it’s still ticking.
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Are you an Omega watch timekeeper or collector? Or perhaps you are getting started on building your own Omega watch collection? As one of Singapore's oldest, family-owned Swiss-trained watch repair specialists, we love connecting hobbyist and collectors in Singapore, even if it's just to chat!
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