Omega

Baselword 2012 - Official PuristSPro Report: Omega

 

Omega is an interesting brand on many accounts: rich in watchmaking history and significance, relatively affordable, and in competition with other significant players like Rolex or Breitling.

This all makes for a fascinating mix of influences, stakes, and concepts. In its price range Omega has to offer something for everybody, thus the company’s collections cover several market and style segments.

What is also true is that Omega’s market position requires that solid (horological) value for the money has to be offered; and Omega surely delivers in this aspect. Not only has the company several icons in its stable (Speedmaster, Seamaster come to mind first), it is also a pacemaker for groundbreaking innovations such as the broad adoption of George Daniel’s Co-Axial Escapement or the LiquidGold technology.

With all that said, ‘Basel’ can be a fascinating cornucopia of novelties in Omega-land. Once more a “firework” of novelties – new movements, new technologies, new materials, new evolutions of well-known products. Is there any kind of watch that Omega never did before? Hard to believe as they did sooooooo many different watches since 1848. Most of the time we see beautiful vintage pieces from the 50´s and 60´s here at the PuristS.

But now, let´s have a look at the novelties:

 

Seamaster

Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold

 

One more new member of the Planet Ocean collection, the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold watch. What makes it special is the (zirconium-based) ceramic bezel whose diving scale is made of a new product called Ceragold™.

 

Inside there is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9301, which was introduced last year. But the movement has a special luxury finish including an 18 Ct red gold rotor and balance bridge; the screws, barrels and balance wheel are blackened.

 “Like all of the watches in the Planet Ocean collection, the Ceragold models have professional dive features including a unidirectional rotating bezel and a helium escape valve. The 18 Ct red gold applied indexes are coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue light as are the polished, facetted 18 Ct red gold hands. The exception is the minute hand which emits a green light, as does the dot on the diving bezel. This feature makes it easy for divers to keep track of the elapsed dive time at a glance. The watches in the Planet Ocean collection are water resistant to 600 metres / 2000 feet / 60 bar.” [Press Kit]

The watch is 45.50 mm big. Too big for the wrist? Well, have a look:

For sure it is not a “shy” watch and a statement on the wrist, but the warm tone of the red gold looks very appealing and in summer on a suntanned wrist …

 

Seamaster Aqua Terra GMT

New in the Co-Axial family is the caliber 8605/8615 and this time with an added GMT complication.

 

The 43 mm case is available in a choice of metals: 18 Ct red gold or stainless steel or, in a bicolor version in 18 Ct red gold and stainless steel. The sapphire crystal on the screw-in case back allows a clear view of the extraordinary Co-Axial movement inside. The watch is available with either a bracelet in the same metal as the watchcase or with a black, brown or blue leather strap. The bracelet looked very familiar to us:

Don’t they look very similar to one from another member of the Swatch Group? They feel very solid as well, but still there is a significant difference.

The readability of the dial is very good and the style is no surprise if someone is familiar with that line.

 

 

Spacemaster Z-33

 

Flightmaster, Spacemaster, Speedmaster … to be honest, it is not that easy to understand that nomenclature for someone who is not a specialist for watches from Omega. Looking at the new watch it reminds to the Flightmaster which was launched in 1969, but that one came with a mechanical movement.

(picture credit: internet)

The first generation of the Flightmaster was fitted with the caliber 910, which was based on the 321/861 Speedmaster caliber. It was made until 1971 and about 30.000 have been produced. One of the coolest (but heaviest!) Flightmaster´s must have been the 18K yellow gold (250g, including the bracelet) version, which was produced in (only) 200 examples. In 1971 the second generation of the Flightmaster was introduced, with caliber 911.

(picture credit: internet)

Then there was a Flightmaster X-33 prototype, in 1996 and the caliber E20.301 was a quartz movement. This one doesn´t even look close to the latest one – Z-33. The Flightmaster X-33 prototype was shown in the Omegamania Auction in 2007. Even when X-33 was kept for the commercial version, the watch would be placed in the Speedmaster Professional line and there was Speedmaster instead of Flightmaster on the dial.

(picture credit: internet)

The latest watch dedicated to pilots, the Spacemaster Z-33, is inspired by the iconic case shape of the early days and equipped with a brand new multifunction quartz movement, calibre 5666.

 

“Designed for pilots
Floating above the digital dial is a set of analogue timekeeping hands that
are adjusted by the crown at 3 o’clock. Surrounding the watch are four pushers that, along with the crown, allow full control over the array of digital features. For keeping track of the time these include date, UTC and two time zones (in 12 or 24 hour display), an alarm and a perpetual calendar. Elapsed time is measured with a chronograph function and a countdown timer. Alongside these features are self-programmable professional pilot functions to log up to ten flights and visualise those logs with date-hour indications.” [Press Kit]

With all that features of the watch, the manual should be not thin. When I was boy, back in the 70´s I would have loved such a “computer” watch. (Oliver)

The Retro style case is about 43mm wide (very close to the size of the first Flightmaster from 1969) and manufactured from grade 5 titanium, and features brushed, polished and sandblasted highlights. The case back features the polished OMEGA Seahorse, the Ω symbol, the word “Speedmaster” and the watch’s serial number. The watch is water resistant to 30 meters, only.

One detail that we like:

“The new design incorporates skeletonised hands to help the wearer view the digital displays below them. By simply depressing the pusher at the 8 o’clock position, the hands are disengaged to either 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock, allowing the wearer an unobstructed view of the digital information.” [Press Kit]

The brown “Soft Touch” leather strap shown in the picture above looks and feels good.

 

 

It is much better than the black rubber strap with its “confusing” Speedmaster written on it. The latter is a matter of taste and that can be different. Everybody can judge by its own.

 

 

Constellation

As one of the oldest collections the Constellation dating back to 1952. It was cradle to many important Chronometer movements including the calibres 551, 561, 564 and 751, considered to be amongst finest production movements ever made. The Omega ‘pie-pan’ Constellations are sought after collector’s items.

In 1982, Omega redesigned the collection (Constellation “Manhattan”) and introduced its as yet defining design elements, the “griffes” or claws on the side of the watchcase and the characteristic integrated bracelet instantly which made it among the world’s most recognisable timepieces. The claws actual had a practical reason; they held the sapphire crystal and gasket against the case, thereby helping to ensure its water resistance.

The most recent evolution came in 2009 when the design underwent rejuvenation and received a workout, and when the Co-Axial Escapement technology was introduced throughout the line (except for the quartz-driven watches).

 

Constellation 38 mm Day-Date

The first of the new Constellations feature a new complication for Omega, an instantaneous date and day-of-the-week displays.

The 38mm case of this watch is made of steel with 18 kt yellow or red gold accents. The roman numerals on the bezel are set with 116 full-cut diamonds totalling to 0.13 carat. It looks amazingly sharp:

An OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8602/8612, featuring instantaneously jumping day and date indications and a co-axial escapement with a Si14 silicon balance spring, drives the watch.

Omega seems to be quite comfortable with the reliability and robustness of this watch, testified by the 4-year warranty the watch comes with.

Comfortable is also the fit on the wrist:

 

Constellation 38 mm

Staying within the men’s models, we were shown a new addition to the standard collection. The ‘Clous de Paris inverse’ dial.

The effect is quite mesmerising as its effect changes with the illumination. Sometimes you really do not know whether it’s the ‘real’ ‘Clous de Paris’ or its inversion (note also the very sharp design of the hands!):

 

Constellation 27mm "Stars"

For the ladies (and we might include our spouses here as at least one of them actually owns a Constellation automatic) for a change also a watch making and jewellery marvel, a 27mm vivid Constellation with a very femininely designed case (pronouncedly curved, even the dial!):

What caught our attention was the gem-setting technique for the bracelet, as it set the diamonds (144 full-cut diamonds totalling 0.54 carat) at very delicate location within the links of the bracelet:

The co-axial movement is equipped with OMEGA's Si 14 silicon balance spring. It’s the first time that OMEGA was able to introduce its proprietary Co-Axial technology in a 27 mm wristwatch.

We asked Mag^a. Maria Fojtl, Division Manager at Omega Austria and presenter of the novelties to us, to act as a wrist model. With good success:

 

Speedmaster

The Speedmaster is such an icon that writing any further words about it are an exercise in futility. It’s an amazingly simple yet well designed watch that it survived since 1957 (albeit with several derivatives, editions etc.).

Other than a few minimal refinements, the chronographs remains essentially unchanged since 1957.

It still takes 14 months to manufacture the 195 separate parts prior to assembly and 80 hand held operations to create the main plate for a single Speedmaster. Painstaking craftsmanship certainly, yet there is no short cut to excellence. [Omega Speedmaster Website]

In short, a true classic. Would be interesting to learn how they came to those numbers, though ;-)

 

Speedmaster “First OMEGA in Space”

In commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the NASA Mercury Atlas 8 mission in October of 1962 Omega presents the Speedmaster “First OMEGA in Space” edition.

The design is true and (almost) identical to the very watch worn by NASA astronaut Wally Schirra. Schirra bought it at a jeweller in Houston more than half a century ago. The eventually became the first Speedmaster to orbit the earth.

The polished and brushed stainless steel case measures 39.70 mm. The dark black dial and the hands pay reference to Schirra’s legendary 1962 Speedmaster …

 

… as does the ‘boxed’ sapphire crystal…

… and the black aluminium bezel ring with a tachymetric scale:

The timepiece is powered by the legendary manual-winding calibre 1861, which earned its reputation as the movement in the legendary OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch. Its not visible since there is no display back, but a special treat for collectors:

 

“The watch has a screw-in stainless steel caseback which is embossed with OMEGA’s original seahorse emblem, the words “THE FIRST OMEGA IN SPACE” and “OCTOBER 3, 1962”, the date of the Mercury Atlas 8 mission. The Speedmaster “First OMEGA in Space” is a numbered edition and its number is engraved on the caseback.” [Press Kit]

The seahorse emblem actually is mesmerising to look at as its appearance changes with different lightning conditions, from dark over neutral to bright:

The watch comes on a brown leather strap with beige stitching and its simply a pleasure to wear, regardless of wrist size:

Speedmaster "Apollo XVII 40th anniversary”

In commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission Omega releases a limited edition of 1972 (sic!) pieces of the Speedmaster, the Moonwatch "Apollo XVII 40^th anniversary”:

Its special feature is the silver dial with an embossed Apollo XVII medallion that is individually hand-patinated:

As chronograph a bit useless, but this is not the point of this watch. Look at the 3D effect of the embossing work:

Omega logo, ‘Speedmaster…’ designation are btw etched on the inner side of the crystal (note how it mirrors itself in the hands):

It makes a statement on the wrist, but one would not automatically associate ‘Speedmaster’ with it (although its driven by the handwound Omega calibre 1861):

 

De Ville

Perhaps one of the most significant innovations made its first (commercial) appearance in a De Ville watch: the co-axial escapement devised by the late Sir George Daniels, presented in 1999, back then in the calibre 2500.

8 years later, in 2007, the De Ville Hour Vision introduced the calibre 8500/8501, and just a year later Omega debuted its Si14 silicon balance spring, again in the De Ville Hour Vision Annual Calendar watch.

 

De Ville Chronograph

This year Omega offers a new automatic chronograph.

The watch combines classic design with state-of-the-art technology. On the technical side, the watch features a column-wheel controlled co-axial automatic movement with Si14 silicon spiral.

As a special twist for seasoned travellers the hour hand can be set independently from minute and second hands – ideal if your work commitments involve shuttling between timezones.

On the design side, one observes a deep blue dial with inversely doomed subdials and magnificently sculptured indices. Note that the right subdial contains co-axial hands for both minutes (60min) and hours (12h)!

The case shows some severely vivid lines but is still fleshy!

 

On the wrist the De Ville shows – not surprisingly – strong presence:

 

De Ville Ladymatic

The Ladymatic brings the De Ville concept to the female audience in a flamboyant and graceful fashion. We were shown a quite remarkable jewellery piece in red gold with a dark brown, lacquered dial with radiating swirls and 11 diamonds as indices. The watch is powered by a specifically designed co-axial movement with automatic winding similar to the Constellation’s above.

The case is a fantastic 34 mm cases decorated with a unique wave pattern around their outside perimeter which is separated from the inner case body by a distinctive ceramic ring. The outer case is crafted in 18 carat red gold, whereas the inner case body is made of titanium.

The bracelet is also a masterpiece of gem setting. Unfortunately we lost track of the caratage…

 

Wristshot (again thanks to Ms Fojtl!):

 

Conclusion

Omega presents a broad range of watches that offer (i) great value for money and (ii) lots of small but useful innovations and/or refinement. Solid watchmaking, if you like. But is this enough?

 

Oliver

Looking at the novelties it feels like a (good) business case, but it doesn’t speak to my heart. Of course the Speedmaster “First Omega in space” is appealing, but at the end of the day it is far from being special or cool. Omega is a mass brand, one of the key-players in the watch industry and I guess the most important cash cow for the Swatch Group, but even than I would like to see something more special – more than just a bombproof business case.

 

Magnus

During the presentation I had the strange feeling of being at several other brand’s booths – particularly the Constellation novelties looked like some went through Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse and bought all the watches from direct competitors (Rolex, AP, Seiko?), inspected them thoroughly and took the ‘best practices’ and applied them to the collection.

Clearly, someone pressed for sales volume and to this end tried to fish in almost every pond available. If I am to pick a favourite it would be De Ville Chronograph, which surprised me as the one with the most soul of the entire range of novelties. However, it would be a compromise watch for me. I am not a big fan of vertical clutch chronographs (yes, I know the theoretical advantages!), they hide so much and aesthetically cannot compare well to the historical ones with horizontal clutch.

But finally, I have to agree with Oliver – solid watchmaking, but no heartbreaker in any sense of the word.

 

Magnus & Oliver

This message has been edited by Dr No on 2012-04-25 09:29:59

Site Info.

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy