Omega Watches

Omega is one of the best-known Swiss watch brands: the first watch worn on the Moon, the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games and the watch of James Bond. Based in Biel/Bienne and part of the Swatch Group, Omega combines a long watchmaking history with a strong reputation for precision, sports timekeeping and technical innovation.

Omega is especially known for two collections, the Speedmaster chronograph and the Seamaster dive watches, and for its Co-Axial movements certified as Master Chronometers, which are among the most precise and magnetism-resistant mechanical movements in series production.

History of Omega

The story begins in 1848 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, when 23-year-old Louis Brandt set up a workshop to assemble pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen and sold them across Europe. After his death in 1879, his sons Louis-Paul and César Brandt turned the business into a real manufacture and in 1880 moved it to Biel/Bienne, where they could produce components and assemble watches under one roof.

In 1894 the brothers launched a 19-ligne calibre called “Omega”. It was precise, easy to produce and simple to service, because any part could be replaced by a watchmaker anywhere without adjustment. It became so successful that in 1903 the company took its name. By then Omega was already one of the largest watchmakers in Switzerland.

During the economic crisis after the First World War, Omega joined forces with Tissot in 1930 to form SSIH. After the difficult quartz crisis years, SSIH merged with ASUAG in 1983, and in 1985 the group came under the leadership of Nicolas G. Hayek. In 1998 it became the Swatch Group, which still owns Omega alongside Breguet, Blancpain, Longines, Tissot and other brands.

Omega and the Moon

The Speedmaster was introduced in 1957 as a sports and racing chronograph. In 1965, after a series of rigorous tests of several chronographs – extreme heat and cold, vacuum, shocks, humidity and acceleration – NASA qualified it for all manned space missions. On 21 July 1969 Buzz Aldrin wore his Speedmaster on the lunar surface during Apollo 11, and the model has been known as the “Moonwatch” ever since.

The following year the watch played a role in bringing the crew of Apollo 13 home safely: astronauts used a Speedmaster to time a critical engine burn when the spacecraft had lost much of its power. In 1970 NASA thanked Omega with its “Silver Snoopy” award.

Seamaster and the sea

Omega’s link with the sea is almost as old as its link with space. In 1932 it presented the Marine, one of the first wristwatches designed for divers, and in 1948 it launched the Seamaster, now its largest collection. The Seamaster 300 of 1957 was a professional diver’s watch, and the purpose-built Ploprof (1970) was developed for commercial saturation divers working hundreds of metres below the surface.

Today the Seamaster family ranges from everyday sports watches to extreme divers. The Seamaster Diver 300M has been worn by James Bond in every film since GoldenEye (1995), and in 2019 a specially made Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep went to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, almost 11,000 metres down, strapped to the arm of a submersible.

Olympic timekeeper

Omega first timed the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932, using 30 chronographs carried to the event by a single watchmaker. By the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games it had served as Official Timekeeper 32 times, developing technologies such as photo-finish cameras, swimming touchpads and electronic starting systems along the way.

Omega technology

• Co-Axial escapement – invented by English watchmaker George Daniels and industrialised by Omega from 1999. It reduces friction in the heart of the movement, which helps the watch stay accurate for longer between services.
• Master Chronometer – introduced by Omega in 2015 with the Globemaster, this certification follows standards established and controlled by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). Certified watches are assessed for precision (0/+5 seconds a day), water resistance, power reserve and resistance to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss, far beyond everyday exposure.
• Silicon balance springs – the Si14 hairspring contributes to the movement’s resistance to magnetism and helps improve long-term rate stability.

In 2026 Omega took the idea a step further with the Constellation Observatory, the first two-hand watch (without a seconds hand) to earn Master Chronometer certification, tested at the Laboratoire de Précision using a new acoustic testing method.

Why Omega watches stand out

What sets Omega apart today is how these elements come together. Almost every mechanical Omega uses a Co-Axial calibre, and nearly all are certified as Master Chronometers, so the protection against magnetism and the precision standard are not reserved for the most expensive models. The designs are rooted in real use – space missions, deep-sea diving and Olympic timing – which gives the main collections a clear identity: the Speedmaster for chronograph lovers, the Seamaster for anyone who wants a robust sports watch, the Constellation and De Ville for a more classic look.

Main Omega collections

• Speedmaster – the chronograph family, led by the Moonwatch Professional, plus racing, Dark Side of the Moon and other variants.
• Seamaster – Diver 300M, Planet Ocean, Aqua Terra, Ultra Deep and heritage models: a broad range spanning professional dive watches, sports models and elegant everyday watches.
• Constellation – recognisable by the “claws” on the bezel and integrated bracelet; a popular line for both men and women.
• De Ville – Omega’s dress collection, including Prestige and Trésor models and the brand’s most complicated watches.

Omega also co-created the MoonSwatch with Swatch in 2022, a colourful quartz homage to the Speedmaster sold only in Swatch stores. It made the Moonwatch shape accessible to a new audience, but it is a Swatch product rather than an Omega watch.

Omega FAQ

Who owns Omega?

Omega belongs to the Swatch Group, the largest watch group in Switzerland. The company is headquartered in Biel/Bienne.

Which Omega went to the Moon?

The Speedmaster Professional, today sold as the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. It was qualified by NASA in 1965 and worn on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969.

Which Omega does James Bond wear?

Since 1995 James Bond has worn Omega watches, most often versions of the Seamaster Diver 300M; in some films he also wears the Seamaster Planet Ocean or Aqua Terra.