Omega Automatic Imitation Watches, Fake Omega Automatic Watch

Omega Deville Prestige Quartz 22mm Two Tone / Diamond / Roman MOP (4375.71.00)

This is my second Loft. I lost the first one. Use it for cycling, hiking,gym.Very accurate.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Ralphster, From Uk Taunton

Omega Aqua Terra Automatic Silver Dial Brown Leather Men's Watch 23113422202001

This watch was really nice and not at all unisex. We got this for our daughter who has a very small wrist and she likes the watches to hang so it was perfect for her. She calls it her new Bling as it shines and changes color. She's happy so I'm happy.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by ali slimi, From United Kingdom Carlisle

Omega Constellation Blue Mother of Pearl Dial Stainless Steel Ladies Watch 12310276057001

The Omega Constellation Blue Mother of Pearl Dial Stainless Steel Ladies 12310276057001 watch is AWESOME. I previousl wrote I was going to keep it but the strap is hard to move around. It may be leather but cheap quality. I am afraid the animal print will come unglued soon too. It's going back.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Wallace S, From Uk Knutsford

Joel Dicker. Harry Quebert. Baltimore. These are all names that ring a bell among fans of literature and many others too. The 30 year-old writer from Geneva is now the ambassador of the DS car brand that partnered GMT magazine for its 15^th birthday party held at HEAD Geneve. Joel Dicker is adding another string to his bow by serving as director and starring in the DS web series leading up to an exclusive novel.

Although he's not a watch connoisseur as such, Joel Dicker is certainly not unappreciative of the classic, complex or innovative timepieces produced by the watch industry. The young author already translated into more than 30 languages shared a few thoughts on the topic with Worldtempus. 

Which was your first watch?
I was given my first watch at the age of four: it was a Flik Flak with a blue strap! I later had a classic Swatch steel watch, but I don't remember the exact model....

 Which model would you like to wear now?
The one I have at the moment suits me just fine: an Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. I like its sporty and classic nature: black, discreet and yet original.

And what kind of watch would you like to give your sweetheart?
Not a watch from a specific brand. On the contrary, if I could, I'd create a watch from scratch for my girl!

What does time represent for you?
Money! Just kidding. Time… embodies the ambiguous relationship between past time and the time we have left to carry out our plans and to live. So time is ambiguity.

What does Swiss watchmaking mean to you?
Pride in having a national product that is universally appreciated abroad! It's a benchmark, a guarantee of quality and of excellent workmanship. That has an impact both on the image of watchmaking in general and on Switzerland itself.

When you are touring abroad, do people talk to you about Swiss watchmaking?
Not about Swiss watchmaking in particular, but about all the things that symbolise Switzerland, including watches. The latter are of course a reference in terms of Swiss excellence in this domain. Afterwards, people also talk to me about banks and chocolate of course.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
I read all manner of things, although I wouldn't personally be capable of writing any and every kind of literary genre.

How about a thriller?
No! Murder, blood and torture are definitely not my scene. I'm a romantic…

The notion of time is bly present in your books. Can you tell me a bit more? 
Yes indeed, all my books have a bly embedded concept of time. There are constant flashbacks to the life of the main protagonist, a lot of waiting, a sense of protracted duration. There is always a tie with past, present and future time, so it definitely underpins various situations.

What was your latest literary crush?
A bookseller recently recommended a book written by a pair of little-known authors and the title was also unfamiliar. I loved its unexpected side. It was a very different genre from anything I'd previously read. by John Robert and Evan Wright is all about the New York mafia, murder, cocaine… I highly recommend it!

In a bit of a surprise move, Peter Speake-Marin recently announced that he had signed well-known actor Pierce Brosnan as the ambassador for the Speake-Marin brand. It's rare for a small, independent brand to have an ambassador.
"It wasn't planned or searched for, it was the result of meeting on the filming of the movie 'Survivor' and becoming friends," explains Speake-Marin, who worked as a watchmaking consultant on the film. "Pierce started posting pictures of himself and his watches on Instagram and it seemed like a natural thing to do to ask him if he was interested in taking it to another level.

"He is classical with a twist as is my work; he is also in his own right an artist as well as an actor," Speake-Marin continues. "When we first met we became friends within minutes, in a slightly surreal way. We are kindred spirits from different worlds. We both love what we do and we both live in creative worlds."

Brosnan has had an incredible career, appearing some of the biggest movies made, including playing James Bond four times, while sporting an Omega, of course. Now, whenever he has a chance, Brosnan will wear his Speake-Marin. "Pierce has worn a Speake-Marin in the last film he made, called 'IT' and will do likewise in a new movie starting in the coming months," Speake-Marin details. Currently, Brosnan wears the Resilience timepiece (), the same one he wore in "Survivor."

Does an ambassador really pay off, especially for a small brand that struggles for recognition? Having a recognizable face of the brand certainly can't hurt. "Speake-Marin is a small company and we are slowly growing from year to year at a steady rate," Speake-Marin says. "This year was exemplary, which I believe was due to Pierce but also the evolution as a whole within the collections and the growing awareness of my work. Each year we are alive we grow."

Speake-Marin sees the association with Brosnan as a sign of future success. "Business is good, but I have no illusions, life for a small company in a competitive industry life can be challenging, but we are growing at a time when many companies are shrinking and making cutbacks," he says. "For the industry as a whole it is forever changing as it has been for the last 30 years with peaks and troughs, there is no longer a genuine sense of stability but this brings in its own way a need for creativity and originality to adapt to the new and changing world we live in.
"For Speake-Marin, I am more optimistic today than I have ever been due to the reality of our situation with growing sales, knowledge and maturity as a whole," he continues. "Also, I have a freedom for development now that I have never had before, due to a growing team to whom I have been able to delegate the daily activities of running the business."

When asked whether Brosnan will have a hand in the design of any Speake-Marin watches, Speake-Marin is tight-lipped. "For that you will have to wait and see," he says.

It's called the Cosmic Watch and it is Swiss Made, but ironically it is not yet available as a watch. Having crossed the desks of the executives at Omega (too digital) and Google Switzerland (not functional enough), the project arrives on the market not as a wristwatch but as an application running on iOS and Android or as a luxurious desk clock or high-end touchscreen display that would make the perfect addition to a boardroom or hotel lobby. It is the world's first interactive astronomical clock in the digital era, and it's Swiss Made!
The Cosmic Watch builds on the centuries old tradition of the astrolabe as a means of displaying the rotation of the heavenly bodies in our solar system. But whereas the historical astrolabes were objects intended as decoration just as much as they were for education, the Cosmic Watch is geared much more towards the educational aspect, capitalizing on the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets around the world.

A new appreciation of time

One of the cornerstones of this approach is adding the dimension of time, which can be overlaid on any of the views in the form of a circle around the equator with an optional digital read-out if desired. Intuitively, the time can also be read against the selected location and the shadow cast by the sun gives an instant overview of where on earth it is night and day.

A "time travel" function lets you move forwards or backwards through time at varying speeds, from a sedate two minutes per second to a dizzying year per second. As you move forwards or backwards you see the trace of the movement of the planets and you can pause at any point to see the exact configuration in the solar system at that point. Furthermore, significant astronomical events such as eclipses are highlighted along the way.
Five different guides (horizon, compass, planet names, connections, celestial rings and equatorial grid) can be toggled on and off to assist with astronomical observations. Simply activating the horizon and compass, for example, then aligning north on the compass with north on the horizon, lets you easily identify the planets at a glance. On a cloudless night in mid-May I was able to pick out Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury from my balcony in a matter of minutes.

The future

As with any smartphone application, the advantage of the technology is that it can regularly be updated. The developers are already working on adding new features such as real-time weather, a world-time display and equation of time function. With such features on board, the application could in future easily replace three or more existing types of application (world time, sky chart, weather). All this at a cost of just 4 Swiss francs!

The Cosmic Watch also comes packaged as two high-end luxury objects, the Vision and the Eclipse. The Vision is an interactive table clock and the Eclipse is a custom-built interactive astronomical "wall time device" using the very best touchscreen technology available.
 

The Cosmic Watch can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Last week, Omega announced that it is developing a new standard, in conjunction with the Swiss Federal Institute for Metrology (METAS). Any watch with a precision between 0 and +5 seconds per day that can resist magnetic fields of "at least 15,000 gauss" will qualify for this Swiss norm, with which Omega ostensibly aims to raise awareness of the potential impact on our watches of the magnetic fields that surround us nowadays.

Also last week, the Qualite Fleurier foundation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its certification with the announcement that it is making the unique equipment used for its tests available to the entire Swiss watchmaking industry. The certification already uses the same strict precision tolerances as the new METAS standard, but with one very important difference: it is the only certification where the finished watch is subjected to a genuine simulation of real-world wrist action over 24 hours on the formidable Fleuritest machine. Read our full report this week on WorldTempus.

In this last full week of shopping before Christmas, we conclude our gift guide with a review of some affordable complicated watches, a selection of watch-related books and the new ultimate gift for the watch fan. Over the holiday season we will also be publishing loads of great content, with a mini-series of "What's next?" articles inspired by the theme of this year's Forum de la Haute Horlogerie, the first in a series of articles on the different movement decorations used in watchmaking, features from the latest issue of GMT Lady and a selection of the forthcoming SIHH launches.

Our offices will be closed over the festive period, so the next WorldTempus newsletter will be sent out on 12 January. In the meantime, the entire team at WorldTempus wishes you happy holidays and all the very best for the New Year. See you soon!

Although their names may not be familiar as writers of horological reference works, Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie have invested several years in the production of this consummate guide to one of the few genuine watch icons.

The Omega Speedmaster needs little introduction, having secured its very own page in the history books when it was selected by NASA for use in its manned spaceflight programme. But the Moonwatch is only part of the varied history of the Speedmaster model, which traces its lineage back over 50 years, to the first model in 1957.

catalogues over 125 models, covering all Speedmaster production since 1957, including limited and special editions, as well as projects and prototypes. It also analyses and codifies over 250 different components, from calibres to cases, bezels to bracelets, crown to crystal… and even the presentation boxes, using an original nomenclature developed by the authors. It is illustrated with over 1000 images, some of which have never before been published.

Moonwatch Only. The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide, by Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie, is available in English, French and Italian, priced CHF 290 or €250 from Watchprint, the watch and jewellery bookstore. 

Order a copy

Yesterday in London's chic New Bond Street, Sotheby's auction house undertook what was certainly its most high-profile auction of the year: selling the horological remains of George Daniels' life.
At precisely 2:30 GMT, the elite of the horological auction world crowded into Sotheby's posh auction room to witness - or possibly bid on - the 137 items left in Daniels' collection at the time of his death in 2011.
 

Daniels can rightly be viewed as the first independent, a talented watchmaker who practically led this movement of the mechanical renaissance by example. He was revered by the other independents - as F.P. Journe's platinum Chronometre Souverain (lot 27) gift to him shows - and inspired them in their own work. "This auction will set the precedent for other independents' work," Geoffroy Ader, head of Sotheby's Geneva, remarked.
Daniels is best remembered for inventing the co-axial escapement, which was industrialized and is now in serial use by Omega, though as his protege and only apprentice Roger Smith pointed out, "He made everything by hand, every part of the watch." His 37 unique pocket watches remain so one-of-a-kind because they were indeed manufactured by his own two hands and because each one represented a new technical experiment.

Daniels was a collector of automobiles, cameras, and timepieces. As an expert in the history of horology, he also traded in very high-end vintage timepieces and was an adviser to Sotheby's for much of his career. Much of the proceeds of the auctions surrounding these objects will benefit the George Daniels Educational Trust, a charity he set up before his passing to benefit the higher education of pupils studying the disciplines of horology, engineering, medicine and building construction. Financial aid from the trust is granted to students nominated by City University London and jointly the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and The British Horological Institute.
Auction results
Many pieces in the auction were highly anticipated, and the top lot performed as expected, which is probably why it did not elicit applause from the polite gathering of aficionados: the Space Travellers Watch, a large Lepine-style pocket watch complicated beyond belief and ahead of its time in terms of added technology. Smith explained that Daniels had created it in honor of man's first landing on the moon (hence the name). The bidding on it was spirited and included a prominent local London retailer, who dropped out before it crossed the one-million-pound mark. Bidding topped out at 1,150,000 pounds before commission.

The second most expensive lot came in at 1,100,000 pounds before commission: an ebony-encased striking table clock by Joseph Knibb from 1677. It has royal provenance, which is probably what at least partially spurred the heated bidding for it. As expected, Daniels' own pieces did remarkably well, with the Grand Complication wristwatch hammered at 780,000 pounds before commission.
Anther notable lot was an Urban Jurgensen wristwatch modified by Daniels to include a slim version of the co-axial escapement, which was sold to the Jurgensen Museum via telephone for 50,000 pounds before commission. And, naturally, the Journe piece was notable for the above-mentioned reasons. It sold for 36,000 pounds before commission.
The Sotheby's team and other notables present at the auction were pleased with the results, totaling 8,285,139 pounds after commission (and beating the pre-sale estimate by more than 3 million pounds). About 8 million pounds of that will go to the George Daniels Educational Trust.
 

A Timely Perspective - 5 November 2012

The Omega Speedmaster chronograph was created in 1957 and has always been regarded as a high-precision sturdy, reliable watch. In 1969, it made history as the first watch to be worn on the moon. This week, it was the watch I relied on during hurricane Sandy, the subsequent power outage for six days and the clean-up after the fact.

This Speedmaster Automatic Chronometer is a superb watch. Housing the self-winding Omega 3304 caliber, the watch is a chronograph and officially certified COSC chronometer. I love the feel of the automatic movement and its self-winding capabilities - you know you have mechanics on the wrist with this watch. For me, even though time wasn't essential during the blackout, I needed to know the time and date and with this watch I was certain it wouldn't die as a quartz watch might if its battery ran out during the long days and dark nights. 

Additionally, during the aftermath and the cleanup outside, I knew it was rugged enough to go the distance hauling logs, brush and debris off the pool and out of the yard. While I didn't use the tachymeter bezel, I did, in fact, use the chronograph to track how long it took to get just the one big tree off the pool: 6 hours, 22 minutes and 10 seconds. After that, I stopped timing the take down of the other fallen seven trees. It was tiring work but the watch kept up! I love this timepiece. Retail is about $4,900 - and at that it is a steal.

Renaissance
Pocket Watch
1981

It is the fisrt pocket watch intergrating a Tourbillon and complications in the history. The Renaissance features the Hours, Minutes and Seconds (from the Tourbillon). It also is a Perpetual Calendar with all of its traditionnal information. Plus it proposes an automatic striking mechanism, the 12 zodiacal signs, the sunrise and sunset stars, the equation of time and a thermometer. The Renaissance is still today privately owned by the same familly who originally bought it.
______________________________________________________
Capriccio - Piece No 2
Pocket Watch
1983

The functions are the Hours, Minutes and Seconds (from the Tourbillon). Its hand winding movment perfectly fits the special shape of the case, inspired by a paintor's color palette. The power reserve is of 8 days. It is regulated by a tourbillon and a detent escapment.  The Capriccio is the property of the Omega museum.
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Montres des Sables - A Faces
Pocket Watches
1985

The deserts' nomads inspired Dominique Loiseau for the creation of these 6 unique Montres des Sables (Watches of the sand). Every movement's flying Tourbillon is placed in the center of each watch. These pocket watches have pendant integrated in their case so that they look like stones on the desert.
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Rose des Temps
Table Clock and automaton
1983-84
 

Unique Complication rebus table clock celebrating the arrival of the 3rd millenary. The timepiece is made of 16 modules all interchangeable between them and totalizing 32 functions. To name a few these functions are : Automatic Striking Mecanism, Minute Repeater, a 6 bells (gongs) Westminster Carillon, Perpetual Calendar, the sky in New-York, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Bern, the 4 seasons indicator, Year 2K automaton, a Chronometer, a Thermometer and of course Hours and Minutes.
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Cobra
Pocket Watch
1986-87

Unique pocket watch. Besides the Hours, minutes and seconds (from the Tourbillon) it features a flying Tourbillon and a power reserve indicator.  The Cobra is privately owned.

In SKYFALL, to be released in autumn of 2012, James Bond will take to the screen for the 23rd time with Daniel Craig again assuming the role of the world's favourite secret agent. And once again, 007 will wear an OMEGA Seamaster.
To celebrate its seventh performance in a supporting role in a Bond film, OMEGA is launching the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M"SKYFALL" Limited Edition watch.

Like every Planet Ocean, the new watch is ready for underwater adventure. Equipped with a unidirectional rotating diving bezel and a helium escape valve, the watch is water resistant 60 bar / 600 metres / 2000 feet. The watch has a 42 mm brushed and polished stainless steel case and a matching patented screw-and-pin bracelet whose divers' clasp is engraved with "007". The rotating diving bezel is distinguished by its matt black ceramic ring with a chromium nitride diving scale.
The applied indexes on the matt structured black dial are coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue light as are the polished, facetted rhodium-plated 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 their time at a glance. At the 7 o'clock position is a 007 logo and at 3 o'clock, there is a date window.
The Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL Limited Edition is powered by OMEGA's exclusive new Co-Axial calibre 8507. SKYFALL 007 is on its rotor in black-varnished engraving. The movement is visible through sapphire crystal in the brushed screw-in caseback.
Along with OMEGA's industry-changing Co-Axial technology, the watch is equipped with an "Si14" silicon balance spring. The combination is so stable and reliable that the Planet Ocean comes with a full four-year warranty.
The Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL wristwatch is being produced in an edition limited to 5,007 pieces and is delivered in a special presentation box.

The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Ceragold has a generous 45.50 mm 18 Ct red gold case. Its most striking design element is its polished black zirconium-based ceramic bezel ring which offers a stark, dramatic contrast to the Ceragold diving scale.

No less impressive is the Omega Co-Axial calibre 9301 at the heart of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Ceragold. Launched last year, it was the first chronograph in the brand's proprietary family of Co-Axial movements. 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. With the Omega Co-Axial calibre 9301 it is possible to adjust the hour hand without affecting the performance of the minute or seconds hands, allowing for easy adjustments for travellers changing time zones. The movement is equipped with a silicon balance spring and like all Planet Oceans, the watch comes with a full four-year warranty.
The lacquered black dial presents both the 60-minute and 12-hour counters on the same subdial at 3 o'clock so reading the elapsed chronograph time is particularly intuitive. The small seconds sub-dial is at 9 o'clock.
The Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Ceragold is presented on a black leather strap secured by an 18 Ct red gold foldover clasp.

To celebrate fifty years of James Bond films, OMEGA is releasing a special update of the incredibly popular Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond watch which has been worn by 007 in every adventure since GoldenEye. The James Bond 007 50th Anniversary Collector's Piece has been created in two sizes, 41 mm and 36.25 mm.
The cases of the watches are made of stainless steel and they feature ceramic bezel rings with diving scales in matt chromium nitride with the number "50" in red as a reminder that the watch is celebrating a very special anniversary.

Each version of the watch is presented on a classic brushed and polished OMEGA-patented screwand- pin stainless steel bracelet.
The lacquered black dial features a 007 monogram. The 41 mm version has 11 applied indexes; the 36.35 mm watch has ten with a diamond index at the 7 o'clock position - a reminder that this watch was created to honour the film history of agent 007. The indexes are coated with white Super- LumiNova with a blue emission, allowing ease of reading in all light conditions. There is a date window at 3 o'clock.
Both versions feature OMEGA's calibre 2507 self-winding movement fitted with the revolutionary Co- Axial escapement, the component that has driven a revolution in mechanical watchmaking since it was launched in 1999.

The watch is a certified chronometer. Its screw-in case back is stamped with a gun-barrel design. There is a "bullet" decoration fixed on the rotor that can be viewed through a central sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating inside. The watch also has a unidirectional rotating bezel. A helium escape valve allows helium atoms to escape during decompression, particularly necessary for professional divers operating from diving bells. As its name suggests, the watch is water resistant up to 300 metres.
The 41 mm version is being produced in a limited edition of 11'007 pieces and the 36.25 mm version in a limited edition of 3'007 pieces.

While some of the advanced features will appeal particularly to divers, the James Bond 007 50th Anniversary Collector's Piece will prove irresistible to fans of 007 and to anyone interested in elegant, distinctive timepieces.
In 2012, EON Productions will release Skyfall, the 23rd film in the franchise, with Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond.

This year's edition of the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament boasted a stellar roster that included three of the world's four top-ranked golfers. The stars didn't disappoint: at the end of the third round, Rory McIlory, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, who entered the tournament ranked second, third and fourth in the world respectively, were in the leaderboard's top ten. But it was Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello who won by a single stroke over Westwood and Scotsman Stephen Gallacher.
Cabrera-Bello, who had been a stroke behind Westwood overnight, birdied the 17th hole and was able to hang on to his lead.
Cabrera-Bello was presented with the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic trophy by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Raynald Aeschlimann, Vice President and International Sales Director, OMEGA, the tournament's title sponsor, in the fiercely contested European Tour event.
The prestigious 18 Ct red gold an OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar was presented to Cabrera-Bello along with the tournament trophy, following a tournament that saw one of the most dramatic European Tour finishes of the season.

"We are particularly proud to present this timepiece to a winner as worthy as Rafael," said Aeschlimann. "I know that when he wears it, it will bring back memories of his extraordinary performance at this tournament." 
The watch presented to Cabrera-Bello is an OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar with an 18 Ct red gold case and a brown leather strap. The date only needs to be adjusted once a year, on March 1. It is delivered with a four-year warranty and is water-resistant to 15 bar/150 metres/500 feet. The exclusive Co-Axial calibre 8611 is a member of the mechanical watch movement family that has signaled a revolution in the way mechanical wristwatches are being made.
OMEGA is one of the most prominent watch brands in the world and has long promoted golf as a global sport. Its title sponsorships include the OMEGA European Masters played each September in Switzerland and the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Master hosted every December in Dubai. In 2011, the brand entered into a partnership with The PGA of America and will serve as official timekeeper to The PGA Championship, one of golf's four "Majors," and the Ryder Cup when it is contested in the United States. OMEGA is also among the world's leading sports timekeepers and in 2012 will assume its Official Timekeeping role at the Olympic Games for the 25th time since 1932.

One of the brightest new stars in Omega's Constellation family is the Co-Axial 27 mm in 18 Ct red gold. It is not only uncompromisingly elegant but equipped with the brand's proprietary Co-Axial calibre 8521, from Omega's family of mechanical movements widely considered to be among the world's finest.

The luxurious timepiece's brushed case with polished claws is crafted from 18 Ct red gold. The matching bracelet has brushed links and polished bars set with 144 full-cut diamonds totalling 0.54 carat. The bezel is paved with 32 full-cut diamonds with a total weight of 0.50 carat. The screw-in caseback features a sapphire crystal that reveals the perfection of the Co-Axial movement inside.
The mother-of-pearl dial is completed with, appropriately, a constellation of applied 18 Ct red gold stars, some that are raised and others with a recessed profile. There is a trapezoidal date window at 3 o'clock. The polished and facetted 18 Ct gold hour and minute hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova, making them easy to read even in limited lighting conditions.
The Co-Axial movement at the heart of the Constellation is equipped with OMEGA's Si 14 silicon balance spring. The dimensions of the movement have allowed Omega to introduce its proprietary Co-Axial technology in a 27 mm wristwatch for the first time. The combination of the Co-Axial calibre 8521 and the silicon balance spring offers so much stability that Omega offers the stunning timepiece with a four-year warranty.
The Omega Constellation Co-Axial 27 mm is water resistant to 10 bar / 100 metres / 330 feet. An 18 Ct yellow gold model is also available.
The Omega Constellation Co-Axial 27 mm was designed for the woman who cares as much about the mechanical movement inside the case as she does for its breathtaking beauty.

In the closing event of the PGA European Tour, the Dubai World Championship, Spanish golfer Álvaro Quirós - who signed a partnership agreement with Concord in September 2011 - made a magnificent showing to win the title on Sunday December 11th. He finished at 19 under par after carding successive rounds of 68, 64, 70 and 67, ahead of a star-studded field including world number 1 Luke Donald, who took third place. The crowd went wild at the end of a nail-biting fourth round that Quirós completed with an incredible eagle on the 18th hole (having done the same in the second round)! 
 

This outstanding achievement has earned him the admiration of golf enthusiasts around the world who have been following this showcase event with keen interest, naturally including the brand's agent in Dubai, Ahmed Seddiqi represented by Mr Mohammed Seddiqi, CEO Christophe Nicaise and Concord Regional Sales Manager Abdallah Mouaffak made a point of personally visiting the event to congratulate Quirós on his stellar performance.
 

Having started the year in the same country and on an equally positive note by notching his fifth European Tour title in February 2011 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic (a win that featured a stunning hole-in-one in the final round), Quirós is looking forward to the upcoming season and to the fresh challenges that await him in 2012.
 

To commemorate the 2012 Games, OMEGA is launching the Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial "London 2012" Limited Edition. It is being introduced a year to the day before the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in London.

First part 1957 -1969 (second part for the end of the year)
Bilingual book: ENG / FRA

Complete guide, full of useful information, allowing you to start a collection or continue one confidently: The OMEGA Speedmaster is a watch whose appearance, functions and history awaken a feeling of fascination and fulfilment in us.
This guide starts by some key dates followed by some questions and answers on the brand, the model, the case, the lugs, push-buttons, case backs, etc.. all necessary detail in order to identify a real Speedmaster.
ORDER BOOK

OMEGA has created a special watch - the Hour Vision Blue - in support of ORBIS International's fight against preventable blindness. Working closely with OMEGA on the project is actor and brand ambassador Daniel Craig.

The elegant Hour Vision
The OMEGA Hour Vision Blue wristwatch is a special edition of the stunning Hour Vision. It has a 360° see-through case-body which is set in a robust 41 mm stainless steel outer case.
The Hour Vision Blue is equipped with OMEGA's Co-Axial calibre 8500, the movement that signalled a revolution in series-produced mechanical watchmaking. The self-winding watch is an officially certified chronometer, a testimony to its precision and performance. Its Co-Axial escapement on three levels means that the hour hand can be adjusted independently of the minute and seconds hands - ideal for travellers who regularly need to change time zones.
The Co-Axial movement can be observed through sapphire crystal in the polished, screwed caseback. The Hour Vision Blue is water resistant to 10 bar / 100 metres / 330 feet.
Adding distinction to the timepiece is its sun-brushed blue dial designed especially for the appropriately named Hour Vision Blue. It has 18 Ct white gold facetted hour, minute and seconds hands and features a date window at 3 o'clock. The OMEGA Hour Vision Blue is presented on a black leather strap.

OMEGA and ORBIS International
OMEGA will donate a minimum of a million dollars to ORBIS International over the next four years and looks forward to its partnership with a remarkable organization that has carried out programs in 88 countries and trained some 250,000 health care professionals while delivering quality eye care to more than 12 million individuals around the world.

Omega has announced that it will work in cooperation with actor and brand ambassador Daniel Craig to support Orbis International and its Flying Eye Hospital in the fight against preventable blindness.

A special watch - the Hour Vision Blue - has been created to celebrate the partnership, and Omega has guaranteed that at least one million U.S. dollars from its sale will be donated to Orbis, an organization which delivers eye care to some of the world's most remote and developing regions.  
 
Omega president Stephen Urquhart spoke of his brand's commitment saying, "Omega is pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to Orbis' remarkable mission. It's particularly gratifying to be working with Daniel in support of an organization whose work we all believe in."
Daniel Craig is arranging a visit to Orbis' Flying Eye Hospital with Omega this year. "I think that it's important to do all that we can to draw attention to the invaluable work that Orbis is doing. By visiting them in the field and seeing their team at work, I hope we will be able to make more people aware of the issue of preventable blindness and to let them know how much of a difference they can make. I'm delighted that Omega feels as bly about this initiative as I do."

 
Since it was founded in 1982, Orbis has carried out programs in 88 countries to provide medical training, tools and technology for local partners to address the tragedy of avoidable blindness in their communities. As a result of Orbis' support, more than 12 million individuals have received medical care and more than a quarter of a million eye care professionals have been trained.  
 
"We are tremendously excited about our new partnership with Omega", stated Dr. Robert Walters, Chairman of Orbis, "and are looking forward to working closely with Omega and Daniel to heighten the awareness of preventable blindness in the developing world. With Omega and Daniel's support, Orbis will reach and treat even more people, reducing the global burden of blindness and ensuring productive lives for many".
 
The Hour Vision Blue wristwatch is a special edition of the elegant Hour Vision. It has a classic 41 mm stainless steel case and is equipped with Omega's Co-Axial caliber 8500, the movement that signaled a revolution in series-produced mechanical watchmaking. The movement can be viewed through the sapphire crystal on the caseback.

Adding distinction to the timepiece is its specially designed sun-brushed blue dial. It has 18 Ct white gold facetted hour, minute and seconds hands coated with white Super-LumiNova and features a date window at the 3 o'clock position.

In January 2011, Tech-Airport received from Duty Free News International the Product Award 2010 in the category "Best new store" for its Hour Passion Boutique at Geneva International Airport.

July 15th, 1975 marked the beginning of an important chapter in space exploration. On that day the United States launched an Apollo rocket, referred to as the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) Command Module and the Soviet Union sent Soyuz 19 into space.

Two days later a remarkable thing happened: the two spacecraft representing these former adversaries in the space race docked and the three astronauts and two cosmonauts met in the middle where they shook hands, exchanged gifts and spoke with each other as they orbited the Earth.
The ships remained docked for 44 hours after which they separated, and manoeuvred to use the Apollo to create an artificial solar eclipse which allowed the crew of the Soyuz to take photographs of the solar corona. Another brief docking was made before the ships concluded their own journeys separately. The Soviets remained in space for five days altogether, the Americans for nine.
It was the first time that spacecraft built by different nations had docked and signalled an era of cooperation in space which would lead to the efforts to build a permanently occupied space station. The mission also marked the end of an era - it was the final flight of the Apollo spacecraft.
While the Apollo-Soyuz mission is best remembered for its political significance, it also resulted in some major technological achievements as neither of the spacecraft, which were completely different from each other, had been built for the purpose of docking.
The American crew was commanded by Thomas Stafford and included Vance Brand and the last of the original seven Mercury astronauts to make it into orbit, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton who had long been grounded due to a heart problem. The two-man Soviet crew included Valeri Kubasov and the first space walker, Alexei Leonov.
The ASTP Command Module splashed down on July 24th, 1975 after 217 hours, 30 minutes in space.

The Apollo era had ended. It would be six years before another American astronaut would fly in space aboard the reusable Space Shuttle. All of the Shuttle astronauts were equipped, of course, with OMEGA Speedmasters.

THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL APOLLO-SOYUZ "35TH ANNIVERSARY"

When astronaut Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford (USA) and cosmonaut Lieutenant General Alexei A. Leonov (USSR) shook hands in the docking hatch which linked their respective spacecraft, the space pioneers, along with their crews, were wearing Omega Speedmaster Professional chronographs on their wrists.

Commemorating a handshake

The 35th anniversary of their historic handshake is commemorated with the release of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35th Anniversary" chronograph in a limited edition of 1975 watches.

A meteorite dial

The dial has been created from a meteorite which survived its entry into our planet's atmosphere and the high-speed impact with the terrestrial surface. The meteorite's unusual structure is the result its very high temperature when it enters the Earth's atmosphere, followed by a period of cooling. The dial is a single piece cut from the meteorite; accordingly, because no two pieces of the meteorite are exactly alike, each watch in this limited edition is absolutely unique.

The black colour of the meteorite dial is the result of a surface oxidation process. The silvery seconds hand and chronograph counters appear in the meteorite's natural colour.
The Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35th Anniversary" chronograph is a fitting tribute to a pivotal moment in space exploration. A handshake in orbit between these two former space race adversaries demonstrated to everyone back on earth that it was possible to move forward in a new spirit of cooperation.

WORLDTEMPUS - 25 June 2010

I remember walking down Washington Street in downtown Boston, that city's "jewelry district," and seeing a white-dialed Breitling Premier shining under the lights in a shop. This was during my Hamilton period, and the $1,200 that they wanted for the watch was more than I could imagine spending at the time. I remember being impressed by how smoothly the chronograph pushers worked and how great the dial and case looked. I later enjoyed owning both the white and black dial versions of the Premier. I feel compelled to note that Breitling offered many interesting chronographs in the 1990s and early 2000s—such as the Spatiographe, which displays the elapsed minutes in digital format on a wheel, exactly the way most watches display the date except that it was the chronograph minutes that were displayed. The Montbrillant Eclipse and the Navitimer Twin Sixty are other models from the 1990s that are quite interesting and now rare.

One of the most iconic watches of our generation is the Chronoswiss Opus. It was seeing this watch on the cover of Wristwatch Annual in 2000 that made me buy the book. I never did buy the watch, but that copy of Wristwatch Annual, which I perused so many times that the binding fell apart, really accelerated my watch collecting by exposing me to countless new brands and models. The Opus is aptly named and the watch could serve as a fine holy grail, though—amazingly—it is not priced like most other horological hall-of-famers. Note to self: buy the Chronoswiss Opus to celebrate writing my first articles for Worldtempus.com!
Alain Silberstein offers singularly styled watches, almost always with interesting complications (like his Smileday, which allows you to display your mood with various emoticons in an aperture on the dial—long before "emoticons" was even a word). I love how he playfully blends all of the colors and uses curvy hands. The Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus with complete calendar was always on my radar, but, alas, never my wrist.

Finally, my own personal mother of all gaps is the IWC Portuguese Automatic Chronograph in steel (reference 3714). I have probably tried it on 50 times and never pulled the trigger. This watch with silver dial and rose gold hands and markers is the best looking watch of all time. In my formative collecting years, I found it too difficult to choose between the black dial and silver dial…so I bought neither. I've gone on to own watches much more expensive, but none more beautiful than the Portuguese. Every time I see one, its beauty gives me pause. There must be some reason I never returned to fill that gap. Maybe, just maybe, that watch is my personal Alpha and Omega.
In my estimation, it is a rare collector that has collected for any length of time and does not have similar gaps in his or her own collecting history. I invite you to look back over your own experience and spend a few minutes remembering the watches that you yearned for, but never owned. It's never too late. And if you have been collecting for a while, you may find that the watches that you regret never owning are now discontinued. This just makes filling in those old gaps more fun as you can look forward to some excellent adventures. Late-night detective work online is always fun, as are visits to local watch stores, flea markets, yard sales and maybe even travelling to watch shows: in pursuit, and hopefully conquest, of filling in those gaps. Good luck and good hunting.

The Museum, which opened in January of 1984, is the oldest museum dedicated to a single watch brand. Located just opposite Omega's headquarters in Biel, it features items representing the brand's entire history, including the watchmaker's bench used by Louis Brandt when he began to make watches more than 160 years ago.

Omega president Stephen Urquhart likened the period of renovation to an archaeological dig. "Not only did we renovate the whole Museum but we also restored many of the period features of this listed building. The project gave us a chance to review our entire collection. Some of the objects displayed are being presented to the public for the first time, including things which we didn't even know were hidden in the archives."
One of these is a pocket watch used by Albert Einstein, a man whose work is closely identified with time.
Omega's history is vividly recreated with displays presenting all the brand's most important stories. Visitors will have a chance to examine the equipment OMEGA has developed and used in its timekeeping role at the Olympic Games since 1932.

The brand has been closely involved in NASA's manned space programme for more than 45 years and Omega Speedmasters were worn on all six lunar landings. The Museum exhibit highlighting the role of the Speedmaster in space features four watches which were worn on or near the Moon.
One of the new sections of the Museum is dedicated to prototypes - watches which were developed by Omega but, for various reasons, never introduced into commercial production.
Some of the timepieces on display have been long time favourites of visitors to the Omega Museum, including the wristwatch worn by author/adventurer/spy T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and the watch worn by John F. Kennedy at his inauguration when he became 35th President of the United States.

OMEGA's re-designed Constellation line
In 1982, OMEGA launched the first Constellation to feature the radical and enduring "Griffes" or claws, which immediately placed the watch line among the ranks of the world's most instantly identifiable timepieces. OMEGA redesigned the entire Constellation family last year and in 2010 is proud to introduce two of its newest members.

In timeless white
This white Constellation Ladies Quartz 35 mm timepiece with a polished 18 Ct red gold case and a white alligator leather strap is an ideal accessory for any wardrobe. Adding to its allure are the eleven single-cut diamond hour markers which are graduated, increasing in size on each side of the dial from the round facetted date window at six o'clock. Its dramatic brushed 18 Ct red gold bezel features Roman numerals coated with white Super-LumiNova.
The silver lacquered dial features a supernova pattern which explodes from the Constellation star.

Shades of black and grey
Another of the year's dramatic offerings is the Constellation Ladies Quartz 35 mm with a black alligator leather strap and a shaded grey dial. This striking watch has a bezel paved with 34 full-cut diamonds. Its eleven single-cut diamond hour markers, which are increasingly graduated from the round facetted date window at six o'clock, are in sharp relief to the supernova pattern on the dial which emanates from the Constellation star.
Both the shaded grey and the white models are powered by OMEGA's quartz calibre 1532. Their vertically-brushed casebacks are embossed with the Constellation Observatory medallion. Their polished facetted hour and minute hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova, which makes them easy to read in all light conditions.

Two classic Constellations
The "watch with the claws" has been turning heads for 28 years. These diamond-enhanced 35 mm timepieces are among the stars from the redesigned Constellation line, blending timeless black or white with the eternal popularity of diamonds.

The Constellation Double Eagle watches have long celebrated OMEGA's close relationship with the Royal and Ancient Game of golf. The Double Eagle is a robust watch for all seasons, with its screw-in case helping to guarantee water resistance to 100 metres (330 feet, 10 bar) - but it is as fashionable as it is sporty.
This year, the popular line is extended with the introduction of the OMEGA Constellation Double Eagle Co-Axial 4-Counters.
This stunning watch is powered by OMEGA's Co-Axial calibre 3890 and is a COSC-certified chronometer.

Four counters, or sub-dials, are appealingly arranged in a staggered row across the dial. From left to right, they feature the small seconds, a seven-day counter, a 12-hour counter and a 30-minute counter. Just above the centre of the watch is a window which shows the day of the week.
Like the other members of the family, the Constellation Double Eagle 4-Counters has a sporty dial in matt black with contrasting counters. The stainless steel Double Eagle 4-Counters has an integrated black rubber strap with a satin-brushed stainless steel foldover clasp.
The attention to detail in the design of the Double Eagle 4-Counters is reflected by its 18 Ct white gold facetted hour markers, facetted and truncated Dauphine hands, and applied OMEGA symbol and name.  
A date window at 6 o'clock completes the dial, which is protected by a domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The screw-in transparent sapphire crystal case back reveals OMEGA's revolutionary Co-Axial movement.  
The Double Eagle 4-Counters is equipped with a black aluminium bezel with silver Arabic numerals.  
The Constellation Double Eagle 4-Counters blends rugged performance and reliability with a distinctive flair - this is a watch which is equally at home on the course or on the town. And the dramatic arrangement of four counters on the dial reminds you: this is an OMEGA!

Since their launch, OMEGA's Seamaster Aqua Terra watches have attracted a large, enthusiastic following. The line characterized by the distinctive "teak-concept" vertical lines on their dials has been extended with the release of the first models with an annual calendar complication.

The Aqua Terra collection is a perfect union of eye-catching design excellence and innovative 21st century watchmaking technology. The Annual Calendar models, in stainless steel or an elegant bi-colour blend of stainless steel and 18 Ct red gold, are a dramatic but logical next step in the mechanical watch revolution which has been taking place at OMEGA since the launch of the first Co-Axial calibre more than a decade ago.
The watches are powered by the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8601/8611, a high-precision COSC-certified chronometer which features the additional functionality of an instantaneous jump annual calendar complication. This annual calendar automatically recognizes months with 30 and 31 days and needs to be manually corrected only once a year, on March 1st.

The Aqua Terra Annual Calendar timepieces are also equipped with OMEGA's exclusive Si 14 silicon balance springs. Silicon is non-magnetic so the performance of the Si 14 balance-spring is not disturbed by exposure to magnetic objects. While the performance of mechanical watches tends to deviate over time as a result of small everyday shocks, these disturbances have very little effect on Si 14 silicon balance-springs.

Like the other OMEGA Boutiques, the new location features the brand's four main watch families, Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and De Ville. In addition to the timepieces on which OMEGA has built its reputation since 1848, the Boutique at the airport in Geneva features OMEGA's Fine Jewellery and Fine Leather Collections as well as the new Aqua Terra Eau de Toilette pour Homme, OMEGA's first fragrance.
OMEGA will be adjacent to the Hour Passion Boutique established by its Swatch Group partner Tech-Airport, a leader in airport distribution for watches and jewellery. The Boutiques are in the Airport's Departure Transit Zone.

The OMEGA Boutique at the Geneva International Airport has a retail space of 35 square metres.
OMEGA also has boutiques in Geneva's city centre as well as in Zurich, Lucerne, Berne, and Interlaken.

 
As the OMEGA clock counting down to the start of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games has just reached the minus 100 day mark, OMEGA is releasing two special limited edition watches to commemorate the milestone. The OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300m "Vancouver 2010" Limited Edition will be produced in 41 mm and 36.25 mm versions, each in a release of 2010 numbered pieces and featuring the OMEGA Co-Axial caliber 2500.
The Seamaster Diver 300m "Vancouver 2010" Limited Edition is equipped with professional diving features: it has a unidirectional rotating bezel, a helium-escape valve and is water resistant to a depth of 300 meters. The caseback is embossed with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games logo which features "Ilanaak", the symbol of the Games. It represents the figures made of piled stones which the Canadian First Nations people created to serve as greetings to anyone moving through their territories. The logo's name, Ilanaak, was taken from the word for "friend" in Inuktitut, the name given to the variety of Inuit languages spoken in Canada. The caseback is engraved with the Limited Edition number (0000/2010).
OMEGA will be serving as Official Olympic Timekeeper for the 24th time at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and will be carrying on a legacy dating back to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The Seamaster Diver 300m "Vancouver 2010" Limited Edition watches ideally commemorate the Winter Games in Vancouver and OMEGA's long relationship with the Olympic Movement.
The striking watches feature white lacquered dials and red-anodized aluminum bezel rings. These bold contrasting colors recall the Canadian flag with its proud red maple leaf against a stark white background. The white dials are also reminiscent of the snow and ice which will play such an important role in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
The watches' connection to the Games in Vancouver is further reinforced by the colored Olympic rings on the counterweight of the red-tipped, rhodium-plated chro¬nograph seconds hand. Their hands and indexes are coated with white Super-LumiNova which at night or in limited light conditions casts a soft blue reflection.

Les Ambassadeurs - Magazine No 5

In spring 2009 at Baselworld, attentive observers noted that the face of fine watchmaking was no longer uniformly circular. The vast majority of round dials was joined by a few amazing UFOs offering masterful variations on the theme of linear time read-off. From the incredible CC1 by Urwerk to Opus IX by Harry Winston and Eric Giroud, along with the splendid Meccanico dG by de Grisogono, Swiss watchmaking suddenly seemed eager to break free of its hands and circular dials in order to prove that sophisticated mechanical horology was not inextricably entwined with a cyclical perception of time.
All of which raises the fundamental question our own relationship with time.

Let's start by ignoring the issue of the nature of time. Neither scientists nor philosophers have ever been able to define it other than in reference to themselves or to a beginning and an end - the limits of which vary with each new discovery. The perception of time is a personal, cultural and historical matter. There are two major schools of thought in this area: that of time as a cyclical phenomenon, and that of linear time.
Any observation of nature spontaneously suggests a cyclical vision of time. The earth spins on its axis and around the sun with absolute regularity. Once this time has been subdivided into precise units, our entire short-term temporal world can be measured. The immutably regular cycle of seasons dictates the periods of activity and rest, of seedtime and harvest. The visible world can be summed up within this endlessly accurate and reassuring process of constant renewal.
Horology was born from this vision of the world and thus naturally adopted the circle as its fundamental element. The figure 12 that dominates all dials is at once and in turn the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. This mechanical rhythm of the hours can be extrapolated to define all the various subdivisions, providing the cadence of the movements enables such measurements.
However, when it comes to defining a perpetual calendar, things are not quite so simple. Despite watchmakers' impressive ingenuity, no existing mechanism appears capable of offering a guarantee of precision extending beyond a few hundred years without any maintenance or adjustment. Is that a question of human incompetence? Definitely not! So let's get back to cyclical time. As soon as we need to move beyond measuring the time the Earth takes to move around the Sun, we are forced to resort to an arbitrary measurement.

While the latter varies according to our culture and our religion, there is nothing at all cyclical about it. We thereby enter the world of linear time. By way of example, this article is written in the year 2009 AD, which means the year 1430 of the Hegira, or Muslim calendar, and the year 5769 of the Jewish calendar. Given the high degree of probability that the events on which these calendars were founded are not reproduced at regular intervals, this means that measurement of our long-term time is in fact linear.
Perhaps you have also noticed that combining a cyclical hour with a linear date results in a necessarily linear combination. Does that mean we must definitively conclude that the flow of time is linear and not cyclical? This is a fundamental question that has fascinated the world's greatest thinkers, from the Greek stoics through to Nietzsche, as well as Pythagoras, Kant and Schopenhauer. And none of them have come up with any conclusive answer!
Religions have enabled humankind to look beyond the units of measurements provided by the sky above them, but have also fixed a beginning and in some cases an end that restricted their horizons. Galileo and Newton pointed out the limits of these theoretical constructions, yet without finding a more global cycle that would encompass previous ones. In 1927, Monsignor Georges Edouard Lemaître provided the world with a whole new paradigm thanks to the Big Bang, which pushed the Alpha of the universe back in time by a massive 14 billion years. Other researchers subsequently came up with an Omega in the form of the Big Crunch, forecast to occur in around 50 billion years' time. All of which provides material on which to build a new linear calendar, but still no means of defining a new cycle summing up the others and anchoring our vision of the world in a lasting and reassuring reality.

Just as an ant is incapable of grasping the round nature of the earth, we will probably never know whether the cycles of our solar system are part of the cycles of our universe as a whole, and whether the cycles of our universe are themselves incorporated within other realities that elude us and always will.
Whatever our level of knowledge, our time will always be subject to a superior linear factor that we must build - a daunting enterprise on the scale of our capacities for thought, but one that is of little importance in our daily lives.
So the regular cycle of the hands on the dials of our mechanical watches will continue to reassure us for many years to come, enabling us to enjoy the illusion that life is an endless circle in which absolutely anything can happen at any moment. And we will therefore be relieved to note that the linear displays provided by contemporary horology are all founded, without exception, on a mechanical base that is quite naturally… cyclical.

Christmas has come and gone. The gifts were exchanged - maybe last night, maybe this morning, depending on your culture or your own family traditions.

And now you have 364 days before it's time to do it all again. There are only about 8,700 hours to select, buy and wrap next year's presents - less, if you do your shopping early.

And the passing of time is tracked sublimely on the Omega wristwatch she found under the tree. Each glance at the watch reminds her of the best Christmas ever and the special person who gave it to her.

She will notice more of the 525,600 minutes between this Christmas and next than usual because she can't keep her eyes off the dial. And the Omega she received this year will be counting down the days perfectly. Who should be thinking about you each time she looks at her watch ?

Omega's holiday selections
To mark all the great moments this holiday season and in the years to come, Omega has some selections for 2009 including two dramatically detailed Constellations for ladies and an eye-catching Seamaster Aqua Terra Co-Axial Chronograph for gents or for women who enjoy wearing larger watches.

October 9th 2009
The Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal Limited Edition unveiled by Omega on Monday is the first model from the brand, and doubtless in the entire watch industry, to contain Liquidmetal. This alloy discovered by researchers at the Californian Institute of Technology is endowed with several distinctive physical properties that have enabled the creation of a bezel alternating satin-brushed zones for the numerals and the minute scale with a polished surface for the ceramic part. Having in the process been granted exclusive rights to the use of this metal in watchmaking, Omega presents a timepiece of which the aesthetic criteria set out in the technical specifications led to the use of an ultra high-tech material.

Used to date in applications such as enhancing the flexibility of Head tennis rackets, the Liquidmetal is extremely different to classic metals. Amorphous rather than crystalline like most other metals, it has a 400°C melting point twice as high as titanium-based alloys, and is three times tougher than stainless steel. Nonetheless, Omega engineers have chosen it first and foremost for its malleability - a quality that enables even the smallest cavities to be perfectly filled thanks to the pressure of the alloy inside. This technology thus paved the way for the visually appealing alternation of metal parts with those made in ceramics and produced by Comadur - a sister company in the Swatch Group.
After presenting last spring a Speedmaster model not yet available on the market but equipped with a split-second chronograph and a ceramic dial, Omega once again introduces a model with a decidedly high-tech face. The shimmering pure dial echoing the bezel lends the watch exceptional depth and intensity, while the attractive dial design strikes a fine balance between vintage spirit and avant-garde styling.
The cogs of the in-house production process seems to be pretty well oiled, since the Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquid Limited Edition will be available by the end of the year in a series of 1948 - a nod to the launch date of the Seamaster collection. This relatively generous number is well over that of a "confidential" edition and doubtless heralds other forthcoming developments. The retail price is set at 4,800 Swiss francs excluding tax.

 
Omega has announced the launch of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal Limited Edition, the world's first watch to bond ceramics and Liquidmetal.

Swatch Group researchers collaborating with OMEGA's product development team have created a striking ceramic diving bezel whose numbers and scaling, made of the Liquidmetal alloy, appear in stunning silvery contrast to the black ceramic background. The colour of the ceramic dial perfectly matches that of the bezel. The result is an aesthetic wonder only made possible by several new and innovative processes.
The remarkable world premiere is being launched in a limited edition of 1948 pieces in honour of the year OMEGA launched its popular Seamaster watch line.

Liquidmetal®: seamless bonding, remarkable hardness
The Liquidmetal alloy is an amorphous metal - a metallic material with a disordered, non-crystalline atomic structure. Its fusion temperature is half that of conventional titanium alloys but when it is cooled, its hardness is three times as great as that of stainless steel. Its amorphous structure allows it to bond seamlessly with the ceramic bezel.

The Liquidmetal is a bulk metallic glass alloy consisting of five elements: zirconium, titanium, copper, nickel and beryllium. A bulk metallic glass can, by virtue of its low critical cooling rate, be formed into a structure with a thickness of more than a tenth of a millimetre. Zirconium is an important constituent part both of the Liquidmetal® alloy and of the ceramic material which is made of zirconium dioxide (Zr02).  
The final, perfectly smooth bezel is particularly resistant to scratching and corrosion because of the hardness of the two components.

The union of ceramics and Liquidmetal® at OMEGA
First, ceramic rings are formed. The numbers and the fine lines of the minute scaling are then engraved into these ceramic bezel rings and polished. The alloy is heated and pressed into the cavities in the ceramic material after which any excess Liquidmetal is removed. The Liquidmetal can be manipulated at a lower temperature than metals normally used in watchmaking so the heating process does not damage the ceramic material.
The Liquidmetal numbers and scales are then satin brushed. Because the ceramic is a harder material than the alloy, the satin brushing of the fine details can be done without affecting the ceramic bezel. The numbers and scaling then appear in bold, vivid contrast to the glossy ceramic background.

Redefining longevity in the watch industry
The OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal Limited Edition, which has a stainless steel case and bracelet, is driven by OMEGA's revolutionary Co-Axial calibre 2500. These movements, which have been heralded for their long-term chronometric performance, are perfectly complemented by the ceramic and Liquidmetal alloy components which are incredibly resistant to corrosion and scratching. The result is pure OMEGA: a design premiere which will retain its appearance indefinitely, blended with innovative Co-Axial technology.

GMT XXL - Summer 2009

THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON

The first manned lunar landing on the 20th of July, 1969 was the greatest, most dramatic scientific achievement in human history. Neil Armb stepped onto the moon's surface at 02:56 GMT on the 21st of July. Nineteen minutes later he was joined by Buzz Aldrin, who was wearing his OMEGA Speedmaster and a legend was born. An interesting footnote: the electronic timing system on the Lunar Module was not functioning correctly so Armb had left his watch aboard as a reliable backup. The adventure is celebrated through two OMEGASpeedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 "40th Anniversary" Limited Edition watches: one in stainless steel and (7,969 pieces); the other in platinum and 18K yellow gold (69 pieces).

The distinctive timepieces are powered by OMEGA's caliber 1861, which shares its lineage with the caliber 321 used in the original Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. The stainless steel casebody is delivered with a stainless steel bracelet which has been upgraded to include OMEGA's patented screw and pin system. The black dial also recalls that of the Moon Watch but has some key differences. The small seconds counter (sub-dial) is a medallion which features an adaptation of Apollo 11's famous mission patch: an eagle descends to the lunar surface with an olive branch representing peace in its claws. In the distance, far above the horizon, the earth is visible. The patch, interestingly, was designed by Michael Collins who remained in the Apollo 11 capsule as Command Module Pilot while his colleagues Armb and Aldrin were in the Lunar Module and on the moon.

ONE SMALL STEP

Below the words "OMEGA Speedmaster PROFESSIONAL" on the dial, the legend 02:56 GMT - the exact time that Neil Armb made his "one small step" onto the moon - is displayed in red. The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition's dial is protected by Hesalite, the same robust, shatterproof acrylic crystal found on the original Moon Watch. Hesalite is ideally suited for use in space - there is no chance that it can break apart and send potentially dangerous fragments into the low-gravity environment.

The Apollo 11 "Eagle" mission patch is stamped on the caseback along with the words, "The first watch worn on the moon", the limited edition number (0000/7969), and "July 21, 1969", the date Armb and Aldrin first stepped onto the moon's surface at 02:56, the time which is printed on the dial. The "40th Anniversary" Limited Edition is delivered in a black presentation box which also includes a 42 mm sterling silver medal (the same diameter as the watch) featuring an engraving of the mission patch. Also in the presentation box is a certificate of authenticity and an envelope containing a black polishing cloth printed with information commemorating the historic space flight.

The story of how the OMEGA Speedmaster became the Moonwatch - the only wristwatch approved by NASA for all manned space flights - all began in the early 1960s when two NASA officials anonymously visited several Houston jewelry stores, including Corrigan's, which at the time was the city's best-known watch and jewelry retailer.

The solo-flight Mercury space programme was almost completed (in fact, Wally Schirra had worn his own Speedmaster on his Mercury flight on the 3rd of October, 1962) and NASA was preparing for the Gemini (twoman) and Apollo (three-man) missions. There were plans for the astronauts on these missions to move about in space outside the ship. One of their key pieces of equipment would be a wristwatch which could withstand the difficult conditions of space. Every time an astronaut suspended in the vacuum of space turned his wrist, the watch would suddenly come out of the shade and be exposed to the unfiltered rays of the sun and temperature increases of more than 100°C. On the moon, President Kennedy's and NASA's declared objective, things would be even tougher. NASA ordered two Speedmasters and two each of five other chronographs for "testing and evaluation purposes" on September 29, 1964 The men from NASA bought a series of chronographs of different brands, charged with the task of finding the best watch available for their astronauts to wear in space.

THE ONLY WATCH APPROVED

On March 1, 1965, the test results were complete. Three brands' chronographs had still been in the running. Of those, one brand's entry had stumbled on two separate occasions in the relative humidity test. In the course of the heat-resistance test it finally came to rest for good. The large seconds hand warped and was binding against the other hands.The crystal of the second brand's chronograph had warped and come away from the case during the heat test. The same unfortunate occurrence took place with a second model of the same make during the decompression test.

Only the Omega Speedmaster passed. At the time, NASA's testers wrote, "Operational and environmental tests of the three selected chronographs have been completed; and, as a result of the test, OMEGA chronographs have been calibrated and issued to three members of the GT-3 (Gemini Titan III) crews." What sounds like a reserved, sober announcement was, in fact, the official decree that from that time forward, the Omega Speedmaster would be the only watch approved for all manned space flights and would be become an inextricable part of the OMEGA legacy. As significant was a NASA communique dated March 1st, 1965 which said, "… the astronauts show a unanimous preference for the OMEGA chronograph over the other two brands because of better accuracy, reliability, readability and ease of operation."

ITS CASE IS QUITE SIMPLY UNMISTAKABLE

Omega's love story with the sea has been going on for years, as the world's great sailors and divers will readily testify. As early as 1970, Omega created a watch capable of withstanding the extreme pressures endured by divers working at great depths. This timepiece, the Seamaster 600m, also called "Ploprof" (an abbreviation of the French term plongeurs professionnels, meaning professional divers), is one of the sturdiest, most robust watches best suited to the underwater world ever produced. Equipped with the Omega Co-Axial Caliber 8500, the new Ploprof is COSC-certified and water-resistant to 1200 meters, ingeniously combining the legendary characteristics of its forerunner with the Omega Co-Axial technology.

The case of the Ploprof is simply unmistakable, with its screw-locked protected crown located at 9 o'clock - a unique position that frees wrist movements and avoids any accidental shifting during a dive. Another feature of the Ploprof is the bezel-release security pusher with an orange anodized aluminum ring at 2 o'clock: one press on this pusher enables the user to turn the bezel in either direction and then to lock it firmly into the chosen position. The Ploprof is also equipped with an automatic helium valve on the side of the case at 4 o'clock. This device enabling helium atoms to escape during the decompression phase is particularly useful for professional divers operating in diving chambers. The Ploprof 1200m is available with either a brushed mesh "Sharkproof" strap or a black or orange rubber strap, featuring a double-extension system and equipped with a new safety clasp enabling precise adjustment thanks to 18 different positions.

Millions of nervous television viewers from all over the world watched in tense anticipation on the 21st of July 1969 as Neil Armb became the first human being ever to set foot on the Moon. At exactly 02:25:20 GMT, one of humanity's great shared dreams was fulfilled and the three Apollo 11 astronauts successfully laid the cornerstone for NASA's future lunar missions. However, the day didn't only make legends of Neil Armb, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins - for on that day the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional became the first and only watch to be worn on the Moon.

In celebration of the event, OMEGA, the Swiss luxury watchmaker will present its exhibition "The 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing" at KaDeWe in Berlin from July 20th to August 24, 2009. A large number of watches and other items, all of them with a connection to NASA's lunar program, will be on display both in KaDeWe's show windows and in its Theme Hall.
One of the exhibition's highlights is a model of the first OMEGA wristwatch to be worn in space: the Speedmaster with the reference CK 2998, identical to the one worn by Walter Schirra during the Mercury Sigma 7 mission. Also on display will be the original Speedmaster watches astronauts Donn F. Eisele (Apollo 7) and Thomas Stafford (Gemini 9 and Apollo 10) had strapped to their wrists during their missions.

Along with the many different OMEGA Speedmaster "Moonwatches" on display at KaDeWe, visitors will have a chance to admire President John F. Kennedy's original OMEGA "Ultra Thin". The charismatic American president was a b proponent of the space program during his short term of office. On the 25th of May, 1961, in an address to the Joint Houses of Congress, he spoke publicly for the first time about the potential and significance of a lunar landing: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

President Kennedy himself would not live to see his vision fulfilled only about eight years after he made his challenge. The American historian Arthur Schlesinger, talking about the importance of the Apollo 11 Mission, "The 20th Century will be remembered, when all else is forgotten, as the century when man burst his terrestrial bonds." "And," as Stephen Urquhart, the president of OMEGA has pointed out, "he did it wearing a Speedmaster."