Omega's story begins in 1848 when 23-year-old Louis Brandt opened a small pocket-watch workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Brandt assembled key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen and sold them across Italy, England, and Northern Europe. After his death in 1879, his sons Louis-Paul and César took over and moved the company to Biel/Bienne in 1880 to industrialize production. The new town remains Omega's headquarters today.
The defining moment came in 1894, when the Brandt brothers designed the most advanced series-production movement of its era: the 19''' caliber Omega. The movement was so successful that the company eventually adopted its name; in 1903 the brand officially became "Omega Watch Co." Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning "the ultimate," a philosophy summed up in a single character.
In the early 20th century Omega broke chronometry records at Kew, Neuchâtel, and Geneva observatories. In 1932 it was chosen as the official timekeeper of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the first time a single brand timed an entire Olympics. Omega has since continued the role at more than 30 Olympic Games, making sports timekeeping a permanent part of its identity.
During World War II Omega became one of the largest wristwatch suppliers to Britain's Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. After the war, two of the brand's most famous collections were born: the Seamaster in 1948 (Omega's 100th anniversary, initially a robust water-resistant watch, later the iconic dive line) and the Speedmaster in 1957 (built first for motorsport, later for something far more famous). In 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra wore his personal Speedmaster on the Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7) mission. NASA took notice and secretly tested all major chronograph brands for the Apollo program. Only the Speedmaster passed NASA's extreme tests of temperature, vacuum, vibration, and shock. On 21 July 1969, Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional Reference 105.012, the first watch worn on the moon, forever known as the "Moonwatch."
In 1995, the Seamaster Diver 300M appeared on Pierce Brosnan's wrist as James Bond in GoldenEye, introducing Omega to a new generation. In 1999 Omega introduced one of modern watchmaking's most important innovations to serial production: the Co-Axial escapement, invented by George Daniels. By reducing friction in the lever escapement, the Co-Axial improved accuracy and extended service intervals dramatically.
Today Omega produces around 750,000 watches per year and is the flagship of Swatch Group. The Seamaster, Speedmaster, Constellation, and De Ville collections are owned by millions worldwide. Bedesten Watches has operated in Istanbul since 1999; Speedmaster Moonwatch, Seamaster Diver 300M, Aqua Terra, Constellation, and De Ville references are available in our collection.
