Omega
The Omega Watch Company was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland in 1848. Brandt, 23 years old, began by hand assembling watches from parts produced by local craftsmen. When Louis Brandt passed away in 1879, he left the company to his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar, who moved Omega to Bienne in January 1880.
Both Brandt brothers died in 1903, placing the fate of the company in the control of four descendants, the oldest of whom, Paul-Emile Brandt, was only 23 years of age.
Following a merger with Tissot in 1930 a new parent company, SSIH, Société Suisse pour l'industrie Horlogère SA, Geneva, was established. This group eventually encompassed over 50 companies including, Lanco, Lémania and Hamilton. SSIH eventually became the third largest producers of finished watches and movements in the world.
Omega has a long-established reputation for innovation and quality, which has led to numerous awards over the company's 150 year history, starting as early as 1900 with the Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair. In 1936, an Omega watch was awarded 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington chronometer trials in England setting a world precision record.
Omega has also had a long affiliation with sports. Omega has been the official timekeeper at over 21 Olympic Games, and has contributed many significant innovations to sports timekeeping over the years. For example, Omega brought the first electronic timekeeping device to the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. In that same year, Omega was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit in recognition of its outstanding contribution to Olympic sports.
The Omega Watch Company was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland in 1848. Brandt, 23 years old, began by hand assembling watches from parts produced by local craftsmen. When Louis Brandt passed away in 1879, he left the company to his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar, who moved Omega to Bienne in January 1880.
Both Brandt brothers died in 1903, placing the fate of the company in the control of four descendants, the oldest of whom, Paul-Emile Brandt, was only 23 years of age.
Following a merger with Tissot in 1930 a new parent company, SSIH, Société Suisse pour l'industrie Horlogère SA, Geneva, was established. This group eventually encompassed over 50 companies including, Lanco, Lémania and Hamilton. SSIH eventually became the third largest producers of finished watches and movements in the world.
Omega has a long-established reputation for innovation and quality, which has led to numerous awards over the company's 150 year history, starting as early as 1900 with the Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair. In 1936, an Omega watch was awarded 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington chronometer trials in England setting a world precision record.
Omega has also had a long affiliation with sports. Omega has been the official timekeeper at over 21 Olympic Games, and has contributed many significant innovations to sports timekeeping over the years. For example, Omega brought the first electronic timekeeping device to the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. In that same year, Omega was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit in recognition of its outstanding contribution to Olympic sports.