Buy, Part Exchange, and Sell your Omega

The History of Omega

Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, Omega has built a reputation for quality and innovation, making it one of the leading watchmakers of the 21st century.

At the brand’s conception, Omega focused on designing and crafting pocket watches and jewellery, but when Brandt’s sons, Paul and Charles, took over the business in 1880, they began experimenting with innovative watchmaking techniques. These events led up to one of the most major breakthroughs in watchmaking history: the Brandt brothers’ creation of the Omega calibre in 1894. Characterised as expertly designed, durable, and elegant, this development set a global standard for precision and reliability in watchmaking.

The 20th century saw Omega’s reputation for excellent craftsmanship and innovation continue to gain momentum. In the early 1900s, Omega made a marked shift into sports timekeeping, in honour of its commitment to precision and accuracy, which set the stage for the brand’s modern day renown. Using a lone watchmaker and thirty chronographs, Omega became the first watchmaker to time an entire Olympic Games, including the water sports, in 1932.

Omega further demonstrated its resilience and durability by two key commissions in the mid-20th century. Firstly, as the single largest supplier of watches for the British armed forces and its allies in 1940, and secondly, Omega’s qualification as the certified watch for NASA space missions, and its presence in every astronaut’s kit on the world’s first ever moon landing, and many more moon landings after that. With time, the revolutionary design and strength of Omega was proven beyond doubt.

From reaching the deepest place on planet Earth to making technological waves at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, Omega’s proven brilliance and stellar reputation has continued to shape the watchmaking industry and make history in the 21st century, retaining its position as one of the leading watchmakers of our time.