Omega

Flying to the Moon

The Omega Watch brand was established in 1848 in La Chaux-da –Fonds by Louis Brandt, with the original name of ‘Louis Brandt et Frères’. The company consistently expanded and by the late 19^th century it was of a considerable size. In 1894, the company first produced watches with the precise and accurate 19-line caliber movement. Calibre is the unit of measurement for diameter, and 19”’ calibre is a diameter of 43mm. This unique watch created by François Chevillat was entitled “Omega”.

 “Ω” is the 24^th and last letter in the Greek alphabet. It symbolizes success, perfection and remarkable brilliance, which seems apt for the unprecedented success of the creation of 19”’ caliber movement watch. An achievement that meant that “Omega” became the name of the company in 1903.

Since 1932, Omega watches have been chosen to be the official timer of Olympic Games. From 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games to 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Omega watch timer has played the most significant role in recording the miraculous and marvelous moments in athletics history.

Four years after the launch of Speedmaster, human’s space war had begun. On 21^st July, 1969 at 02:56 Greenwich Time, humans set foot on the moon for the first time. The Omega Speedmaster worn by the American astronaut Neil Armstrong at that time marked this historic triumph. On 12^th April, 1961, Russians carried out the unprecedented space travel ahead of anyone. Astronaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person who entered the space and the earth orbits. It was believed that he wore Sturmanskije Rodina, a watch made in Russia. Although the Russian-made watches were very resistant, durable and accurate, news reports said Russian astronauts switched to wearing Speedmaster instead. Later on, in Apollo-Soyuz, a space travel plan accomplished by America and Russia, the Speedmaster was selected to be the official timer. Omega Watches manufactured 250 watches as the limited edition to mark this special occasion. “Apollo-Soyuz Mission” was demonstrated at the position of “12” on the dial plate of each of these 250 watches. It should be reminded that the Soviet-US Cold War had reached its climax at that time. Both the American and the Russian astronauts wearing the Speedmasters at the moment when they shook hands doubtlessly highlighted the historic significance.

In 1970, the astronauts resorted to the precise Speedmaster to safely return to earth when an accident broke out on the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Hence, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) granted “Snoopy Award”, the highest honour, to Omega Watches. The Omega Watches founder, Louis Brandt, would have never imagined such a remarkable success but this is truly the harvest of the 120-year painstaking efforts by Omega Watches.

**no guarantee about story is completely accurate and existed difference**