Omega Universal User Manual

Omega's universal users' manual is a useful handbook for those interested in the specifications, operating instructions, precision tolerances and other information specific to Omega calibres.

The publication covers all current Omega calibres, canvasses various other special watch features such as helium valves and bezels and even details the COSC process under which all Omega mechanical chronometers are subjected.

It also works as a pre-purchase companion for Omega enthusiasts who wish to weigh up the features of different Omega models.

Click here for a pdf file

The Omega Skeletonised Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition

The concept of the Omega Central Torbillon first appeared in 1994 when Andre Beyner and Mauritz Grimm created the first tourbillion mechanism ever placed in the very centre of the movement. Launched to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Omega brand name, Omega has continued the production of these fine horological pieces in a range of jewelled, grand luxe and simpler forms ever since.

The latest offering coming from the company that manufactured one of the world’s first tourbillon wristwatches in 1947 marks yet another milestone in Omega’s long-term strategy to regain its place as Switzerland’s premier luxury mass-production brand. Students of the post-millenium evolution of the brand point to the introduction of co-axial technology, the re-emergence of in-house movement manufacture with the calibre 8500 series, the repositioning of the De Ville with innovative case designs, the early adoption of liquid metal and silicon technology, and even the ongoing establishment of Omega Boutiques as clear evidence of its upward trajectory.

The OMEGA Central Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition is the second series of skeletonised models released, the first appearing in 2006 with highly decorated finishes and a jewellery version set with baguette diamonds around the bezel. In this new limited edition collection of 18 pieces, the aesthetics are more minimalist with a hand polished silky adoucissage finish on the skeletonised and bevelled bridges. An exquisitely chamfered balance carraige and tourbillon mechanism, the use of contrasting titanium and gold metals and the finish on remaining movement parts combine to produce a very modern version of high art watchmaking.

In a Tourbillon movement, all of the main components responsible for the timepiece’s precision are assembled in a rotating cage. The titanium cage rotates completely every 60 seconds, offsetting the effect of gravity on the performance of the watch.

To create a skeletonised version of the Central Tourbillon, the watchmaker begins by cutting away any non-essential material from the plates and bridges, then bevelling their edges. Unlike conventional production watches, each tourbillon piece is the work of one specialist who spends up to 540 hours on the creation of the piece. No two pieces are exactly alike and all parts are engraved with the personal initials of the watchmaker on the underside of the tourbillon base to ensure that when a watch is returned to Omega for servicing it will be assigned to its original creator to be worked upon.

The watch features what in the old days would be called a "Mystery Dial". Because the tourbillon occupies centre stage, hands cannot be mounted centrally. And so, reminiscent of Zodiac watch dials of the 1960s, a pair of saphire crystal discs are driven by a system that connects with the extremities of the dics. Upon the separate discs are engraved the minute and hour hand and they appear to circle 'mysteriously' around the tourbillon like moons to a planet.

OMEGA’s exclusive COSC-certified Co-Axial calibre 2636 powers this series of eighteen pieces, housed in a platinum case on an alligator strap. The price is stratospheric for most and you could buy a Bentley Arnage for the same money!

Click on the above pictures for enlarged views

If you want to know more about Torbillions, click here and review the menu on the left-hand column.

Omega Constellation Baguette

This one-of-a-kind Omega Constellation Baguette model showcases the fine art of jewellery case-making and the creation of ornamental horological artifacts of impeccable workmanship. Designed as an exhibition piece, the Baguette continues Omega’s engagement in the “Montre Bijoux” genre, a tradition that began with the award of a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition of 1896.

Often mistaken as ‘bling’ by lesser mortals, watches of this type demand to be appreciated for what they are - a means of extending the conceptual or technical boundaries of jewelery watchmaking. We may see such pieces as the gratuitous paraphernalia of Haute Couture and excess for the sake of excess, but just as Faberge eggs had no purpose other than to enchant owners with their beauty and exquisite craftsmanship, so do examples such as the Constellation Baguette.

Go beyond the glitter of the diamonds and you discover the true design structure of the watch. The entire case has been designed around the dial that displays a “supernova” pattern of beautifully cut and set Wesselton diamonds of matching colour and clarity radiating from a diamond clad star that sits in a universe of mother-of-pearl. Click on the picture above to see how each individual diamond has been especially cut and faceted to play its role in the overall design story – a total of a hundred and forty-six baguette and trapeze diamonds have been applied to the dial, each invisibly mounted so as to reinforce the three- dimensional effects of energy and line that shoot forth from the star.

In total, there are more than 30 carats of diamonds set into the white gold Constellation Baguette. Omega has not yet made it clear whether it will sell the watch after its exhibition days are over, but one can’t foresee a shortage of buyers for this outstanding example of montre bijoux should it be offered.

Almost incidentally, the watch is powered by a member of Omega’s new in-house family of calibres, the ladies co-axial calibre 8421, designed for watches of smaller diameter. But in the instance of the Omega Constellation Baguette, horology gives way to design and the amazing craftsmanship exhibited in the execution of the concept.

Click here for a brochure with further illustrations of this piece.

To learn more about the art of stone setting in horology, click here

The Omega Co-Axial 8500 Series

The Omega co-axial 8500 series of calibres was released in 2007, a milestone in the history of the Omega brand.

The calibre 8500 is the base calibre for a family of movements that have been released progressively over the past two years and will culminate in the unveiling of the 14 ligne chronograph series. Individual calibres serve the following functions:

Annual Calendar, Calibre 8601 and 8611

Day/Date, Calibre 8602 and 8612

Big Date, Calibre 8603 and 8613

Power Reserve/Small Seconds, Calibre 8604 and 8614

GMT, Calibre 8605 and 8615

14 lignes Chronographs, calibre 9300 and 9301

This collection of in-house calibres exclusively dedicated to Omega watches digs deep into Omega's DNA and brings Omega full cycle in a process of rehabillitation and restoration to its former glory days.

Read the fuller story here

For an excellent review of the co-axial movement by British scientific horologist, Philip Woodward, please click here

Omega Milestone 41 Museum Collection Watch

Limited Edition of 1,941 Pieces

This ninth Omega model in the Museum Collection bears the appellation “Milestone 41”, a curious name to call a replica of model CK 2080 that was originally launched in 1938. The ‘milestone’ part of the description has me intrigued as well. Does it refer to the 50,000 CHF price paid at Antiquorum 2007 for the 1941 delivered watch that inspired this homage piece? (see first picture above) 

No matter, because the decision to honour this essentially military chrono-tachy-telemeter piece was an excellent choice. Said to be popular with high-ranking officers during WW2, the original was powered by a calibre 33.3 CHRO T1 manufactured by Omega’s stable-mate, Lemania. Acquired by Omega during the Great depression, Lemania movements went on to power some of the most famous chronographs Omega ever produced.

The original olive button chronograph was dapper looking to say the least. The reset pusher was part of the functionality of the crown, and the case, with triple mobile lugs attached to a nicely chamfered hood, gave the watch a blue-blooded, military feel. The design conjures up dreams of waxed mustaches, flying leathers, being behind the joystick of a Spitfire, dropping a load on those confounded Jerries and honking and hee-hawing over some droll riposte in the officers' mess!

The original 37.5 by 12mm case was made of stainless steel, however Omega has enlarged the case by .5mm and fashioned it out of 18 karat white gold. The Milestone 41 is powered by a hand-wound Omega calibre 3202, a work-up of the base Piguet calibre 1283 and similar to the engine that powers number three in the Museum Collection, the Officers Watch. It is a COSC certified chronometer fitted out with Omega’s proprietary co-axial escapement system.

I would have liked to have seen the Lemania-based calibre 1861 under the bonnet of this piece as it would have maintained a link with the Lemania heritage of the original. Tough as old boots, the calibre 1861 is a direct descendant of the famous calibre 321, and to compare it to the finer and more delicate Piguet-based 3203 would be like standing a builder’s labourer alongside a ballet dancer. But, I suppose this illustrious member of the Omega Museum Collection will spend more time in its elegant box than bouncing about in a theatre of war as did the original and so robustness isn’t part of the brief.

The dial is a marvel, varnished black, replicating the original telemetric scale on its first outer ring. It features a minute track on its second outer ring and a “snail” tachymetric scale on the inner ring based on 1000 units per hour. The hour indexes and 12 and 6 numbers are coated with Super-LumiNova.

Comparing old with new, it has to be said that Omega has faithfully replicated the most alluring features of the vintage piece, and that is very much part of the attraction of the Milestone 41. While in no way a daily banger, this museum collection wonder will look as good in an opera box as it would in a Wall Street bull pit.

Click on the photographs for enlarged view

Omega Seamaster LiquidMetal Planet Ocean

The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquid Metal ® watch has been launched to mark the 1948 birth year of this, one of Omegas most enduring marques. Produced in only 1,948 pieces, it also attracts a limited edition price of above $6000.00 USD. Orders for this model have been strong and the rumour is that precedence is being given to Omega boutiques, a number of smaller authorised dealerships having little hope of securing multiple pieces.
Liquidmetal® is a new class of alloy that behaves similar to plastics, in that it is able to be heat formed in a very similar way to thermo-plastics, but offers the advantages of high tensile strength, superlative resistance to corrosion and very desirable anti-wearing characteristics. The material was created after many years of research by a team at the California Institute of Technology.

To read up on Liquidmetal®, click here.

Omega is believed to be one of the first manufacturers to use the material to produce parts of a watch case, and this is exciting to Omegaphiles because it’s reminiscent of the ingenuity and creative output during Omega’s first halcyon period of the 1950s and 60s.

The metallic glass alloy is made up from zirconium, titanium, copper, nickel and beryllium and can be formed into thicknesses of as little as a tenth of a millimetre, making it an ideal material to create flawless union of the numbers and scaling to the ceramic parts of the Planet Ocean bezel. The black of the ceramic bezel matches perfectly the black of the ceramic dial. Any future fading, if indeed that occurs, will be uniform, and in the next sixty years of the marque's life it may well be appreciated by those collecting this model as a vintage!

The wearing qualities of a ceramic and Liquidmetal® bezel are a far cry from the bakelite confections seen on early Speedmasters and Seamasters and offer excellent protection against the bumps and scrapes of landlubber use. This is of particular import to the countless army of men who wear Planet Oceans as both a work and life accessory.

Under the dial is one of the best contemporary production movements available today. The calibre 2500 Co-Axial needs no fanfare in this instance, because its global reputation of long-term precision and durability. First-class functional and cosmetic finishing enhances the excellent engineering of this proven performer.

So, is the limited edition a ‘must-have’ for collectors of contemporary Omegas? That depends on the degree to which the alloy is deployed in future Omega dive or water resistant watch bezels. Undoubtedly this model will have a higher collectibility rating because of its limited numbers, but it’s hard to believe that after such an investment in applying this technology Omega will not use it in future models. Thus, the choice becomes one of being first or waiting for the technology to surface on other Omega bezels.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m “Vancouver 2010” Limited Edition

While some have hinted at parsimony when referring to the meagre Omega offerings for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (particularly compared with the treasure trove of models released during the Beijing extravaganza), this may well be a bonus for serious collectors. A run of 2010 pieces for each of the 41mm and 36.25mm versions points to genuine future collectibility. It’s a watch to pass on to the next generation, so if you purchase one do make sure you keep the boxes and papers!

The Seamaster Vancouver is a thoughtfully designed collectors' piece that is quintessentially Canadian in its colour palette and evocative of the Winter Olympics program. Its colours are taken from the Canadian national flag: a snow white lacquer dial with a red embossed Seamaster logo, black Omega symbol and lettering set against an anodised red bezel with silver index and numbers. The bezel sits strikingly within the classic scalloped case rim and signature Seamaster beveled lugs.

The hands are also part of the Seamaster Professional livery, skeletonised and coated with super LumiNova. The centre sweep is nothing short of dinky, featuring coloured Olympic Rings as a counterweight to the red-tipped “business side” of the sweep. Simple round hour indices coated with Super LumiNova mark each hour.

One or two commentators have questioned the choice of a Seamaster as a commemorative Olympic watch, hinting that a chronograph of some sort is more proper. To me, it’s refreshing to see a configuration with a simple date window do the honours, and aren’t we getting a tad weary of all those big tool watches, the functions of which people rarely ever use, commanding all the attention? In my opinion, the uncluttered snow white dial is infinitely more suggestive of the conditions in which this Olympic competition will be held.

The Seamaster Vancouver case houses a chronometer certified Omega coaxial calibre 2500, reviews of which appear in other posts below. It’s a proven workhorse that matches up to any Rolex calibre you care to mention. The caseback design continues the Canadian theme, showing the Winter Games logo and “Ilanaak”, an abstract sculpture that denotes “friend”.

This Seamaster carries all the fruit of the Seamaster Professional series and retails at around the USD $3800.00 mark, probably a few hundred less after a bit of spirited bargaining. As a collectors piece, particularly for Canadians wishing to commemorate the games, it represents good value. For me, an eminently collectible one of two thousand and ten (for each case size) that screams “out of the ordinary”.