Omega

Omega has been established since 1848, making it a true classic timepiece for collectors and enthusiasts. They make reliable, precise and functional watches for different occasions. One of these iconic watches is the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. Back in the 60s, NASA put several watches through the test to see which would perform the best in space. The Omega won and accompanied the first astronauts to walk on the moon back in the summer of 69. Another iconic watch is the Seamaster: it has been around for over 60 years and a lot of divers rely on the reliability of the Seamaster. You can even find these Omega Seamasters in different movies, like ‘No time to die’ in 2019.

Omega doesn’t just produce tool watches, but also some different dress watches which are more elegant and classic like De Ville, Constellation and the Globemaster. Some of these pieces are made of rose or yellow gold.

Omega started back in 1848, but only in 1903 the name Omega was claimed and registered. The name is meant to express the perfect quality of the pieces. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet and is often used as a metaphor for perfection. 

But there is more to the history of this iconic brand: back in 1930 Omega and Tissot joint businesses. While Tissot was focusing on the middle class, Omega used to be in the luxury watch industry. But when the quartz crisis came up, the two brands came together in 1983 as the Swatch Group, and Omega is still a part of this group today.

Omega has a history with sports as well, timing all the events of the 1932 Summer Olympic Games. They even introduced automatic timers at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki. Omega was one of the manufacturers that could build a Quartz movement with extreme precision, one of these calibers was the 1525 which powered the chronometers used in the French Navy.

In 2013, the Seamaster Aqua Terra is another victory for Omega: these models feature an anti-magnetic silicon, which allows the caliber to remain unaffected up to 15.000 gauss of magnetism. Compared to the Rolex Milgauss, that watch can only hold up to 1.000 gauss.

Since the debut of the Omega Constellation back in 1952, a lot of changes were made to the model. The earlier models were simple with three hands. Since the 1980s, some models come with a stationary bezel and Roman numerals. These high-quality Quartz movements were introduced to improve accuracy and makes them ever since. Back in 1967, Omega has launched the Constellation for ladies as well, with more gold and diamonds.

While the Omega Constellation is elegant, the Omega De Ville is a bit more classic. It was released in the 60s and it looks a bit like the watches from Breguet or Blancpain. These watches feature a classic design which is clean and uses Roman numerals on the dials. The cases were made of white, rose and yellow gold and you can even opt for the diamond hour markers or diamond-set bezels for women.

Only few people know that the OG Speedmaster was intended for the motorsport, but that all changed back in the 60s when the NASA began to test the Omega Speedmaster to wear these pieces on the moon. Ever since the astronauts were the first humans ever to set foot on the moon, Omega produced numerous versions of this original Moonwatch. The current Omega Speedmaster Professional is the closest thing you can buy compared to the original model with a manual movement, plexiglass and a stainless-steel case back. You can easily find these pieces for around €4.000 on Wristler for a well-maintained watch.

In 2022, Omega released another new version of the Moonwatch, calling it the ‘New Moon’ which is made of rose gold alloy and sells for around €35.000. You can also opt for the white gold piece which is a bit more modest with the silver dial. You can collect one for just over €45.000.

With a lot of vintage or pre-owned Omega Seamasters around, there is plenty of choice to wear on any occasion. But it all started over 60 years ago with the original Seamaster being one of the watches with a water-resistance of 100 meters (10 bar). Nowadays, you can get your hands on a Seamaster 300 which is water-resistant up to 300 meters.

It combines the classic design with the Co-Axial caliber 8400. For around €5.000 you can take it home. There is another Seamaster 300 which is made of gold. For a never worn piece, you need to pay around €25.000 or €17.000 for a pre-owned Omega Seamaster 300 in gold. 

Since there are so many different watches in the Omega collection, you can get your hands on a vintage Seamaster Cosmic for around €1.200 already. If you don’t mind spending a bit more, you can buy yourself a Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m which is water-resistant up to 600 meters and features a helium escape valve. These watches are priced around €5.000 on Wristler.

When you’re one of the lucky ones with unlimited budget, just take a look at the Speedmaster Professional Snoopy which will cost you around €20.000. Still not enough? The Omega De Ville Tourbillon, reference 528.53.44.21.03.001 (pretty long, we know) features a rose gold case and is priced over €100.000.