00/24 WatchWorld

Swiss watchmaker OMEGA’s multi-year partnership with The PGA of America in 2011 proclaimed loudly and clearly the importance of the sport in the brand’s global marketing strategy. This week, OMEGA took its association with the game to an even greater level with the signing of Rory McIlroy, one of golf’s most talented and accomplished players.

Arne Rasmussen: "This is my Speedy pre-moon, reference 105.012, same reference Neil Armstrong was equipped with on that historical trip with Apollo XI. But alas! The electronic watch inside the module had failed, and Neil's Speedy had to stay behind when they did the moon walk. So I thought it was only descent for a reference 105.012 to actually experience the lunar surface and the beautiful view of the earth from the moon."

Arne Rasmussen: "Took this picture of my Speedy Pro 35th Anniversary in heavy snowfall and white-out conditions a winter's day here in Oslo. Lighting conditions were fantastic. Played well with the reverse panda dial I think!"

Valentine’s Day is over… and I admit: I was “surprised” by the bouquet of flowers I received during our romantic dinner. But at a certain point yesterday, I was a little bit disappointed. Where were my precious watches with that ticking sound by which my heart beats faster? When opening the box, I should have blushed because I was flattered by the polished gold and the brilliance of the sapphire crystal?

Når kalenderen skriver februar 2014, så melder Omega sig for 26. gang som officiel tidstager under både de Olympiske og Paraolympiske Lege til næste år. Denne gang foregår legene  i Rusland, hvilket foreklarer de blå/røde/hvide farver i det keramiske kransindlæg (landets flag-farver) samt tallene på dameversionen. Omega lancerer to versioner af deres populære Seamaster Planet Ocean: en 37 mm version til kvinder og en 45.5 mm version til herrer. Begge versioner er limiteret til 2014 styk og præget med ”Sochi 2014” på bagkassen.

Omega Speedmaster is one of the most recognizable wristwatches in the world. It is also the most sold mechanical chronograph watch in the world, with a production launch that goes back to 1957. However some Speedmasters are rarer than other i.e. this 18 ct. gold Speedmaster from 1969. I believe only 1014 of these were produced of which 39 were dedicated NASA astronauts except for no. 1 that was dedicated President Nixon...who however refused to accept the watch.

James Dowling reported on TimeZone, the internet watchsite, some numbers of movements tested by the Contrôle officiel suisse des chronomètres (COSC) in 2011: Rolex 751,285 (+23% compared to 2010), Omega 509,301 (+49%), Breitling 154,456 (+26%) These three brands are in the first three places since ages, but the increase of the COSC-movements by Omega is striking.

Have a good look at this picture of Rory McIlroy receiving an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean due to his victory at the 94th PGA tournament. Notice the watch? Nope, not the Omega in the wooden box. But the Audemars Piguet Grand Prix. Mcllroy seems pretty attached to this watch which is only proved by this picture. True to his sponsor, he probably did not even consider removing the AP for the official picture even though Omega puts big money into the PGA tour.

Found this great photo of NASA astronauts Lt. Gordon Cooper Jr. and Charles Conrad Jr. onboard U.S.S. Lake Champlain in 1965 after their Gemini 5 mission. I noticed Conrad Jr. is wearing his Omega Speedmaster and both sporting Ray-Ban standard issued shades. Both watch and shades enjoy iconic status today and even if both have several decades behind they they do not even look retro. BTW, the Ray-Ban shades is today called Caravan.

Omega’s swimming brand ambassador Chad Le Clos defeated his Omega and swimmer colleague Michael Phelps by 500ths of a second in the 200-metre butterfly at the London Olympic Games. Le Clos, a 20-year-old South African, expressed his astonishment at the result: “Michael is my hero,” he said, “and I really can’t believe I won.”