Many modern-day watch aficionados know that the Swiss watchmaker today known as Omega was founded in 1848 ? 171 years ago ? but fewer may realize that the Omega name itself is marking only (!) its 125th anniversary this year. The reason for this all comes down to the story of a historical movement, the 19-Ligne Omega Caliber, which has been given a new lease on life in 2019.
Nineteen new Omega 19-Ligne Calibers will be housed in half-hunter pocketwatch cases.
It was in 1894, nearly 50 years after the pioneering watchmaker Louis Brandt established La Genérale Watch Co., Omega SA’s predecessor, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, that Brandt’s sons Louis-Paul and César invented an innovative and technically daring new watch movement that was suited for the industrial-scale production lines that the growing company had embraced. They called the movement “Omega,” after the last letter in the Greek alphabet, to symbolize “the final word” in watchmaking technology at the time. Watches with this movement were marketed by La Genérale under the Omega brand name and in 1903, their success led to the official founding of Omega as its own company. The Omega De Ville 125th Anniversary Edition has a yellow-gold case and red dial.
Last week, at a gala launch event at the Omega Museum in Bienne, Switzerland (the company’s current home), Omega paid tribute to the 125th anniversary with two high-profile launches. One was a very special wristwatch, the Omega De ...