6 Most Iconic Watches That Omega Has Designed For The Olympics

Omega has set a standard for designing watches that promise high performance along with accuracy and precision. Hence, the prestigious timekeeper has long been associated with one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world — the Olympics. To celebrate the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, the brand, which is the official timekeeper of the tournament, has already released a limited edition piece: The Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold. Read on to discover the most iconic Omega Olympic watches of all time.

In pop culture trends, Omega holds a coveted place thanks to the brand’s association with the 007 franchise. In terms of the Swiss manufacturer’s popular pieces among collectors, the OMEGA Seamaster range seen in James Bond films since 1995 is arguably the most sought-after. Similarly, the brand’s historic relationship with the Olympics has been celebrated by horology enthusiasts who look forward to getting a taste of the timekeeper’s genius craftsmanship with every tournament. How Omega bagged the ambassador role at the Olympics and Paralympic Games, is an interesting tale that can be traced back to 1932.

The history of Omega’s association with the Olympics

Omega’s association with the Olympics commenced in 1932 when the brand served as the official timekeeper for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Founded in 1848 by watchmaker Louis Brandt, the brand made a massive leap forward by introducing the 19-ligne calibre in 1894. Its commitment to innovation and precision in pushing the boundaries of timekeeping led to its eventual worldwide fame.

Continuing to make strides in the world of timekeeping, the watch brand first forayed into the sporting sector in 1905 by becoming a timekeeper for over 16 tournaments in Switzerland. In 931, the brand had a breakthrough achievement and set precision records with its chronometer in a range of conditions.

Omega quickly gained a reputation for delivering maximum accuracy, thus earning the role of the official timekeeper of the Olympics in 1932 with 30 chronometers that were to be used to time all the disciplines at the tournament. Omega became the first watchmaker to time an entire Olympic Games.

Omega’s limited edition piece for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Continuing the tradition of Olympic watches, Omega’s latest release is the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition. Incorporating all three materials — gold, silver and bronze, the watch has a 39mm case crafted in Omega’s proprietary Bronze Gold and boasts a radiant dial portraying slender hands consisting of 18k Sedna Gold with a special bronze gold coating. Taking inspiration from the 1939 model, the Paris 2024 edition timepiece entices with its vintage feel.

The caseback is engraved with the words Paris 2024 along with the Olympic rings logo. Adding a touch of French luxury to celebrate the hosts, the limited edition piece features a dial that includes the “Clous de Paris” pattern at its centre. Additionally, the minute track consists of a circular brushed pattern and a small seconds subdial track is placed at 6 o’clock.

Powered with Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8926, the watch comes with a brown calf-skin leather strap and a Bronze Gold buckle. While the 2024 Paris Olympics model is already winning praise from horology fans, here are some older models from Omega’s Olympics legacy that deserve similar love.

Most iconic Omega Olympic watches

Seamaster 1948 – London Olympics 2012

Designed for the London Olympics, this timelessly elegant timepiece celebrated the host city for not only the 2012 Games but also the 1948 Games. A highlight of this watch is its alluring silver dial marked with a small seconds dial at the 6 o’clock position consisting of a sapphire crystal. Encased in 39 mm stainless steel, the caseback features a London 2012 Olympic Games medallion stamped in 18k yellow gold. Adding to its classic appeal is the simplistic black leather strap. This self-winding timepiece with a 48-hour power reserve is a part of the iconic Seamaster range that Omega introduced in the same year the London Games were held.

Seamaster Diver 300M – Tokyo Olympics 2020

Promising stellar performance underwater, the Seamaster Diver 300M was introduced during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The watch dial features laser-engraved waves and is further accentuated by its white and blue colour combination. With Seamaster highlighted in red, the blue hands and indexes visibly stand out on its stunning ceramic dial. Commemorating the Tokyo Games, the caseback also displays the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games emblem. Celebrating its underwater performance features, the timepiece, with its 42mm stainless steel case and a blue ceramic bezel ring, also features a diving scale.

Most notably, this watch is an iteration of the famed Seamaster Professional 300M which Pierce Brosnan famously flaunted on his wrist in 1995’s James Bond film GoldenEye.

Speedmaster 5-Counters Chronograph – 2008 Beijing Olympics

Among one of its most innovative and iconic Olympic watches, Omega introduced the Speedmaster 5-Counters Chronograph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, marking its 23rd appointment as the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. The unique quotient of the Speedmaster is the addition of the five counters on the dial, which made it the first of its kind for a mechanical wristwatch, forming the design of the iconic Olympic rings.

Its other highlights are the black matte dial, with subdials for small seconds, a day display, 7-day, 12-hour and 30-minute counters, and a date display. The Speedmaster 5-counters chronograph stands among the most iconic Omega Olympic watches because of its bold design and distinctive five-chronograph feature.

Speedmaster Mark II – 2016 Rio Olympics

Celebrating the champions of the Olympic Games who take home the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals, the Speedmaster Mark II by Omega is decorated with three subdials encased in gold, silver and bronze rings. The bronze ring, 18k yellow gold ring, and a 925 silver ring provide a striking look to the timepiece as they dazzle on the black matte dial. This sharp-looking limited edition piece seeks inspiration from the original Speedmaster Mark II that was first introduced in 1969. Combining traditional aesthetics with modern micro-mechanics, including Omega’s Co-Axial escapement, the Rio Olympics model offers the best of both worlds.

In the brand’s signature Olympic feature, the case back is stamped with the Rio 2016 logo making it a memorable piece from the iconic games which were awash with milestone sporting moments; including Joseph Schooling winning Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold in the 100m butterfly, beating USA’s Michael Phelps.

Omega Seamaster Chrono quartz – 1976 Montreal Olympic Games

The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games were laden with controversies and drew attention due to apparent problems including a boycott by 22 African countries, protesting the New Zealand rugby team’s participation following their tour of Apartheid South Africa. The tournament also reportedly left the city of Montreal with a crushing debt of a staggering USD 1.5 billion deficit. Despite all this, the games saw some major wins and losses among the competing athletes and as for the official timekeeper of the tournament, it was a win. It was thus one of the most iconic Omega Olympic watches.

For the 1976 Games, Omega introduced the rare combination of an analogue display with a digital one in a single model. Offering a modern look with a sci-fi twist, the Seamaster Chrono quartz remains an iconic timepiece because it marked the brand’s debut in introducing the chrono-quartz movement. The speciality of this watch is how it incorporated the working of both the digital and the analogue independently of one another while running on the same quartz resonator. With only 15,000 pieces ever made, this is among the most coveted pieces by Omega among watch collectors.

Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024

For the 2024 Paris Olympics, Omega unveiled four new designs in their popular Speedmaster Chronoscope models. The 43 mm series of the Speedmaster Chronoscope comes in four models— designed in the gold, black, and white colourways in models of full stainless steel with an anodized aluminium bezel, a ceramic bezel with an 18k Moonshine Gold case and a bracelet of the brand’s yellow gold alloy. The other editions include a stainless steel casing with a perforated black calfskin leather strap and the Gold version with a simple black calfskin leather strap.

All the models feature a silvery white dial with two black subdials and numerals as well as leaf-shaped hands all glazed with a luminous shine of 18k Moonshine gold. The caseback also consists of a polished frosted base designed with the 2024 logo, along with the official Olympic rings and the words “Paris 2024”. The stunning bezel of this piece also houses key functional tools like the tachymeter scale, a pulsometer scale, and a telemeter scale.

Hero Image: Omega/Instagram; Feature Image: Omega website

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