Omega's Olympic London 2012 Collection

The Amirillo Sunday News, July 25th, 1948

The Olympics will be back in London come summer 2012 and   Omega will be timing the games for the 25th year.  To commemorate Omega's 80th year as the Olympic Games official Timekeeper, Omega launched an Olympic Collection London 2012.

Three versions of the   Olympic London 2012 Seamaster co-axial chronometer watches are available.

The most sporty looking of the three is a Seamaster chronograph timepiece with a steel case and bracelet surrounding a blue dial priced at  $7,600. The Olympic Logo is emblazoned in steel on the case back.

The second chronograph timepiece is more classical in design. A red gold case and blue dial and strap - currently the most trendiest  color combination. This Seamaster features a transparent case-back revealing its movement.

The third watch is an OMEGA Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial “London 2012″ in steel with a solid yellow gold case back sporting the logo of the  London Olympics 2012.  This watch is priced at $6,800.  This watch is limited to 1948 pieces, representing the last year the Olympics were in London and the  year the Omega Seamaster was launched. The watch is powered by a highly efficient Automatic Caliber 2202, sporting a Co-Axial Escapement for optimum precision and durability.  A silver dial with an hour minute and small seconds sub-dial at the 6 'o'clock is the most formal watch of the three.  A black leather strap is sealed by a matching polished steel buckle.  The Omega Seamaster 1948 is water resistant to 120 meters and is capable of a 48 hour power reserve.




 
At the heart of the first two watches is an Omega 3313 self-winding chronograph movement with a highly efficient column wheel mechanism and Co-axial Escapement ensuring maximum precision. The watches harbor a free sprung balance and display a date,hour,minute and continuous small seconds hand.  A central chronograph hand ensures reliable timing of the races.

Both the Chronograph watches are equipped with a crown which screws into the tube of the case and  locks.  This feature maximizes the water resistancy of the watch to 500 meters.

 

Omega has opted to utilize an outside source to ensure maximum performance, efficiency, precision and reliability ,even in adverse conditions, by having the movement tested by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. (COSC).  The movement undergoes a battery of rigorous tests in order to achieve the status of chronometer.  After Rolex, Omega is one of the companies which submit the largest amounts of movements to be tested by the COSC.  As an added precaution of authenticity, a serial number ,officially certifying the movement as a chronometer, is engraved into the movement.

The dial of the watches are protected by a domed scratch resistant Sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating enabling maximum read out against the glare of the sun.

 Omega is the Official Timekeepers at the Olympic Games and has been since Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games and the 1936 Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany -  when a single Omega technician came to the games hauling 27 stopwatches. In the intervening years , from then till now, Omega's expertise in Olympic timekeeping has increased dramatically.
In this years Olympics all eyes will be on 26 year old Omega Ambassador Swimmer Legend Micheal Phelps winner of no less than 14 gold medals and 2 bronze with Omega timing his progression stroke by stroke.

As far as efficiency, durability and precision goes, these watches are the complete package.  All three timepieces attract  different tastes for different occasions. 

Purchasing a watch commemorating an event adds a collectible quality to the timepiece especially if  manufactured in limited editions.