Omega, the Olympics and the Paris 2024 watches

2024 is a particularly busy year for Omega. The Swiss brand is expected to be the official timekeeper first at the Paris Olympics, between July and August, and then at the 37th America’s Cup, between August and October in Barcelona. Above all, the Olympic appointment is something special for the brand. In fact, the bond between Omega and the Games is long-lived, dating back as far as 1932 when the Los Angeles Olympics took place. A story of commitment, performance and technology that we have already written about and that you can discover here.

Today’s new piece of the story is based on what we experienced in the field, first-hand. In recent weeks we had the opportunity to visit OMEGA Timing, the Swatch Group company based in the small Swiss village of Corgémont and whose task is enormous, and of global importance: to time, measure and process all Olympic performances, and to communicate the results. On this occasion, we got a first-hand look at the two celebratory watches that Omega has made for Paris 2024: the Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 and the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024. We will come back to them later.

INSIDE OMEGA TIMING’S WORLD

OMEGA Timing was founded in 1972, but its origins go back to its first sports timekeeping activities in 1988. During our visit, we spoke with Alain Zobrist, CEO of the company and Head of Olympic Timing for Omega. ‘We always work directly with the organising bodies of each sport, to understand their athletes’ needs and also those of the competition judges,’ he told us. ‘From there, we can determine what kind of equipment or technology may be needed, and whether new technology needs to be developed.’

Precisely in the field of technology, the advances Omega has brought to the Olympics have been plenty. ‘In recent years, the big development for Omega has been the measurement of performance data. For example, we can now show the acceleration of a sprinter, the speed of a dunk in volleyball, or the number of strokes taken by a swimmer. This allows us to tell the in-depth story of each event and reveal where and how it was won or lost. This brings many challenges, not only in terms of developing new technologies, but also in deciding how best to use the data. It is important to understand what data is the most useful for each sport, and how to develop it in the future.’

Of the technologies developed by Omega, perhaps the swimming touchpads introduced in 1968 were the most important. Before then, swimming results depended on the human eye, while touchpads allowed swimmers to stop time precisely by touching them at the end of their race. This was also achieved through constant contact with the athletes: ‘Omega has close relationships with many athletes from the Olympic and Paralympic Games,’ concluded Zobrist. ‘However, we do not work directly with them on the development of new technologies. Usually, within sports organisations, there are past and present athletes who have a deep knowledge of the equipment needed for each sport. We rely on their knowledge and expertise to initiate any new project.’ 

OMEGA AT PARIS 2024: NEW TECH

From all this – from history, from commitment, from the relationships with athletes and federations, from significant resources invested in research and development – come the technological novelties that Omega is bringing to Paris 2024, which are basically three: Scan ‘O’ Vision Ultimate, Computer Vision and Vionardo. They complement Omega’s equipment that could be described as essential: electronic starting gun, starting blocks for athletics, Quantum Timer, photocells, touchpads for swimming, Swimming Light Show, high-resolution scoreboards, motion sensors, and positioning systems.

Scan ‘O’ Vision Ultimate is a photofinish camera that can capture up to 40,000 digital images per second at the finish line in order to make it faster for judges to decide the outcome. Dedicated colour sensors will also allow to have sharper images without pixel interference. This version replaces the previous Scan’O’Vision MYRIA, which was capable of recording 10,000 digital images per second.

The Computer Vision technology monitors athletes and other objects during the Paris 2024 events to provide a range of useful metrics. Computer Vision uses a combination of single and multiple camera systems, each of which feeds Artificial Intelligence models specifically developed for each sport. This real-time data tells the complete story of an event, revealing how it was won or lost and the critical moments that led to the final result. The information gathered will enable in-depth sports analysis while freeing athletes from wearing physical sensors.

Omega’s commitment to the athletes, the International Olympic Committee and those who follow the Games – live, on television or online – is therefore one of high technology and obsession with precision. Two aspects which are also and above all found in what remains the company’s core business, that is the production of watches. And which are particularly evident with the two timepieces celebrating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: the Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 and the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024. The latter is available in two references, one with a Moonshine gold case and one with a steel case, which you can see on these pages.

THE PARIS 2024 WATCHES: OMEGA SEAMASTER DIVER 300M

The Seamaster Diver 300M was launched in conjunction with the start of the Olympic Countdown Clock, in Paris, on 26 July 2023, exactly one year before the beginning of the Games. Right from the start, the watch stood out for its hallmark: the Moonshine gold bezel with its positive relief diving scale, which highlights the numbers. A highlight that, in addition to relief, is accentuated by the juxtaposition of the numerals’ polished finish and the bezel’s grené finish. Launched in 2019, this is the Moonshine gold’s first appearance in the Seamaster Diver 300M collection.

This type of raised bezel is not new to the collection. It can be found, for example, on the old references from the early 2000s dedicated to the America’s Cup, or on the occasion of the collection’s relaunch in 2018 when the flagship model was the version in titanium, tantalum and Sedna gold, with this alloy characterising parts of the bracelet, the crown, the helium escape valve and, indeed, the bezel with the diving scale. Without forgetting, among the Olympic watches, the Seamaster Diver 300M dedicated to the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, whose raised bezel was in titanium like that of the Nekton Edition.

The dial of the white ceramic watch features a wave motif typical of modern Seamaster 300M references; since it too is in relief, it is somewhat consistent with the bezel. The finish of the zirconium dioxide ceramic is predominantly matt, but the dial comes alive when light reflects off the shiny crests of the waves, producing a very beautiful effect. Omega has included some discreet touches referring to Paris 2024 on the dial. The typeface of the date numerals is the same as that of the French Games, and the Paris edition logo can be found on the seconds hand about two-thirds of the way along its length, towards the tip. Almost like a ‘lollipop’ aesthetic, but simplified.

The hands have a PVD treatment in Moonshine gold, and the applied hour markers themselves are made of the same material enhanced with white Super-LumiNova. The whole forms a harmonious colour palette, thanks to which what stands out on the watch is the warm Moonshine gold tone. A tribute to the metal crowning victorious athletes with eternal glory at the Olympics; a tribute that, when the timepiece is flipped around, can be found on the laser-engraved Moonshine gold medallion on the case back, engraved with the Paris 2024 logo. The logo has a polished part and a grené part, and the case back features a grené finish as well.

The latter is screwed to the 42 mm steel case via the Naiad Lock system, patented by Omega to guarantee the watch’s water resistance to 30 bar. The Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 is powered by Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8800, with a power reserve of 55 hours and a tolerance of 0 to +5 seconds per day. The steel bracelet is the classic Seamaster 300M, with an aesthetic that has remained unchanged for six years. In addition to easy extension thanks to a button on the clasp, Omega has updated it with a quick-change function. For the Games, the brand has also launched a series of Paris 2024-themed NATO straps to personalise its watches.

THE PARIS 2024 WATCHES: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER CHRONOSCOPE

Let’s now come to the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024. To celebrate the Olympic Games, Omega has chosen to pair the Seamaster 300M with one of its most recent collections, launched in 2021. We wrote about it here, and since these Speedmaster Chronoscopes are identical to the classic versions, you can go back to that article to discover the collection’s general characteristics. Today, in essence, we are dealing with new colours and materials, without forgetting that very often small changes can give rise to big differences.

Let’s start by saying that alongside the steel version that is pictured in these pages there is also one with a Moonshine gold case, and that solid gold is used for the first time in the collection. There is also a version in Bronze Gold in the current collection, but it is an entirely different material. In both versions, the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 has the same 43 mm case, with a thickness of 13 mm and a lug-to-lug distance of 48.6 mm. It is an asymmetrical case typical of the Speedmaster, with a sapphire crystal protecting the dial and a closed case back in steel or gold (depending on the version) embossed with the Paris 2024 logo. Here, the case back and logo are not in two different materials, just as the Seamaster 300M.

On the steel reference, the bezel with the tachymeter scale is made of anodised aluminium and differs from that of the gold version, which is made of black ceramic. The dial is identical for both silver-white opaline versions with the bi-compax configuration typical of the Chronoscope, which has contrasting dark counters. These are worked with a concentric finish that echoes that of the chapter ring, on which the Arabic numeral hour markers are applied in solid Moonshine gold. The gold touches return on the numerals and scales of the two counters as well as on the hands – both the hour and minute hands and the chronograph hands.

The scales on the dial of the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024, inspired by the spiral design of the 1940s, are the same as those of the current collection (see the aforementioned article): tachymeter scale, pulsometric scale and telemetric scale. Also for the models dedicated to the Olympics, Omega proposes a metal bracelet with the classic Speedmaster bracelet design with deployment clasp and micro-adjustment, or a leather strap with a pin buckle – perforated and sporty in the steel version, smooth and elegant in the gold version.

As we wrote above, the back of the watch is closed. And that’s a pity, because the movement that animates the two watches is a feast for the eyes. It is the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 9908 for the steel reference and 9909 for the gold one. It is a hand-wound movement, also used in the Speedmaster ‘57 but with the addition of a date display, characterised by a 3/4 plate finished with radial côtes de Genève that originate from the balance wheel, positioned at the bottom right. The chronograph is column-wheel with vertical coupling, and the double barrel offers a generous 60-hour power reserve. As its name suggests, the calibre – which works at 28,800 vibrations per hour – is equipped with a coaxial escapement and is also certified Master Chronometer approved by METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology.

Having said that none of the watches dedicated to Paris 2024 are limited editions, let us come to the prices. The Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 costs €9,900, the Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 comes in at €10,600 and €11,000 for the steel versions (strap or bracelet), and €36,600 and €57,500 for the Moonshine gold versions (strap or bracelet). Significant amounts, certainly, but which might not be too difficult to meet for Olympic watches collectors (there are some…). For passion, that and more.

By Davide Passoni