Master Chronometer: Raising Standards

A Quest For Precision

Dubai, UAE - November 28, 2019: In watchmaking, the margins of precision can be measured by seconds. That may seem small to most people, but for OMEGA, those seconds represent a lifetime’s work.

Even in 1848, when Louis Brandt sat down to create the company’s very first watches, his ambition was to produce the most accurate movements possible. This dedication led to the 19-ligne “OMEGA” calibre in 1894, which was so admired and revolutionary within the industry, it would soon become the company’s title.

Indeed, OMEGA is perhaps the only watchmaker in the world to be named after the excellence of a calibre.

But this was only a starting point. The 20th century followed with numerous first-place awards at observatory trials and a reputation for precision that flourished with continuous success – perhaps demonstrated best by OMEGA’s selection as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games in 1932. After all, when timing the world’s best athletes, only the most accurate and trusted watches will do!

But why is precision so important today? 

For OMEGA, precision is still the truest mark of mechanical watchmaking quality. For someone investing in a watch, those few extra seconds are a testament to superior craftsmanship, a determination for perfection, more technical investment, more research, more development and an infinite passion for achieving better innovation.

That’s why, in recent times, OMEGA has still not stopped in its quest for precision. In 1999, the brand showed again that it was not afraid to break with tradition. The Co-Axial escapement was the first new practical watch escapement in 250 years and it was a giant leap forward in mechanical excellence.

Since 2015, OMEGA’s Master Chronometer testing for each individual timepiece has provided customers with total transparency and a proven precision and performance they can trust. 
How is Master Chronometer Raising Standards?
Throughout the Swiss watch industry, a COSC “chronometer” certification is the desired end result. For OMEGA, it’s only the beginning. 

COSC testing only demonstrates the precision of a movement (-4/+6 seconds per day, tested in 5 positions). It remains an integral part of the OMEGA process, but since 2015, the brand has used this highly-respected standard as a starting point. 

Now, OMEGA also subjects its movements as well as its completed watches to 8 Master Chronometer tests over 10 days, including water resistance, temperature fluctuation and exposure to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. The accuracy criteria (0/+5 seconds per day tested in 6 positions, depending on the category) proves that the watches are performing at peak precision. 

The Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) has officially ensured that Master Chronometer testing leaves no room for doubt. Only perfectly-functioning timepieces with extraordinary levels of magnetic resistance earn the Master Chronometer certification. 

So if it’s written on the dial, you know that OMEGA has gone beyond the normal benchmark to guarantee you have the highest standard of watch.