The Beijing Winter Olympics, which will start tomorrow, mark a milestone for OMEGA: the Swiss brand, in fact, will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games. OMEGA began its role in 1932, when the company did its job with just one watchmaker and 30 chronographs. This year in Beijing, a team of 300 timekeepers with 200 tons of equipment will be involved, demonstrating how much this key role has grown. In addition, the brand was also able to gain valuable experience in Beijing, where in the summer of 2008 he arrived as Official Timekeeper. 1936 was the first year that OMEGA officially timed the Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, timing every single moment with just one watchmaker and 27 stopwatches. 1948 was the first time that OMEGA photoelectric cells were used at the Olympic Games. This revolutionary technology automatically stops the chronograph at the finish line, replacing the unreliable capabilities of the human eye. During the summer events that same year, OMEGA also unveiled its first photo finish camera at the Olympic Games, forever revolutionizing sports timekeeping. At the 1956 Winter Olympic Games, OMEGA introduced starting gates in alpine skiing for the first time. They made their debut in Cortina d’Ampezzo, signaling the start of each race. As soon as the athletes passed the starting gates, OMEGA’s quartz detector was activated. 1964 was the first year in which OMEGA was able to superimpose the times of the Olympic performances at the bottom of the television screens. This is thanks to a new technology known as the Omegascope. Never before had spectators not present on the site of the Games been informed so quickly and with such precision about the events taking place. The concept of sports reporting in “real time” had arrived in Innsbruck. 1968 was the year Fake OMEGA first introduced the “integrated timing” system at the Olympic Games. For the events that took place in Grenoble, the brand was able to provide the press, media, television channels, judges and the general public with additional information on athletic performance as well as detailed statistics. But not only that, thanks to the updated Omegascope it was now also possible to superimpose the complete details of the races on the television screens, including the names of the athletes, live times, final times, intermediate times and speeds. In 1980 OMEGA introduced its Game-O-Matic technology. The system was able to immediately calculate and display the ranking of an athlete as soon as he crossed the finish line in alpine skiing competitions. It was equipped with its own data processing equipment and was able to meet all the expectations of the Organizing Committee at Lake Placid that year. 1992 was the year in which OMEGA presented its new Scan’O’Vision system in Albertville. OMEGA had used photofinish cameras at the Olympics in the past, but now this updated technology was able to digitally measure times to an accuracy of 1/1000 of a second.fake rolex
The improvement in accuracy was astonishing and opened a new chapter in the science of timekeeping. In 2006 OMEGA introduced special transponders that were worn by athletes. Primarily used in the new team pursuit event in speed skating in Turin, competitors’ ankle transponders could send and receive signals via radio, allowing OMEGA to take specific time measurements. Another revolution came in 2010 in Vancouver with the new Electronic Starting Gun. The traditional pistol was replaced by a streamlined and futuristic device consisting of a flash pistol and a sound-generating case. When the starter pulls its trigger, three things happen at the same time: a beep sounds, a flash of light is emitted, and a starting pulse is transmitted to the stopwatch. New technologies were presented in Sochi in 2014; among these the Whistle Detection System in the ice hockey discipline: it was worn by the referees who could communicate with the scorekeeper in the timing station via a microphone. The system also stopped the clock as soon as it detected the referee’s whistle. This was done with an advantage of at least half a second compared to what the timekeepers could not do manually. In 2018, at the PyeongChang Olympics, OMEGA ushered in an exciting new era with motion sensors and positioning systems. In some events the timekeeper can now measure a wide range of athlete data – from the live speed of an alpine skier to the live height of a spectacular ski jump. This technology makes visible where an athlete has won or lost their event and allows viewers to understand much better the sports they are watching.
Now let’s see, in detail, the OMEGA watches for Beijing 2022.
Seamaster Aqua Terra BEIJING 2022. As a tribute to its role as Official Timekeeper, OMEGA has launched the Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022. The 41mm diameter watch is made of stainless steel and features a matching strap and domed sapphire crystal on the front. What is most striking is the winter theme, to which OMEGA has given life, creating a white ceramic dial with a frosted finish pattern. This ice effect look is a superb tribute to the exciting sports that await us in Beijing – be it alpine skiing, bobsleigh, speed skating or ice hockey. The blue indexes and hands filled with white Super-LumiNova complete this completely unique design, as well as the red color that has been chosen for the Seamaster name and the four quarter-hour numbers on the minute track. By turning the watch over, you can admire the Beijing 2022 emblem, imprinted on the case back, and the familiar wavy edges of the Aqua Terra. Beneath it lies the OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 8900. With a performance that any athlete would be proud of, this OMEGA caliber once again achieves the highest standards of accuracy and magnetic resistance in the industry. Sports enthusiasts who choose this Seamaster will receive it presented in a box dedicated to the Olympic Games and accompanied by the famous OMEGA 5-year warranty.
Seamaster Diver 300M special edition BEIJING 2022. This 42mm watch is crafted from stainless steel and features a Grade 5 titanium bezel ring with positive embossed graduated scale. The blue ceramic [ZrO2] dial features a laser-engraved wave pattern, as well as rhodium-plated indexes and hands filled with Super-LumiNova. In homage to Beijing 2022, the minute markers at 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 are made in the five iconic colors of the Olympic circles. The polished and brushed caseback bears the logo of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, while the patented NAIAD LOCK closure system keeps all the engravings perfectly aligned. Behind the caseback is the OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 8800. Inside the special box, the timepiece is presented with a polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet that includes OMEGA’s patented adjustment system, with an extra extension for divers. The watch is water resistant up to 30 bar (300m) and comes with OMEGA’s full 5-year warranty.
