amanicoAfter the technical aspects discussed in Part I with the visit of the Manufacture in Saint Imier, we went to Bienne. There, we could see how the watches are totally assembled, controlled and packaged, but don't expect pictures, as photos are not allowed. A lot of processes are made by robots, and we saw them working, but humans are still present, at the key stages. But I had a secret hope, when coming to Bienne.....Story

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amanicoThis trip is Switzerland had one goal: Visiting the Omega Manufactures, which was a first for me! That was a good opportunity to better know this brand, and to discover how it works, the movement, the new collections, its philosophy and, of course, its glorious past. I can confess that I was very surprised. First of all, I didn't know that there were several manufactures, one in Saint Imier, the very same place where you can find another manufacture dear to my heart, Longines, and one in Bienne. I always .....Story

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blomman Mr BlueAnother example of 1940’s Omega with not overly large box. I never saw a special box for the Suverän as I did for the Officer, but both models were specially made for the Swedish market. Both boxes are of the same style, light beige/yellow, brown text, made of carboard paper with brown velvet interior. As shown in my previous post, the Officer had a special Officer box: On the Suverän box it says “PRECISION WATCH” which was used for several different models during that time...Story

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blomman Mr BlueBack in the 1940’s, watches were smaller than today’s fashion and so were the boxes as well. Today we see a lot of very large, luxury boxes that would easily fit ten watches or more inside, made for just one watch… Back in the 1940’s many boxes were made by paper… Like this special made box for the Omega Officer reference 2299: Small in size, both watch and box. The ref 2299 is only 30.5 mm in diameter. The box, 50mm x 139mm and 20mm high...Story

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KMIISome time ago I entered into a gentleman’s agreement with Nilo - each one of us would get a watch of the brand the other one was moderating. Or put differently, a Montblanc for him, an Omega for me. While Nilo has been very quick in upholding his end of the bargain, with two Montblanc watches to his name, I have gotten one for my father but not yet for myself. The second child intervened but now I am in a state to correct the situation...Story

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foverstaIt's not because the Olympic Winter Games don't have the same media outreach than the Summer Olympics Games that Omega wasn't going to celebrate this event. The brand from Bienne has testified of its role as Official Timekeeper of the PyeongChang Olympic Games thanks to three commemorative watches. But it did a lot more. Indeed, it took the opportunity to recall that its involvement with the Olympic Games began in 1932 at the Los Angeles Games when it came to California with 30 split-seconds chronographs...Story

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Ornatus-MundiOMEGA is a mainstay for fine, elegant and technically advanced ladies’ watches. That could be said for quite a number of watch brands, but during a recent evening with Petros Protopapas , Brand Heritage Manager at OMEGA, I got the chance to delve deeper into the brand’s history of outstanding timepieces for the female clientele. An evening with Mr Protopapas is a sure delight for any watch enthusiast, whether an OMEGA collector or not. And this fine evening dinner, held at the OMEGA Boutique in Vienna, did .....Story

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foverstaI had the chance to attend an event organized by the Omega boutique of Paris Capucines a few days ago. The purpose of this event was to introduce to the guests the new Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m collection. I don't need to explain here why this collection is important for Omega. The Aqua Terra is a bit the all around watch of Omega (and its name gives the clue): more elegant than a Planet Ocean, it can be worn with a suit or with a more casual outfit...Story

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KMIIThose of you who have been to the first, legendary Vienna GTG know that Magnus is a mastermind organiser and he has surprised us Vienna based Purists with another small gem this week - an invitation by Omega to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Speedmaster line, hosted by the Vienna Boutique / Museum and having Petros Protopapas - Omega's International Brand Heritage Manager - as a 'star guest'. As previously stated here in Ken's landmark article on the Speedmaster history (see here: http://www.watchprosite.com/page-wf.forumpost/fi-677/pi-7607273/ti-1054643/s-0/t--speedy-fans-a-true-story-about-omega-speedmaster-and-nasa-space-program/ for more details), Mr. Protopapas is an incredibly knowledgeable and curious individual, pairing this with real charm and kindness. He even did not mind my interest in the 'darker sides' of Omega history, namely some quartz models like the Seamaster Marine Chronometer or the Seamaster Polaris Titane (in titanium / palladium) At the same time he also managed to find the right balance in his lecture on the Speedmaster history, making it interesting both to hardcore collectors as well as those who had a sparser knowledge of the fine minutiae of the space program or Omega's connection to it...Story

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blomman Mr BlueFriends, During our Vienna GTG our gracious host Magnus arranged a private visit for our group in the beautiful Omega Boutique located in the prestige’s Stephansplatz. There we were received with open arms, the special Bollinger Omega Cuvee and odours from the Schwartzen Kameel! A great opportunity to see many examples of Omega’s current production. But also, the Vienna Omega Boutique is the only Omega Boutique in the world having a museum room! Here we had the privilege to see some of the important pieces ... ...Story

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