The new Omega museum, which has reopened this year after moving to new premises, now offers the public a condensed history of the brand through an exhibition supported by interactive experiences, films and videos. Inside the building, which has been renovated from top to bottom by architect Shigeru Ban, the immersive scenes ensure that visitors don’t have a single second to get bored.
Would you like to sprint down a running track against an opponent? Go ahead! Guess the time it takes a bobsleigh to descend a miniature track, and try to get as close as possible to the actual time, calculated by a machine? You can do that too! Find out what it’s like to be an astronaut on a mission to the moon? Not a problem. Step inside the movement of a giant Speedmaster and see a co-axial escapement up close? Yes, of course! The manufacture has presented its heritage in a thoughtful and interesting way, making the visit a genuinely engaging experience for all ages.
After a visit to the Omega museum, the visitor is left with a feeling of interconnection. After discovering (or rediscovering) the watchmaker’s historic milestones, it’s impossible not to see Omega as a watchmaker that connects the people of the entire globe, across every culture, through the global significance of the events with which it has been associated. Three major elements of its history stand out: the Olympic Games, the moon landing, and the character of James Bond. Thanks to the company’s involvement in timekeeping for the Olympics since 1932, the moon landing in 1969 with the Speedmaster model, and 007’s reliance on a Seamaster since 1995, Omega enjoys a privileged position on the world watch scene.
Through its heritage, the manufacture comes across as an approachable family firm, and visitors leave with the feeling that they are part of a big family. The story of the company’s origins in 1848 – with a modest workshop in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds, and a watchmaker named Louis Brandt – reinforces the human element. In other words, Omega’s history offers something that everyone can identify with.
By creating feelings of familiarity and belonging, Omega has succeeded in breaking down barriers, truly earning its status as a global watchmaker.
