Omega watches have a long and proud history and is now one of the most well-respected luxury watch brands in the world.

Omega watches was started in 1848 by Louis Brandt who hand-made precision Omega watches in a tiny workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds,Switzerland.  Brandt died in 1879 and left the business to his two sons.  They started to think bigger, taking Omega watches into a larger manufacturing context and gaining control of the whole production process.

From there, Omega watches have gone from strength to strength, becoming unique not only because of the quality of their watches but due to their association with the Olympic Games, the American moon landings and even James Bond.

Omega watches and the Olympic Games

Omega watches have been official timekeepers for the Olympics since theLos Angelesgames in 1932.  Over the last 70 years, Omega watches have pioneered several technological advances in the sporting arena:

• In 1945 Omega watches introduced the first photo-finish camera for athletic competitions.
• In 1966 Omega watches kept time electronically for the first time at that years European Athletics Championships.
• A year later Omega watches invented ‘contact-pads’ for swimming races – the time would only be stopped once the swimmer touched the pad at the end of the race and was not affected by water splashes.

This years London Olympics will be a significant milestone for Omega watches, being their 25^th Olympic Games.

Omega watches and the moon landings

The quality of Omega watches was again confirmed when they were used officially by NASA.

Omega watches have been used by NASA astronauts since the Mercury missions of the early 1960s.  During the initial moon landing, Neil Armstrong taped his Omega Speedmaster watch to the console of the spaceship which meant Buzz Aldrin was the first person to wear a watch (another Omega Speedmaster watch) on the surface of the moon.

Omega watches were also critical to the rescue of the infamous Apollo 13 mission in 1970.  The air cylinders in the spaceship exploded and the astronauts were forced to improvise systems to save their lives.  At one point the thruster had to be fired to alter their course – an action that couldn’t be done by computer but had to be completed to within a fraction of a second.

With the use of astronaut Jim Lovell’s Omega watch, the operation was a success and the ship came back to Earth safely.

Omega watches and James Bond

Since 1995’s ‘Goldeneye’ with Pierce Brosnan, 007 has worn an Omega watch.  Specifically, Bond has worn an Omega Seamaster watch with blue dials.  Daniel Craig is set to wear an Omega watch in the latest Bond instalment, ‘Skyfall’, which is due out later this year.

If you have any of these Omega watches, come by the EzyCash Gold Buyers store in Panmure, Auckland for an expert valuation and a top cash price.  You’ll also get a top cash price for a Tissot watch, a Breitling watch, a Rolex watch, a Patek Phillippe watch and more.  Any Swiss luxury watch will receive a top cash price at Ezy Cash Gold Buyers, Panmure, Auckland.

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