Omega | Watches for sale, auction results and history

In 1848, a young watchmaker named Louis Brandt opened a workshop in his family home in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds. He soon established a reputation for excellently crafted, high-precision movements. The company he founded would go on to become what is today known as Omega.

After Brandt’s death in 1879, his two sons took over the family business. Under the new name Louis Brandt & Fils, the company expanded its product range, releasing its first series-produced calibre in 1885. In 1892, the Brandt brothers released the world’s first minute-repeating wristwatch followed in 1894 by the 19-Ligne calibre. This pioneering spirit would come to define the company, which officially rebranded as the Omega Watch Co. in 1903.

In 1905, Omega served as the official timekeeper at 16 sporting events, signalling a commitment to sports timekeeping that continues to this day. Omega has been the Official Timekeeper at almost all the Olympic Games and at the PGA of America Gold tournaments since 2011.

By the 1920s, Omega watches were revered by watchmakers and collectors around the world for their pioneering series-produced calibres that were both accurate and easy to repair. The brand’s reputation continued to grow in the 1930s. In 1931, Omega released its first automatic movement to use two weights. This enabled the winding of the movement in both directions. The following year the brand launched the Marine, the world’s first commercially available divers’ watch.

Omega’s commitment to strength, accuracy and reliability was further reinforced in 1940 when it was commissioned as the single largest supplier of watches for the British armed forces and its allies.

In 1948, in celebration of the brand’s centenary, Omega released the now-iconic Seamaster. The watch was built to withstand extreme changes at any altitude. The Seamaster has become an enduring symbol of the company’s watchmaking prowess and constant pursuit of excellence.

The brand’s success continued throughout the 1950s. Omega’s first lady’s automatic wristwatch was released in 1955 and followed in 1957 by the brand’s Professional line of watches: the Omega Speedmaster, the Omega Seamaster 300 and the Omega Railmaster. In 1969, the Omega Speedmaster Professional made history by becoming the first watch worn on the moon, when it was sported by astronauts during the Apollo 11 mission. It has since become known as the ‘Moonwatch’. In 2015, an exceptional Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch used by Ron Evans on board the Apollo 17 sold at Christie’s for $245,000.

By the 1970s, Omega had established a solid reputation for high-quality diver’s watches. Among the most recognisable models is the Omega Seamaster Professional 200, which is characterised by its octagonal steel case and luminous black dial.

Omega enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in 1995, the year James Bond wore an Omega Seamaster in GoldenEye. In the decades since, Bond has worn an Omega Seamaster on every one of his missions.

Omega opened its first boutique in 2000 and in 2019 its five-storey museum in La Cité du Temps. Also launched in 2019 was a new ultra-light sports watch known as the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra. In 2020, the brand released a new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition made from lightweight titanium. Omega is now part of The Swatch Group.

The 2022 MoonSwatch — an Omega Swatch collaboration — was an instant hit. So much so that Omega and Swatch teamed up again in 2023. The latest Moonshine MoonSwatch has a seconds hand made of Omega’s Moonshine Gold.

Vintage Omega watches and diamond Omega women’s watches tend to do well at auction. Rare or limited-edition models from the 1950s and ‘60s are particularly sought after. In 2018 Christie’s sold an Omega Speedmaster Reference 2915 from 1957 with ‘Broad Arrow’ hands for $324,500, more than double the low estimate.