In the Greek alphabet letter
OMEGA is a synonym of total perfection. In watch industry
Omega is, perhaps, one of the most known marks, a symbol of the absolute design and technology.
History of Omega: Louis Brandt started researching and developing pocket watches in 1848 in La Chaux-de -Fonds, Switzerland. The quality of workmanship and attention to detail would foreshadow the watches that would later carry the
Omega name. Brandt continued making watches until 1877 when he formed Louis Brandt & Fils company with his oldest son, Louis Paul.
Louis Paul and his brother
Caesar moved the company to Bienne two years later. It remains there to this day. Innovators in every way, the Brandt brothers were the first
Swiss watchmakers to use the divided assembly line. Allowing quality watches to be mass-produced, this process also allowed the prices of the watches to be moderated as efficiency improved.
The company went through several name changes through the
years: Louis Brandt & Frere (1891)
Louis Brandt and Frere-Omega Watch Co (1903) Omega, Louis Brandt & Frere (1947) Omega
Ltd in 1982 Throughout all the name changes, the pride in quality of workmanship remained
with the Omega watch.
Omega first mass-produced the pocket watch in 1894. By 1902 Omega introduced the first wrist watch.
Omega has been the official timer of 21 Olympic Games
Omega
watches were designated the
watch of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts. Omega was the first watch to be worn on the moon. Neil Armstrong made that the case in 1969, and later by all Apollo
crews
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Most vintage watches are mechanical.
Repairs will not be cheap. Most likely they will require replacement of non-standard parts (unlike
late model
watches)
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Vintage watches should
be handled with care and avoid being dropped as gold cases will dint
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Generally vintage watches
are NOT waterproof. Waterproofing watch cases was not in general production until the middle of the 20th century for most watches. Therefore protect your antique watch from exposure to
moisture
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If your watch becomes wet it should be dried off quickly. Carefully open all covers and use a hair drier to blow dry the movement, dial, covers, crown. This will reduce the amount of
rust
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If your watch becomes wet with any kind of salt water you should immediately immerse or spray your watch with fresh
water to remove all the salt before drying the watch completely
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Winding any mechanical watch tightly
will break the mainspring. Always wind the watch gentle and stop
when the crown springs back
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When adjusting the hands of your watch,
wind in a clockwise direction only. Counter-clockwise adjustments may damage the
movement
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If you must adjust counter-clockwise make it for small adjustments only (i.e. for minutes, NOT
hours)
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Be careful and gentle when adjusting the movement speed (faster or
slower) Don't make sharp movements, and don't touch other components in the movement especially the pendulum
mechanism
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Every 2-3 years it is necessary to service and oil vintage
watches
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When the watch is dirty - allow the watch to run down, don't wind it again until you have it serviced by a qualified watchmaker. Dust will absorb and remove important lubricants and cause the movement pieces to wear
down
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To clean the case, dial and crystal you should use a cloth that does NOT leave fibers as these may get caught in the movement.
Buy an approved watch cloth from a qualified jeweler
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Keep vintage watch away from magnets. Strong magnetic fields may affect the accuracy of your watch since some vintage watches were made with iron based components in the
movement
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Most watch cases are fine components and will not handle abuse well. The watch should not be shaken, beaten, or
stressed
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Vintage watches generally experience an error of up to 5-7 minutes a day. Any accuracy of +- 5 minutes is very
good
