During the last few decades Omega caught the imagination of people across the planet as one of the leading, innovative, technologically advanced, and successful watchmaking companies. The penetration of this brand into the foreground of science on the one hand – astronauts continue wearing Speedmaster Chronographs to this very day – and entertainment on the other – James Bond being Omega's most famous fictional customer bespeaks the influence and significance this name attained in contemporary culture.

Omega's involvement in such a wide array of spheres of human activity reveals a totality of approach where absolutely nothing is left to chance. This uncompromising attitude (as one would expect from an instrument supplier that cooperates with NASA), especially when combined with flexibility and freshness of design, gives Omega an advantage only few competitors succeeded in matching. Rolex, arguably the most popular Swiss watch brand today, is constantly being warned by afficionados to be prepared to clear that cherished place at the top.

We mentioned Bond (James Bond), but the group of ambassadors Omega hosts under its roof includes more actual celebrities than fictional ones: actors George Clooney and Zhang Ziyi, athletes Michael Phelps and Michelle Wie, astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Eugine A. Cernan, and others.

Eventually, these ambassadors and collaborations weave into a coherent narrative that conveys in words, images, and ideas all the hardware and the engineering know-how the company offers in its watches. And, importantly, the faces never overshadow the products, and each new owner becomes, in a way, a new ambassador for the brand.

Omega watches surprise, at least at the first glance, by their seemingly straightforward design. Rare models display the extravagance some might expect to see after hearing the variety and poliphony of praise and appreciation for this brand: this is exactly where the Swiss watchmaker defies expectations. In lieu of dramatic changes that became almost a standard for new companies looking to make their mark (Corum, Alain Silberstein and Frank Muller come to mind) in this old industry, Omega take a subtle and sophisticated approach.

While relying on design basics that serve nearly all contemporary watchmakers, they introduce, with each collection and model, a minor yet notable change. These changes accrue to form a somewhat elusive, yet unmistakebly influential, imperative character – and, both this process and its results effectively embody the idea of “class.”

Indeed, the whole notion of change and improvement becomes a fundamental and ubiquitous theme. Taking into account that Omega is still primarily a traditional company, it stands out as particularly important, as change readily appeals to the younger generation.