Omega began in 1848 as a one-man workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, where Louis Brandt assembled pocket watches from parts. His sons turned it into a factory, and a single movement gave the company its name. This is the history of Omega, from that workshop to the Moon and the Swatch Group.
Louis Brandt founded Omega in 1848 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The company took the name Omega from a movement it launched in 1894, and it has belonged to the Swatch Group and its predecessors since 1983.
Omega's headquarters are in Biel/Bienne, where the Brandt brothers moved production in 1880.
Every vintage Omega we list carries part of this story on its movement. A 30T2 from the 1940s or a 550 from the 1960s tells you which chapter the watch belongs to before you even look at the dial.
Louis Brandt and the Founding of Omega
Louis Brandt opened his workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, at the age of 23. He bought finished parts from local craftsmen, assembled them into pocket watches and travelled across Europe to sell them.
His sons Louis-Paul and César joined the business, and in 1877 it became Louis Brandt & Fils. After their father's death in 1879, the brothers ran it as Louis Brandt & Frère. In 1880 they moved production to Biel/Bienne, where labour, energy and rail links were easier to find, and they switched from hand assembly to machine-made parts that fitted every watch of the same model.
Where the Name Omega Comes From
In 1894 the brothers launched a 19-ligne movement called the Omega. A watchmaker could replace any part of it with a new one without adjusting the rest, which made repairs quicker and cheaper. Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and the name stood for a finished, complete design.
The movement sold so well that the name took over the company. In 1903 the firm became Louis Brandt & Frère – Omega Watch Co., and from then on its watches carried the Omega name and the Ω symbol. The company only took the formal name Omega SA in 1984, according to Wikipedia's history of Omega.
Who Owns Omega?
The Swatch Group owns Omega today. The path there began in 1903, when both Brandt brothers died and Paul-Émile Brandt, not yet 24, took charge of the company with three younger heirs.
Paul-Émile steered Omega through the economic troubles after the First World War. In 1930 Omega joined Tissot to form a group called SSIH. In 1983 SSIH merged with ASUAG, the other big Swiss watch group, and in 1985 investors led by Nicolas Hayek took control and renamed it SMH. The group became The Swatch Group in 1998, and Omega sits in the group alongside Longines and Tissot.
Our article on Longines vs Omega explains how the two sister brands differ today.
Omega History Timeline
The dates below cover the moments that shaped the company and the watches collectors look for today.
Pocket Watches and Early Wristwatches
Omega's first products were round pocket watches, with Roman or Arabic numerals and a small seconds dial. Once the factory in Biel/Bienne was running, the brothers made a wide range of them: large models with bold numerals, small ladies' watches and pieces at both affordable and luxury prices. Some dials marked the minutes at five-minute intervals beside the hour numerals, so the owner could read the exact time at a glance.
The first wristwatches were pocket watches fitted to leather straps. In 1892 the company made the first wristwatch with a minute repeater, which chimes the time on demand so the owner can tell the time in the dark. Some early Omega wristwatches kept a second ring of numbers from 13 to 24 printed in a contrasting color, and others had the dial turned at an angle for easier reading. By the middle of the 20th century Omega had dropped the extra scales in favour of simpler dials.
Waterproof Watches: Marine and Seamaster
In 1932 Omega launched the Marine, a rectangular watch that slid into a second, sealed outer case. Omega rated it to 135 meters, a remarkable depth at the time. Rolex had shown its waterproof Oyster in 1927, when Mercedes Gleitze wore one while swimming the English Channel, and the Marine was Omega's answer.
The Seamaster followed in 1948 and grew into Omega's longest-running watch family. In 1970 Omega built the Seamaster 600 "Ploprof" for professional divers, rated to 600 meters, and divers working with Jacques-Yves Cousteau's team tested it. Our article on the story behind the Omega Seamaster covers the line in detail.
Chronographs and the Speedmaster
Precision timing built Omega's reputation. The company became the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games in 1932 and still holds the role today.
The Speedmaster arrived in 1957 as a chronograph for racing drivers. In 1965 NASA declared it flight-qualified for crewed missions, and in 1969 Buzz Aldrin wore his on the Moon. During the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, the crew used a Speedmaster to time an engine burn after the spacecraft's instruments failed. Our article on the Omega Speedmaster from racetrack to space icon tells that story.
Omega and Quartz
Seiko launched the Astron, the first quartz wristwatch, in 1969. Swiss makers responded with the Beta 21 quartz movement in 1970, and Omega sold watches with it. In 1974 Omega's Marine Chronometer became the first wristwatch certified as a marine chronometer, accurate to about 12 seconds a year.
Cheap quartz watches from Japan hit the Swiss industry hard through the 1970s and early 1980s, and the number of Swiss watch companies fell sharply. The merger of SSIH and ASUAG in 1983 gave Omega a stronger footing, and models such as the Constellation Manhattan of 1982 helped rebuild its name.
How to Identify and Date a Vintage Omega
Omega marked its watches with its name, the Ω symbol or both, on the dial, the crown and the movement. Early Omegas don't always show the brand on the dial, so the movement is the place to check.
The serial number on the movement gives you an approximate year. A serial number of 8,249,155, for example, points to the second half of the 1930s. You can look up any number in our Omega serial number decoder. The caliber number, stamped on the movement, also tells you which family and decade the watch belongs to.
We open the caseback of every Omega before we list it and read the serial number and caliber first. When those two agree with the dial and the case reference, we know the watch tells one consistent story.
We've sold 218 vintage Omegas since 2022, and customers ask us about the Constellation and the Seamaster more than any other models.
Vintage Omega in Our Shop
The watches below come from three chapters of Omega's history. Prices are as of November 2026. If you're choosing your first vintage Omega, our guide to 10 vintage Omega watches every collector should know goes through the models one by one.
Every watch we list stays on our site after it's sold, so you can still see the photos and details. These Omegas have found new owners.
Omega · Speedmaster
Speedmaster Professional, Cal. 861
Sold for $6,621
Omega · Constellation
Ref. 2852/2853 SC, 18K Gold, 1956
Sold for $9,018
Omega · Seamaster
Ref. 14701 SC-61, 14K Gold, c. 1961
Sold for $5,594
You can see every Omega we have now in our vintage Omega collection.
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