On July 26 in Paris, the 2024 Olympic Games will commence with watchmaker OMEGA as its steadfast Official Timekeeper. For its tremendous 31st occasion with the globally beloved athletic spectacle, the horological icon will meticulously record astounding human feats in 32 sports and throughout a comprehensive 329 events. With over 90 years of technological prowess, the Swiss legend continues to advance its depth of imagination and profound capabilities to serve our changing times and the magnificent moments of the Olympic Games and, on August 28, the outstanding Paralympic Games.
“Faster, higher, stronger,” the resounding anthem of the Olympic Games, is echoed in each and every realm of timekeeping accuracy for OMEGA. With split-second margins changing lives and history on an international scale, the leader of watchmaking unveils the world’s most precise equipment that both records the breath-by-breath drama that will unfold in the City of Light, as well as measures the undeniable winners in bronze, silver, and gold.
Omega at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on July 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images for Omega.
OMEGA Vionardo, Courtesy of OMEGA.
Then and Now, The Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games
In an inaugural historical moment in 1932, OMEGA was divinely selected as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, and a new epoch of sports measurement was born. Beginning in Los Angeles, OMEGA brought forth 30 high-precision stopwatches which were stunningly precise within the nearest 1/10th of a second. From the commencement of the electronic age in 1948 with the brand’s first photo finish camera, to the output of semi-automated timers and touchpads in the late 50s and 60s—a game-changer for the realm of swimming, to the false start detectors of the mid-80s, OMEGA has been rigorous in its improvement and mission of perfection.
In recent years, OMEGA’s quartz-driven Quantum Timers have proved infallible, deftly able to split time by a millionth of a second. 2018 inducted a new wave of skillful motion sensor and positioning systems, unearthing every beguiling movement of any given athlete in order to behold the highly nuanced ways in which the most demanding events are truly conquered. With great enthusiasm and commitment, OMEGA provides Paris 2024 with a parade of transformative new tools.
OMEGA Starting pistol, Courtesy of OMEGA.
World Cup Swimming Stockholm, Courtesy of OMEGA.
New, Vital OMEGA Equipment for Paris 2024
OMEGA’s new electronic starting pistol remedies a critical issue in which athletes in diverse lanes hear the pivotal shot a fraction later than their opponents. The meaningful device is now linked to speakers which are placed behind every racer, and the anticipated trigger press leads to a light flash, a start pulse to the timing apparatus, and a sound initiating the equal launch of the competition.
Athletic starting blocks are enhanced by built-in sensors that measure the racer’s force against a footrest 4,000 times per second. An on-site computer immediately recognizes any and all false starts. The Quantum Timer pushes all forward with a resolute microcrystal component, and photocell technology ignites an instant beam of light as a victorious athlete meets the finish line.
Now iconic to the swimming race—and since Tokyo 2020 to speed climbing—are OMEGA’s precision touchpads. In addition, the Swimming Light Show expertly positioned at the end of the pool promptly unveils the notable first, second, and third-place winners to both athletes and spectators alike. Animated, high-resolution scoreboards and advanced motion sensor and positioning systems support a myriad of events, assisting coaches, visitors, broadcasters, and more in evaluating the once-in-a-lifetime achievements that unfold before them.
The trailblazing brand’s Computer Vision Technology takes the lead in performance data, with single and multi-camera systems sending information soaring to bespoke artificial intelligence models to every specific sport. Here, a new age of storytelling for in-person guests and at-home viewers imparts the emotional and expressive details of a famed event, as well as the decisive metrics. For photo finish technology, the much-anticipated Scan’O’Vision Ultimate is revealed this year, capturing the highest resolution in its field, allowing judges to do their essential work with all-time efficiency and transparency.
OMEGA Starting Blocks, Courtesy of OMEGA.
OMEGA Diving, Courtesy of OMEGA.
OMEGA Scan’O’Vision Ultimate Camera, Courtesy of OMEGA.
Supreme OMEGA Watches Debut at Paris 2024
The striking Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 pays distinct homage to the sought-after medals of the Olympic Games by way of sleek stainless steel and 18k Moonshine™ Gold. A luminous white ceramic, laser-engraved dial is embellished with delicate waves, evoking perpetual energy and optimism to tackle any and all of life’s poetic undulations. Paris 2024 typography sets the date display artistically apart, as does the commemorative caseback with its gilded medallion and Paris 2024 emblem.
The prized brand’s latest Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024 takes the cake when it comes to precision timing, and the stylish 43 mm design is exhibited in a magnum opus of black, white, and gold—the chic colorway of this year’s Olympic Games. A silvery white opaline dial presents a heavenly stage for three deep gray timing scales which harmonize in their exceptional 1940’s “snail” design. Ebony subdials, 18k Moonshine™ Gold Arabic numerals, and slender, leaf-shaped hands culminate in a contemporary timepiece for the ages.
As OMEGA has extended its major global partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through to 2032, a shared pursuit of relentless, ongoing achievement reigns supreme.
Courtesy of OMEGA.
Courtesy of OMEGA.
