Omega Watch Company

Brief History: Omega Watch Company

Including Serial Numbers, Production Dates, and Case Metal Codes

Omega serial number dates (excluding Speedmaster)

Omega SpeedMaster Serial Number

Omega Watches Case and Metal Codes

Omega Watch Manual

1848 to Present Founded in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland

The Omega Watch Company was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848. Brandt, 23 years old, began by hand assembling watches from parts produced by local craftsmen. When Louis Brandt passed away in 1879, he left the company to his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar, who moved Omega to Bienne in January 1880.

By 1889, Louis Brandt and Fils became the largest producers of watches in Switzerland, with a production rate of of over 100,000 watches per year. During this period, they continued to make significant innovations, like the minute-repeating wristwatch, developed in 1892 in partnership with Audemars Piguet, and quite likely the first wristwatch of its kind.

Both Brandt brothers died in 1903, placing the fate of the company in the control of four descendants, the oldest of whom, Paul-Emile Brandt, was only 23 years of age.

Following a merger with Tissot in 1930 a new parent company, SSIH, Société Suisse pour l'industrie Horlogère SA, Geneva, was established. This group eventually encompassed over 50 companies including, Lanco, Lémania and Hamilton. SSIH eventually became the third largest producers of finished watches and movements in the world. If you are looking for a watch Contact ExpertsWatches.com for the watch you are looking for.

Omega World-Renowned Quality

Omega has a long-established reputation for innovation and quality, which has led to numerous awards over the company's 150 year history, starting as early as 1900 with the Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair. In 1936, an Omega watch was awarded 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington chronometer trials in England setting a world precision record.

Omega has also had a long affiliation with sports. Omega has been the official timekeeper at over 21 Olympic Games, and has contributed many significant innovations to sports timekeeping over the years. For example, Omega brought the first electronic timekeeping device to the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. In that same year, Omega was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit in recognition of its outstanding contribution to Olympic sports.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin wears
his Omega Speedmaster on the lunar surface
and in the lunar lander

Omega on the Moon

Because of its well-deserved reputation for precision and reliability, the Omega Speedmaster was chosen by NASA as its official chronometer in 1965. It was the only watch flight-certified by NASA for EVA use, and accompanied astronaut Ed White on the first space walk during the Gemini 4 mission in 1965. In 1969 became the first watch to be worn on the moon when Buzz Aldrin wore his Speedmaster, fitted with cal. 321 movement, on his first lunar excursion. Neil Armstrong left his Omega Speedmaster in the lunar module during his historic first spacewalk. In all, Omega watches made six lunar landings. Omega watches were also the only watches certified for use in space by the Russian Space Agency.

Omega Co-Axial

More recently, Omega has continued to build on its reputation for innovation with the world's first self-winding tourbillon wristwatch in 1994, and the commercial introduction of the revolutionary coaxial escapement developed in conjunction with world-renowned English watchmaker George Daniels. The coaxial was first offered in limited series in 1999. The new coaxial escapement consists of three components: a coaxial wheel, an escape wheel, and a lever with three pallet stones, unlike the conventional pallet-lever and escape wheel of the lever escapement. The combination of the new escapement and a newly developed free-sprung balance attempts to eliminate the sources of error in timekeeping. The effect of the thickness and viscosity of lubricant on balance amplitude has been virtually eliminated, extending the planned service interval to around 10 years.

In practice, Omega's implementation of the co-axial escapement has not been without problems. Omega is currently on at least the 4th generation of their co-axial, and have yet to achieve the theoretical goal of lubrication-free performance. It has been reported that George Daniels (who passed away in 2011) was not happy with Omega's execution of his escapement design.

Through an economic crisis in the 1980’s the company merged with another large Swiss conglomerate, ASUAG, makers of Swatch, Longines and Rado, to create a new company ASUAG-SSIH. Eventually this pairing fell on hard times and the company was taken over by a private group and renamed SMH, which still exists today. Shop Vintage Watch at ExpertsWatches.com

Fake "Omega" Watches:

The Omega brand has been frequently copied, and you have no doubt seen email advertisements for imitation Omega watches at deep-discount prices. Don't waste your money! These watches are cheap, poorly-made fakes that are not serviceable and will not perform like the genuine article. Counterfeiting products is illegal. We do not encourage or endorse the purchase of any counterfeit watch!

Omega Watch Repair & Service:

At Experts Watches Repair - We are experts in the repair and restoration of vintage Omega watches and vintage Watches. We do repair modern Omega watches as well. We are also always looking for Omega watches and vintage wristwatches to purchase for our inventory. Please contact us if you have any questions about the repair or sale of your vintage Omega watch.

Omega Watch Company Serial Numbers and Production Dates

Note that Omega began using ETA movements in some of its watches in about 1980. This table does not include accurate dates for Omega/ETA movements.

Omega Serial Number (excluding Speedmaster)

Serial number	First year made	Serial number	Year
1,000,000 – 1,999,999	1894	43,000,000 – 43,999,999	1979
2,000,000 – 2,999,999	1902	44,000,000 – 44,999,999	1980
3,000,000 – 3,999,999	1906	45,000,000 – 45,999,999	1982
4,000,000 – 4,999,999	1910	46,000,000 – 46,999,999	1984
5,000,000 – 5,999,999	1915	47,000,000 – 47,999,999	1984
6,000,000 – 6,999,999	1923	48,000,000 – 48,999,999	1985
7,000,000 – 7,999,999	1920	49,000,000 – 49,999,999	1986
8,000,000 – 8,999,999	1934	50,000,000 – 50,999,999	1986
9,000,000 – 9,999,999	1939	51,000,000 – 51,999,999	1989
10,000,000 — 10,999,999	1944	53,000,000 – 53,999,999	1991
11,000,000 – 11,999,999	1947	54,000,000 – 54,999,999	1993
12,000,000 – 12,999,999	1950	55,000,000 – 55,999,999	1995
13,000,000 – 13,999,999	1952	56,000,000 – 56,999,999	1998
14,000,000 – 14,999,999	1954	57,000,000 – 57,999,999	1998
15,000,000 – 15,999,999	1956	58,000,000 – 58,999,999	1998
16,000,000 – 16,999,999	1958	59,000,000 – 59,999,999	1998
17,000,000 – 17,999,999	1959	60,000,000 – 60,999,999	1999
18,000,000 – 18,999,999	1961	61,000,000 – 61,999,999	2000
19,000,000 – 19,999,999	1962	62,000,000 – 62,999,999	2000
20,000,000 – 20,999,999	1963	63,000,000 – 63,999,999	2000
21,000,000 – 21,999,999	1964	64,000,000 – 64,999,999	2000
22,000,000 – 22,999,999	1965	65,000,000 – 65,999,999	2001
23,000,000 – 23,999,999	1966	66,000,000 – 66,999,999	2002
24,000,000 – 24,999,999	1966	67,000,000 – 67,999,999	2002
25,000,000 – 25,999,999	1967	68,000,000 – 68,999,999	2003
26,000,000 – 26,999,999	1968	69,000,000 – 69,999,999	2003
27,000,000 – 27,999,999	1968	70,000,000 – 70,999,999	2004
28,000,000 – 28,999,999	1969	71,000,000 – 71,999,999	2004
29,000,000 – 29,999,999	1969	72,000,000 – 72,999,999	2005
30,000,000 – 30,999,999	1969	73,000,000 – 73,999,999	2005
31,000,000 – 31,999,999	1969	74,000,000 – 74,999,999	2005
32,000,000 – 32,999,999	1970	75,000,000 – 75,999,999	2005
33,000,000 – 33,999,999	1971	76,000,000 – 76,999,999	2005
34,000,000 – 34,999,999	1972	77,000,000 – 77,999,999	2005
35,000,000 – 35,999,999	1972	78,000,000 – 78,999,999	2006
36,000,000 – 36,999,999	1973	79,000,000 – 79,999,999	2006
37,000,000 – 37,999,999	1973	80,000,000 – 80,999,999	2006
38,000,000 – 38,999,999	1974	81,000,000 – 81,999,999	2007
39,000,000 – 39,999,999	1975	82,000,000 – 82,999,999	2007
40,000,000 – 40,999,999	1977	83,000,000 – 83,999,999	2007
41,000,000 – 41,999,999	1978	84,000,000+	2008
42,000,000 – 42,999,999	1979

Omega SpeedMaster Serial Number:

Serial number	Earliest year made	Serial number	Year
14,000,000 – 14,999,999	1957	32,000,000 – 32,999,999	1973
15,000,000 – 15,999,999	1958	33,000,000 – 33,999,999	1975
16,000,000 – 16,999,999	1958	34,000,000 – 34,999,999	1976
17,000,000 – 17,999,999	1960	35,000,000 – 35,999,999	1977
18,000,000 – 18,999,999	1961	36,000,000 – 36,999,999	1977
19,000,000 – 19,999,999	1962	37,000,000 – 37,999,999	1978
20,000,000 – 20,999,999	1963	38,000,000 – 38,999,999	1979
21,000,000 – 21,999,999	1963	39,000,000 – 39,999,999	1979
22,000,000 – 22,999,999	1964	40,000,000 – 40,999,999	1980

Omega Watch Metal Code Reference Guide

Explore the official Omega metal codes used in vintage and luxury watches to identify case material, plating type, and structural components. Perfect for collectors, appraisers, and enthusiasts.

🔍 Omega Case Material Codes

Code	Material Description
AB	Platinum + 18k Yellow Gold
AT	Platinum
BA	18k Yellow Gold
BB	18k Pink Gold
BC	18k White Gold
BD	14k Yellow Gold
BF	14k White Gold
BG	9k Yellow Gold
BJ	18k Multi-Colored Gold
BK	Gold, Bezel Steel
BL	9k Pink Gold
BP	18k Pink Gold
BR	Two-Tone 18k Yellow & Pink Gold
BT	18k Yellow Gold + Titanium
BU	18k Yellow Gold, Bezel Aluminum

⚙️ Omega Finish & Plating Codes

Code	Plating / Finish Description
DN	Two-Tone Plated 10Y
DP	Steel, 18k Pink Gold
DR	Bezel 18k Pink Gold on Steel
DS	14k Yellow Gold Bezel on Steel
DX	Two-Tone Plated 10M Yellow
ED	Plated 10M 2NIB
EF	Plated 10M 1N14 Steelback
EX	Plated 10M 1N14
FD	Plated 80M Yellow
FE	Plated 80M Pink

🔧 Omega Alternative Materials & Finishes

Code	Description
SC	PVD Grey
SE	PVD Yellow
SI	Steel + Titanium
SO	Oxidized Steel
ST	Steel
SU	Steel, Aluminum Ring
TA	Titanium + Gold Case and Bracelet
TB	Titanium + Pink Gold Bracelet
TD	Titanium + Plated 20M Yellow; Bracelet: Titanium + Pl. 10M
TI	Titanium

This is an unofficial history of the Omega Watch Company. Experts Watches is not affiliated with the Omega Watch Company. The Omega name and names of various Omega watch models as shown here are trademarks of Omega. Information provided for educational purposes only and we make no warranty as to its accuracy or reliability. Shop Vintage Watch at ExpertsWatches.com

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Omega Watch Company

Brief History: Omega Watch Company