Omega and Sports: Its conexion to the Swimming, Polo and Athletics World.

Omega was the first company to be entrusted with the official timekeeping of all disciplines at the Los Angeles Games in 1932 using chronographs and stop-watches developed by its subsidiary Lémania. Omega's association with the Olympic Games led to well over half a century of pioneering developments in the field of sports timekeeping.

Omega and the Swimming World

(Michael Phelps - Swimmer)

The association between Omega and swimming dates back to 1932 when the brand was first entrusted with the official timekeeping of all disciplines at the Olympic Games including swimming.

The watchmaker symbolized by the Greek letter for perfection has had a decades-long partnership with the swimming world. In addition to its role as official FINA partner, it is also the Official Timekeeper of LEN (European Aquatics) and has served in many internationally renowned swimming competitions, among them the Pan Pacific Championships and, of course, the Olympic Games. This relationship has led to a long list of innovations in the field including the world's first semi-automatic swimming timer, the Swim Eight-O-Matic Timer, first used at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956, and the famous "touch pads" placed at each end of the pool for timekeeping at swimming events, first used at the Pan-American games in Winnipeg in 1967.

Omega and Golf

(Michelle Wie - Golfer)

Omega is one of the few watch brands in the world with a history and tradition in golf. Founded in 1848, 12 years before the first-ever British Open took place at Prestwick golf course near Glasgow, Omega’s involvement in international golf today includes tour and tournament sponsorship as well as official timekeeping.

In 2007 Omega became the title sponsor of the World Cup of Golf. Founded in 1953, the World Cup is the oldest and most prestigious global golf team event, which invites two-man teams from 28 leading golfing nations to compete for the title. Under Omega’s sponsorship, the World Cup will be played at Mission Hills in China, the world’s largest golf complex, until at least 2018.

In order to commemorate its connection to the world of golf, Omega introduced a unique model to its popular and distinctive Constellation watch line. The OMEGA Constellation Double Eagle blends technical innovation with design excellence in a wristwatch which is at once elegant and sporty.

Omega and Athletics

OMEGA has always been committed to athletics timing and continuously develops its timing technology. Thanks to OMEGAtiming, Lausanne's Athletissima meet on July 6, 1994 marked a milestone in sports history: at exactly 8:20pm, Omega timed the 1/100 second which made the American Leroy Burrell the new king of the 100 metres, in just 9.85 seconds! Precision to 1/100 second - how crucial timekeeping had become!

The brand is particularly proud to be associated with the Golden League Meetings in Berlin, Brussels, Monaco, Oslo, Paris, Rome and Zurich - where Omega is the official timekeeper.

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New York: Golfer Sergio Garcia visited Omega's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan

Golfer Sergio Garcia and Omega

New York-PGA Tour golfer Sergio Garcia visited Omega's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Monday. He had watchmaking lessons and, also, he offered a golf course to a group of local children.

Garcia, who became ambassador for the wristwatch company since 2003, donated his personal Omega "Mission Hills Double Eagle Chronograph Constellation" timepiece, the latest addition to the store's "Ambassador Collection Series" of autographed watches, which already includes watches by two fellow Omega ambassadors: Olympic swimming champ Michael Phelps and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Although he's a fan of Omega and its watches and a proud ambassador, Garcia told National Jeweler that he doesn't like to wear a watch while playing golf because it places extra weight on his hand. He said; “"This one, the Constellation, is a great watch and it's very light."

Garcia said he has been proud to be an Omega ambassador and also that he owns probably 10 or 12 of the brand's watches. He added: “They've been very generous".

Sergio Garcia was born in Castello, Spain and started playing golf when he was three. He reached a career high ranking of two after winning the HSBC Champions Tournament and spent much of his career in the top 10 in Official World Golf Rankings. He advises: “The main thing I would say is to enjoy the game and try to be happy with life".

Garcia is scheduled to represent Spain at the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, the 55th World Cup of Golf, which will take place from Nov. 26-29 at the Mission Hills Olazabal Course in Shenzhen, China.

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