AboutTime Issue # 17 Summer 2019 | Page 85

Omega Seamaster Bond watches A VISIT to the OMEGA MUSEUM BY SAAD CHAUDHRY In the small garden outside, a sign read “Musée Omega” and a lunar rover played peekaboo through a corner window. I entered through the open doors and was greeted at the reception desk on the first floor by a friendly lady who encouraged me to look around as I pleased. I was the only visitor at the time, and I decided to follow the natural light. As one ascends the spiral steps up to the first floor and location of the muse- um’s collection, one finds three possibilities beyond the reception desk. To the left is a narrow but finely appointed room with light polished wood and cognac leather furniture, display cases and television screens with promotional films. This room is reserved for dignitaries and guests of the brand. To the right is a dimly spot lit square room with a central glass column housing movements and loupes. More on that later. I went ahead and walked into the largest room, straight ahead, with open windows bringing in a light breeze through their louvered shutters. The lower-case r-shaped room is home to some of Omega’s proudest achievements. In the back is a mock lunar landscape with Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit on display near a real NASA console used in the Apollo missions. I started my self-guided tour with the ‘Omega in the Movies.’ Here, one can see examples of props used for multiple James Bond films, including the Seamaster 300M Diver from “Tomorrow Never Dies,” complete with light-up dial, and Daniel Craig’s “Quantum of Solace.” Planet AboutTime Magazine | 85