The engraved back of
the Omega gifted to
John F. Kennedy.
wife, a cast of his bust, and his ultra-thin Omega gifted to him by his friend. The
watch is displayed to show the engraving on the caseback. The last part of the room
is everything Speedmaster, from pre-moon broad arrow hands and symmetrical
cases to Professional models that have been to the moon and back.
As I circled around and walked back to the first room, I see that it may have been
the most important of them all. Dominated by a central glass column, it displays
nearly every Omega caliber from its first, modular, mass-produced movement to its
latest METAS-certified chronometer. One can observe through loupes the award-
winning movements that have advanced our understanding and measure of time.
Overlooking them all is Louis Brandt’s actual watchmaking bench and tools, the
founder’s legacy thriving in the beautiful watches that the company produces today.
When I exited the building, I realized that the museum is actually a stone’s throw
away from Omega’s headquarters and factory. It dominates the suburb, and the
local bus stop. As I walked away to find a good Rösti, I delighted in the knowledge
that I, too, was wearing a piece of Omega’s history. To view it, I simply had to glance
down at my wrist.
Saad Chaudhry lives in Munich and enjoys shifting gears in his sports car.
WINTER 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 121