There is no watch more appropriate for representing the partnership between Omega and St. Moritz than the Omega De Ville Co-Axial Chronograph. The De Ville is the top of the range in the brand's collection and is therefore the perfect match for one of the world's most exclusive mountain resorts.
The resort of St. Moritz and the prestige Swiss watchmaker Omega both share a reputation as pioneers. St. Moritz was the first place in Switzerland to establish a Tourist Office and has over the years built up an enviable reputation as one of the world's foremost alpine resorts. In addition to being home to Switzerland's first ski school, St. Moritz is also the birthplace of the sport of bobsleigh and was the first location on the European continent to hold a curling match. The resort's keen interest in establishing winter sports at the turn of the century provided the experience that was crucial to its staging of two winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948 (the only Games to be held on Swiss soil so far) and four alpine skiing World Championships, most recently in 2003.
Omega is to watch brands what St. Moritz is to mountain resorts, boasting a similar record of pioneering achievements over its 150-year history. In the split-second world of sports timekeeping, the brand symbolised by the Greek letter was the first company to be appointed as official timekeeper for all Olympic disciplines at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. Since then, the company has provided the official timekeeping equipment and services for a total of 21 Olympic Games - with unfailing precision and increasing complexity - before handing over the baton to its sister company Swatch at Atlanta in 1996. The 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz were the first at which the brand provided not only the timekeeping equipment but also its own trained personnel as timekeepers. More recently, the watchmaking firm has maintained its links with winter sport in St. Moritz through its sponsorship of the Olympic Bob Run and its role as official timekeeper of all FIBT bobsleigh events.
The St. Moritz watch uses the brand's top-of-the-range chronograph movement, calibre 3313, which combines Omega's proprietary Co-Axial Escapement and free sprung-balance with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism. Column-wheel chronographs are widely recognised as the finest chronograph movements available, yet they remain highly exclusive, since very few manufacturers are capable of producing this sophisticated mechanism. The calibre 3313 has an intricate finish of circular graining, Geneva wave decor, rhodium-plated surfaces and gold-plated engravings, as well as a blued-steel centre screw - all visible through the transparent sapphire crystal case back. The movement's precision is attested by its chronometer certificate issued by the official Swiss chronometer testing institute (COSC) and it has a power reserve of 55 hours.
These intricate workings are housed in the distinctive De Ville case in stainless steel, available with a diameter of 41mm or 35mm, which takes its inspiration from the marque's classic models of the 1950s. The grooves on the inside of the chronograph pushers that match the design of the crown are typical of the meticulous attention to detail for this model. As befits such a prestigious timepiece, the dial is the epitome of sobriety and clarity, pairing facetted red gold-plated hour markers and hands (with blued steel chronograph hands) against a silvered background with an applied Omega symbol and name. The final touch of exclusivity is the St. Moritz logo visible in the 5 o'clock position, as well as engraved on the case back. A domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with multi-layer anti-reflective treatment on the inside offers maximum protection for this unique dial. The St. Moritz model comes with a brown alligator leather strap with a stainless steel foldover clasp with pushbuttons.
This classic design, packed with the state of the art in watchmaking technology, is the perfect fit for the St. Moritz trademark. It also signals the start of an exciting new partnership between St. Moritz and Omega that will cover numerous areas in addition to watchmaking, such as sports sponsorship, timekeeping and cultural patronage.
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For further information, please contact
Omega International Public Relations,
Rue St?mpfli 96,
2504 Bienne,
Switzerland
Tel. +41 32 343 9211
Fax +41 32 343 9715
E-mail: public.relations@omega.ch
Internet: http://www.omegawatches.com
Omega is a company of the Swatch Group
© Press Release 2004
