FeatureAn ode to tradition: The Omega Rio 2016 Olympic Collection comes to India

“When your timing is off, so is your stride. When your cadence is off, you’re in deep trouble as a hurdler.”

-Rodney Milburn, 1972 Olympic high hurdle champion

Timing is everything. Be it a deadline at work or the record time at the Olympic Games, timing makes and breaks everything. Omega has been Official Timekeeper at almost every Olympic Games since 1932 and for the 27th time, Omega will be on hand to time every event. It all started in 1932 when a lone Swiss watchmaker arrived at the Los Angeles Olympics with 30 split-second chronographs. Fast forward to 2016 and now it is a team of timekeeping professionals who are supported by up to 450 tons of equipment to deliver flawless timing to the world’s finest competitors.

The Olympic Games are a world phenomenon, attracting competitors from more than 200 nations. With only a week left for the Olympics to kick start, the entire world is pumped up to see the execution of the Rio Olympic Games. And to celebrate the spirit of Olympic Games and timing, the brand has introduced the Omega Rio 2016 Olympic Collection which comprises of three limited edition timepieces.

Let’s take a look at these celebratory timepieces. First on our list is:

Rio 2016 Limited Edition Omega Seamaster Diver 300M

The Rio Seamaster Diver 300M (ref: 522.30.41.20.01.001) is a gorgeous testimony to Omega’s role as the Official Timekeeper of this year’s Olympic Games. Limited to 3,016 pieces, this celebratory watch combines the spirit of Rio de Janeiro and the Olympics in its design, visible with the colourful bezel. The watch almost gives the wearer a feeling of diving into the musical rhythm of Rio de Janeiro, popularly called ‘cidade maravilhosa’ or ‘marvellous city’. If you take a closer look, you’ll also notice the wave-pattern dial that takes inspiration from the wavy black and white-patterned sidewalks of the Copacabana beach, a quintessentially ‘Rio’ element.

Keeping up with the theme, the watch features a 41mm stainless steel case, polished black ceramic bezel, and a mosaic inspired dial. Igniting the spirit of the Olympics is the polished black ceramic bezel ring which comes with a diving scale filled with white Super-LumiNova and numerals filled with red, blue, yellow and green lacquer, which represent the colours of the Olympic rings.  Moving on to the technicalities, this timepiece houses the Omega 2500 co-axial escapement and is a self-winding COSC certified chronometer.

And because it is a Seamaster after all, the watch comes with a healthy 48 hours of power reserve, a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock, water resistance of 300 meters, polished faceted skeleton hour-minute hands and a date window at 3 o’clock. Though the best feature is yet to be disclosed:

The screw-in steel case back is embossed with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games logo and the unique limited edition number.

Now if this blew your mind, buckle up… there’s a whole lot in store for you.

The second watch is :

Limited Edition Omega Seamaster Bullhead Rio 2016

Omega always wins hearts with the amount of thought they put into their designs. And the Seamaster Bullhead is a great example of that. Already creating a sensation with its iconic style, design and colour, the Bullhead Rio 2016, apart from its unique case, imbibes the spirit of the Olympics with its blue leather strap which comes with a multicoloured stitching in yellow, green, red and black. These colours again, represent the five famous Olympic rings, and the rotating inner bezel uses this colour theme to signify unity.

A colourful amalgamation, this Seamaster features a white dial with a blue 60-minute scale on an inner rotating bezel. Accompanying it, there is a 30-minute recorder at 12 o’clock, a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock and a date window at 3 o’clock. Just like the Seamaster 300m, the screw-in case back is stamped with the logo of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games along with the limited edition number. Carrying out all these functionalities smoothly is the Calibre Omega 3113 Co-Axial escapement, COSC certified self-winding chronograph movement, which comes with an impressive power reserve of 52 hours and a water resistance of 150 meters. This sporty, vibrant and unique Seamaster is limited to only 316 pieces for the world, which makes this watch extremely exclusive.

Now coming to the last watch of the collection:

Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016

Each watch from the collection represents the spirit of the Olympics in one or the other way and this watch is no different. Inspired by the 1969 model of the OMEGA Speedmaster Mark II, and created to celebrate the spirit of the Olympic Games, the Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 is unique in its own way.

Limited to 2,016  pieces, this chronograph has the most well thought of sub-dials. Representing the medals of Olympic champions, the sub-dials are adorned with a bronze ring, an 18K yellow gold ring, and a 925 silver ring. Set within a matt black dial, the watch reeks of victory and triumph, ever so synonymous with the Olympics. The sub-dials represent a 30-minute recorder, 12-hour recorder and a small seconds counter at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock respectively. The date window is at 6 0’clock.

The transparent tachymeter scale on the sapphire crystal stands apart as it is illuminated from beneath by a fluorescent orange ring filled with Super-LumiNova. With a water resistance of 100 meters, the 42.40 mm stainless steel case is clubbed with a stainless steel bracelet. And combining looks with functionality is the COSC certified Omega Co-Axial self-winding calibre 3330 movement, which comes with a spectacular power reserve of 52 hours.

The Omega Rio 2016 collection is available in India at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

What are your favourite timepieces that are associated with the Olympic Games? Let us know in the comments section below!