With the Olympics set to begin this week, the Games’ official timing partner Omega has announced a celebratory timepiece in honour of the occasion. This is the 31st time Omega has partnered the games, first performing the role in 1932. Over the decades they’ve produced many commemorative Olympic watches and indeed on Friday July 26th we will be taking a look back at some of the most stylish and exciting of these watches, to coincide with the Paris Opening Ceremony. For now, let’s take a look at the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition.
The theme of this watch is simple to understand, it’s dedicated to the three metals that are synonymous with Olympic sporting achievement: bronze, silver and gold. Starting with the bronze, the entire 39mm case is crafted from Bronze Gold, which is Omega’s proprietary bronze alloy known for its particularly rich colour and increased corrosion resistance. The dial is then made from Ag 925 silver, a material not seen all that often in watchmaking – its more famous use in recent years being the Tudor BB58 925. Lastly the central hands and small seconds hand are made from Sedna Gold with a Bronze Gold PVD coating, completing the trifecta of materials.
While the concept behind the watch is relatively straightforward, the execution is immaculate. The fact that the amount of each material present on the watch reduces based on how prestigious it is highlights the importance of each medal. The small amount of gold in the centre creates an elusive quality that shows how hard it is to attain while also being the main focus of every athlete.
In terms of design, it’s based on a heritage model from 1939, harking back to the earliest years of Omega’s collaboration with the Olympics. It also ties in nicely with the current popularity of vintage designs. I love the Art Deco style of the railway minute track and peripheral scale, a style that was booming in popularity in the 20s and which continued into the 30s. The central disk of the display features Clous de Paris decoration, also known as hobnail guilloché, a pattern that originated in France. There’s no more fitting design for the Paris Olympics as it literally has Paris in the name.
Housed inside the watch is the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8926, a manual movement with a 72-hour power reserve. This movement is the modern tribute to the 30T2 that was used in the heritage model that the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition is based on. You can also see on the closed caseback that the new watch bears the inscription BG 859 whereas the original was CK 859. The caseback is also decorated with a commemorative Paris 2024 design.
Priced at £11,900 this is not only a gorgeous dress watch tribute to the Paris 2024 Games, it’s also just flat out a really nice dress watch. The vintage design is stunning and a reminder of Omega’s impressive heritage. I think this is my favourite Omega dress watch so far this decade. Check out some of the other Paris 2024 watches here.
Price and Specs:
More details at Omega.
