Olympic Optical

Omega Watches and the Olympics
Omega is the Official Timekeeper of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. It makes sense that Omega watches keep track of time during the Olympics, as Omega invented the first chronometer in 1898. In 1948, Omega has also created the first camera-finish. Even the touchpad Swim-O-Matic 1968 Olympics in Mexico City were made by Omega. As Omega keeps progressing the way the Olympics can enhance timekeeping, they continue to be the official timekeeper for the Summer Games.

Over many different time periods, the technology used to time events at the Olympics the world have gone through this a variety of steps which include: manual timing, timing electro-mechanical, electronic timing, quartz and dissemination of results live. Timekeeper for the Olympic sponsors include modern Longines, Heuer, Omega, Seiko, Swatch.

During the 1896 Athens Olympic Games, a manual chronograph by Longines is the official timekeeper. It was not until 1932 when Omega became a sponsor and official supplier of time for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and continued until 1964. Seiko, one of the companies to explore the technology of quartz movement, became the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. As the end of the monopoly of Swiss timekeepers at the Olympic Games, the designation of Seiko demonstrates the importance of synchronization technologies quartz.

The emergence of microelectronics has led to a revolutionary breakthrough for the sports calendar. In particular, the advent of computers and software equipped sports timers function more precise and sophisticated. In addition to being listed on the scoreboard, it was great when athletes' times could also be shown through video and radio and television.

In the year 1972, Omega and Longines has co-founded the Swiss Timing, which are concentrated in the manufacturing of meters for the Olympics and other sporting events. It is interesting in the same year as the Swiss Timing company was founded, the Munich Olympics were held. These were the first Games to introduce the geodimeter and electronic timers with an accuracy 1/1000th-second.

For the 2008 Olympic Games, Omega will be timekeeping again, and, equally important, the data processing. They will preside over 302 events in 28 sports at 37 different remote locations, predominantly to the already famous "Bird's Nest, the main stadium in Beijing itself. Omega will be the deployment of 450 engineers on site to handle more than 450 tons of equipment, scoreboards service 70 for the public view, and 322 dashboards subsidiary sport-specific, involving more than 175 km of cables and optical fibers. Omega has proved it has the means to make a great job of timing the Olympics, and they seem to be the task.