No watchmaker understands its strengths better than Omega. The iconic Speedmaster went to the moon in 1969, and that legacy remains as potent in the brand’s marketing as rocket fuel. In 1995, Omega became James Bond’s official timepiece supplier, and that collaboration’s DNA is now baked directly into important new Omega releases that transcend 007’s universe. Founded in 1848 as Louis Brandt et Fils, the company that eventually became Omega built its early reputation on pioneering technologies: Its founders helped produce the first minute repeater watch, as well as a new type of movement designed to make basic repairs easier. In modern times, Omega has been defined by a constant thirst for innovation and achieving industry firsts, which has directly resulted in its watches popping up prominently during major historical events. A dozen years before it became the Moonwatch, the race-ready Speedmaster was already notable as the first-ever wristwatch with a speed-measuring tachymeter on the bezel rather than the dial. The brand’s Marine model became the first commercially available dive watch in 1932, later leading to Jacques Cousteau wearing several waterproof Omegas beneath the depths over the years. It seems like only a matter of time until more of Omega’s game-changing technologies—like the hyper-efficient coaxial escapement, first implemented in a De Ville dress watch in 1999—lead to further brand-defining moments. Omega is the brand that stays ready, so it doesn’t have to get ready. Below, I attempted to rank the major models in Omega’s history with some help from friends and experts. More than anything, however, consider this a primer on Omega’s decades of achievements and important contributions to the industry. These are the 17 greatest watch models in Omega history (though we’re starting at number 15, thanks to a couple of sub-categories further down the list). 15. Dynamic I really appreciate the spirit of what Omega was trying to do with the Dynamic. The brand tried to make this sport model stick three times over the decades—and all three attempts fell flat. They sure had some fun with it along the way, though. The first version of the Dynamic, released in 1968, set the tone with a funky egg-shaped case, which was supposed to make the watch more ergonomic on the wrist. It didn’t last long, unfortunately. Omega revived the name in 1984 with a quartz-powered design with a spidery ridged bezel, but that flamed out as well. Omega gave the Dynamic a third shot in 1997. This time, the brand took inspiration from its archive of 1940s military watches. The result was a poppy chronograph with bright colors and jazzy numerals. Unfortunately for the Dynamic, the third time was not the charm and the line officially met its demise in 1999. Honestly, I’d be pretty happy if Omega revived the OG eggy iteration of the Dynamic. Let’s give it a fourth try. 14. Medicus This sweet little vintage watch from 1937 is a precursor to Omega’s status as one of the most important providers of tool watches in the industry. Before the brand helped astronauts go to the moon and James Bond accomplish missions, the Medicus was worn on the battlefields of World War II. This was the first Omega watch to use a central second hand—a function that wouldn’t become commonplace until the middle of the century—which made the model a favorite of medical professionals, who used it to measure patients’ pulses. As a result, the Medicus is often referred to as the “nurse’s watch” or “doctor’s watch.” 13. Women’s jewelry pieces Omega has long been a huge producer of timepieces for women. For much of the early 20th century, the category represented a huge chunk of its business. What makes this so exciting is that these weren’t mass-produced steel sport watches but one-off jewelry pieces made exclusively for high-end clients. Omega made its first wristwatch for women all the way back in 1906 and continued to produce exciting Art Deco–inspired timepieces and charming “secret” watches for decades to come. Among the top Swiss watchmakers, none rushed to serve the women’s market quite like Omega. All this work served to benefit the release of the Ladymatic—among the earliest automatic wristwatches designed specifically for women—in the ’50s. (More about that below.) If you ever want to see these watches out in the wild, pay close attention to Nicole Kidman’s wrist during award ceremonies. The actor (and longtime Omega ambassador) often selects these bespoke vintage pieces for the red carpet. 12. Ladymatic In 2017, Omega toured an exhibition called “Her Time” dedicated to its long history of women’s watches. Beyond all the gorgeous timepieces, though, the vintage advertisements on display especially stood out. In the early 1950s, Omega put out an ad that read, “In all facets of life, a woman is just as active, sporty, and as busy as a man. Like him, she demands a watch for precision.” Omega always took its ladies’ watches seriously, a message it backed up with technical proficiency. In 1953, Omega developed a tiny automatic movement that it placed in the debut Ladymatic two years later. This put Omega’s flagship women’s watch on par mechanically with most men’s watches at the time. 11. Seamaster Planet Ocean This is Omega’s most normal-looking serious dive watch (just wait until you get to the PloProf—you’re gonna love it). “Planet Ocean is really the one that's pushing boundaries of the ultra deep,” said Sacha Davidoff, one half of the beloved Genevan vintage shop Roy & Sacha Davidoff. Certain versions of the Planet Ocean have accompanied dives to the deepest point on earth, the Mariana Trench. Omega didn’t just push the limits of diving with this watch, either. The brand made it central to many of its signature technical innovations. While the revolutionary coaxial escapement debuted in 1999 on a De Ville, the Planet Ocean was among the first to use the movement across the entire line of watches. “For most people, the Planet Ocean, first-gen Aqua Terra, and second-generation Seamaster Pro were the real introduction as they brought coaxial to the masses,” said Ashley Budgen, the cofounder of Omega Forums. The watch’s supersized proportions also helped Omega “keep up with the big-watch trend” of the 2000s, according to Davidoff. The Planet Ocean is truly a do-it-all watch, as long as what you’re trying to do is dive deep below the ocean’s surface or follow in the enormous footsteps of timepiece trendsetters like Arnold Schwarzenegger. 10. Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M In terms of modern additions to the catalog, the Aqua Terra—introduced in 2002—is one of Omega’s biggest success stories. It’s a watch that I see frequently on Hollywood red carpets, and it’s found a home with many of Omega’s regular clients, too. “It’s a very popular and common model, and effectively serves as Omega’s competitor to the [Rolex] Datejust,” said Budgen. “It suits the single-watch buyer who never wants to take it off.” To Budgen’s point, the Aqua Terra might be the most versatile watch in Omega’s current arsenal. There’s a reason its name combines water and earth: It’s a sprinkle of the toolsy dive watches Omega is known for but just as useful for strutting around on land. Andrew Garfield certainly seems to like his—as does James Bond, who wore the model in both 2015’s Spectre and 2021’s No Time to Die. 9. Tourbillon watch Omega’s landmark tourbillon watches are so consequential that despite not having official names or reference numbers, they’re still getting a spot on this list. In 1947, the brand beat just about every big-name luxury watchmaker you can think of to the punch by unveiling the very first Swiss-made tourbillon movements. (French watchmaker Lip was actually the first to put a tourbillon in a wristwatch, in the ’30s!) Not only was this a historic achievement, but it represents a neat little moment of time in watch history. Omega specifically made the model to beat back encroaching competition from the Brits and Americans and reassert Geneva as the home of the world’s most precise timing instruments. So, in 1947, Omega created 13 tourbillon movements to run roughshod in the wristwatch category of the Geneva, Neuchatel and Kew-Teddington Observatory timing trials. It was long thought that these movements were only put into actual watches later. Omega rediscovered them in 1987, put seven of them into watches, and sold off to some lucky collectors. However, in 2017, Phillips auction house surfaced a prototype, assembled all the way back when the tourbillon was originally made in the late ’40s. The watch sold for 1,428,500 Swiss francs ($1,441,091 at the time of the sale), representing its enormous value and importance to Omega’s history. 8. Railmaster In 1957, Omega released what’s today known as its “Holy Trinity”—the Speedmaster, the Seamaster, and the Railmaster—a trio of revolutionary watch models that solidified the brand as a leader in proper purpose-built tool watches. While the Speedy would go on to outfit astronauts and the Seamaster would evolve into Bond’s timepiece of choice, the Railmaster was destined for a more humble existence. The watch’s key feature was its high degree of anti-magnetism, which was meant to attract railway workers, engineers, and scientists. Unfortunately, unlike the Speedmaster and Seamaster, this model never quite found its footing commercially. The watch has been discontinued and revived several times over the years and is currently on the outside looking in of the catalog. Still, vintage versions of the Railmaster remain some of the most handsome Omega watches on the market. If this were a ranking of the coolest-looking Omega watches, I’d honestly have the PloProf first. Its funky asymmetrical case is unlike anything else in the brand’s catalog—or, frankly, anything in the entire industry. I love a watch that gives you ample opportunities to say, Whatever you do, don’t push the red button. (The plunger on the right side of the watch unlocks the rotating bezel. It’s especially important for a dive watch that this element not move because professionals use it underwater to gauge when they need to surface.) In addition to its good looks, the PloProf is a serious piece of diving equipment. The name is a portmanteau of plongeur professionnel—meaning “professional diver” in French—and the watch lives up to that billing. The first era of PloProf watches marketed their ability to dive to an impressive 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet), but Hodinkee surfaced an old Omega document that shows the watch actually passed tests for an astounding 1,000 meters of water resistance. The watch was so technically advanced that Omega sent early prototypes to the French diving company COMEX. (Watch nerds will be familiar with the name, because it’s printed on the dial of some very valuable Rolex Submariners.) COMEX used it on diving missions and even gave design suggestions, according to my new favorite website, OmegaPloProf.com. One of these prototypes sold for over $90,000 in 2016. While the PloProf didn’t become a true crossover hit outside the diving world, a few super stylish individuals did get what made the watch special. Gianni Agnelli, the legendarily dapper president of Fiat, wore a PloProf in his signature way: on the outside of his sleeve. You can also spot one in old episodes of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. One fun PloProf fact from Sacha Davidoff: “We used to call it the Pop Rocks when I was a younger collector.” Before the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, there was the Omega Marine. Like, way before: In 1932, Omega released the Marine, the world’s first commercially available dive watch, beating out those aforementioned pieces by two decades. (In all fairness, Rolex’s claim to the first waterproof watch still stands—thanks to its 1926 Oyster model—but the Marine was the first piece designed to go well below the surface.) And if you’re the type of watch collector into celebrity co-signs, you’re gonna love this. The Marine was a favorite of household names like…American explorer Charles William Beebe and Yves Le Prieur, commonly referred to as the father of modern diving. Today, Omega is known as the brand that reaches the highest heights and furthest depths. That reputation all starts in 1932 with the Marine. While the watch isn’t in the catalog anymore, the brand did release a handful of special editions in 2007 that brought the vintage design into the present. 5. MoonSwatch This is the ranking that will upset the most people. In fact, several of the Omega experts I spoke with suggested I leave it off entirely. Counterpoint: No watch, across the entire industry, has made a bigger impact on the general public than the MoonSwatch over the past several years. (Second counterpoint: It literally says “Omega” on the dial!) The MoonSwatch is Omega’s ongoing collaboration with Swatch that reimagines the brand’s famous Speedmaster in fluorescent colors with a plastic case, quartz movement, and, most importantly, a wallet-friendly $260 price tag. Much to the chagrin of some collectors, it has made a version of the Speedmaster accessible to a much larger audience. “We see a consistent influx of new members, especially young members that get into the brand, and into watches in general via the MoonSwatch, many of whom go on to buy used modern or vintage Omegas when they find out how cheap they are,” said Budgen, the Omega Forums cofounder. “There are some Omega collectors who hate the MoonSwatch and rant about how it devalues their watches and so on. I think that’s nonsense. The data indicates that it’s one of the most effective marketing moves in the Swiss watch world.” The fervor for this watch speaks for itself: Think of the rowdy crowds outside Swatch stores on launch days that, at one point, led to at least one hopeful customer threatening another with a knife. For an extended period, the watches were impossible to find at retail, and prices skyrocketed on secondary sites like StockX. In terms of courting a new audience into the world of timepieces, there is nothing that equals the MoonSwatch. Even other luxury watch CEOs publicly expressed jealousy over the concept. The watch’s impact on Omega and the hobby at large can’t be understated. “[The MoonSwatch] actually caught me off guard, too, but I understand the rationale [in launching it] because it completely revitalized interest in a brand that was going stale,” said Adam Golden, the founder of Menta Watches and my watch-ranking consigliere. “It’s had such a cultural impact in the larger scheme.” What I think gets severely underrated when discussing watches is that even the entry-level pieces are often expensive. The Speedmaster’s $7,000 price is inaccessible for a large portion of the population. At $260 for a MoonSwatch, customers can get a watch related to one of the industry’s most iconic models. Three years into the collaboration, Omega and Swatch haven’t relented with new iterations. You can now find MoonSwatches with Snoopy on the dial, doused in highlighter pink, and bearing vintage-inspired “lollipop” hands. Maybe MoonSwatch buyers won't pass these pieces down to the next generation, but no other modern model inspires as many new collectors to get interested in heirloom-grade watches. 4. De Ville While the De Ville was originally launched as a sub-category of the Seamaster in the early 1960s, it has completely shed those roots today. Now, the De Ville represents the spirit of technical innovation in the Omega catalog. One of the most important advancements in Omega’s history is the adoption of the coaxial escapement. If you’ve been keeping up with the watch world in recent weeks, the concept of escapements has never been hotter. For centuries, every watch brand in Switzerland used the same type of escapement (known as the Swiss lever). However, the legendary watchmaker George Daniels (who literally wrote the book on making a watch entirely by hand) improved on this tried-and-true method when he invented the coaxial escapement in the mid-’70s. Over 20 years later, in 1999, Omega would start to industrialize Daniels’s escapement, leading to a more accurate and durable watch. And which model did it use to premiere this new technology? The De Ville. The legacy of the De Ville, and the decision to change its escapement, is so important because now nearly every Omega watch uses the same technology. That change also sparked the De Ville’s reputation as a hub for Omega’s innovations. Today, the De Ville family also houses the brand’s signature “central” tourbillon, which sits smack dab in the middle of the watch like the swinging Eye of Sauron. And despite rolling out the red carpet for the coaxial, some diehard collectors consider 2007’s Hour Vision to be more important. “That model launched the in-house Caliber 8500 [movement] in a watch with a level of finishing significantly above anything Omega had made in decades,” Budgen said. 3a. Constellation The Constellation is Omega’s award-winning stew: It takes all the qualities—technical innovation, celebrity tie-ins, and certified timekeeping superlatives—that make the brand special and tucks them into a single piece. The Constellation was introduced in 1952 and is the oldest model in Omega’s current catalog. The original release was inspired by the 1948 Centenary, a limited release that marked Omega’s first chronometer-certified wristwatch (meaning it passed a series of arduous timing-accuracy tests). The Constellation was released as a massive flex on the rest of the watch world. The watch gets its name from the emblem on the caseback depicting a constellation of eight stars above an observatory. The eight stars represent the precision records that Omega set at testing facilities like the Kew-Teddington and Geneva Observatory. Before the Seamaster 300 and the Speedy, this was the Omega to own—especially if you liked being on time for stuff. After 70 continuous years in production, the line has evolved in many ways. The early era of the Constellation is defined by the recognizable “pie-pan” dial, which refers to its slightly domed shape that looks like it could cook up next year’s Thanksgiving dessert. In 1982, the brand debuted the Constellation Manhattan, which was like if the elegant Swiss watch underwent a hairy transformation during full moons. Suddenly, the Constellation had claws (known as griffes) at 3 and 9 o’clock that held the watch tightly together to make it both thin and water-resistant. Over the years, Omega has made versions of the Constellation as a boxy “Electroquartz” or bulked up with complications, like the Double Eagle chronograph or its version of a Day-Date watch. And if all that technical hoopla isn’t attractive to you, maybe Cindy Crawford will do the trick. Omega signed the iconic supermodel as a partner in 1995 and immediately paired her with the Constellation watch. She even gave design notes on the watch to help steer Omega away from “a lot of stereotypically ‘guy stuff,’” she said, and become “a fashionable watchmaker.” 3b. Constellation Globemaster While I mentioned several of the Constellation’s many iterations above, one deserves a special carve out. In 2015, Omega put out the Constellation Globemaster, the first-ever watch to hold “Master Chronometer” status. In addition to sounding very cool, that standing signified that the watch had passed the highest and most rigorous set of tests in Switzerland. Omega itself helped develop the standards with the Swiss Institute of Meteorology (METAS). To become a Master Chronometer, a watch must first go through COSC, Switzerland’s primary agency for timing tests, before even attempting the METAS rigors, which include dropping it in a pressurized water tank and exposing it to extreme levels of magnetism. Today, Omega puts many of its watches through these paces, but other large brands, like Tudor, are adopting these standards, too. “The important things to mention about Omega is the coaxial escapement, METAS, and Master Chronometers,” Davidoff said. The Constellation covers two of those three, while the De Ville knocks out the third. 2a. Seamaster Diver 300M If the moon landing has been the defining achievement of modern Omega, the brand’s collaboration with James Bond is second in line. The true importance of that partnership lies beyond the marketing value of a Seamaster appearing on the wrist of the world’s suavest spy; instead, it’s the ways in which Bond has influenced the greater Omega catalog that are most fascinating. Official 007 collaboration versions of the Seamaster Diver were the first to feature vintage detailing and faux patina that have now transferred over to watches in Omega’s main line. And it helps, of course, that Bond has helped make the Diver 300M Omega’s most popular model next to the Speedy. “The Bond Seamaster Pro 300M and Bond marketing connection really did pull Omega out of bankruptcy in the ’90s,” said Budgen. “It took them from a basket case to a solid affordable brand.” 2b. Seamaster 300 The Seamaster 300—originally released in 1957 alongside the Speedmaster and Railmaster—was Omega’s original professional dive watch. Despite its importance to the brand’s history, the Seamaster 300 was discontinued in the ’70s before returning in 2014. Early versions of the Seamaster 300 are some of the most collectible Omegas on the market. The CK2913 is the first reference from the line and features many of its signatures, like the “Broad Arrow” hands and triangular indices. It’s one of the prettiest vintage dive watches in existence, but was also incredibly useful in its time—divers in Britain’s Royal Navy used watches because of their legibility and utility. 1. Speedmaster The Speedmaster was the seedling for modern Omega, which has since sprouted into an indomitable Redwood with many branches today. Originally released in 1957 and intended for use by race-car drivers, it was the first wristwatch ever to feature a tachymeter (used to calculate speed) on the bezel. But the model would go on to much, much grander heights. In the early ’60s, NASA sent out a call for watch brands to submit their timepieces to be considered for use in the Apollo moon missions. Omega beat out the likes of Rolex and Longines in the running, and the Speedy became—and remains—the only NASA-certified watch. That distinction is what the entire Omega brand is built on today. The watch industry is as much about storytelling as it is engineering. Over the decades, brands have tied their watches to incredible human achievements, like Rolex fastening its waterproof Oyster to Mercedes Gleitze’s wrist as she swam the English Channel. With the help of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, Omega became a part of arguably the most inspiring moment in human history. Over the decades, Omega has released the Speedmaster—also commonly known as the Moonwatch—in every incarnation available. There have been plenty of distinctive special editions, like the solid-gold versions commemorating the moon landing, or the wacky Project Alaska pieces that pay tribute to a top-secret 1970s watch development program. There have also been entire new spinoff lines like the ‘57, Chronoscope, and Mark II—and that’s all to say nothing of the fact that the MoonSwatch wouldn’t exist or be the success it is without the Speedmaster’s legacy. A ranking of the most important Speedmasters would be twice as long as this one, and if this were a ranking of the most important watches across the entire industry, the Speedy would land near the tippy top. Despite the diversity of Speedmasters in Omega’s catalog, the watch has several aesthetic signatures. A true-blue Speedy will always have the “dot over 90,” literally a small mark right above the 90 on the tachymeter scale; and the “broad arrow” hour hand; and a shatter-proof hesalite crystal. The Speedmaster shares the qualities of all the most significant timepieces ever made: It’s at once immediately recognizable and also malleable enough to be turned out in new and coveted editions to infinity (and beyond). PRODUCTION CREDITS: Photographs by Bowen Fernie Set Design by Suzy Zietzmann