As with Ford and Chevy, Canon and Nikon, BMW and Mercedes, or Coke and Pepsi, in the world of luxury watches, the debate between Rolex vs Omega is a heated one. These two titan companies (both Swiss in origin) have been battling each other to win the hearts, minds (and pocketbooks) of high-end consumers for decades- and are showing no signs of slowing down. As in other competitions such as these, the source of the debate is not the fact that one is actually better than the other- it’s the fact that they are both generally very good, and the decisive factors in choosing one or the other is more or less a matter of personal choice, and/or in some cases professional need.

The Rolex Submariner - a classic Swiss diving watch

History

As aforementioned, both watch makers have a long history. Before the time of Quartz watches, Omega was the top-selling brand of Swiss watches, and was consistently selling more units per year than Rolex. At that time, although Rolex was selling fewer units, they were doing so at a higher price point.

Omega also made history but providing the first watches used in the NASA space program yet in the 1970s it lost its way in terms of marketing. The battle of Rolex vs Omega really tilted in the direction of Rolex, which did some brilliant marketing by providing its watches to world famous explorers and placing them in popular movies.

With the advent of Quartz-battery powered watches however, many Swiss watch producers (including Omega) unsuccessfully tried to compete with the Japanese in producing cheap quartz watches, while Rolex (which was owned by a private trust, and as such, didn’t have to cave in to market pressure) stayed the course, and continued to focus on producing high quality mechanical watches (although they did experiment a bit with quartz movements).

Under the worldwide economic crisis in the 1970s and a restructuring as part of the swatch group in 1983, Omega had become weakened, and Rolex increased market share until it became the undisputed ruler of the Swiss watch world.

Rolex advertisement from 1969

It was only in the past two decades that Omega managed to really make a comeback under the leadership of the Swatch Group. Part of this was due to new marketing strategies that focussed on product placements. James Bond started wearing an Omega (traditionally it had been a Rolex Submariner but in in the 1980s he switched to wearing an Omega Seamaster) and the popularity of Omega vs Rolex watches started to shift. You can read a fascinating history of James Bond’s watches here.

Since then, although Omega continues to produce quartz-battery powered watches alongside its traditional mechanical movements, it seems to have also adopted many elements of Rolex’s business model (i.e. higher pricing, tighter controls of dealer pricing, increasing advertising, etc) and has thus increased it’s market share to become more of a direct competitor.

In terms of the watches themselves, being quartz-powered most would agree that Omegas are more accurate (although Omega also makes a huge range of fantastic mechanical watches). As such for those who need a super-accurate timepiece for professional reasons, the Omega would definitely be the better bet. At the same time however, for those who are more interested in the prestige of a luxury watch, and can handle a higher up-front cost, Rolex would be best way to go. What the Rolex watch may lose in its accuracy (which is still extremely good), it makes up in its brand value. As Rolex is the most well known, desired, and copied watch brand in the world, (and most likely will continue to be so in the foreseeable future) it is the safest bed for re-sell. Furthermore, (and most likely as a function of it’s higher price) Rolex is known to have both customer service that is second to none, and a wider dealer network.

Even though Omega watches are both more revolutionary (while Rolex watches are ‘evolutionary’) and accurate, the brand name, resale value and customer service of Rolex make it an equal contender to Omega- if not in sales, then at least in the hearts of consumers. The contest between Omega v Rolex for the title of king of the Swiss watch brands will keep going for some time yet.

Rolex has also determinedly associated itself with adventure and sports and major personalities such as Reinhold Messner, a famous mountaineer who became a prominent brand ambassador for Rolex by saying he never climbs without his Rolex Oysterquartz (see picture).

The Omega Speedmaster and Space

Omega Speedmaster Advertisement from 1975

In his book, Marking Time, Michael Korda, tells the story of how Omega’s Speedmaster was selected by NASA for its astronauts. The selection was not, as you might imagine, an exhaustive process in which watchmakers were asked to supply specifications and to bid for a space watch (which would probably have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, the way procurement projects usually do).

Instead, having not given much thought to the subject, NASA’s engineers suddenly realised quite late in the space programme that they needed a watch. They searched Houston’s watch stores and came up with the Speedmaster, which is lighter and a bit easier to wear than the Rolex Daytona, and also about a third of the price.

They picked it because it was waterproof, seemed quite sturdy and not too expensive.

“To own an Omega is to associate yourself with the astronauts, for the Omega Speedmaster Professional was the first watch worn on the moon and bore on the back of its case an engraved certification of that fact from NASA.”

On the other hand, he writes:

“To own a Rolex is to identify yourself with race car drivers, people who climbed Everest and sports celebreties of all kinds.

 Buzz Aldrin’s missing Omega

In his book, Magnificent Desolation, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin says that all the astronauts were required to hand back their watches after their missions. All of the watches are accounted for (and housed safely in the vaults of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC) except for the one that he wore on the moon.

He said he handed over his Omega Speedmaster to NASA’s Johnson Space Center to be shipped to the Smithsonian. The box with his other stuff got there but not the watch.

“People have told me that the Speedmaster I wore on the moon is the Holy Grail of watches for serious collectors, and I assume that the search for it will go on.”

Aldrin writes that 40 years after he stood ont eh moon he was invited by Omega to Basel where it presented him with a brand new Omega Speedmaster.

The history of Omega watches

Omega dates back to 1880 when it was part of the firm, Louis Brandt and Son. At the time this was one of the world’s leading watchmakers with production of over 100,000 watches a year (Vintage Wristwatches by Reyne Haines).

The name Omega was apparently suggested by as early as 1903, but the first watch to appear under this name was released in 1909 at the Gordon Bennett Cup, an international ballooning contest and fitting place to launch the watch. It was soon adopted widely as a aviators’ watch and in 1917 the Royal Flying Corps, which later become the Royal Air Force, adopted it

A display advertisement for Rolex from 1983 showing the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner wearing his Rolex on Everest

Rolex Vs Omega: A Brief History of Two Great Watch Brands

Ever since the advent of the quartz watches, people have been asking themselves which is better.  To answer that question depends on what you prize in a watch, more accurate time keeping ability, or a more solid, heirloom like piece.  Whichever you prefer, take a moment to learn a little about both types of watch and see for yourself which type is best for you or the person you are buying a watch for.

Why Buy a Watch, Don’t All Cell Phones Keep the Time?

Yeah they do, till the battery dies and you are stuck somewhere without any idea of time.  Divers need quality watches, hikers should always keep one, no self respecting business man ever catches himself watch less, and farriers (that would be a person who shoes horses) always keep one hand as you always need to know if you are on schedule, so that you can let your appointments know if you will be on time or not or even if you are going to make it.  You may have to take an injured animal’s pulse, and you can’t do that with a cell phone. Cell phones can be unbelievably fickle, and I can think of good reasons for everyone to have a watch handy, so ask yourself which side of the watch war you are on.

Quartz Watches: Pros and Cons

The pros to keeping a quartz watch are mainly the time is more accurate, with quartz watches losing as little as a second a week.  They are said to be over sixty times as accurate as a mechanical watch, and require significantly less maintenance and care.  They are much cheaper that the average mechanical watches, and you barely have to think about owning one at all.  They can be found almost everywhere and have very few moving parts for things to go wrong with or for time to wear down.

The downside to quartz watches is that in the end, they are a cheap product and are simply not going to last the way a properly maintained mechanical watch is going to.  No one hands a quartz watch down to their children in a will after they die, and even if they do know one is going to fight over dad’s old cheap watch.  They are not an heirloom piece and no matter what you pay for one they never will be.

Swiss Mechanical Watches: Pros and Cons

The big plus to owning a Swiss mechanical watch is that they are items of exquisite quality and beauty.  Not just any bozo can make a mechanical watch, and the craftsmanship is really impressive.   These are heirloom pieces, real works of art, and anyone who leaves one to a favored relative or friend is leaving behind a real treasure, something that if properly maintained, can last for generations. If anything does go wrong with one, they are all moving parts, and one can usually be replaced with relative ease should it fail.  They also stand cold much better than does quartz.

The cons to purchasing a mechanical watch is that they have to be wound, a lot, they are also expensive, and there are fewer of them due to quartz taking over the lower end watch market.  In short, there are no cheap mechanical watches.  They also have to be maintained regularly, at minimum every four years, and more if you do any sort of outdoor activity with the watch.  Get ready to be on first name terms with your jeweler, because if you own a mechanical Swiss watch you will be seeing a lot of the guy.

The Mechanical Watch vs. the Quarts Timepiece: What You Need to Know Before You Purchase