At a press conference at Geneva's Cité du
Temps on Tuesday, Swiss watch brand OMEGA and the director of the Swiss Federal
Institute of Metrology (METAS) announced their collaboration on a new watch
certification process that the brand will begin using in 2015 to test each of
its Master Co-Axial watches.
Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek was joined by
Dr Christian Bock, the Director of METAS, Stephen Urquhart, President of OMEGA
and OMEGA Vice Presidents Raynald Aeschlimann and Andreas Hobmeier.
After welcoming media and guests, Stephen
Urquhart recalled some of the technological milestones in OMEGA's long history,
including its launch in 2013 of a mechanical movement resistant to magnetic
fields greater than 15,000 gauss. He explained that the increasing number of
magnets in our daily lives can affect the performance of watches and showed a
short film explaining how OMEGA had overcome one of watchmaking's greatest
challenges.
The anti-magnetic movements were introduced
on a large-scale in OMEGA's Master Co-Axial watches earlier this year.
Nick Hayek then pointed out that Swatch
Group has long been a leader in its promotion of the Swiss watch industry and
the "Swiss made" label and he expressed his satisfaction with the
innovations that have made it so robust. He added that Swatch Group is committed
to retaining its leadership position in the Swiss watch industry and said that
the partnership with METAS was the logical next step.
Mr. Hayek suggested that in recent years it
has become obvious that the COSC chronometer certification, long the industry
norm, needs to be strengthened.
In the middle of 2015, the first OMEGA
watches will be produced with the Master Co-Axial Officially Certified
designation. A significant difference between the new certification and its
predecessors is that it will test the finished watch instead of its movement.
Dr Christian Bock, the Director of METAS,
was introduced and explained the role that his organization plays in the Swiss
federal government. The Institute, he
said, is the centre of competence for the Swiss government for all matters
involving measurement and measuring procedures.
The METAS Director said that the new
certification process would give OMEGA and other Swiss watchmakers the
opportunity to demonstrate the quality and timekeeping performance of their
watches to a greater extent than has previously been possible. He added that it was important to point out
that METAS is completely independent – with no bias or prejudice – and only
agreed to work on projects when it was convinced that its neutrality was not
compromised. The agreement with OMEGA has no suggestion of exclusivity and
other clients would have access to the same certification.
Raynald Aeschlimann, OMEGA's Vice President
and Head of International Sales, said that the certification of the watches by
an independent institution that is part of the Swiss Federal Government made as
bold a statement about OMEGA as its monobrand boutiques and the transparent
casebacks that reveal the movements inside. "All of these define our
brand. The boutiques place our watches close to the consumers where they can
explore them in detail. The casebacks allow the examination of the movements
that are such an important part of our story. And this new, completely
independent 'Swiss Made' certification confirms the quality of each watch that
earns it. It's an important milestone for both our brand and the
industry."
Andreas Hobmeier, OMEGA Vice President of
Production and Procurement, spoke in detail about the tests each Master
Co-Axial watch will have to pass in order to earn the "Officially
Certified" distinction. The watches will be tested for their precision
during and after exposure to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss – they
will have to perform within a tolerance of 0 and +5 seconds per day, for
autonomy (functioning without winding, measured in hours) and water resistance.
Owners of watches that are Master Co-Axial
Officially Certified will be able to access online or via a smartphone the
results and performance parameters of the tests passed by their watches.
In response to a question following the
presentations, Mr. Hayek said that the current level of innovation certified
with the Master Co-Axial calibres is presently unbeatable and added that the
new standard would motivate other brands to move ahead to meet the new
criteria. "This," he said, "would benefit the entire industry –
not only in Switzerland but in China and Japan and in other countries with a
history of innovative watchmaking. More importantly, it would also benefit the
consumers and that has to be a good thing."
