Beginning a new era in watchmaking
excellence, OMEGA and METAS proudly share the creation, process and results of
the industry-changing Master Chronometer certification.
At a press conference held at OMEGA’s HQ in
Biel, Switzerland, the world’s first Master Chronometer has been made official.
Not only does this represent a momentous occasion for the brand, it also sets a
new standard of watchmaking for the entire industry.
In 2014, OMEGA and the Swiss Federal
Institute of Metrology (METAS) announced their collaboration on a new watch
certification, whereby precision and performance would be tested and approved
like never before. A year on, and the entire process is now fully active. With
a new METAS Lab housed at the heart of OMEGA’s operations, the Globemaster has
officially become the first watch to achieve the “Master Chronometer” rating.
On stage, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek was
joined by Dr Christian Bock, Director of METAS, as well as Stephen Urquhart,
President of OMEGA, and Andreas Hobmeier, OMEGA's Vice President of Production
and Procurement.
Opening the press conference, Nick Hayek
described the importance of the moment. “We all know about the importance of
beautiful products, history and innovation. But one other thing is so
important. That’s trust. Trust for our consumers. By working with an
independent organisation such as METAS, we can be transparent for the consumer,
and reconfirm that the Swiss watch industry is the leader in precision and
innovation.”
METAS has of course been a critical partner
in creating the new Master Chronometer certification. Speaking on stage, Dr
Bock described the importance of their role and reconfirmed the message of
trust.
“Trust is the core of our business at
METAS. We are a government agency, the leading centre for all measurements in
Switzerland. And above all, we are consumer and client driven. That’s why it
was important to ensure that this new standard for mechanical watches is open
to every brand.”
While industry-standard COSC certification
remains an integral part of OMEGA’s process, the new METAS testing will
effectively double the certification of each watch, giving 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. With 8 tests carried out over 10 days, each watch must pass a range
of criteria that replicate real-life wearing conditions, including exposure to
magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss.
After explaining each individual test, Mr
Hobmeier proudly displayed the world’s first Master Chronometer, the
Globemaster, while briefly describing the effort involved in its creation.
“Trust is something you can only gain if
you walk the talk. Our team has been working very hard with METAS to perfect
the details. It is an honour to present the first watch that has passed these
tests.”
The test results of the watch were also shown,
demonstrating how customers can now check the individual results of their own
watch by going online.
Having achieved this milestone, OMEGA has
signalled the future of the brand. As a renowned watchmaking pioneer, this
occasion will certainly rank as one of its most defining moments.
To find out more about the OMEGA Globemaster and Master Chronometer certification, go to the following link: World's First Master Chronometer.
For a revealing look at the METAS testing
process, watch OMEGA’s quality movie online: Video
No comments:
Post a Comment