Omega calibers – The super-powers behind the Omega watch faces Part 2

Part 2: Modern Omega Movements

The era of modern Omega movements starts in the late 1990s. The broad diversity of movements that can be found in this era is like watchmaking on steroids. As Omega likes to push its own and others’ limits, this list contains probably some of the best movements in the world. The list is below, but this one isn’t sorted chronologically per se, as we couldn’t find release years for many of them. Again, any feedback and information (along with reference links please) are welcome, as the task of collecting is either needs weeks of research or the whole team of watch geeks to dig all the info and sort it out properly. We found only three calibers released in the 90s:

• Omega 1666 - Speedmaster quartz by ETA, 32kHz, 9 jewels (1998)
• Omega 2500 (ETA 2892-A2) - Automatic with a first-ever Co-Axial escapement and 25200 bph, 27 jewels (1999)
• Omega 2402 - Skeletonized, white rhodium-plated, no date, 25200 bph, 27 jewels (1999)

After the Co-Axial escapement is introduced, the first decade of the 2000s saw blooming in that field:

• Omega 2627 - Date, power reserve, Co-Axial, 25200 bph, 29 jewels (2001)
• Omega 2600 - Central tourbillion, 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2002)
• Omega 2403 - No date, 25200 bph, 27 jewels (2003)
• Omega 2633 – Skeletonized, 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2004)
• Omega 2628 - Date, GMT, Co-Axial, 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2005)
• Omega 2202 (ETA 2895-2) - Small seconds, Co-Axial escapement, Omega free-sprung balance, 25200 bph, 27 jewels (2005)
• Omega 2507 - "Bullet" rotor decoration, 25200 bph, 27 jewels (2006)
• Omega 2610 (ETA 2896) - Automatic with a new Co-Axial escapement and big date, 28800 bph, 21 jewels (2006)
• Omega 2007 - Hand-winding, Co-Axial escapement, 28800 bph, 25 jewels (2007)
• Omega 2635 - Co-Axial, PVD, 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2007)
• Omega 8500 - Updated Co-Axial escapement automatic, a replacement for the Omega 2500, 2-barrel automatic with date, free-spring balance, 25200 bph, 39 jewels (2007)
• Omega 3888 - Co-Axial escapement, 5-register chronograph, 28800 bph, 33 jewels (2008)

Omega 3888, photo credit

But the true boom happened in the second decade of the 2000s which matches the rebirth of Omega of a sort, when many breakthroughs were introduced in shapes of amazing timepieces run by, for example, these collaborations with F. Piguet:

• Omega 2636 - Skeletonized and Diamond paved Omega 2637, both 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2010)
• Omega 2638 - Blue PVD, 21600 bph, 48 jewels (2015)
• Omega 3313 (Piguet 1285) - Column wheel chronograph, Co-Axial escapement, date, 28800 bph, 37 jewels
• Omega 3201 (Piguet 1285) - Hand-winding column-wheel chronograph, free-sprung balance, Co-Axial escapement, 28800 bph, 25 jewels
• Omega 3202 (Piguet 1285) - Automatic column-wheel chronograph, free-sprung balance, Co-Axial escapement, 28800 bph, 33 jewels
• Omega 3203 (Piguet 1285) - Hand-winding column-wheel chronograph, free-sprung balance, Co-Axial escapement, 28800 bph, 33 jewels
• Omega 3205 (Piguet 1285) - No date, 28800 bph, 33 jewels
• Omega 3113 (Piguet 1285) - Column wheel chronograph, advanced Co-Axial escapement, free-sprung balance, 28800 bph, 25 jewels
• Omega 3603 (Piguet 1285) - Column wheel chronograph, Co-Axial escapement, GMT, 28800 bph, 37 jewels
• Omega 3612 (Piguet 1286) - Column wheel chronograph, Co-Axial escapement, rattrapante, 28800 bph, 37 jewels Except for the Valjoux made Omega 3330, listed below, this list is far from its final shape.
• Omega 3330 (Valjoux 7753) - Automatic column-wheel chronograph, Co-Axial escapement, silicon hairspring, date, 28800 bph, 27 jewels (2012)

Omega 3330 (Valjoux 7753), photo credit

The following movements were hard to pin to a year of release, but they all saw the light of a day in the second decade of the 21st century. And, we would dare to say, they truly represent the new age:

• Omega 3890 - Automatic 4-register chronograph with date, 28800 bph, 33 jewels (2010)
• Omega 8400 - No-date, silicon balance spring, magnetic resistant, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8401 - Luxury finish, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8501 - 18k winding rotor and balance bridge, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8508 - Magnetic resistant, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8511 - Hand-winding, magnetic resistant, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8601 - Annual calendar with date and month at 3:00, silicon hairspring, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8611 - 18k winding rotor and balance bridge, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8520 - Co-Axial ladies automatic with date, 25200 bph, 28 jewels (2010)
• Omega 8521 - Luxury finish, 18k winding rotor and balance bridge, 25200 bph, 28 jewels (2010)
• Omega 8421 - Luxury finish, no date, 25200 bph, 28 jewels
• Omega 8507 - 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8602 - Luxury finish, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8612 - Luxury finish, gold rotor and bridge, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8605 – GMT, 25200 bph, 38 jewels
• Omega 8615 - Luxury finish, 25200 bph, 38 jewels
• Omega 8900 - Next-generation automatic movement (to replace 8500), magnetic resistant, 25200 bph, 39 jewels (2015)
• Omega 8901 - Luxury finish, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8913 - No date, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8902 - Luxury finished, an annual calendar, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8903 - Luxury finished, gold rotor and bridge, an annual calendar, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8906 – GMT, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 8912 - No date, 25200 bph, 38 jewels
• Omega 8922 - Annual calendar, 25200 bph, 39 jewels (2016)
• Omega 8923 - Luxury finish, an annual calendar, 25200 bph, 39 jewels
• Omega 9300 - New LIGA escape wheel, silicon hairspring, 2 barrels, chronograph, column wheel, vertical clutch, 28800 bph, 54 jewels (2011)
• Omega 9301 - Luxury version, 18k winding rotor and balance bridge, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9605 – GMT, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9615 - Luxury finish, gold rotor and bridge, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9900 - Automatic chronograph with date, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9901 - 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9904 - Moonphase and subdial date, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 9905 - Luxury finish, 28800 bph, 54 jewels
• Omega 8700 – Chronometer, Co-Axial escapement, antimagnetic up to 15,000 Gauss, free-sprung balance with silicon balance spring, 25200 bph
• Omega 8704 - Ladies automatic, 25200 bph, 28 jewels (2016)
• Omega 8705 – Antimagnetic up to 15,000 Gauss, free-sprung balance with silicon balance spring, 25200 bph
• Omega 8800 – Self-winding automatic, antimagnetic up to 15,000 Gauss, free-sprung balance with silicon balance spring,25200 bph, 35 jewels (2016)
• Omega 8801 – Self-winding automatic, antimagnetic up to 15,000 Gauss, free-sprung balance with silicon balance spring,25200 bph, 35 jewels

Omega 8801, photo credit

Minding the effort, knowledge, skills and time invested into making these pieces, each of them would deserve at least a paragraph of praise. Since that isn’t quite a reader-friendly, unless you want to forget yourself for a couple of days or even weeks, in our next article we’ll be making a couple of honorable mentions, so stay with us!