Do you wish Omega took itself more seriously?

[guppydriver]

My biggest problem with Omega is they don't seem interested in what the enthusiast is clamoring for them to make. It seems lately they just produce watches nobody asked for and at a questionable premium to boot. I think the rise of Tudor and the renaissance of Longines is because they seem to listen to what the enthusiast demands which then trickles down to the casual buyer with time.

The recent green world timer and the gray GMT PO immediately come to mind. Meanwhile, they have about three prime lines that are dying for a refresh (Globemaster, PO, maybe even the 300M). Also, still no GMT bezeled sport model in a wearable case. I don't think the occasional playful piece affects the brand at all and I enjoy it actually. Omega needs to start delivering wanted value to the enthusiast, especially if one of their bigger competitors becomes more readily available at retail.

 

[Tekashi_145.022]

guppydriver

The recent green world timer and the gray GMT PO immediately come to mind. Meanwhile, they have about three prime lines that are dying for a refresh (Globemaster, PO, maybe even the 300M). Also, still no GMT bezeled sport model in a wearable case.

To add to this wishlist, I’m clamoring for Omega to make another day-date. A thin case, 36-39mm, steel… I’d love to see it in the latest Aqua Terra style, or maybe even a Globemaster.

 

[DenisChalandier]

More seriously, I don't know. As someone said, no need for a new boring 3 hand 80 hours no use reserve watch.

But I see the latest DSOM, Bond 60, Snoopy and so on as a lack of ideas. DSotM is more "ok, we've done it 12 times, any ideas for this year ? Done the back, yes ? Rocket Shaped Hand ? Well not sure, anything else ? No ? Ok let's go...".

Not saying the watches are bad but something new would be handy. NTTD failure will put Bond to sleep for years. OG don't interest people as much. No countries even wants to host them anymore.

Not saying Omega should cut Bond, Moon or OG parternships either ; I have 5 Diver 300 and a Speed . But a real new watch or collection is a long time now.

 

[ErichPryde]

PandaSPUR

Out of the 3 examples I listed, I can accept the Patek x Tiffany collaboration the most. At least Tiffany & Co made watches at one point as well. But the timing and method of the release just screamed of hype exploitation and money grab.

Agreed. I can't speak to the Rolex that you mentioned but a collaboration with Marvel definitely would seem to be of interest to the demographic I mentioned...


it's almost ironic to me that the Snoopy gets so much hate for similar reasons, considering that that particular cartoon character is steeped in NASA history.

 

[G'c]

OP's thread came just at the right time as I was just scrolling their recent IG posts which makes me wonder the same. Maybe taking themselves more "seriously" is the wrong word but do they need to sit down and take some time to reflect? It seems that they are taking one step forward and one step backward. Some examples:

- Moonswatch: Great marketing idea, interesting watches sparking discussion everywhere! (Even for non-watch people). However, they should've stopped producing them after perhaps like a 2 year run and then move on to Blancpain, instead of continuing the Moonswatch.

- NTTD: Great unique take on the seamaster 300M. I have personal bias as I own this as my first watch and I still enjoy (without even knowing much above luxury watches except of course the typical brand names). The bottom line is this gained interest from the watch guys to look at the 300M line again. A few years later the 60th bond reduces the significance of NTTD abit.

- Marketing: The slow reveals of models definitely create some hype. Then you see the generic award shows shots. Dumping money at celebrities is totally fine - but from those Grammy posts there do not seem to be a real relationship between the ambassador and the watches they wear - More like they were just thrown watches that the brand wants them to wear.

Lastly - have they ever thought about streamlining their watch collections? Who buys modern DeVilles, Constellations with X number of colors? Of course Omega have the figures and I may well be wrong, but shouldn't they revamp some of these lines and cut the fat? Understand their approach is to allow people to have more choices, but there are TOO many choices which confuse alot of people.

 

[G'c]

One more observation - it's still quite sad that Omega is living under the "shadow" of its distinguished competition. Many people are buying Omegas because of "I can't get a Rolex, and Omega is a cheaper alternative with great quality", instead of choosing Omega solely because of preference instead of the price.

 

[Perrier]

I wish they dropped the 007 relationship. It's childish and tacky. It's telling us their brand is for fantasists and man-childs.

They already have the Olympics. They should get some tennis, golf, and other upmarket sports.

 

[SpeedyPhill]

1848 to 2023 was their 175th anniversary... what did they bring out to celebrate this... or was 2023 a year-to-forget ?
Anyway we're not at the steering column of the company, they're reading & reacting upon the current (fashionable) trends, but I never read soo many negative comments on a new Speedmaster release, Swiss Omega creativity must be dead

Such a rich (toolwatch) history with important upcoming anniversaries and Omega brings another Apollo 8 ?
Always see and expect the positive side of things, it can only be great for those other Omega Speedmaster chronographs and for the near future the next Speedmaster might be great as " two of these in a row can't happen " ... Can it ?

 

[Ree]

"Innovative watchmaking is the cornerstone of OMEGA’s heritage but it is inspired by sports timekeeping, our conquests of space, our advocacy on behalf of worthy organisations and, of course, our enviable role in support of the world’s favourite spy."
That's their mission, I took it from their website: https://www.omegawatches.com/planet-omega

If I'm not mistaken I've also heard that CEO himself wanted to make a line-up of watches that could appeal to every specific audiences. They wanted to have something for everyone.

Innovative being the mission, I applause them for trying things that are occasionally out of the norm. Whether it'd be flying beagles, spaceship chrono hands, or animated 007, as long as they're done with intricate care, I don't see the problem. From what I've seen, the lasered dial details on the new Apollo 8 and the finishing on the spaceship hand are spot-on. The flying snoopy was nicely done too. I heard these are even better finished than GMT hands on that of the popular competitor.

Apart from those, they also maintain a line-up of traditional pieces. The 321, the deville, the occasional tourb/repeaters.

That said, I think they're fine where they are. If I have to comment, I'd say they need to focus more on wearability on some models. But this apparently has also been addressed, for example, on the latest 3861 Speedmasters with better proportions.

 

[savio.79]

I don’t know what you’re talking about:

 

[Taddyangle]

guppydriver

My biggest problem with Omega. no GMT bezeled sport model in a wearable case.

I have been saying this for 5+ years. I'm going to give up on waiting. I'm getting very close to buying the 50th GMT anniversary watch and swapping out the bezel to solid black.

 

[rebar]

savio.79

I don’t know what you’re talking about:

Are these for real?

 

[Annapolis]

rebar

Are these for real?

yes

 

[Annapolis]

Perrier

I wish they dropped the 007 relationship. It's childish and tacky. It's telling us their brand is for fantasists and man-childs.

They already have the Olympics. They should get some tennis, golf, and other upmarket sports.

The Bond thing is so integral to the brand identity, I can’t imagine them ever leaning away from it—until 007 switches to G-Shock or something.

But it does get to the heart of my post. When Rolex does something cheesy and questionable (like the balloon watch), it’s sorta like a dad-joke: people might chortle behind the brand’s back, but it doesn’t (I don’t think) damage consumer sentiment about the brand itself. Their baseline is serious, consistent, steady—one could even say to the point of being boring.

With Omega, it’s not a dad-joke: sometimes it feels like a grown-ass man doing full-hearted cosplay. Look at me!—I’m a spy! (Or an astronaut!) It would be in better taste—in my thoroughly irrelevant opinion—if they could mass-produce a watch that got featured in a Bond movie without putting all kinds of goofy Bond branding on it—make-believe British military markings and 007 logos and $h!t. Isn’t that how it used to be?They’d still get the upshot from the Hollywood tie-in, but it would all feel less juvenile and costumey.

The Snoopy watch—fine. I’m not the customer for that watch, and there is relevance there for NASA. But the little rocket thing? I’m all about having a sense of humor and not believing your own hype or taking yourself too seriously. But that is SO tacky and goofy. Enough that I’m actually feeling slightly embarrassed by it. (Which probably means I’m too emotionally invested in Omega to begin with—that’s my problem, not theirs.) It’s like watching your kid accidentally score a goal for the wrong team.

 

[ChronoB]

There's nothing that says luxury can't include whimsy.

 

[itsjustausername]

ChronoB

There's nothing that says luxury can't include whimsy.

One person's whimsy is another's tacky

 

[dstfno]

I don't really mind the playfulness of some of their watches. But I surely would get more excited about a special Speedy release if we hadn't gotten 100 other ones in the previous couple of years already.

Edited: Jan 17, 2024

 

[ChronoB]

itsjustausername

One person's whimsy is another's tacky

Yes, that's personal taste. Nevertheless, if someone avoided buying an Omega because a small number of their watches have Snoopy on them for specific reasons (not for marketing of Peanuts comics) they can sample the many watches from all the other "serious" luxury brands. Seems like this poses no harm to Omega. As for me, sure, I might offend a few of the blue-noses with my cocky stride and musty odors – oh, I’ll never be the darling of the so-called “City Fathers” who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about “What’s to be done with this Omega watch owner?"

 

[G'c]

Perrier

I wish they dropped the 007 relationship. It's childish and tacky. It's telling us their brand is for fantasists and man-childs.

They already have the Olympics. They should get some tennis, golf, and other upmarket sports.

Lol from my post above I obviously don't mind the 007, whilst I respect your opinion.

To me the 007 association is totally ok as long as it's not tacky like the past minute hand with 007 logo. The NTTD to me strikes a pretty good balance, i.e., people do not have to like the 007 branding to buy the same. In fact, to me the big olympic logo on the recent tokyo olympics speedys is not my thing.

Having said that, perhaps omega can consider this: In the next bond film, continue to promote the hell out of the screen watch(es) that Bond uses. However, instead of having any 007 branding (even including bracelet/boxes), just release the watch "as-is". Omega can perhaps make the warranty cards printed in "MI:6" fonts but w/o any 007 logos. Given the online marketing and word of mouth, nobody would NOT know that the watch you are buying is associated with 007 even without these markings anyways.

I understand Omega pays a lot of money to buy the 007 rights (and the right to display logo on the products as part of the negotiation), however, an even more subtle approach will no doubt be something new for the franchise going forward.

 

[Tekashi_145.022]

Annapolis

The Bond thing is so integral to the brand identity, I can’t imagine them ever leaning away from it—until 007 switches to G-Shock or something.

But it does get to the heart of my post. When Rolex does something cheesy and questionable (like the balloon watch), it’s sorta like a dad-joke: people might chortle behind the brand’s back, but it doesn’t (I don’t think) damage consumer sentiment about the brand itself. Their baseline is serious, consistent, steady—one could even say to the point of being boring.

With Omega, it’s not a dad-joke: sometimes it feels like a grown-ass man doing full-hearted cosplay. Look at me!—I’m a spy! (Or an astronaut!) It would be in better taste—in my thoroughly irrelevant opinion—if they could mass-produce a watch that got featured in a Bond movie without putting all kinds of goofy Bond branding on it—make-believe British military markings and 007 logos and $h!t. Isn’t that how it used to be?They’d still get the upshot from the Hollywood tie-in, but it would all feel less juvenile and costumey.

The Snoopy watch—fine. I’m not the customer for that watch, and there is relevance there for NASA. But the little rocket thing? I’m all about having a sense of humor and not believing your own hype or taking yourself too seriously. But that is SO tacky and goofy. Enough that I’m actually feeling slightly embarrassed by it. (Which probably means I’m too emotionally invested in Omega to begin with—that’s my problem, not theirs.) It’s like watching your kid accidentally score a goal for the wrong team.

I fully appreciate the thoughtful push back on Bond. I like seeing James Bond wear Omega, but I would personally never buy a James Bond branded Omega…

It makes me think of Omega’s modern unit watch program, which is probably worth its own thread: https://www.watchesofespionage.com/...gram-frogmen-navy-seals-and-us-secret-service

No indication these watches are being worn in the field, but still cool see the “real life” James Bonds out there have their own special edition Omega - earned, and not available to the public. I also like that Omega isn’t advertising these connections everywhere, like Panerai or some other brands might.