Omega has unveiled a new watch called the Globemaster which has been created in the “true spirit of the brand”.

The new watch houses the Swiss brand’s most advanced mechanical movement and features a design inspired by early Constellation models that represent horological expertise and Omega’s legacy of precision and outstanding performance. 

Each watch is certified through a series of independent tests – a revolutionary process that establishes a new quality standard in the watch industry, says Omega. 

Two design features that define the Globemaster are its dial, which is created in a style that watch collectors have long referred to as a pie-pan dial, and the “fluted” bezel, an element that has decorated several famous Constellation watches. 

Omega’s history also influenced the Globemaster’s caseback. Representing the precision awards that the watchmaker received for the outstanding performance of its movements during the famous chronometer observatory trials in the 1940s and 1950s is a medallion stamped with an image of a cupola of an observatory where the precision competitions took place. 

Eight stars in the sky above the observatory symbolise the most important precision records that Omega set and, reflecting how the brand’s commitment to quality has endured, the stars also signify the eight METAS-certified criteria that a timepiece and its movement must pass in order to receive Master Chronometer status.


MASTER CHRONOMETER

In December 2014, Omega held a press conference together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) to announce a new watch certification process that will become active in 2015. 

The Globemaster is the first watch to be tested and approved according to this new process, which, in addition to measuring the performance of the watch in daily wearing conditions, ensures that it functions properly when exposed to strong magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. 

Any brand can submit its watches for these METAS-approved tests in order to receive Master Chronometer standing, a label that at once makes a statement about the quality of not only the mechanical movement but also of the watch itself. 

The eight criteria that are measured during the certification process are:
• The function of the movement during exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss.
• The deviation of the running time of the watch in six positions.
• The deviation of the running time of the watch between 0 and 2/3 power reserve.
• The function of the watch during exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss.
• The deviation of the average daily precision of the watch after exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss.
• The average daily precision of the watch in tests replicating daily wearing conditions (six positions, two temperatures).
• The power reserve of the watch (autonomy – functioning without winding).
• The water resistance of the watch.

Before the watch is exposed to the magnetic field and its performance is measured according to the criteria approved by METAS, the movement must pass the tests established by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). Along with their watch, customers will receive a certification card that includes an identification number which they can use to see how their watches performed on each test. This documentation is proof that the watch has been certified by METAS. 

The Globemaster will have to perform within a tolerance of 0 and +5 seconds per day during and after exposure to a magnetic field measuring 15,000 gauss in order to receive its Master Chronometer designation. 

Available in a wide range of materials including 18-karat Sedna gold, 18-karat yellow gold and stainless steel, the Globemaster will forever be recognised as the first Master Chronometer, says Omega.

The 39-mm timepiece features the iconic pie-pan dial made famous by the Constellation models in 1952. 

A sun-brushed blue dial graces the full stainless steel and bi-metallic models which are available with a bracelet or a blue leather strap. 

Silvery opaline dials are found on the gold, yellow gold, and stainless steel versions. The silvery opaline dial on the full stainless steel model is complemented by a grey leather strap. The indexes and familiar Constellation star are applied to the dial and fashioned from 18-karat Sedna gold or 18-karat yellow gold, or are rhodium-plated or blackened depending on the case material and dial colour. 

The central hour, minute and seconds hands match the indexes, all of which are coated in Super-LumiNova – as are the hour and minutes hands. There is also a date indication at 6 o’clock on the dial. 

Surrounding the dial is a fluted bezel whose top ridges are smoothed, giving the Globemaster a unique look that ensures it will “remain immediately identifiable for generations to come”. 

The bezel on the stainless steel models are made of a hard metal (tungsten carbide). 

The case is brushed and has two polished bevels that connect the edges of the lugs to the bezel. These polished bevels are also found on the three-row metallic bracelet which is completely brushed except for its understated polished edges. The central links are slightly curved, enhancing the watch’s sophisticated appearance. 

Protecting the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8900/8901 powering the timepiece is a domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with an outstanding decorative feature. 

A medallion made of the same material as the casebody has been set into the glass before the glass is fastened to the caseback with four screws. The medallion is stamped with an image of an observatory surrounded by a polished sky marked with eight symbolic stars. 

The medallion does not completely cover the rotor and movement so the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8900 – for stainless steel and steel-gold models – or Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8901 – for the gold versions – is visible. 

The Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8901 features an 18-karat Sedna gold rotor.  The reliability and precision of both anti-magnetic mechanical movements is such that the Globemaster is offered with a full four-year warranty. It is water resistant to 10 bar (100 m/330 feet).