Take a Look Inside Omega’s New Museum in Switzerland

The new space in Biel/Bienne is dedicated to telling the watch brand's story.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

Omega’s new museum outlines the watch brand’s history with immersive movies, showcases and interactive experiences.

Biel/Bienne, Switzerland—Omega has a new home in Switzerland dedicated to telling its story.

The brand opened its original museum in 1983, making it the first to be dedicated to a single Swiss watchmaker, but “given the length and depth of the brand’s legacy,” a new museum was eventually required, the brand said in an announcement.

Now, it has debuted a new museum at “La Cite du Temps,” the Swatch Group/Omega headquarters located in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland that recently opened after five years of construction.

Located in a light-filled building designed by well-known Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the new museum tells the brand’s story through immersive movies, showcases and interactive experiences.

The visit starts with a walk across the world—a large world map on the floor embedded with digital screens feature the current times at locations across the globe.

Before moving on, guests take a trip back in time with Omega’s “History of Time” immersive, 360-degree video that tracks the path of humankind’s journey to precision, from the first clocks to modern movements.

To celebrate its status as the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games, visitors can channel their inner Olympian on a 9-meter running track equipped with authentic timekeeping technology like starting blocks and red electronic starting pistol.

Guests who take part also will receive a print-out of their photo finish, captured by the brand’s Scan’O’Vision Myria camera, which can record up to 10,000 digital images a second.

The new museum also has a “Her Time” exhibition, detailing the evolution of the brand’s watches for women, from early Lépine pendants and the iconic Ladymatic to “secret jewelry watches” and its most recent creations.

Next in line for visitors is a spot for them to explore Omega’s long connection with space exploration and moon landings.

The area, seen above, features a lunar surface and Lunar Rover, as well as videos, photos, NASA technology and the many versions of Omega’s “Moonwatch;” qualified by NASA for space flight in 1965, the Speedmaster was the fist watch worn on the moon.

It also highlights other exciting adventures in which the brand has played a part: on the wrist of 007.

Omega has been present in every James Bond mission since 1995’s “GoldenEye,” not only complementing the spy’s style but also helping him with a number of fictional life-saving functions.

Visitors also can journey into the movement of a watch with a giant walk-in Speedmaster

Banner will be right here …

that regularly screens an animated film delving into the inner workings of the brand’s famed Co-Axial Escapement.

To top things off, Omega offers a look at its long history through a 50-meter steel bracelet display featuring 64 windows.

In addition to the permanent exhibitions in the new museum, the venue also set aside a place to display Omega’s latest creations and achievements.

Coinciding with the opening of the new museum, Omega created a dedicated Instagram account, @OmegaMuseum, and hashtag, #OmegaMuseum.

It also upgraded its “Extract from the Archives” service—in which a customer sends them the reference and serial number of their watch and Omega sends back information they have on said watch—which is now available online.

WATCH: A Sneak Peek of Omega’s New Museum

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.