10 November 2023 |
The Swiss watch brand brings their exhibit to New York City.
What do Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, Buzz Aldrin, James Bond, the Olympics, and Nicole Kidman have in common? It sounds like the setup for a bizarre joke or the answer to an especially tricky New York Times Connections puzzle but the answer is not a pithy punchline. Instead, the shared link is a history with Omega, the Swiss watch brand, and you can learn about it courtesy of Planet Omega, an exhibit that runs through November 19th at Chelsea Factory in New York City. The expansive display chronicles the stories behind the major events and individuals who have become synonymous with the brand, while also showcasing unique and rare timepieces.
Upon entry you’ll notice a giant golden astronaut, a nod to Omega’s impact on space travel but more on that later, as it’s one of the latter sections of the exhibit. Once you take the requisite photo of the larger than life spaceman, you’ll see an area devoted to vintage Omega timepieces, on loan from the brand’s museum in Biel, Switzerland. Among the items includes Elvis’ watch, a gift from RCA Records in 1960 that features 44 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel. The reverse has the inscription, “To Elivs, 75 Million Records, RCA Victor, 12-25.60.” Next to that case is the Slimline, which was worn by Kennedy during his presidential inauguration. Like the Presley watch it also has an inscription on the back and reads, ““President of the United States John F. Kennedy from his friend Grant.” The prescient message was from a friend of Kennedy’s, who gifted him the design months before the election. To round it out, there’s an original Ladymatic from 1955 which was considered to be revolutionary for its time due to its ability to be both feminine and precise as any men’s design.
From there you can explore six sections devoted to the different areas in which Omega has a presence. Olympic fans will be happy to note that you can ring a bell from the Tokyo games as well as press the trigger to a speed gun, used to time races. On view as well is a split-second chronograph, used during the 1932 Olympics. The Ocean section highlights dive watches, including the recent Seamaster Ultra Deep, a design that is water-resistant up to 20,000 feet. A third is devoted to James Bond, as the spy has worn an Omega in every film since 1995, with the standout being the Seamaster Diver 300M 007. The timepiece is an actual film prop from Daniel Craig’s final appearance in No Time to Die.
As a callback to the golden astronaut, the Space display tells the story of how Omega has played a role in missions since 1965, when NASA first qualified the Speedmaster Moonwatch. From the lunar landing to Apollo 13, these timepieces have gone to the literal moon and back with one style even incorporating bits of meteorite. And speaking of stars, albeit of a different sort, the fifth section is devoted to the brand’s family of ambassadors. Highlighting everyone from Cindy Crawford to Nicole Kidman to Michael Phelps, the wall of photos is accompanied by styles that are frequent red carpet favorites. And finally the last section is an ode to precision and highlights breakthroughs the brand has made during its lifetime.
If you want to check out the exhibit yourself, you can book a spot for Planet Omega here.
