The Only Piece Of Olympic Memorabilia Worth Investing In

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Forget all of the crass, exploitative nonsense surrounding the upcomingOlympics: the stuffed toys, the cheesy logo, the inevitable tea set. One long-standingtradition held dear by Omega aficionados will not be ignored for London 2012:the release of commemorative watches available to the Olympic-loving public. If this needsvalidation, note that Omega is the official timer, and has earned the privilege. Kosher?101%.Omega has announcedtwo new models to mark its latest collaboration with the Olympics. The SpecialitiesOlympic Collection London 2012 (Ref 522.10.44.50.03.001) (pictured above) is a robustchronograph available in steel on a steel bracelet or in steel-and-red-gold on a leatherstrap. It is powered by the Omega 3313 self-winding Co-Axial escapementmovement with chronometer certification and column wheel mechanism. Functions includedate, hour, minute recorders, continuous small seconds hands, and central chronographhand. And its power reserve is a healthy 52 hours.To provide a fresh look, thewatch features a blue-striped dial protected by a domed scratch-resistant sapphirecrystal, with antireflective treatment on both sides. The case, with screw-down crown,measures 44 mm, and it provides water resistance to 150 m/500 ft.Ina more historic vein, and already creating a buzz among collectors, is the Seamaster1948 Co-Axial London 2012 Limited Edition (Ref 522.23.39.20.02.001) (picture above).At a time when no anniversary or occasion seems too mundane to celebrate, when watchretailers are flooded with spurious "collectables," it is easy for the significance of anoccasion to be lost. This timepiece honors not one, but four achievements.Fewwatches have a "subtitle," but the Seamaster 1948 is also known within Omega as the "OneYear To Go" watch, having been announced in mid-2011. Its very presence counts down to the2012 Olympics. That, then, is its first and foremost purpose. But there is more to thishandsome and understated model than even that extended name reveals.Why 1948?The year itself adds triple significance to the above, the most obvious beingLondon’s hosting of the XIV Olympic Games that year, after two successivecancellations of the Games due to the Second World War. So, while this timepiece is a partof the forthcoming Olympic celebrations, Omega has poignantly reminded us of the previousoccasion when London was the site of the global sporting event.In 1948, too,Omega launched the aforementioned photo-finish timer, also known as the Photosprint andcolloquially as "the Magic Eye," which provided split-second optical timing accurate to1/1000th of a second. This, then, is the third significant point of the Seamaster 1948.As glorious as these three raisons d’etre may be, watch enthusiasts know afourth reason why this model is so significant. It was in 1948 that Omega launched one ofits most enduring model ranges: the very first Automatic Seamaster. It was a timepiecewith military origins but in civilian clothing.Omega’s brief was toproduce a water-resistant watch (benefiting from the practical experiences of creatingtimepieces for the armed forces) that was purposely built to house an automatic movement.It, too, marked an anniversary: 100 years from Louis Brandt’s founding of a housefor producing pocket watches -- the house that we now know as Omega.Reimaginedfor 2012, the Seamaster1948 restyles the look of the original to suit a 39-mm stainless-steel case housingthe chronometer-certified Calibre 2022 Co-Axial movement. Its power reserve is 48 hours.The opaline silver dial carries applied 18K white-gold indices and Arabic numerals at the3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions. Above the 6 is a small seconds dial, with bluesteel hands; hours and minutes are indicated with diamond-polished leaf-shaped hands.Its vintage feel is enhanced by a "railway track" minute ring around the dial, avintage-style polished Omega crown and a white-gold applied "period" Omega logo on thedial. The watch’s case back bears an 18K yellow gold medallion stamped with the 2012London Olympics logo. This limited edition of 1,948 pieces is finished with a blackalligator strap and stainless steel buckle.Every watch Omega has ever producedin conjunction with the Olympics has become a collector’s item. It’s not toolate to put your name down for either of the two watches announced for 2012. And what moreappropriate watches could be worn while watching the event itself? Continue Reading

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