However, its beginning is more humble, namely a small workshop in the village of La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848, where watchmaker Louis Brandt set up his business, La Generale Watch Co., specialising in assembling pocket watches from parts sourced from local craftsmen. Passionate about precision, he spent his life developing the most accurate watches he could, and, when Louis passed away in 1879, his sons Louis-Paul and César took over the business determined to carry on their father’s legacy, laying the foundations of this iconic watch brand. Paul-Emile Brandt assumed control in 1903 and renamed the brand OMEGA after the success of the ‘OMEGA Calibre’ from 1894. Always at the forefront of technology, OMEGA recognised the genius of the George Daniels Co-Axial escapement, patented the design and went into production in 1999 with what is arguably the most significant development in horology for 200 years. This type of escapement provided the stability and accuracy to develop the rigorous testing criteria that allows them to pass both the COSC and METAS testing and describe their watches as Master Chronometers. This pursuit of accuracy led to OMEGA being chosen as the timing partner for the Olympics, which it has done since 1932. It was certainly a factor in the brand’s Speedmaster being chosen by NASA based on quality testing, as the watch that went to the Moon in 1969; that and being able to withstand -18º for four hours. As well as going into space, OMEGA has also conquered the depths of the Ocean, going deep into the Mariana Trench on adventurer Victor Vescovo’s vessel Limiting Factor.