zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Well, they have announced two things recently that I can recall:

JFK homage watch in 261pieces.

This is a "re-edition" of the watch Kennedy wore to his inauguration, given to him earlier that year. The Omega Museum acquired the watch several years ago from a Kennedy collector.

I assume this is Omega's Museum Collection watch for the year, as it follows the new pattern of less than 300 pieces and the old pattern of a design morethan 50 years old.

Hour Vision movement in annualcalendar

From Jorge Merano's post atTZ

"A limited edition of 160 pieces, the De Ville Hour Vision Annual Calendar features the Omega in-house caliber 8611. It is a COSC-certified chronometer with a jump annual calendar complication. This annual calendar automatically recognizes months with 30 and 31 days and, assuming that the watch is always running, needs to be manually corrected only once a year, on March 1st. The date and month are displayed in separate apertures.

. . .

The De Ville Hour Vision Annual Calendar Limited Series will be complemented at the end of 2008 by a global collection of eight models, four in rose gold and four in stainless steel, all with dials identical in design to that of the Limited Series. The steel models will be offered with silver or grey dials and a steel bracelet or black alligator leather strap. The rose gold models will be available with silver or brown dials and a rose gold bracelet or brown alligator leatherstrap."

So there will be a limited edition, followed by a general release.

Interesting -- why didn't theydo this with the Hour Vision?

This is the strategy Omega employed with the first co-axials, and those initial Devilles have held their value ratherwell.

It's probably a good idea that they go back to this strategy with new movements.

Omega has also introduced several 2008 Beijing Olympic models, which I have not followed in detail. I believe they are not revolutionary, but variations of existing models in Olympicgarb.

Yeah, I had forgotten about the Olympic connection. They are bound to release some models for that.

They may have extended the Olympic "Timeless" collection, which appears to be a re-branding of the Olympic editions of a few yearsago.

So those are the data points.. . .

Do I think Omega has learned? NO,, because that implies Omega was mistaken in theiractions last year.

Learned, adapted, changed, modified... I find it interesting that Omega pretty much shot their ammo prior to Basel last year and save for the two models you mention [I forgot the recently announced JFK re-issue] they have been pretty mum.

I think Omega's strategy last year was to keep their name in the press all the time, with Omegamania during Basal, with a new quasi-in-house movement, with the Speedmaster 50th anniversary . . . . lots of reasons to spend lots of money at a time when it wasopportune to "upscale" the brand.

This year -- not somuch.

This year not so much is exactly what I was thinking.

I think Omega is quite a bit toned down, and they should be. They don't have nearly as much to gain this year as last, and I think their lack ofpublicity reflects it.

Perhaps...

Probably some new models, mostly with co-axial movements and more F. Piquetchronograph movements.

Oh joy!

We may see the first F. Piquet non-chronograph calibres, fitted with co-axial movements. It is a logical product extension: take a movement only found in watches that cost $5k and up, add a co-axial and put in Devilles with a price increase. Then no one can complain about paying $1,000 extra for a souped up ETA. Essentially, this is what an Hour Vision movement is -- it is an F. Piquet movement assembled by Omega.

Perhaps that's the best use for the F. Piguet movements, since the non-chronograph bits don't seem to fail like the chronograph bits do.

I don't know if it will happen this year, but I can see it happening in the next several. Omega then has a four tiered movement productline:

1)Hour Visions/co-axial F.Piguets;

2) co-axialETAs,

3) non-coaxial ETAs (phasingout -- with a Lemania exception) and

4) quartz (phasing out exceptladies).

But I could be wrong . ..

I guess that's why we stick around and watch the news filter out.

Sam

-- Chuck

ChuckMaddox

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