Breitling vs. OMEGA: Choosing the Right Brand for You

Side-by-Side Comparison between Breitling vs. OMEGA

Breitling and OMEGA have each had a prominent presence in the watch industry for over a century. Both brands have risen to the top as two of the most highly regarded watch manufacturers on the market today. In more recent years, Breitling and OMEGA have developed their own unique places in the watch world. However, they have similar origins. Here, we look at a side-by-side comparison between Breitling and OMEGA.

List of Key Similarities and Differences between Breitling vs. OMEGA

         Key Similarities

•  Water Resistance: Breitling and OMEGA are both superior producers of tool watches and offer models with high water resistance ratings.
•  Price: Breitling and OMEGA watches come in at a similar price point whether new or pre-owned.
• Brand Recognition: Breitling and OMEGA are both among the top 50 Swiss watch brands.

         Key Differences

• Movements: OMEGA produces more complicated movements than Breitling.
• Partnerships: OMEGA has focused on partnerships in the areas of sports, space, and pop culture, and Breitling has focused on partnerships with military forces as well as the illustrious British car manufacturer, Bentley.

Offerings: Breitling offers a smartwatch along with quartz and mechanical watches, and OMEGA only offers quartz and mechanical watches.

Brief History of OMEGA

Louis Brandt first established OMEGA in 1848 as a small workshop in Switzerland. However, it would be several more decades before the business would outgrow its modest beginnings and officially take on the name OMEGA. In fact, it was Brandt’s sons who would take over the business after he passed away in 1879 and grow OMEGA into one of the top 50 Swiss watch brands in the world.  

As they took the business into a new century, his sons focused on making their own parts. Soon, they created the first minute-repeating timepiece. In addition, they launched their first mass-produced caliber, the 19-line OMEGA caliber. Shortly after, they settled on the name OMEGA.

Brandt’s sons also began establishing relationships with sporting events, serving as the official timekeeper. This ultimately led to one of OMEGA’s most important and longest standing partnerships with the Olympic Games. It all began in 1932 when they served as the sole timekeeper for the summer games in Los Angeles, California. To this day, OMEGA continues to be the official timekeeping partner of the Olympics.

The 1960s marked the beginning of another crucial partnership for the OMEGA brand. In 1962, OMEGA launched its first timepiece into space. Astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on the Mercury Sigma 7 mission. Three years later, NASA made the Speedmaster Professional the official chronograph for American space missions. Then, in 1969, the model made its first journey to the moon on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin.

OMEGA secured yet another key partnership just before the turn of the century. In 1995, they soared onto the pop culture scene when Pierce Brosnan sported an OMEGA in the film GoldenEye. This made the brand the official watch of James Bond. To this day, you can spot an OMEGA on the wrist of 007 in each modern Bond film.

Brief History of Breitling

Leon Breitling established his namesake brand in 1884, just a few decades after Brandt founded OMEGA. Similarly, Breitling had modest beginnings in a small workshop in Switzerland. Around the turn of the century, Breitling passed away, and like Brandt, his son Gaston took over the business.

Gaston worked tirelessly to grow his father’s legacy, focusing on both the operations and the offerings. He quickly took note of the advancements in aviation and dedicated his efforts to developing tools for pilots. Soon, he launched the first ever Breitling chronograph wristwatch. Shortly after, he created the first independent chronograph push piece by separating the stop and start functions. This advancement was particularly useful for calculating flight times.

Breitling’s expertise in the field of pilot watches would go on to define the brand as an industry leader. It also helped them cultivate an important partnership. In 1932, the same year OMEGA began their work with the Olympics, Breitling secured two key partnerships. One was with the Royal Airforce and the other was with the United States Army. These relationships helped to solidify Breitling’s place as an authority in the world of aviation.

Over the next several decades, Breitling continued to build upon their innovation of the chronograph function. This ultimately led to a top-secret mission called Project 99 along with Heuer, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz. Together, they made one of the most groundbreaking horological advancements in the history of watchmaking. In 1969, they unveiled the first self-winding chronograph movement. Breitling debuted the groundbreaking movement in an all-new model called the Chrono-Matic.

In more recent years, Breitling has continued their focus in the area of highly specialized tool watches with superior movements and functional capabilities. One of their biggest breakthroughs came in 1995 with the debut of the Emergency. The Emergency is the first and only watch of its kind. It features an internal locator beacon that transmits a signal on the international distress frequency. Since its creation, it’s truly saved lives. It’s easy to see why Breitling ranks in the top 50 Swiss watch brands.

Most Popular OMEGA Watches

In addition to the Speedmaster and Speedmaster Professional, there are a number of other popular OMEGA watches. Years before the Speedmaster, OMEGA introduced one of its most enduring designs. In conjunction with the brand’s 100th anniversary in 1957, they launched the Seamaster. Decades later, OMEGA would build upon the Seamaster line. They added the Seamaster Aqua Terra in 2003 and Seamaster Planet Ocean in 2005.

The Speedmaster and the Seamaster are arguably the two most popular and prevalent models in the OMEGA catalog. However, there are two other popular OMEGA watches worth looking at: the Constellation and De Ville. OMEGA initially introduced the Constellation line in 1952. Fifteen years later in 1967, they launched the De Ville collection.

Most Popular Breitling Watches

Aside from the Emergency and the Chrono-Matic, there are also several popular Breitling watches. Quite possibly the brand’s most beloved model is the Navitimer, which debuted in 1952. Later, they built on this collection to create the Montbrilliant line, named after the Ruelle Montbrilliant Street, which housed the Breitling workshops for 87 years from 1892 to 1979. In 1957, Breitling broke into the world of dive watches with the Superocean. Over the years, they’ve continued to expand on their dive watch offerings. First, they introduced the Transocean a year later in 1958. More recently, they launched the Superocean Heritage collection in 2007.

The 1980s were another period that marked the release of several popular Breitling watches. Breitling first designed their Colt line in the 1980s exclusively for military use. Then, they decided to add the collection to their Aeromarine family of watches, which also includes the Avenger and Superocean. Equally important and recognizable is the Chronomat, first launched in 1984. A year later, they added the Professional line to their catalog. In the new millennium, Breitling forged a partnership that would establish a new collection. Breitling for Bentley officially launched in 2002. Still, the most recent addition to the Breitling catalog is the brand’s first smartwatch, released in 2014: the Exospace B55.

Deep Dive of Key Similarities and Differences between Breitling vs. OMEGA

There are a number of key similarities between Breitling vs. OMEGA. Breitling and OMEGA are both among the top 50 Swiss watch brands. While OMEGA is often ranked slightly higher in terms of brand recognition, the two are always neck and neck. Breitling and OMEGA watches also come in at a similar price point whether new or pre-owned. Looking at the entry-level models from both brands – the OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300 and the Breitling Colt – new models start at roughly $2500 new and $1500 pre-owned. In addition, Breitling and OMEGA are both superior producers of tool watches and offer models with high water resistance ratings. For example, Breitling’s Superocean Chronograph M2000 offers a depth rating of 2000 meters. Similarly, OMEGA’s Seamaster PloProf 1200M offers a depth rating of 1200 meters.

There are also a few key differences between Breitling vs. OMEGA. Both brands use a combination of in-house and externally sourced movements. Yet, OMEGA typically produces watches with more complicated movements. Therefore, they produce a greater percentage of in-house movements compared to Breitling. It’s also worth looking closer at the types of movements offered by these two brands. Breitling offers a smartwatch along with quartz and mechanical watches. Instead, OMEGA only offers quartz and mechanical watches. Last but not least, Breitling and OMEGA have taken different approaches to key partnerships over the years. OMEGA has focused on partnerships in the areas of sports, space, and pop culture. Alternatively, Breitling has focused on partnerships with military forces as well as the illustrious British car manufacturer, Bentley.

How to Choose between Breitling vs. OMEGA

When looking at a side-by-side comparison between Breitling vs. OMEGA, the two brands measure up very closely. They both offer a time-tested reputation, similar price point, and superior tool watches. Many of their differences between Breitling vs. OMEGA come down to personal preference. If you’re not sure how to choose between Breitling vs. OMEGA, don’t worry. You really can’t go wrong with a watch from either brand.