Did you know that there was a secret engraving in Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch? On April 13th, 1861, watchmaker Jonathan Dillon was repairing President Lincoln’s pocket watch when the first shots of the Civil War occurred. As soon as Dillon heard the news, he removed
When John Calvin banned the manufacture of jewelry in Geneva during the mid-16th century, that moment was the catalyst for both an economic and cultural shift in Switzerland. Because Calvin claimed that wearing jewelry was idolatrous, Swiss jewelers took their skills and changed their profession
In the world of luxury watchmaking, Swiss timepieces may be the most famous, yet there’s also a flourishing horology scene in Germany. With esteemed watch brands such as A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Sinn, and NOMOS leading the way, Germany is a watchmaking cradle
“Probably the only diver’s watch you can wear with a tuxedo.” The Rolex Submariner, originally designed as the quintessential divers’ watch, has become probably the world’s best-known and best-selling luxury Swiss sports watch of all time (it’s definitely one of the most counterfeited). Genuine Submariners are
Every two years, more than 400 tons of equipment is transported from OMEGA’s Swiss headquarters to the grounds of the Olympic Games. OMEGA has a long history with the Olympics. Dating back to the Games of the 10th Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1932, OMEGA
The History of the Chronograph Ask three different watch collectors who produced the world’s first automatic chronograph, and you’ll receive three different answers. Some will insist it was Zenith, who announced their El Primero movement in January of 1969. This marked the first automatic chronograph announced
OMEGA Watches & Apollo 13 The gripping story of the Apollo 13 mission is not just a historic moment in American space exploration. It’s also an abiding testament to man’s endurance, ingenuity, and courage. During those crucial moments of the Apollo 13 flight, the crew relied
It only took five years for the Carrera Panamericana to establish itself as one of the world’s most exciting and deadly races. From 1950 to 1954, the Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border road race along the new Pan-American Highway, which covered 2,170 miles from Mexico’s northern
The sport of motor racing and the watch industry has a deep and longstanding history together. Motorsports are dependent on highly accurate timekeeping to track each driver’s performance behind the wheel. The relationship between racing and watches all began at a time when drivers depended
For those of you who don’t live in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art recently exhibited a collection of antique clocks and watches titled The Luxury of Time: European Clocks and Watches. Don’t worry if you missed it; we had one of our correspondents
