The Story of Rolex and Omega

　　Introduction: Competition is rife between different watch brands. Today, we will take you throughRolexsome interesting facts about the rivalry with Omega.

　　The Influence of Celebrity Endorsement

　　Celebrity endorsement is, at its core, a form of herd mentality. When so many people choose a product, one might think, 'Perhaps I should try it too?'

　　Many presidents and celebrities throughout history have been loyal supporters of both brands. However, Omega has been much bolder and more direct in leveraging celebrity influence and major events to promote itself.

　　Under the halo of the Apollo Moonwatch and the Speedmaster series, people have gradually forgottenRolextheir presence in the aerospace sector. In reality, both companies have spared no effort in the development of aerospace watches and are equally popular. The birth of the Rolex GMT was originally a collaboration with Pan American Airways, becoming their official timepiece upon release; even among many astronauts, Rolex was a popular brand for daily wear. Omega, having gone to space, used this as an opportunity to continuously inject promotional capital and R&D funds into the Speedmaster series, perfecting and promoting it.

　　As a partner of the Olympic Games for a century, Omega once again dominated CCTV channels during the Sochi Winter Olympics. With creative advertisements and moving melodies, the simple yet powerful phrase 'Omega Co-Axial, a masterpiece of mechanical movement' was once again etched into people's minds.

　　Furthermore, the choice of James Bond has always been an interesting topic. FromRolexOmega, having taken the baton, successfully became the choice for the sixth James Bond in 007. After Daniel Craig wore an Omega Seamaster on screen, providing silent promotion for the brand, Omega even created a special 007 commemorative edition, with the 007 small gun emblem at the seven o'clock position capturing the hearts of many film fans and military enthusiasts alike.

　　From George Clooney and Nicole Kidman to Zhang Ziyi, through strong partnerships, Omega continues to tell the world that celebrities represent their heart.

　　When David Beckham first became a Breitling ambassador, it still drew gasps from many: 'He is a Rolex fan, his whole family are Rolex fans!' As a representative of robust watches in the new era, Rolex is naturally loved by celebrities of all kinds, especially as the first choice for sports enthusiasts, travellers, and business figures. However, Rolex does not appoint brand ambassadors, nor has it ever engaged in overwhelming advertising campaigns. It seems that to the steady and low-key Rolex, if you like it, you wear it; the more people who wear it, the better the endorsement and recognition for the product itself, which naturally leads to word-of-mouth. Selling well is the ultimate goal; advertising is unnecessary.

　　The Rivalry of the 21st Century

　　After the fifteen-year 'ice age'—the Quartz Crisis—the ice began to melt. As technology drove social development in the 21st century, it also propelled the watchmaking industry. Upgrades and replacements of core components were introduced one after another.

　　RolexThe Parachrom hairspring was born out of a pursuit of precision, maintaining a conservative and low-key approach. The debut of the new alloy hairspring did not arrive with a bang; instead, it was silently tested in select models before being gradually rolled out.

　　Similarly, the promotion of the new Paraflex shock absorber improved the shock-absorbing effect of the original KIF system by over 50%. In the choice of shock absorber brands, Rolex chose KIF from the start, unlike Omega, which was a loyal supporter of Incabloc. Entering the 21st century, Omega also began using the new Nivachoc shock absorber to enhance the movement's shock resistance.

　　Anti-magnetic watches are not a product of the new era. Long before the Rolex Milgauss series was formed in 1958, many anti-magnetic watches were already in production, and Omega had accumulated certain expertise in anti-magnetic technology well before the launch of its Railmaster series. However, these 'outlier' products, which did not initially receive a good market response, eventually faded away. In the 21st century, Rolex took the lead, re-launching the Milgauss series with a new design and packaging; the iconic lightning bolt hand and 1000 gauss anti-magnetic performance garnered a positive market response. Omega was not to be outdone, launching the Cal.8508 movement with anti-magnetic resistance of up to 15000 gauss early last year. The 'bee' hand challenged the lightning bolt, and the company promoted the watch as a 'true' anti-magnetic timepiece, focusing on solving the problem from the root—moving from prevention to a cure. The thriving Omega pressed its advantage, from the release of the Si14 silicon hairspring in 2008 to the launch of the anti-magnetic watch in 2013, and finally the Master Co-Axial featured at this year's Baselworld. In the post-co-axial era, Omega successfully achieved mass production of anti-magnetic watches by combining materials and technology. Their old rival, the conservative Rolex, finally could not sit still, and at this year's Baselworld, they quietly introduced the Syloxi silicon hairspring. Maintaining its conservative nature, it was discreetly used in the Cal.2236 movement, with the initial testing ground being the ladies' diamond-set Datejust. This served as a response to Omega, which has been making great use of silicon materials in recent years, and marked the beginning of Rolex's own comparative application of different materials.

　　Another topic that must be mentioned is the ceramicisation process. Rolex began advancing its ceramicisation process in 2005, leading up to the dual-colour Batman bezel in 13 and this year's dual-colour Pepsi bezel. Technologically, it has progressed from muted colours to vibrant ones, and from single colours to mixed hues, achieving an industry-leading standard within just a few years. How could its old rival, Omega, give up such a prime competitive opportunity and market share? Consequently, earlier this year it also released the Seamaster Planet Ocean series with an orange ceramic bezel. That splash of bright orange leaves a deep impression, and reminiscent of the orange ocean at the World Cup, I am sure Dutch fans will love it.