OMEGA in Sochi
Swiss luxury watchmaker OMEGA has solidified a golden reputation for being the official timekeeping device of the Olympic Games. This year was no different as the brand descended upon Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics and marked its 26th time in the role of the Official Timekeeper since 1932.
Prior to the start of the games, OMEGA President Stephen Urquhart joined International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge in front of the OMEGA’s Countdown Clock in Sochi to celebrate the unveiling of eight other OMEGA Countdown Clocks across Russia.
In a separate occasion and with just days to go before the Opening Ceremony of the games, the brand celebrated the grand opening of its OMEGA Pavilion in Sochi’s Olympic Park. Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek, Stephen Urquhart, IOC President Thomas Bach and legendary swimmer and IOC member Alexander Popov were all on hand to pay homage to the special moment.
During the course of the games, OMEGA welcomed two-time gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau to its Pavilion. Back in 2010, the freestyle skier was presented with a Seamaster Planet Ocean watch by OMEGA Ambassador Michael Phelps during the Vancouver Olympic Games, for being the first male to win gold on home soil in Canada. In Sochi, Bilodeau won gold again, becoming the first athlete to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in any freestyle skiing discipline.
To commemmorate the brand’s participation in the games, OMEGA also created two special editions of its Seamaster Planet Ocean wristwatches. The watches were created in both ladies’ and gents’ versions, each in an edition of 2,014 pieces.
