Omega has earned the distinction of being the Official Timekeeper at the Olympic Games for at least 27 distinct occasions since 1932. They defined the very technology utilized to track world class athletes as history was being written. It was during the 1932 Olympics that for the first time, a single company was charged with the responsibility of timekeeping.
Before this time, several manufacturers would provide watches, only accurate up to 1/5th of a second. When Omega took over, they provided 30 chronometers which were accurate with split second functionality. The Chronocinema device was used to record finish times with up to 1/100th of a second accuracy. Unfortunately, it took hours to develop film to yield results.
Photoelectric cells were first used by Omega during the 1948 Olympic Games in London. At this tipping point, technology began to outperform humans with regards to accuracy and precision in timekeeping. The “Magic Eye” system provided a photo finish solution that performed like a dream. Race results could now be determined within minutes rather than hours.
Another historical device utilized by Omega during the 1952 Olympic Games was the Omega Time Recorder. This quartz driven chronograph mated with a high speed printer allowed both the keeping of time and printout of results with an extreme degree of accuracy. This timekeeping device was also portable and battery powered.
The Omega Photosprint was released during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. This device linked race times to photography directly as the time was recorded onto the film strip. The film could be developed in under 30 seconds. The first false start detection technology was released by Omega during the 1984 Olympics.
It would display a runner’s reaction time, pin pointed to the moment the runner exerts a certain amount of pressure against the starting block. Omega would measure to verify that runners don’t takeoff prior to the starting signal. An auditory signal inside the starting blocks made all runners aware of exact race starting time.
In 1992, Omega provided even more accurate timekeeping with Scan ‘O’ Vision, which measured times to the nearest 1/1,000th of a second. It uses linear vertical recording with an integrated timer, making it a modern age photo finish camera used today. To the present day, Omega uses a wide range of time recording technologies including wearable technologies and photo finish cameras.