With the opening ceremony just hours away, the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is well and truly underway. Athletes are currently descending on the French capital abuzz with nervous energy and the weight of a nation on their shoulders. Slightly further down the arm, however, watchmaker and official Olympic timekeeper OMEGA is more concerned with what is on their wrists. The seminal Swiss luxury brand has unveiled a special watch in recognition of the coveted gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. Taking a little from each material and repurposing them into one collectible design, OMEGA may have topped the podium already.
The OMEGA Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition marks the third timepiece the brand has unveiled in the lead-up to the games, following the Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 and the Chronoscope Paris 2024. This time around, OMEGA is playing off heritage a little more, with the Bronze Gold Edition paying homage to the remarkable CK 859 concept from 1939.
That original timepiece housed OMEGA’s famous 30T manual-winding small seconds calibre, with the now iconic “CK 859” reference featured on the technical sheets in relation to material and case shape. The lighter hues of that watch’s silver dial, coupled with the movement’s no-date execution, made for a timeless dress watch aesthetic. As some will remember, OMEGA re-issued the timepiece in 2022, making few, if any, real design updates. For the Paris 2024 edition, the brand has been a little bit more creative.
There are nods to French design everywhere, from the “Clous de Paris” pattern at the centre of the dial to the circular brushed pattern on the minute track and small seconds subdial track at 6 o’clock. Looking more closely, the new 39mm release arrives in a case constructed from OMEGA’s proprietary Bronze Gold, which has a slightly more subdued finish than the recent Speedmaster Chronoscope Paris 2024. This is contrasted against a dial made from Ag 925 silver and adorned with 18K Sedna Gold hands with a special PVD Bronze Gold coating.
Like the CK 859, this model features the reference “BG 859” engraved on the caseback, again symbolising the case shape in Bronze Gold, alongside a stamped and frosted Olympic Games Paris 2024 medallion. What’s more, it also retains the same case dimensions as the original at 46.2mm lug to lug, 11.7mm thick and with 30 metres of water resistance.
Naturally, OMEGA has also bolstered the inner workings of this piece, ensuring the Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition is equipped with its highest-tier mechanisms. The timepiece is driven by the in-house Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8926, a manual-winding movement that OMEGA claims is a modern tribute to the vintage 30T2. It boasts 72 hours of power reserve and runs at a 3.5Hz frequency, courtesy of a silicon balance spring and co-axial escapement design. In essence, it’s a modern twist on an old favourite.
Priced at AUD$19,875, the OMEGA Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition is presented on a brown calf-skin leather strap with a sandblasted Bronze Gold buckle and polished vintage OMEGA logo in positive relief. The brand says this new model is not a limited edition, meaning you will be able to cop one at your nearest boutique or online. Let the games begin.
OMEGA Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition 39 MM
- Brand: OMEGA
- Model: Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition
- Reference: Ref. 522.92.39.21.99.001
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Calibre 8926
- Power Reserve: 72 hours
- Water-Resistance: 30 metres
- Price: AUD$19,875
