'It's simply better"

BRITISH WATCHMAKER George Daniels came up with the religiously reliable co-axial escapement in 1974, but couldn’t find a single manufacturer to adopt it. Only in 1999 did Omega acquire the rights to the revolutionary technology and introduce the first mass-produced watches carrying the concept. They were a hit, and Omega has since developed a vast collection relying on precision as much as styling.
So it was considerable pride that the Swiss firm and its regional distributor, Cortina Watch, opened the Omega Co-Axial Exhibition last week in Singapore’s Paragon Shopping Centre. It’s a showcase of key timepieces, including the early Seamasters, Constellations, Speedmasters and De Villes.
Well regarded for its research and innovation since its founding in 1848, Omega was the first to use interchangeable parts, meaning spare parts could be mass-produced for replacement wherever needed for repairs.
Omega watches were originally made strictly for work, not fashion. Before film stars like Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig were recruited for a boost of glamour, the brand’s ambassadors were soldiers, divers and astronauts. The super-efficient and precise Speedmaster rode into space with early American astronauts Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper.
Omega’s 1974 diver’s watch is, to date, the only wristwatch ever certified as a “marine chronometer”, thanks to its accuracy in determining longitude through celestial navigation. Two years earlier Omega was the first to give divers a watch that even functioned underwater.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a 1999 De Ville Co-Axial that belonged to George Daniels, the inventor of the co-axial escapement – the first major step forward in timepieces in 250 years.
Instead of the customary lever escapement, with its wheel tooth sliding along an inclined surface to maintain the oscillator’s frequency and always in need of lubrication, the co-axial uses radial impulses. There’s a smaller contact surface and the motion is pushing rather than sliding, which significantly reduces the friction. The greater mechanical efficiency results in better precision.
Daniels was widely considered the world’s best horologist in his time. A watch repair
 man who learned the finer side of the craft in night classes, he became a Fellow of the British Horological Institute and was soon celebrated as one of the few watchmakers who could still build a complete watch by hand, including the case.
“When Omega made the commitment to produce the co-axial escapement at a series-production level I was very pleased,” Daniels told an interviewer in 2010, a year before he died.
“They were brave enough to take on this revolutionary technology in the face of a lot of criticism and scepticism from the rest of the industry. At the time there was no praise for Omega. I could sympathise with them, because there had been none for me either when I invented the escapement.
“The watch industry is by nature very conservative and slow to adopt new things,” Daniels mused. “But, basically, every maker who continues with other escapements will ultimately be trampled by the co-axial for the very simple reason that it’s better. Omega have been able to show that the co-axial can be serially produced on a large scale, so while it will take some doing to convince the mechanical watch industry, it’s just a matter of time.”

GREAT IDEAS
The Omega Co-Axial Exhibition ends on Sunday at Paragon Shopping Centre on Orchard Road in Singapore. Drop by any day from 10.30 to 8. Find out more at www.OmegaWatches.com.