Whilst watching the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, did you ever notice how all of the timing stuff is done by Omega?

Similarly, did you know that an Omega was the very first wristwatch worn on the moon?

I did, it was this one in fact:

3570.50 Speedmaster Mens Stainless Steel Watch

These Olympics Games will actually mark the 23rd time Omega has been the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, and ever since 1932 Omega has pioneered and innovated the world of sports timing ever since.  That’s more than any other watchmaker in history, and that is a remarkable achievement.

…or is it?

You see if you look at the history of Olympic timing and the development of things like the “Moonwatch,” you will notice a history focused on precision, perfection, durability, and reliability.  The really are fantastic timing instruments and exactly what a watch should be, but to be honest, I really couldn’t care less.

Because in the long and short of it, while Omega tries to be cool, and may currently have James Bond and Michael Phelps spouting its latest euro-chic incarnation, the spectacular Omega Planet Ocean:

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean – 2201.50.00 Gents Watch

… it cannot escape the fundamental fact that Omega watches are watches built for nerds.

I’ll give you a perfect example:

When man landed on the moon with the Omega “Moonwatch” on their wrists, a bunch of nerdy men with big glasses, and pocket protectors, and Omega watches no less, basically took a very complex math problem and solved it.  There’s no denying that it was a remarkable achievement, but it is a little too cold and calculating to be very exciting for me.

When Sir Edmund Hillary first reached the top of Mount Everest, in contrast, with a ROLEX on his wrist, he was part of a group of men that braved conditions most unfriendly to the human body to achieve a vast unknown.  Obviously there was also some planning involved to it, but there were no calculators and certainly no pocket protectors.  They just saw a peak and decided to go there.  They didn’t just sit around in a rocket-propelled tuna can waiting to play around in some moon sand.

Perhaps I’m being a little too harsh, but the way I feel about Omega and the Olympics is not going to be all that better.

In general, I think the only reason we watch the Olympics is because they don’t come around that often and it instills within us a sense of national pride.  But do we really care about these obscure athletes in these obscure sports that we otherwise would not care to watch?

I don’t…

When I heard that Omega would be sponsoring the Olympics again, it came as no big surprise, but again, it is all a little too calculating.  The Olympics are about the best in the world coming together to compete.  It’s a world where .001 of a second could mean the difference between the Gold and the Silver.  It’s an environment where precision and accuracy rule and a world where athletes are more national precision instruments rather than people you can truly care for.

I just don’t dig that.

Rolex, in contrast, sponsor events like Wimbledon.  Events in which timing isn’t even necessary.  All you care about your favorite tennis player utterly vanquishing his foes.  It’s not a victory over a machine or a country’s atheletic representitive, it is a victory over a person, it is a victory you can salivate, and it is a victory you can truly FEEL.

I hate to say it, but when I think about Omega watches I think of brilliant timepieces for people who use to be nerdy kids and are currently nerdy adults.  The back of my mind is always thinking big glasses, short-sleeved dress shirts, pocket protectors, and office chairs.

When I think of the one I use to have, I knew that it wasn’t right from the very beginning, even though it has never let me down.

No, I’ll always be a Rolex man that’s for sure.  For me Rolex inspires a fire within me like no other.  They may not be perfect, but perfect, I find, can be rather boring.