The watch brands that have sought to become the official timekeepers of the Olympic Games and their history

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games finally kicked off in the summer of 2021. This will be the first time the Games have been held in Tokyo since 1964. Omega will now take on the role of Official Timekeeper, a role previously held by Seiko.
Since 1932, Omega's participation in the Olympic Games has been at the heart of its story and a cornerstone of the company's historical focus on precision watchmaking. However, the watch brand's relationship with the Olympic Games has a slightly more complicated history.

This time, we will explore its history through an article by Pierre-Yves Donzé, professor of economics at Osaka University's Faculty of Economics, taken from the archives of the watch magazine Europa Star.

Watch brands began participating as timekeepers in the early 20th century

　The involvement of watch brands as official timekeepers at sporting events dates back to the early 20th century. Brands such as Heuer, Longines, and Omega had the technical equipment to time sporting events. They quickly understood the advertising impact that their presence as timekeepers at sporting events could have. The more prestigious the event, the more the brand was able to convey its image as a manufacturer of high-precision watchmaking techniques. In 1915, Longines' technical director, Alfred Pfister, wrote in the company's annual report, "The role of official timekeeper, while not a profitable one, is of great importance in solidifying the brand's reputation."

Since the 1950s, the company has participated in the Olympic Games and other events for branding purposes.

　Especially since the 1950s, many watch brands have invested heavily in perfecting their timing equipment and strengthened their participation in major sporting events such as the Olympics. Seiko, which had a strategic goal of mass-producing high-quality watches and becoming a leading watch brand in the global market, participated in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games as the official timekeeper, achieving great communication success. This was the first time that a brand outside of Switzerland served as the timekeeper for the Games.

　While Seiko was focusing on the manufacture of sports-related timing instruments in Japan, many Swiss brands were taking advantage of the grassroots sports boom fueled by the rapid spread of television broadcasting and releasing sports-related watches. During the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Europa Star published a special issue showcasing the wide variety of models and brands released by brands such as Heuer, Leonidas, and Longines. However, Omega was not featured at the time.

Swiss watch brands join forces to compete with Japan

　Faced with the entry of Japanese competitors, Swiss watch brands decided to end decades of fierce competition and join forces, a move aimed at spreading the reputation of Swiss watchmaking around the world rather than promoting individual brands.

　After five years of negotiations, in 1972 the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Longines, and Omega founded the Société Suisse de Chronométrage Sportif SA, later to become Swiss Timing, with Heuer joining in 1973.

　This led to the division of timekeeping duties among the various brands for the various sports and disciplines: for example, at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Longines was in charge of swimming, cycling, boxing and gymnastics.

　Shortly before leaving Swiss Timing, Heuer Leonidas developed timing equipment for the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games.

　Swiss Timing was absorbed into the Swatch Group when it was founded in 1983. Initially, the company's challenge was to protect the image of Switzerland as a watchmaking powerhouse, competing with Seiko, which was to be in charge of timing the Barcelona Olympic Games (1992).

　In the 1990s, various watch brands promoted themselves at sporting events involving Swiss timing, including Swatch, which was at the height of its popularity, and Longines, which ran advertisements showcasing its performance at numerous Olympic Games in 1992.

　The beginning of the 21st century marked a turning point for Omega, with the hosting of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Being the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games became an integral part of Omega's story, and Omega was granted exclusive rights within the Swatch Group to use the event in its communications.