Guardians of Time
In 1932, a single private company held the timekeeping responsibilities of the Olympic Games for the first time in history. Tien Chew discovers Omega’s honoured privilege
In the world stage of competitive sports and athleticism, timekeeping is highly important in ensuring that the victors are rightfully awarded. Milliseconds make all the difference when athletes strive for victory and glory, making it all the more important to ensure precise and accurate timekeeping. The year 1932 was a milestone for the Olympics, being the first sports festival featuring medal podiums to award the winner, to have an Olympic Village, as well as the first games to entrust timekeeping across all events to a single private company. That honour went to Omega; the company provided one timekeeper and 30 high precision certified chronographs—marking the beginning of a lasting relationship between the Swiss watchmaker and the ancient Greek games. The next advancement of timekeeping came during the 1948 Olympic Games in London, as Omega introduced the first photofinish camera nicknamed the ‘Magic Eye’, allowing timekeepers the ability to pinpoint the exact positions of athletes as they cross the finish line. The camera was developed by the British Race Finish Recording Company and could determine the differences between first and second place performances with a higher degree of accuracy then previous technologies. This was the beginning of an era where the capabilities of machines and the photofinish camera came in handy for judges, particularly when two Americans finished at the same time of 10.3 seconds at a historic 100-metre final. In 1960 came further advancements in timekeeping after a controversial decision at the Roman Olympic Games that year, resulting in the last games timed by Omega to be resolved using human-eye decisions. During the 100m freestyle, judges couldn’t form a consensus on a winner and their decision to award the gold and silver medallists were scrutinised as unfair. Because of this, Omega went on to develop automatic touchpads at the ends of pools that would allow swimmers to stop the time with their own hands. A Bielbased manufacturer developed the technology and the first of its kind was implemented at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Mexico City would be the next stop for the 1968 Olympics and would also feature yet another milestone in timekeeping for the momentous event. With 45 Omega timekeepers present along with the Photosprint, a camera used to film all runners at the end of a race was able to capture the moment where every contestant crossed