Omega’s showcase at this year’s Baselworld calls attention to basically two milestones in the company’s history – its 160th anniversary and its 23rd appearance as official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games.

To celebrate the former, Omega has released the Constellation “Omega 160 Years” in three models – two for ladies, and one for men, as well as a 1,970-piece limited edition of the Speedmaster Moonwatch “Alaska Project” with a distinctive red-anodised aluminium outer case – which until last year, remained nothing more than a prototype.

In the build-up to commemorate Omega’s participation in the Beijing Olympic Games, it has launched the Beijing Olympic Collection, which consists of five limited edition timepieces, as well as a one-of-a-kind “Beijing 2008, Unique No, 8 Collection”, set to be launched at various junctures in the countdown to the world’s largest sporting extravaganza.

These watches are easily recognizable by the five rings of the Olympiad as the counterweight of the chronograph seconds hands or their hour markers or numerals painted in Olympic colors.

An interesting model to note here is the Speedmaster 5-Counter Chronograph, which has five counters on the watch dial, representing the five rings of the Olympics. They are, starting from the 3 o’clock position, a small seconds counter, a 7-day chronograph recorder, a day indicator, a 12-hour chronograph recorder, and a 30-minute chronograph recorder.

Omega also used this year’s Baselworld to announce its adoption of silicon balance springs in two of its new watches, namely the De Ville Hour Vision Annual Calendar Limited Series, and the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ladies’ Co-Axial Collection.

Because of its non-magnetic properties, exposure to magnetic fields would not affect the performance and therefore, accuracy of watches with silicon balance springs.

Silicon springs aside, the De Ville Hour Vision Annual Calendar boasts an instantaneous jump annual calendar complication, which automatically recognizes months with 30 and 31 days, and needs only one manual correction for the first day of March. This limited edition of 160 will be complemented by a collection of eight models, four in rose gold and four in stainless steel.

The Seamaster Aqua Terra Collection gets a new design look, with the ‘Teck Concept” dials which look like the wooden decks of luxury yachts. The Seamaster Aqua Terra Ladies’ Co-Axial Collection, besides housing a silicon balance spring, also features a new in-house Co-Axial calibre 8520/8521, designed specially for smaller watches.