Omega’s innovations at the Rio Olympic Games

The prestigious Swiss watchmaking brand Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games for the 27th time since 1932. It is responsible for many groundbreaking innovations in timekeeping technology. With a global reputation for excellence, Omega is behind the timekeeping equipment and technology that today’s athletes depend on. Throughout its history as official timekeeper […]

The prestigious Swiss watchmaking brand Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games for the 27th time since 1932. It is responsible for many groundbreaking innovations in timekeeping technology.

With a global reputation for excellence, Omega is behind the timekeeping equipment and technology that today’s athletes depend on. Throughout its history as official timekeeper of the Olympic Games, the company established in Biel/Bienne, in the canton of Bern, has been a leading force in researching, developing and mastering the technologies that record every second.

Once again this year, there is no shortage of innovations: “We try to do our best for the athletes”, highlights Peter Hürzeler, Omega manager in Rio de Janeiro. Among the new technologies developed for the Rio Olympic Games are a new photofinish camera that can take up to 10,000 digital images per second, as well as photocells that can better detect body patterns and give greater accuracy. In archery, innovative targets calculate the position of the arrow with 0.2 mm accuracy. As far as athletics is concerned, the starting blocks have been enhanced with built-in sensors that measure force against the footrest 4,000 times per second. Omega has also improved its scoreboards. They are now operated by new software which enables them to display not only text and live information, but also animations, pictures and visual imagery.