He is regarded as one of the greatest Olympians in history. American swimmer Michael Phelps has won a total of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them in gold. In Tokyo this year the athlete is participating as a spectator and commentator after having competed in five consecutive Olympic Games spanning two and half decades. Omega has been the official timekeeper of the games 29 times including this year’s games in Tokyo, a role it first played in 1932. Mr. Phelps visited the Omega Showcasing in Tokyo on July 25th.

« Omega has been with me through all of my gold medals, for 21 years. It’s a family, » he said. And the swimmer knows first hand the importance of how crucial timekeeping and a split-second is given his narrow-margin win over Milorad Čavić in the 100-meter butterfly event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, one of the closest in Olympic history and for which Omega was the Official Timekeeper.

When Omega first began its role as the Official Timekeeper to the Olympics in 1932, the house brought just one timekeeper and 30 stopwatches to the games. Today the job requires 530 on-site professionals and 400 tons of equipment. During his visit to Omega Showcasing, Michael Phelps wore the Seamster Diver 300M Tokyo 2020, the brand’s tribute to the event.

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Tokyo 2020, one of the house’s five Tokyo 2020 models, has a unique color scheme inspired by the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games emblem, along with cutting-edge watchmaking technology. The 42 mm case is crafted in stainless steel and is mounted with a blue ceramic bezel ring, which is filled with a white enamel diving scale. Stainless steel is also used for the polished-brushed bracelet that is integrated with the case. To complement the blue, there is a polished white ceramic dial with extra depth provided by the laser-engraved waves.

Features include a date window at 6 o’clock and the famous Seamaster name highlighted in red. Blued hands and indexes complete the dial design and are filled with white Super-LumiNova. This unique timepiece is presented inside a special Olympic Games presentation box, along with a Master Chronometer card and a full 5-year warranty.
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
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