The World Swimming Championships, being played out in Fukuoka, Japan until July 30th, have already produced a couple of surprises. The US Men’s team lost the 4 x 100 freestyle relay for the first time in any Olympics or World Championships since 2015, although they did pick up the bronze. And the young French swimming sensation Léon Marchand powered to a gold medal in the 400 meters individual medley final pulverizing the last of the records held by Michael Phelps. But one thing stays the same, the official time keeper for the sport which often comes down to the final touch: Omega. Léon Marchand is an official ambassador of the brand as was Phelps who was on hand in Japan to congratulate the swimmer who trains with this former coach Bob Bowman.

Omega’s involvement with swimming goes back to 1932 when the Swiss house became the official time keeper for the Olympics and the house has been the official timekeeper for the World Swimming Championships, now called the World Aquatics Championships, since 1973. The house has made a number of innovations in timekeeping for swimming which like every sport has it very own characteristics, for example with the winner often winning by a mere touch. Omega has invented special electronic touch pads — the swimmer stops his own time with his own hand(s) — that can measure up to one hundredth of a second, the smallest time difference possible in swimming. They also developed a very popular feature with the lanes immediately lighting up at the results at the end of the race with the place of the swimmers, their country and their name.

The Omega Seamaster. The Seamster is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Photos ©Omega. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

« Omega has a really special history with swimming. Every athlete recognizes the precision of Omega’s timekeeping as well as its reliability. I am proud to be associated with this emblematic name and it is an honor for me to be a part of the Omega family, » commented Léon Marchand.

Meanwhile the house welcomes two new ambassadors to its prestigious roster of past ambassadors like Caeleb Dressel, Federica Pellegrini, Cody Simpson and the incomparable Michael Phelps. In addition to Léon Marchand, the outstanding Romanian swimmer David Popovici, who holds the world record in the 100 meter freestyle, has also been named an Omega ambassador.  « I like what Omega represents. It has supported swimming for nearly 100 years and has made the commitment to respect every detail. Some extraordinary swimmers are part of the brand and I feel privileged to be a part of it now myself, » said David Popovici. The ambassadors typically sport the iconic Omega Seamaster Professional timepiece. The first Seamster was introduced in 1948 so the iconic watch, which has been declined in diverse versions, is enjoying its 75th anniversary this year. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.omegawatches.com/