With the Paris 2024 Summer Games underway, it comes as no surprise that Omega is leaning hard into its Olympics partnership, as the Swiss watchmaker has served as the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932. Aside from all the on-the-ground timekeeping responsibilities, Omega also takes it upon itself to produce a line of timepieces dedicated to the global sporting event. The newest model to join the collection is the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition watch, which mixes bronze, silver, and gold into one watch as a nod to the medals that the world’s top athletes are currently competing for.
If the overall look of the watch is familiar, that’s because the Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition is inspired by the Omega CK 859 from 1938, which the company had already revived in a modern execution in 2022. The Olympic watch we have here features a 39mm (11.7mm thick and 46.2mm lug-to-lug) case made from Omega’s proprietary Bronze Gold alloy that debuted in the 2021 Seamaster 300 collection. For those who aren’t as familiar with Bronze Gold, it’s a mix of gold (37.5%), copper, palladium, and silver, resulting in a soft pink hue that sits somewhere in between yellow and red gold. Plus, it won’t oxidize like traditional bronze does.
In true Omega form, the back of the watch case includes a stamped and frosted Olympic Games Paris 2024 medallion. While “CK” was Omega’s old-school code for stainless steel, the top of the caseback is inscribed with “BG 859” in reference to the Bronze Gold case material.
Moving from third-place medal inspiration to second, the dial of the Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition watch is fashioned from — you guessed it — 925 silver. At the center of the silver dial is the classic “Clou de Paris” decoration, apt considering where the Olympics are taking place this year. The surface is punctuated with a vintage Omega logo and Arabic numerals at 3, 9, and 12. Encircling the hobnail-patterned section is a circular brushed minute track, which is the same finish on the small seconds subdial track at 6 o’clock.
How about top-of-the-podium gold, you ask? Well, that’s found in the pair of hands at the center of the dial and the small seconds hand, which are all made from Sedna Gold and coated with a special PVD Bronze Gold coating. I’m not really convinced that this counts as a combination of bronze, silver, and gold à la Olympic medals since yellow gold isn’t visible anywhere on the watch.
Powering the new Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition watch is the manual-winding Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 8926, based on the vintage 30T2 movement. With certifications from both METAS and COSC, this 3.5 Hz movement is resistant to magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss and offers 72 hours of power reserve. Finally, Omega pairs the watch with a brown calfskin leather strap, fitted with a sandblasted Bronze Gold buckle with a polished vintage Omega logo relief.
I’m not that into sports (except for large-scale football, a.k.a. soccer, events like the World Cup or Euro 2024) so I couldn’t imagine buying an Olympic-themed watch — it gives off gift-shop-trinket vibes to me. However, despite my bias, I can still appreciate that this is a good-looking watch. Thankfully the branding of the Games is reserved to the back of the watch and the presentation box, two areas that are not visible when the watch is on the wrist. So, that’s a win in my book. For those who want an expensive souvenir of this year’s Summer Olympics and any old hat or t-shirt won’t do, the $12,000 USD Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition watch may be the winning contender. For more information about the Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition ref. 522.92.39.21.99.001, please visit the brand’s website.
