The brand has proudly opened its newest production facility in Bienne, Switzerland.
Signalling the next chapter in its renowned history of innovation and manufacturing excellence, the
Swiss watchmaker OMEGA has officially opened its newest production building at the brand’s HQ
site in Bienne, Switzerland. Honoured guests for the event included the CEO of Swatch Group, Mr.
Nick Hayek; the President and CEO of OMEGA, Raynald Aeschlimann; Head of the Federal
Department of Economic Affairs, Education & Research (EAER), Mr. Johann N. Schneider-Ammann;
and the award-winning Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban.
Having first arrived on this site in 1882, the new building represents the industry’s most cutting-edge
facility for watch assembly, training and quality control. Designed by Shigeru Ban, it is an eco-friendly
masterpiece built with sustainable Swiss spruce and an ingenious indoor climate and energy concept.
Inside, OMEGA has used the 5 floors of space in the most effective way possible, bringing technical
innovation and human expertise together for a fully modernised manufacturing process.
Mr. Nick Hayek said: “OMEGA is producing watches at this historical site in the heart of Biel since
1882. OMEGA is and was a pioneer of innovation and excellence in the Swiss watch industry and
worldwide. The strong tradition of investing in new technologies, new methods of production, but also
in its own employees can again be seen through the achievement of this new splendid OMEGA
factory. It reflects the brand’s commitment to the highest standards of watchmaking.”
Raynald Aeschlimann also gave his thoughts by saying: “Of course, we have created a truly
innovative workspace, but the real value of this new building is efficiency. We have been able to now
combine all of our assembly and testing processes under one roof. That means a complete
consolidation of work that will help OMEGA to become much more productive and streamlined than
ever before.”
All steps, including T2 (watch assembly), T3 (bracelets), and T4 (shipping), as well as stock and
logistics, will now be completed inside the new building. In addition to this, it has been designed for
training purposes, enabling OMEGA to sharpen and constantly improve the skills of the staff inside.
At the core of the building, OMEGA has installed a fully automated storage system that rises up
through 3 floors of the building. Like something from a science-fiction movie, the fireproofed system
contains over 30,000 boxes filled with all the necessary stock required for the brand’s watchmaking.
Importantly, the new building has also been created to house OMEGA’s quality and technical control
processes, including the METAS testing for Master Chronometer certification. It is here that OMEGA
will certify its watches at the industry’s highest standard for precision, performance and magnetic
resistance.
With the opening of this new building, the future has certainly arrived for OMEGA. As a new
generation of watch buyers emerges, the brand has now revolutionised its facilities in readiness to
meet their demands.
