Britain’s treasured Queen Victoria died in 1901, and King Edward VII took the throne. Many inventions and discoveries were made during the 1900s – the Wright brothers flew the first version of the aeroplane, radioactivity was discovered by Marie Curie, the first electric typewriter was invented by George Canfield Blickensderfer, the first radio receiver received a radio transmission and a patent was awarded for the steam engine. Ford produced its first car, the Model A, which was followed by the infamous Model T. Art nouveau and cubism were prominent in the world of art, and Matisse held his first solo exhibition.
1900
The Great Depression of the 1930s seriously affected society around the world and left several countries susceptible to authoritarian rule, including Germany, which preempted the World War that was to follow. Jazz and swing music was in favour, and radio became a form of mass media. Film and cinematography started to progress, including the invention of the first colour film by Kodak, and ‘The Wizard of Oz’, in full technicolour, delighted audiences. Along with films, the 1930s also saw literary classics The Hobbit by J.R Tolkien and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men were released.
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OMEGA ‘GREEK TEMPLE’ 1900
OMEGA ‘MARINE’ 1936
Image courtesy of The National Archives
This unique piece was made for the 1900 World Fair, in Paris and featured a 19’’’ chronograph and 17 jewels with four settings, cut balance and Maltese Cross stopwork. Together with an 18-carat gold case, the timepiece has been designed to incorporate many key Greek deities including the the dial painting of Cronos – god of time and on the back, Helios god of the sun.
1910
The 1910s saw the outbreak of World War I, catalysed by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. George V became the King of England, which he would remain as throughout the war and until his death in 1936. It was a period of both great tragedy and positive technological and scientific progression. In 1912, the HMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, killing 1,517 of its passengers and crew and horrifying millions around the world. Albert Einstein unveiled his theory of relativity to the world, the Ford Model T dominated the world of automobiles and Charlie Chaplin became a huge star.
1940 OMEGA ‘AUTOMATIC SEAMASTER’ 1948
Created in 1916 this calibre 11’’’ offers a zoned silver dial, sun guilloché centre, minute track, Arabic numerals and blue steel Poire hands. Together with 0.900 silver two-piece rectangular curved case and leather strap ‘integrated’ in the back it speaks of a young century eagerly looking forward to the future.
1920
Europe enjoyed an economic boom after World War I, and the period known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’ began. Flapper girls sported bobbed hair, short dresses and danced the Charleston, and dismissed social convention in the pursuit of enjoyment. The art deco and surrealist movements exploded in the world of art, and All Quiet on the Western Front became an Oscar winning film. It was a decade of discovery and accomplishment – Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the atlantic ocean, the tomb of Tutankhamun was uncovered by Howard Carter, and Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel prize in physics.
OMEGA ‘ART DECO’ 1925
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World War II dominated the 1940s, with fashion and culture temporarily repressed due to shortages and rationing. However, Hollywood produced several legendary films during this time including ‘Casablanca’, and stars such as Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner made their names. Swing music was popular, which gave way to Frank Sinatra towards the end of the decade. Several noteable literary masterpieces and plays were penned during the decade, including George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Celebrating the peak of the swinging 20s this unique model was created for the Paris Decorative Arts Exhibition in 1925. Consisting of an 18-carat gold case made by Wenger, Geneva and decorated with cloisonné enamel grapes on a red-orange background and framed by marbled green panels this timepiece represents the fashion of decade. This piece features a Nickel-plated calibre 35 ML manufactured in Geneva, gilt dial with inside crown and a face showing enameled fantasy Arabic numerals, with a ‘7’ resembling the numeral ‘2’ for aesthetic harmony.
The beginning of a legacy, this model was the standard version of the very first Seamaster. Housed in a water-resistant steel case with reinforced crystal this Calibre 28.10 RA SC, Seamaster featured silvered dial with zones, inner minute circle with strokes, polished and riveted gold Arabic numerals and hour markers with radium dots together with polished luminous Dauphine hands to see your way in the dark of the depths.
The 1950s were largely characterised by the clashes between communism and capitalism, but it was also a decade of scientific discovery. In medicine, the double helix structure of DNA was discovered by Francis Crick and James Watson, and the first successful ultrasound scan was conducted – developments which would go on to change the face of medicine forever. The world’s first nuclear plant opened in Obninsk near Moscow, and testing of nuclear weapons increased. Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth was launched. Celebrity culture started to take shape with Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean as iconic film stars of the decade, and Elvis Presley attracted a huge legion of fans with his introduction of rock’n’roll music.
Image from Elizabeth Taylor: Queen of the Silver Screen, by Ian Lloyd. Published in hardback by Andre Deutsch, £14.99. Available to buy from all good bookstores and online
OMEGA ‘BANANA’ 1916
The first OMEGA diver watch, originally launched in 1932 offers a silvered Art Deco dial, removable double case, Calibre 19.4 SOB together with blue steel Cathedral hands, and a water-resistant steel cases with the outside made of sapphire crystal with a snap lever closing. This model was successfully tested at 135m depth by the Swiss Watch Research Laboratory in Neuchâtel, in 1937.
1950 OMEGA ‘SPEEDMASTER’ 1957
1957 saw the development of the first OMEGA Speedmaster – a watch selected by NASA in 1965 to become the ‘moon watch’ for the lunar landing of 1969. Now to be seen at the OMEGA Museum this timepiece features a multitude of features, including; a hand-wound calibre 321, matt black oxidised dial, highly visible luminous hands (arrowhead hour hand), steel centre chronograph seconds with a counterweight, flat satin-brushed steel bezel with an engraved Tachymètre Base 1000 – 300-60 km/h tachymetric scale, 60-metre water-resistant stainless steel case, Plexiglas crystal and water-resistant crown to name but a few.
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