The Transat - Omega Official Timekeeper And Principal Partner Of The Transat 2004

The history of Swiss watchmaker Omega spans over 150 years and includes numerous pioneering achievements such as timekeeping 21 Olympic Games and producing the timepiece that became the first watch to be worn on the moon. Having started its sports timekeeping activities nearly one hundred years ago, the brand today has a strong focus on the sports of golf and sailing, partnering with some of the biggest international events in these fields. Omega is now pleased to further its involvement in sailing with a strong new commitment as Official Timekeeper and Principal Partner of The Transat 2004.

The first recorded role as official timekeeper by the company based in Bienne, Switzerland, was at the 1909 Gordon Bennett balloon race in Zurich. In 1932, Omega brand stopwatches were chosen to time the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the first time that a single company had been entrusted with the timekeeping of all Olympic disciplines. Thanks to an incessant quest for innovation, which produced numerous world-firsts in sports timekeeping, Omega went on to be official timekeeper at a total of 21 Olympic Games, even earning the Olympic Cross of Merit for its outstanding services to the world of sport.

Omega has a strong presence as official timekeeper of many of the world's top sailing events, including the America's Cup 2000 and 2003, the Asian Yachting Circuit 2003/4, Cowes Week and a commitment to Swedish Match Cup that dates back over ten years. In 2003, the brand also established the Omega Match Racing Team to support its ambassador Dean Barker. Solo yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, winner of the monohull class in the last Transat (then known as the Europe 1 New Man STAR) in 2000, is also an ambassador for the prestigious Swiss brand. Ellen is now only weeks away from her first solo record attempt across the Atlantic on board the new trimaran B&Q.

A good example of Omega's long standing association with sailing comes dates back to the very beginnings of the OSTAR: Eric Tabarly, winner in 1964 and 1976, famously used an old sextant and an Omega Marine Chronometer (the most accurate wristwatch in the world) to determine his position "the old way". Today, the Seamaster divers' watch is the cornerstone of Omega's communication in sailing. Having evolved from over 70 years of experience in producing watches for the extreme ocean environment, the Omega Seamaster is the watch of choice for those whose world revolves around the sea. The Transat 2004 winners in the monohull and multihull categories, as well as the boat that covers the longest distance in 24 hours, will each be presented with Seamaster watches like those worn by their colleagues and Omega ambassadors Ellen MacArthur and Dean Barker.