Our industry's most important trade fair begins this year on the heels of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games where, for the 24 th time, OMEGA served as Official Timekeeper. Our relationship with the International Olympic Committee has become an important part of our legacy and we were proud, in September of last year, to extend our agreement with the IOC through 2020.

In 2009 we celebrated the 40 th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that led to OMEGA's first lunar landing adventure. This year we commemorate the 35 th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, a mission remembered for its political, technological and historical significance. When Generals Stafford and Leonov, both wearing Speedmasters, shook hands in the docking hatch of July 17 th , 1975, an era of cooperation in space began which would lead to efforts to build a permanently occupied space station. Speedmasters are still standard equipment for the astronauts on the International Space Station.

Our relationship with NASA can be traced back some 45 years; with the Olympic Games, it began in 1932. The hallmarks of these connections are quality and continuity. OMEGA has always delivered products and services which exceeded the sophisticated performance requirements of these demanding organizations.

In 2010, OMEGA continues to focus on the innovative watchmaking which has always characterized our brand. Last year at BaselWorld we were pleased to mark the 10 th anniversary of our Co-Axial technology. This year, our exclusive Co-Axial calibres are still the main message.

The OMEGA Constellation Ladies Quartz 35 mm

OMEGA's re-designed Constellation line
In 1982, OMEGA launched the first Constellation to feature the radical and enduring "Griffes" or claws, which immediately placed the watch line among the ranks of the world's most instantly identifiable timepieces. OMEGA redesigned the entire Constellation family last year and in 2010 is proud to introduce two of its newest members.

In timeless white
This white Constellation Ladies Quartz 35 mm timepiece with a polished 18 Ct red gold case and a white alligator leather strap is an ideal accessory for any wardrobe. Adding to its allure are the eleven single-cut diamond hour markers which are graduated, increasing in size on each side of the dial from the round facetted date window at six o'clock. Its dramatic brushed 18 Ct red gold bezel features Roman numerals coated with white Super-LumiNova.
The silver lacquered dial features a supernova pattern which explodes from the Constellation star.

Shades of black and grey
Another of the year's dramatic offerings is the Constellation Ladies Quartz 35 mm with a black alligator leather strap and a shaded grey dial. This striking watch has a bezel paved with 34 full-cut diamonds. Its eleven single-cut diamond hour markers, which are increasingly graduated from the round facetted date window at six o'clock, are in sharp relief to the supernova pattern on the dial which emanates from the Constellation star.
Both the shaded grey and the white models are powered by OMEGA's quartz calibre 1532. Their vertically-brushed casebacks are embossed with the Constellation Observatory medallion. Their polished facetted hour and minute hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova, which makes them easy to read in all light conditions.

Two classic Constellations
The "watch with the claws" has been turning heads for 28 years. These diamond-enhanced 35 mm timepieces are among the stars from the redesigned Constellation line, blending timeless black or white with the eternal popularity of diamonds.

The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35 th Anniversary"

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission is remembered for its political, technological and historical significance. It was the first time that spacecraft built by different nations had docked and it signalled an era of cooperation in space which would lead to the efforts to build a permanently occupied space station.

Political history in space
On July 17, 1975, astronaut Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford (USA) and cosmonaut Lieutenant General Alexei A. Leonov (USSR) met in the docking hatch which linked their respective spacecraft. On their wrists, these space pioneers each wore OMEGA Speedmaster Professional chronographs.
The mission also marked the last launch of an Apollo spacecraft.

Commemorating a handshake
The 35 th anniversary of their historic handshake is commemorated with the release of the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz "35 th Anniversary" chronograph in a limited edition of 1975 watches.

A meteorite dial
The dial has been created from a meteorite which survived its entry into our planet's atmosphere and the high-speed impact with the terrestrial surface. The meteorite's unusual structure is the result its very high temperature when it enters the Earth's atmosphere, followed by a period of cooling. The dial is a single piece cut from the meteorite; accordingly, because no two pieces of the meteorite are exactly alike, each watch in this limited edition is absolutely unique.
The black colour of the meteorite dial is the result of a surface oxidation process. The silvery seconds hand and chronograph counters appear in the meteorite's natural colour.

OMEGA's mythical diver in white: The Seamaster Ploprof 1200M

The OMEGA Speedmaster Ladies' Chronograph Chronometer 38 mm.