Timeless grand style and ultimate craftsmanship: Renowned Swiss watchmaker, Gustave Homberger, catapulted himself into the annals of Swiss watch-making history with the successful mastery of both elements. In the winter of 1888, guided by only a handful of candles, Gustave Homberger worked tirelessly on the assembly of special key-wound pocket watches. Accompanied only by his sheer determination, patience and imagination; Gustave made pocket watches that would come to stand the test of time.

Life is not precise, but the recording of its passage must be. Gustave Homberger's preeminence as one of the finest Swiss watchmakers would not be secured until the creation of the famous Omikron caliber. In 1898, Gustave Homberger achieved the remarkable with his 19-line pocket caliber. Produced by new methods, the consistency and accuracy of the 19" caliber was the result of a new assembly system based on the interchange ability of standardized parts. This innovative technology produced an instantly successful caliber that was named "Omikron", the letter of the Greek alphabet, synonymous with achievement, excellence and perfection.

Time must be measured and nowhere was that measurement more crucial than the time that traveled the railways that crisscrossed Europe. The pocket watch was used by the railroads to time the scheduled comings and goings of trains from station to station. Timing was absolutely crucial; a watch off even as much as a minute could mean the difference between life and death. With the stakes this high, Homberger used his revolutionary design to illustrate pioneering precision. The flames of innovation were fanned and word spread quickly around Europe about the incredible accuracy of this new timepiece. Europe's rail systems dwelled in Omikron time as Omikron became the official supplier of the entire Ottoman Empire and eventually all of the Eastern European Railway systems, including the most famous rail system of lore, the Orient Express.

After the death of Gustave Homberger in 1929, Stephane and Georges, his equally skilled progeny, adapted their father's technology to military applications. The very essence of Omikron, its precision, attracted the attention of leading military officials after WWI. Omikron's development of a new line of pilot and diver's watches, guaranteed to withstand the various air and water pressure as well as everyday abuse, led to the adoption of Omikron as the official military and pilot watch for a number of European countries. Since the end of World War II, Omikron continued to court perfection even as new forms of technology were integrated into the already illustrious realm of Swiss watch making.

A history such as this can never die and lives on through the work of the skilled watchmakers of the Swiss company, Leschot S.A. The Omikron legacy will always sit aloft two historical pillars, which are its precision railroad pocket watch, and hugely praised pilot series. But since then, the company has continued the tradition of Omikron excellence with mechanical, both manual, and automatic watches alike. Omikron is an authentic pilot watch and Omikron is the official watch of the Fraternal Order of the U.D.T./Seals.

Orient Express

Austro-Hungarian Empire

Ottoman Empire

Swiss Watch making