For those who don't know exactly what “Omega” means, it's the last letter of the Greek alphabet and represents success and perfection. And though Omega has been around for more than a thousand years, the watchmaker's run has only lasted about 150.

The fine wristwatches produced by Omega have become something of a status symbol over the years. Though they're not quite as popular as Rolex, but in most cases, Omega's steep price dwarfs the former. In the same class as Vacheron Constantin, Blancpain and Piguet, Omega exudes a sophisticated stream of elegance that the well-to-do can't seem to get enough of. When the watch power rankings drop, Omega is consistently near the top.

Omega's story begins in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848. The 23-year-old founder, Louis Brandt, opened a sub-contracting sales office strictly for his watches. By the time 1880 rolled around, Brandt was forced to move into a factory due to a far greater supply than manpower available to meet the demand. It was during this timeframe that the Labrador and Gurzelen were introduced.

Around 1900, Louis Brandt and Fils easily became the largest watch produces in all of Switzerland, producing around 250,000 timepieces annually and employing a staff of over 800. By 1903, Brand and Fils, who had formed a brief partnership with Piguet to release their wristwatch, settled on the name “Omega”. The name generated enough buzz that every watch produced by the company bore the “Omega” tag.

During the early 1900s, watches were judged by a much different standard. Today, the best looking, most attention grabbing, bejeweled timepieces are considered “popular,” but 70-100 years ago, watches were judged on performance. Omega picked up a world record for accuracy from the English observatory of Kew-Teddington in 1936.

From that day on, Omega was now a revered name around the world. They released the Speedmaster in 1957, only to have none other than NASA use their “Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph wristwatch” as their official time-keeper in 1965. Needless to say, this was a very high honor.

Adding more popularity and buzz to the brand, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, famously wore his Omega Speedmaster watch in 1969. After that, this brand was referred to as the “Moon Watch”. A short time later, the Russian Space Agency also chose Omega to adorn the wrists of their astronauts. Omega then produced the Marine Chronometer 2400 in 1974, which swiftly became the most technologically advanced wristwatch in the world.

Omega received its 100,000 official rating certificate for chronometers in 1983, the same year a museum was opened solely for the company's watches. And true to their legendary fashion, Omega wasn't close to done yet. In 1999, they made history by introducing the first ever mass-produced wristwatch using the revolutionary “co-axial escapement”. Almost ten years later and Omega still continues to make regular improvements and advancements to their watches. Their brand is truly one of the worlds finest.