OMEGA In Crans-Montana

A Global Passion

For OMEGA, golf is a sport with many shared values. The art of precision is perhaps the most obvious. Just as OMEGA has spent a lifetime refining the smallest margins of accuracy, so too have the most successful players, who approach every shot with their own exacting standards. Performance is also key. While OMEGA stands at the forefront of watchmaking materials and long-lasting excellence, golfers demand that same level of consistency and dedication to remain at the very top.

And in golf, as in watchmaking, style is paramount. Not only in the talent displayed with a club, but also in mastering a classic look from head to toe. OMEGA is proud to lend its iconic and sought-after designs to a game of such distinguished fashion.

For these reasons, golf has become a natural fit within OMEGA’s identity and the brand is committed to supporting the game around the world. Thanks to its concerted efforts and dedicated partnerships in recent years, the Swiss watchmaker’s name is now firmly associated with some of the sport’s best players and most spectacular events.

“As well as making watches I love to wear, OMEGA passionately supports the game I love to play. I’m proud to be part of the family.” - RORY MCILROY

The OMEGA Masters

The OMEGA Masters is one of the most prestigious golf competitions held on European soil – and certainly one of the most breath-taking. Originally called the Swiss Open when it was founded in 1923, the tournament’s mountain venue in Crans-Montana has remained the same since 1939, making it the oldest golf tournament in Europe to be played on the same course every year. During its illustrious history, the high-altitude competition has been won by notable players including Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Seve Ballesteros, and Nick Faldo.

2023 in Crans-Montana

OMEGA has served as the title sponsor of the OMEGA Masters since 2001. This year’s edition of the tournament will be the Swiss watchmaker’s 22^nd year in the role, and it promises to be another memorable event, attracting some of the world’s most talented players to the mountain greens. Incredibly, this year will also mark the 76^th time that the competition has been played at the Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club since 1939, yet again highlighting the remarkable heritage and Swiss spirit on offer.

The OMEGA Masters was sanctioned by both the European and Asian Tours in 2009, forging a strong bond between two golf-loving continents.

OMEGA’s Mountain Golfers

Appearing at this year’s OMEGA Masters are several of the brand’s own ambassadors, who will be hoping to top the leaderboard.

• Rasmus Hojgaard

His four victories on the European Tour include the OMEGA Masters in 2021, which he won by a single shot. After winning the Made in Himmerland event earlier this summer, Rasmus arrives at Crans in winning form.

• Nicolai Hojgaard

His two European Tour victories include the Italian Open in 2021. That victory came just one week after Rasmus won in Crans-Montana, meaning the twins became the first brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour.

• Guido Migliozzi

Born in Vicenza, Guido Migliozzi accumulated multiple amateur wins before turning professional in 2016. The rising Italian star has three European Tour wins and a 4^th place finish at the US Open in 2021.

• Sean Crocker

The American Sean Crocker picked up his first European Tour victory in 2022, when he won the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews by a single shot. His next win is surely only a matter of time.

• Erik Van Rooyen

South African Erik van Rooyen attended the University of Minnesota in the USA, where he was captain of the men’s golf team. After turning professional in 2013, he claimed his first European title at the Scandinavian Invitation in 2019, followed by his first PGA Tour win in 2021 at the Barracuda Championship.

• Justin Suh

Currently a standout rookie on the PGA Tour, Justin Suh was ranked number one on the World Amateur Golf Rankings between October 2018 and April 2019 after a decorated collegiate as a 4-time All American. He won the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship and finished #1 on the season ending points list while also being named the Korn Ferry Player of the Year.

• Danny Willett

Danny Willett is famed for his incredible Masters victory at Augusta in 2016. With one Major to his name, and eight titles on the European Tour, including the OMEGA Masters in 2015, he will certainly be worth watching this year.

• Jeremy Freiburghaus

As the first Swiss golfer to qualify for the European Tour in 20 years, Jeremy will have a home advantage when he plays at the OMEGA Masters. His current record includes four professional wins.

• Matt Wallace

The English golfer, Matt Wallace, was the runner-up at the OMEGA Masters in 2022. Narrowly missing out in the playoff, he will be hoping to make amends this year and add to his current record of one PGA Tour win and four European Tour titles.

OMEGA Special Guests

The OMEGA Masters has always been a popular event for golf-loving celebrities. In recent years, this has included brand ambassadors such as George Clooney and Shaun White, who have visited the greens and attended special evening events.

Meanwhile, plenty of famous faces have also been spotted out on the fairways. In 1997, Cindy Crawford was part of the first group to play in OMEGA’s celebrity golf tournament, returning three more times over the years. That unique celebrity tournament has continued to grow - and has since welcomed a long list of big-name big-hitters, including Michael Phelps, Tom Felton, Niall Horan, and Justin Timberlake. These stars have competed against each other for the OMEGA Trophy or joined the official Pro-Am tournament together with some of OMEGA’s pro players.

Another name to mention is the retired legend, Michelle Wie, who became only the second woman to play in the OMEGA Masters, when she competed in 2006.

Golf At The Olympic Games

In the summer of 1904, Canadian George Lyon stepped onto the greens of St Louis and shot his way to an Olympic Games gold medal. It was a big moment for the player and a significant day for the sport itself, because this would be the last time that golf would feature at the prestigious event for another 112 years.

It wasn’t until Rio 2016, more than a century later, that the game teed off again. For many of the world’s best players, it was a chance to compete on the world’s biggest stage and win a truly rare prize – one of the three Olympic Games medals.

At Tokyo 2020, the game returned at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. The men’s event was particularly memorable for the tense seven-man sudden death playoff for the bronze medal. OMEGA is central to the golf events at the Olympic Games and even provides unique technology for the occasion. This includes scoreboards placed at ground level on dedicated tees. The scoreboards are equipped with radar measurement systems, which capture and display teeoff information to spectators. Along with the player’s name and current score, the scoreboard shows a live output of the stroke speed, estimated distance and height of the stroke.

The next wave of players will have their chance to win a medal at the Olympic Games when the event reaches Paris in 2024. Although we don’t yet know who will be standing on top of the podium, there is no doubt that OMEGA will be there again - both as the Official Timekeeper and as a passionate supporter.

Our Golfing Family

• Rory McIlroy

Winner of four majors and one of the most high-performin golfers in the world, Rory McIlroy has been a friend of OMEGA since 2013.

• Sergio Garcia

A member of the OMEGA family since 2003, Sergio Garcia has over 35 professional wins to his name, including the 2017 Masters.

• Danielle Kang

Having qualified for the US Women’s Open at just 14 years old, Danielle Kang won her first LPGA major in 2017 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

• Will Zalatoris

With multiple 2nd place finishes at the Majors and his first PGA Tour victory last August, it’s surely only a matter of time before Will Zalatoris reaches the very top of the game.

• Céline Boutier

Playing on the LET and LPGA Tour, the French golfer won her first Major at the Evian Championship in 2023, followed by her 13^th professional win at the Women’s Scottish Open the very next week.

The Seamaster Aqua Terra “Ultra Light”

Built for sporting comfort, the ergonomically designed Seamaster Aqua Terra “Ultra Light“ is fashioned from an alloy called Gamma Titanium, a strong yet lightweight material used in the aeronautical industry. The use of Gamma Titanium is a first for OMEGA. As is the telescopic crown, which can be stowed inside the case when not in use.

OMEGA’s matt finish Aqua Terra makes bold use of colour on the aluminium seconds hand, Seamaster logo, quarter hour indexes and strap stitching. There are three colours to choose from: red, green or blue. The “Ultra Light” is driven by OMEGA’s first-ever titanium movement. The Calibre 8928 Titanium is a manual-winding calibre with Co-Axial escapement. As a certified Master Chronometer approved by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS), the Calibre 8928 Titanium is resistant to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. Much like OMEGA’s sporting ambassadors, it has proven its worth under the toughest conditions.

The Seamaster Aqua Terra “Golf”

This watch is perfect for fans of the classics – and one that works equally well on or off the course. The 41 mm model is crafted in stainless steel and has a green sunray dial with a “teak” pattern that is inspired by the wooden decking of luxury yachts. 

The alluring colour is complemented by rhodium-plated hands and indexes coated with white Super-LumiNova, as well as a date window at 6 o’clock so you never miss a game in your diary. 

Powered by the OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8900, it meets the highest performance criteria of the industry, as determined by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS).