Father of Omega Seamaster

In 1948, Bannwart was put in charge of the new “creation” department at Omega, thereby officially bringing the design aspect of haute horlogerie a step closer to its current incarnation. Bannwart’s sense of design and creation came from inside the brand, while the brand’s competitors were still receiving design impulses from outside.In a further display of inventiveness, Richon documents in his Omega books that Bannwart was the first to apply the idea of luminous substance to the dials of wristwatches. In particular, he added a dot of radium into a recess to create a luminous dot marker. More replica Omega Seamaster watches.

While this may not seem at all special today, as a great many elements like numerals, markers and logos are now luminous on the dials of luxury watches, in the 1940s lume had not yet been instituted. The technique was quickly picked up by others to become a luxury standard.“Demand for watches was great right after the war,” says Jean-René Bannwart, who began working with his father at Corum in 1966. And in particular those of highly utilitarian design.

As Omega had been delivering watches to the British armed forces, the brand was experienced in making its timepieces water-resistant, reliable, and robust. These attributes planted the seed for the origins of the automatic Seamaster; Bannwart is considered the “father” of the era-making Seamaster line introduced in 1948.