时间：2022-09-29 12:50:53
Asepia-tinted image captures the essence of the moment as men in bowler hats and stop watches keep time at an event that is celebrated as the definitive sporting event of the world: the Olympics. Over the years television, and now the internet, has changed the way the sport is viewed and the sepia has been replaced by colour-mesharp images that are paused, rewound and fast-forwarded at whim to relive the magic of movement as a sinewy muscle strains to break limits and set new records. Watchmaker Omega has always loved sport and understands the nuances of milliseconds changing lives better than anyone else. From moon walks to deep sea diving and the Olympics, almost every model created by the brand bears the distinct mark of sportsmanship. In 1931 the brand created the first diver watch in the world which had a double case, sapphire crystal and a strap made of saltwater-resistant seal leather. This initial model underwent many changes and was soon replaces by the chic Seamaster. This remains one of the brand’s best-loved timepieces. Its Speedmaster became the first and only watch to make it to the moon and was declared by NASA as the official watch for American space missions.
In 1932 Omega became the official timekeeper for the Olympics for the very first time. Those first tentative steps saw its stop watches measuring time to one-tenth of a second which was a significant achievement given how basic sport timekeeping was. No one then knew how technology would change and challenge human limits but over the last few decades the brand has worked closely with athletes to identify bottlenecks in timekeeping. Simple innovations like the introduction of an upgraded photo finish camera which was first used in the 1992 games and was able to digitally measure time to a thousandth of a second, changed the face of timekeeping and reduced squabbles over inaccuracy as human error was minimised by the use of machines that were created for this purpose.
Peter Hurzeler, board member, Omega and someone who has officiated at timekeeper over 15 Olympics is eager to explain that the 2012 Games will be different. It’s a typical London day with bone-chilling cold and rain that reduces your lovely suedes to mush, but as we lay foot on the track where the greatest races will unfold, starting end-July, the weather is forgotten. According to Hurzeler, who showcases the latest innovations to a bunch of eager journalists from around the world, “While technology keeps evolving, the bigger challenge is to understand how the Olympics are changing and keep pace with that. Our role becomes crucial because the athletes spend years training and it is a shame if the timing system lets them down in any way.”
The London outing will be especially taxing on athletes on the track as the zero tolerance for false starts rule plays out. A wrongly flexed muscle that twitches a millisecond before the whiplash of the firing gun and home you go. That’s where Omega’s new starting blocks and electronic gun come into play and can be the difference between victory and death for athletes. Since the sound emitted from the gun travels at the speed of sound, earlier, the athlete closest to it had a mini advantage over others as he/ she heard it first. The new starting system created by Omega has loudspeakers behind each athlete, ensuring that the noise is heard by everyone simultaneously.
Also, instead of putting the onus on human judges, starting blocks have now been fit with pressure pads that measure an athlete’s reaction time. Once the gun cracks, the athlete needs to hear the sound, process the information and relay it onto his tense muscles to move. This reaction time, set by the IAAF, is at 100 milliseconds, or one-tenth of a second.
At the London Games more than 450 on-site professionals will be wielding their power, supported by over 800 volunteers and of course the incredible technology that is the result of years of research and collaboration by the brand. It is the company’s painstaking reputation for being a stickler that has stood it in good stead. With ace swimmers like Michael Phelps and athletes like Tyson Gay and Jessica Ennis as brand ambassadors, Omega has established itself as a clear favourite with athletes, yet it has found itself embroiled in ‘conflict of interest’issues in the past.
In Phelps’ Beijing outing, his 100 metre butterfly race win was disputed but Omega (the official timekeeper and his sponsor) insisted he won and would not release underwater video images to corroborate this. Stepehen Urquhart the company’s president is dismissive and says, “People can say what they want but those manning the timing devices are hired by the Olympic committee and there is no question of personal judgment of favouritism when it comes to these Games.” Famous last words. As the curtain goes up on the London 2012 games, the world prepares to be dazzled by this great contest where a split second has the might to change fortunes and bring on sudden death in competition.