Omega establishes the Laboratoire de Précision in Biel

Omega, the Biel-based watchmaker belonging to Swatch Group, has established the Laboratoire de Précision, a new independent certification laboratory for chronometric precision testing. Officially accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS) as an alternative to the COSC, the independent label certifying Swiss watchmaking excellence, which has certified Swiss mechanical movements for over 50 years, the Laboratoire de Précision is open to all watchmakers and movement manufacturers across the industry. Additionally certified by METAS for Master Chronometer testing, the facility operates across two Bernese sites, in Biel and Villeret, covering more than 1,000 square meters dedicated to chronometric testing. Although created by Omega, it is fully independent and neutral.

The Laboratoire de Précision conducts chronometric measurements continuously over 15 days for Chronometer certification and 8 days for Master Chronometer certification, rather than the traditional method of daily readings. It analyzes each alternation of a movement with precision ten times greater than conventional approaches, testing across variable positions and temperatures and generating a significantly larger volume of data for analysis.

The practical significance of this methodology became clear in March 2026, when a new acoustic testing method combined with optical hand-tracking developed by the Laboratoire de Précision enabled Master Chronometer certification of a two-hand watch for the first time in watchmaking history. The result was the Omega Constellation Observatory, a collection displaying only hours and minutes, yet bearing the Master Chronometer designation, a distinction previously impossible without a seconds hand.

For Switzerland, the Laboratoire de Précision represents a structural advancement in the country’s precision measurement infrastructure. By establishing an accredited alternative to COSC and working in close partnership with METAS, Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Metrology, which is itself building quantum-era measurement capabilities, Omega reinforces the canton of Bern’s role as the global capital of watchmaking precision.