Omega Caliber 9300 Complete Guide
Omega has consistently worked in the direction of manufacturing in-house movements. In the watch-industry, using in-house movements is something holy and valued as it shows you are a serious manufacturer that invests in research and development. Being under the roof of Swatch Group, Omega has access to tons of information when it comes to developing and manufacturing calibers, as ETA movement manufacturer is owned by the group.
Previously, there have been some debates about whether some of Omega’s movements which are used and labeled as ”in-house” aren’t just ETA movements, because where is the line drawn of in-house or not?
Regardless, in this article, we will be looking closer at the Omega caliber 9300. And this is a caliber that has been both developed by Omega and also is manufactured in-house in Omega’s own factories.
Omega caliber 9300 background
The Omega caliber 9300 was introduced in Basel World 2011, first presented in the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph and the Omega Speedmaster Co-Axial caliber 9300.
It was in 2007 that Omega started focusing on its development and manufacturing of its Co-Axial Escapement movements, but historically, Omega has mainly based its movements on existing ETA movements.
Omega has invested tons of resources for the development and manufacturing of the Caliber 9300 which features a Co-Axial escapement. Having that in mind, the brand has large resources for manufacturing a big number of calibers started with 8xxx and 930x.
When a company has invested so much into something, they, of course, want to make use of it, and in 2014 alone, Omega released 70 new references, all of which are featured with an in-house movement.
Omega Caliber 9300
The Omega Caliber is a chronograph movement and thus only used in chronograph watches. However, this caliber is mainly used in the Seamaster collection, although it has found its way into the Speedmaster collection in some places as well.
The Caliber 9300 is automatic and uses Silicon (Si14) for the balance spring. The rotor is bidirectional which helps reduce winding time. It has a power reserve of 60 hours, and of course, Swiss made.
The Caliber 9300 has double barrels, a column wheel, and an ultra-smooth vertical clutch system.
The balance wheel is made out of a special alloy and received a DLC treatment. The Omega caliber 9300/9301 movements have been decorated with “Côtes de Genève in Arabesque” finish which enhances the quality look of it. It is also Rhodium plated.
This is particularly nice considering it is used on some watches which have a see-through case back.
Seeing the Caliber 9300 utilizes the Co-Axial escapement, it means the escapement gets less friction thus less wear and tear. This, in turn, results in longer intervals between services.
Omega Caliber 9300 manufacturing process
Much of the Caliber 9300 is actually assembled by hand. However, when the parts come to the assembly line, they have already been manufactured and finished. Apart from the assembly, the movements are also carefully controlled for accuracy and quality, Most of this controlling is done with various tools and thus does not demand a human eye.
Furthermore, the equipment that is used to monitor adjust and measure the caliber 9300 has been designed in-house to ensure they meet the requirements of Omega.
The employees working with the assembly of this movement are not fixed to only one task, but know how to perform each step of the movement assembly of this movement.
When a Caliber 9300 has been manufactured, it is sent to COSC where it is chronometer treated. Before it is taken to COSC, the 9300 movements get a particular dial
If everything is ok and approved by COSC, Omega gets the movement back to complete the assembly of it and fit it into a new watch.
Is Omega Caliber 9300 in-house?
As mentioned previously, it’s a bit tricky defining in-house or not when you are looking at a brand part of a group that owns a movement manufacturer (Swatch group which owns Omega also owns ETA).
However, it has been reported that the 9300 is made by ETA, using Omega (Co-Axial) designs and technology. Of course, the movement is still manufactured in Omega’s own premises, and considering the same group also owns ETA, it is probably fair to call the Omega Caliber 9300 an in-house movement.
At the beginning of the 9300 production, however, Omega was producing the caliber 9300 in ETA’s factories. But Omega eventually opened a new facility next to their head office where the assembly would take place. This was completed in 2015.
Omega Caliber 9300 Specifications
| Brand | Omega |
| Caliber Number | 9300 |
| Movement Type | Automatic, Chronograph |
| In-House? | Yes |
| Jewels | 54 |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Vibrations Per Hour | 28,800bph |
| Components | 337 |
| Hairspring | Silicon Si14 |
| Shock System | Nivachoc |
| Hacking? | Yes |
| Hand-Windable? | Yes |
| Features | Co-Axial Escapement, date |
| Country of Manufacture | Switzerland |
| Known Models | Speedmaster, Planet Ocean Chronograph |
(Source: Calibercorner.com).
