There is a distinct engraving known as the Omega Seahorse on the caseback of certain Omega watches. Have you ever wondered where this unique emblem came from? Today we will help unveil the fact. The hippocampi were sea monsters with the heads of horses and the lower bodies of fish in Greek mythology. They bear some resemblance to the seahorse creatures we know today – actually, the genus of the seahorse is Hippocampus.
It is said that Poseidon, the god of the sea drove a chariot drawn by hippocampi. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to ride a gondola through the canals of Venice in Italy, you may have noticed a pair of metal ornamental hippocampi on each side of the boat. These are meant to be a symbol of protection for the gondolas, drivers, and passengers.
In the 1950s, an engraver by the name of Jean-Pierre Borle was working at Omega. He was the craftsman behind the famed “Observatory” emblem found on the caseback of the Omega Constellation, which depicts an observatory and eight stars. The illustration stands for the location of chronometer trials and the eight stars denote the number of chronometric records that fake Omega broke in 1931.
Jean-Pierre Borle took a trip to Venice and noticed the hippocampi on the gondolas. These seahorse-like statues served as inspiration for his next engraving. In 1958, the hippocampus became the symbol of the replica Omega Seamaster as a means to signify the watch’s water resistant capabilities.
It’s interesting to note that Omega replica watches refers to this logo as a “seahorse” when it is clearly a hippocampus, complete with bridles. Early versions of the Omega Seahorse logo were etched into casebacks, which eventually evolved into a more intricate embossing of the emblem, similar to what is found on the contemporary watches that Omega sells today.
While it first made an appearance on the Seamaster, the hippocampus symbol did not remain exclusive to the Seamaster collection. Omega began using their seahorse insignia on some of their other tool watch models, such as the Railmaster and Speedmaster – also as a manes to denote their impressive water resistance. Today, you can find the Omega seahorse logo on select models, which remains an important and historic symbol of the brand.