Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympics

The 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki brought about a new era in timekeeping. Clocks had used a lightweight version of Quartz as a power source for quite some time, but that powerful technology didn’t make its way to Olympic timekeeping until the ’52 Helsinki Games. This is the first time that OMEGA timekeeping instruments were not reliant on shaky electricity supply systems. This means timekeeping became more reliable and consistent.

Not only was the Quartz development beneficial, but OMEGA’s “Magic Eye” still proved to be helpful. Running the exact same time as your opponent did not happen frequently, but it did happen. The “Magic Eye” was a great tool to help determine controversial finishes, and made the final decision when it came to a race between Lindy Remigino (USA) and Herbert McKenley (JAM). In case you’re wondering, after careful critique of the photo finish, Remigino came out victoriously.