BEIJING, Aug. 9 /EMWNews/ -- For nearly four years, the giant OMEGA

Olympic Countdown Clock in Beijing's Tiananmen Square ticked down the

seconds to the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. At

exactly 8 p.m. on the 8th of August, 2008 -- 08/08/08 -- the Countdown

Clock reached zero.




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    Photo in high resolution: download on http://www.omegawatches.com/press .

    PHOTO DOWNLOAD search: Countdown_Clock_Zero

    At the same moment, at the National ("Bird's Nest") Stadium on the

Olympic Green, the dazzling Opening Ceremony began with 90,000 cheering

spectators looking on. The audience included more than 100 heads of state,

the largest number ever to attend an Olympic Games.



    The end of the countdown also signaled to OMEGA's 450 professional

timekeepers and data handlers that it was time for them to take the stage.

OMEGA is responsible for the timing of all 302 events in 28 sports at 37

different venues. The Swiss brand's 420 tonnes of equipment include the

many scoreboards and display units used at the Olympic Games.



    OMEGA first served as Official Olympic Timekeeper at the Los Angeles

1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Following the Games of the XXIX Olympiad

in Beijing, Swiss watchmaker will continue its timekeeping activities at

the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the 2012 Games in London.



    OMEGA is a company of the Swatch Group, the largest manufacturer and

distributor of watches and jewellery in the world.




http://www.omegawatches.com



    For further information, please contact:



    Kaley Hoffman

    Bragman Nyman Cafarelli, for OMEGA

    +1-786-385-4362

    [email protected]