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Omega Constellation Grand Luxe – The MacDaddy Omega Of The 1950s

February 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

The Omega Constellation Grand Luxe is something really special. Omega introduced the Constellation in 1952, being more or less the successor of the Centenary watch that Omega introduced in 1948 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Biel watch factory. Already being the flagship of the Omega manufacture [because of the fine finish and chronometer movements], the Constellation came in several grades in the 1950s.

Omega Constellation Grand Luxe The MacDaddy Omega Of The 1950s

The ultimate edition was the Constellation Grand Luxe, even one step above the Constellation Deluxe, available in all gold or platinum and with the famous brick bracelet. For those of you not very familiar with the vintage Constellation series: the brick bracelet was reintroduced by Omega in 1999, when they announced their new co-axial movement in the Omega DeVille Co-Axial during BaselWorld 1999.

Omega Constellation Grand Luxe The MacDaddy Omega Of The 1950s

Meertz’s World of Time in Munich has a Constellation Grand Luxe for sale from the 8th of April 1957, complete with box and papers. The watch was originally bought in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt in Germany. It was a really expensive watch in the 1950s, probably as expensive (or even more) as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date in those days.

This ref. 2930 SC Omega Constellation Grand Luxe has a superb in-house movement caliber 505 and a massive gold pie pan dial with diamond shaped markers. The back side of the watch has the famous observatory logo with a group of stars (Constellation = a group of stars whose movement through the celestial vault is consistent and predictable). Also, the ten-sided crown of this watch is still there. I am note sure whether Omega will replace it with a similar crown during a service, but I’ve seen jewelers using ‘generic’ gold Omega crowns to replace these beauties.

Omega Constellation Grand Luxe The MacDaddy Omega Of The 1950s

Meertz in Munich asks 9.800,- EUR for this beautiful Constellation Grand Luxe 2930 SC, complete with box and papers. Comes with a 1 year warranty and 14 days right-of-return term.

More information about the Omega Constellation line-up can be found at omegamuseum.com/constellation. Also check our Facebook page for the pictures we took of the Constellations during our Omega Museum visit.

Thanks to our reader Jtk for some corrections!

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Filed Under: Omega Tagged With: ,

5 Useful Tips On Buying Vintage Or Pre-Owned Watches

September 9, 2010 by 4 Comments

Every week, I write an article for my friends over at Motoring Exposure. This week, I submitted 5 tips that are useful for people who are exploring the pre-owned of vintage market for the first time. Although I think most Fratello readers are a bit more advanced collectors or aficionados, it doesn’t hurt to read them!

5 Useful Tips On Buying Vintage Or Pre Owned Watches

Click here for the article over at Motoring Exposure.

p.s. the picture above is of a caliber 501 Constellation from approx. 1955. It took me over a year to have this one restored, only to find out that it was too small for my wrist anyway and sold it again…. (everyone learns)

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Filed Under: Omega, Watch Talk Tagged With: ,

Gérald Genta: It even gets better!

July 12, 2009 by 4 Comments

Being a big fan of Gérald Genta designs, I just found an article by Desmond Guilfoyle about the design work that Genta did for Omega in the 1960s. I’d read in several magazines and websites that Genta was responsible for some of the Omega Seamaster and Omega Constellation designs, but never knew which ones exactly.

Gérald Genta: It even gets better! Picture by Ms. Stefania Slenzio von LUXURY GRIFFES S.A.

Desmond was able to get in touch with Evelyne Genta, Gérald’s wife, and managed to have her asking him which models he designed for the most famous brand from Bienne. It seems – and I suspected this already – that he at least is responsible for designing the Omega Constellation C-model from the late 1960s/early 1970s. I actually had one a few years back, with tuning-fork movement (based on a Bulova Accutron movement), but sold it before it would break-down on me.. I think the watch was produced in the mid-1970s. Another downside was that it had a gold-plated case. One scratch or dent and it would become very ugly.

Below is an example of a C-shape Constellation (ref.168.009) that Genta designed:

Gérald Genta: It even gets better! Photo by Antiquorum

Furthermore, he designed the Constellation with reference number 14900. Therefore, I assume that the successor models of the 14900, the 167.005 and 168.005 are also from the hands of Gérald Genta. And to me, being a Genta fan, this is a cool finding, because this means that my father’s Constellation (on which I did a write-up about a week ago) is probably a Genta design as well.

Gérald Genta: It even gets better! Photo by WatchesToBuy

If you want to read the full article on Gérald Genta and his work for Omega, please click here for Desmond’s superb story.

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Filed Under: Omega Tagged With: ,
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