The Stars Shine Down

Then it comes to an Omega, no questions are asked. For good reason: since the early 1900s, the brand has been a trusted name in horology. Known for making watches with good quality, design and precision, Omega has been a pioneer in timekeeping throughout the world. Their design, technological development and quality of timepieces have seen an upward shift over the years. With a design that has evolved into a benchmark in luxury, Omega encompasses technology that moves connoisseurs, with a quality that has made it a luxury watch, one that can be trusted, with no questions asked.

Omega, as a watch brand, follows the path of ancient tradition. Each Swiss-made Omega watch is designed with sheer beauty and technology in mind. In the 1950s and ’60s, Omega enjoyed a status achieved through the production of innovative, superior quality timepieces. Over time, they have evolved in terms of design and precision, and today, an Omega is a benchmark for style and luxury, among other qualities. And true to its name, the Omega Constellation wrist-chronometers have been, since 1952, the standard-bearers of Omega’s luxury watchmaking—a benchmark for many luxury watches. The Constellation has been in the Omega repertoire for 56 years, and will probably continue to stay so for the rest of the brand’s lifetime, considering the collection’s iconic status.

Passage through time
The journey for Omega, however, wasn’t quite as simple. Before World War I, 24-year-old Paul-Emile Brandt created Omega out of the watch company Louis Brandt. The company had produced a few watches, but was nowhere close to becoming the final word in luxury. Paul-Emile Brandt strived hard to put the brand from Biel, Switzerland, on the map of fine timepieces. By 1925, he worked towards a union of Omega and Tissot, and by 1930, he managed a merger between Omega and Swatch Group, Geneva. Several years later, in 1970, they were among the finest watchmakers in all of Switzerland.

In 1999, Omega created history by incorporating the co-axial escapement invented by English watchmaker George Daniels. A figment of path-breaking technology in terms of timekeeping, this movement made use of radial friction instead of sliding friction at the impulse surfaces. This innovation resulted in reduced friction, thereby leading to longer service intervals and greater accuracy over time. Today, the co-axial escapement technology used in Omega watches is still among the best ways to achieve precision, standard and quality in a timepiece.

The Constellation was born after its frontrunner, the Centenary. To celebrate the company’s centenary in 1948, Omega launched its first automatic wrist-chronometer: the appropriately named Centenary model. Produced as a limited edition series, the Centenary was not intended for series production.

However, enthusiasts of high-precision timepieces greeted this watch with such delight that it was clear there was a great demand for such precious and exclusive timepieces. It was for these connoisseurs that the Constellation was created—a synthesis of the most advanced watchmaking technologies.

The early Constellations were a few of the finest and most accurate watches available at the time. They catered to different tastes, with a choice ranging from stainless steel to solid gold cases and understated to lavishly-styled dials. From the outset, Omega concentrated on making the external appearance of the Constellation distinctive.

After the first dials, Omega experimented with the livery of the Constellation, creating a strikingly luxurious dial. Featuring gold hour markers, with sloping planes complemented by a convex 12-sided dial, a new design icon was born.

Time Sparkles
In astronomy, a constellation is a group of stars, whose movement reminds one of the revolutions of the wheels of a precision timekeeper. In horology, the Constellation is synonymous with the art of luxurious precision in its most refined form—a high-performance movement combined with the perfection of an elegant and refined exterior.
In the 1960s, Omega was at the vanguard of development in the watch industry, and made vast improvements to the standards of quality, as it applied to large-scale watch manufacturing. By 1969, Omega was producing more than 1,94,500 Constellations a year. It was primarily the Constellation that became responsible for expanding the commercial reputation of the company and allowing it to further its aims in the prestige market sector.
Omega Constellation timepieces attract devotees from all groups of collectors. It is the engineering, beauty, functionality and great pedigree of these watches that make them so alluring to investors, the status conscious, and connoisseurs alike. Even today, a vintage Constellation is in great demand.

Shine Away…
The Constellation collection signifies luxury. It is more than just a timekeeper; it’s a symbol of your personality, and conveys a message about your taste. Besides making a style statement, owning and wearing a timepiece also states a quality that you identify with—a quality that is you. Each Constellation timepiece comes with its own distinct look and feel. Brushed steel, polished links, gold or silver dials studded with diamonds and luminous hands are a few elements that define the watches in this collection. Just like the Seamaster and Speedmaster reflect the wearer’s interest in sports, the Constellation is a dead giveaway for your taste for magnificence.

Just like supermodel Cindy Crawford’s, for instance. As an Omega ambassadress since 1995, she has been promoting Omega products longer than any of the company’s other ambassadors. Crawford’s style fit the brand image perfectly. This, coupled with her flair for fashion, garnered an invitation into the ‘Omega fold’.

In most of the advertisements, the supermodel sports a Constellation timepiece. What she has in common with the watch is her strong sense of tradition. Crawford participates not only in the advertising campaigns, but is also actively involved in events and in product design—giving her personal input, as well as helping the watchmakers add finishing touches. In fact, in the advertising campaign when Cindy declared, “Omega, my choice,” it actually held true for her, since she did play a major role in ‘choosing’ how her Constellation would be.

Likewise, actress Nicole Kidman became an Omega ambassadress in 2005, and has already figured prominently in the ‘My Choice’ advertising campaign. She also shares her pioneering spirit with Omega. The Chronometer, the Quartz, the Double Eagle Chronometer, the Double Eagle Chrono and the Double Eagle Perpetual Calendar feature the men’s collection. The more recent entrants in the Constellation bouquet are the Chronometer and the Double-Eagle Chrono. The Constellation Double-Eagle Chrono has a self-winding chronograph movement with Co-Axial Escapement for greater precision stability.

Throughout its 56-year history, the Omega Constellation has evolved at an uninterrupted pace. The Collection’s unique appeal makes it one of the best-selling watches in the world, and a cornerstone in the Omega collection. Each one of the striking models that form the Constellation collection is unique. However, all the timepieces do have something in common—the watches feature the name Constellation, highlighted by an applied gold star on the dial.

The famous medallion case features an observatory crowned by a constellation of eight stars on the caseback—the mark of a true constellation of brilliant watches. The steel and gold bracelets adorn the wrist with unmatched simplicity. The watch glows with a distinct shine thanks to the case with its polished finish. The gold coloured Dauphine hands tick across the mother-of-pearl dial with sparkling diamonds encrusted all around it. The value of a Constellation timepiece is not only that of the watch—after all, owning a part of the Constellation collection, and passing on the legacy, is far more prestigious than merely displaying a timepiece.

Omega Constellation timepieces attract devotees from all groups of collectors. Even today, a vintage Constellation is in great demand.