However, the ‘big’ design moment of the Constellation was in 1982 when the Omega Constellation Manhattan family got its claws. Omega embraced the arrival of quartz technology and its potential for ultra-thin watches and, as you can see in the images of this in-depth history of the Constellation article, produced some pretty funky Constellations during this period. The first Omega Constellation, the 1952 “Pie-Pan” watchįollowing a decade or so marked by pie-pan dials and straightforward round cases, by the mid-1960s, the pie-pan dials had given way to flat dials and more elaborate case shapes, leading to the integrated bracelet models of 1969. The observatory referenced Omega’s exploits in chronometry and its world precision records set in 19 at Kew-Teddington. Equipped with calibres 351, 352 and 354 with bumper rotors, the first Omega Constellation appeared in 1952 and featured a star above the 6 o’clock marker and a sealed caseback with a medallion of the Observatory of Geneva crowned with a constellation of eight stars. Gauging the interest taken in the limited-edition Centenary, Omega decided to produce an automatic wristwatch line with chronometry status. The Omega Constellation collection was the sequel of Omega’s Centenary, an automatic, chronometer-certified wristwatch launched in 1948 to celebrate the brand’s 100 th anniversary. Although we have often referred to it as a luxury sports watch – given its shaped case, raised bezel and integrated bracelet – having handled the sleek black dial and bezel version, I am tempted to relabel it as a very dressy watch in a refined yet sporty case. The time-and-date watch we are looking at today is the handsome 41mm steel version with a black dial and integrated strap. Following the update to the 29mm Constellation Manhattan ladies’ model in 2019, the gent’s 39mm and 41mm were also upgraded in 2020 and equipped with Master Chronometer calibre 8800. Revisited over the years, the transformation that most influenced the contemporary look of the Constellation took place in 1982, the year the watch got its claws. Although it doesn’t have the cachet of a Speedmaster with its legendary Moon landing or a Seamaster worn in an action-packed James Bond episode, the Omega Constellation is one of the brand’s oldest and most enduring collections that started life in 1952 as a precision chronometer wristwatch.
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