Why We Love It
Time Capsule Watches. We all dream of finding a watch with all of its original papers, boxes, un-touched for years, that so-called 'barn find'. Well here is one.
Complete with all of its boxes, chronometer papers, and even original strap and buckle, that is exactly what we have here. It also happens, that the watch itself is a flagship Omega model from the late 1950s.
Over the years Omega produced many different Constellation models, with a wide variation in case shape and dial design. Amongst the most desirable dial is the “Pie-Pan”, known for its close resemblance in dial shape and the ever-useful baking dish. We rarely find a three-dimensional dial as compelling as these early Omega versions, and this elegant design element has made the Pie-Pan infinitely collectible.
Many Pie-Pans are gold-plated, as was en vogue in the 1950s and 60s, and quality steel examples are thin on the ground today. This example, presented with an unpolished stainless case and attractive patination, is a gorgeous piece with luminous dart makers and dauphine hands. This watch absolutely oozes style, and is a serious value proposition.
The Story
The Constellation line was launched by Omega in 1952, after a limited production of a watch commemorating their centennial in 1948 that was aptly named the Century. While the Century was never intended for retail production, it received such wide acclaim for both its sumptuous case design and it's chronometer-level accuracy that Omega decided to launch a new line. Beginning with their self-winding movement, Omega built a watch that matched their ideal for what a modern (at the time) watch should be.
Omega adorned the newly-minted Constellation line with a likeness of the Cupola of the Geneva Observatory. This observatory was one of several in Europe that put watches through a rigorous testing process with accuracy standards much more stringent than those of the Control Officiel Suisse des Chronometres, or COSC. These tests, lasting between 30 and 50 days, were broken down into eight categories of overall accuracy. Watches that passed the rigorous scrutiny were dubbed Observatory Chronometers and were awarded a special Bulletin de Marche from the Observatory that tested it. The cupola is a reminder of the watch's superior engineering, the eight stars a nod to Omega's acing of every category of the observatory accuracy tests in 1931.
