The future of the Constellation

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I have come to apriciate my vintage constellations more lately. Possibly as I dip into an interest of planetariums. Clockwork orrerys and star charts.

I think what really hurt the constellation brand was GPS. Which in in every cellphone. So the need to calculate ones own longitude from the rate of the watch is a moot point.

What made the old connies was the simplicity of the design. The guts were what counted. Nowadays we take accurate watches for granted. Look how many check the watches on a timegrapher.

When I was little no one cared if a watch was off 3 to 5 minutes. Public clocks in a way were everywhere. The school of course had a master clock. Some rooms were fast some slow. The library clock never worked.

There was also a sort of social interaction where people asked each other what time it was. Even strangers. Of course the results were not always in the best of interests. Now we have social media to do the same thing.

Have not really looked into the globemaster. I would expect something with that name to be a GMT and compete in that market.

It would be nice if there was a trend back to the smaller watch cases in the 30 to 34mm range. But that is simply personal. @Aroxx post above makes the one on the left look like a cheap quartz knockoff. They do not get any better than the one on the right.

At the risk of wondering off topic on those old school clocks, what never worked. Some of them are mine now. The building was torn down. My mother worked in the library. Since there was too much asbestos they pulled it down in situ. I asked for the clocks and was allowed to remove them. That library clock still does not work. It is on my list to make a circuit to drive it. I even bought a WWVB reciever, which is still in the original packaging. One of the other slave clocks is on top of the refrigerator, forever stopped. If that is the one from the English classroom I knew I would be staring at it for a long time ...
 
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Omega already did that. It is called the Globemaster. Nobody buys it.

Nah, I mean a 1-to-1 reissue of a pie pan Connie, with dogleg lugs.
 
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Actually the C-shape case and the baton hands are from 1960s Constellations not 1970s Constellations.
The C-shape is from the 60’s and ran along side the pie pan for a while but that wasn’t to point. The coin edging is a 70’s thing on the second gen c shape cases as below.
 
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Have not really looked into the globemaster. I would expect something with that name to be a GMT and compete in that market.

I believe they have a jumping hours hand for the jet setting globe traveler.


I’m trying to like the Globemaster. Need to try one on I suppose. But the dial just looks too big or something. I think if they made it 37mm it wouldn’t look so beefy. I do love the pie pan, bezel and the brushed finish. The gap at the first link of the bracelet- that might really bother me over time.

Same. Something about it is too much. The elegant elements feel a bit to sharp and aggressive than I’d like.
 
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I have come to apriciate my vintage constellations more lately. Possibly as I dip into an interest of planetariums. Clockwork orrerys and star charts.

I think what really hurt the constellation brand was GPS. Which in in every cellphone. So the need to calculate ones own longitude from the rate of the watch is a moot point.

What made the old connies was the simplicity of the design. The guts were what counted. Nowadays we take accurate watches for granted. Look how many check the watches on a timegrapher.

When I was little no one cared if a watch was off 3 to 5 minutes. Public clocks in a way were everywhere. The school of course had a master clock. Some rooms were fast some slow. The library clock never worked.

There was also a sort of social interaction where people asked each other what time it was. Even strangers. Of course the results were not always in the best of interests. Now we have social media to do the same thing.

Have not really looked into the globemaster. I would expect something with that name to be a GMT and compete in that market.

It would be nice if there was a trend back to the smaller watch cases in the 30 to 34mm range. But that is simply personal. @Aroxx post above makes the one on the left look like a cheap quartz knockoff. They do not get any better than the one on the right.

At the risk of wondering off topic on those old school clocks, what never worked. Some of them are mine now. The building was torn down. My mother worked in the library. Since there was too much asbestos they pulled it down in situ. I asked for the clocks and was allowed to remove them. That library clock still does not work. It is on my list to make a circuit to drive it. I even bought a WWVB reciever, which is still in the original packaging. One of the other slave clocks is on top of the refrigerator, forever stopped. If that is the one from the English classroom I knew I would be staring at it for a long time ...
I doubt most Constellations were actually being used for longitudinal calculations — Remember, when released in 1952, the Constellation was positioned as the flagship of Omega. The name was more of an allusion to how the watch was as consistent as the movement of the stars, and the solid gold cases and accents were what drove the value initially, not unlike the Centenary that preceded it.

Perhaps if Omega in the 70s wanted to maintain the prestige of the Constellation, it would have made sense to push the luxury angle and drop the steel models, not unlike Rolex and Patek for their higher-end offerings.
 
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Well I was attempting to put a bit of light hearted non seriousness in the reply.

Quartz changed the way watches were used. The writing was already on the wall with the pinlever and roskopff layouts. Which can actually be decent timekeepers. Effectively alarm clocks, these were used as bomb timers during the war. Alarm clocks have to be reliable.

I think a lot of the problems with modern design, is that is it too market surveyed. Perhaps that is simply what the market wants. One thing this thread did was take me to the Omega site and look at the current offerings. There is a huge ladies section. Most though have coin edge bezels, which I do not care for.

A lot of the offerings have a melted injection molded look. With big numbered bezels. Not my taste either. I tend to less is more. (unless it is my watch parts habit.)

Never really paid much attention to the solid gold cases and accents. The examples I have are gold capped. Would have prefered SS. It was pretty much the luck of the draw what I got back in the day. Pawn shops and volume dealers in the late 1980s early 1990s were more into scrapping cases. Gold bottomed at 300. So in hindsight, should have been more proactive.

I am not really Omega's current market, although I think I would be great at running the heritage department and museum.
 
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I agree the Manhattan style is no good. I think they should move the Constellation line to be more along the lines of the Globemaster. The 39mm makes sense for a man that wants to make a statement with a bigger dressy watch, but I would love to see some smaller ones as well.


13030392103001-Omega-Globemaster-Stainless-Steel-Blue-Dial-Steel-Bracelet.jpg

I always thought the Globe Master should be a GMT. A nice dressy, but not fussy, GMT
 
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I always thought the Globe Master should be a GMT. A nice dressy, but not fussy, GMT

Given the name, that would certainly be appropriate.
 
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Well I was attempting to put a bit of light hearted non seriousness in the reply.

...

A lot of the offerings have a melted injection molded look. With big numbered bezels. Not my taste either. I tend to less is more. (unless it is my watch parts habit.)

Never really paid much attention to the solid gold cases and accents. The examples I have are gold capped. Would have prefered SS. It was pretty much the luck of the draw what I got back in the day. Pawn shops and volume dealers in the late 1980s early 1990s were more into scrapping cases. Gold bottomed at 300. So in hindsight, should have been more proactive.

I am not really Omega's current market, although I think I would be great at running the heritage department and museum.

That's fair – Lots of modern offerings tend to be both sized and proportioned larger, and the vast majority of Swiss brands don't seem to be able to retain sharp edges between adjacent polished surfaces anymore. Cases look softer across the board.

My comment was really just meant to bring up the perspective that precious metals and aggressive pricing seemed to be what worked, and what still works. Most of the luxury watch brands that survived the quartz crisis were positioned for luxury. From inception, the Constellation brand was always positioned towards the high-end luxury sector (silver-clad boxes, exceptional finishing, and all). Even when reintroduced, the Manhattan Constellation was almost always seen in gold or two-tone. While timekeeping was cool, and the Constellation's raison d'etre initially, its luxury aspect could have sustained it or even allowed it to thrive as the priority for timekeeping waned, not unlike the Day-Date.


A little ride past the Geneva observatory today! I think I just about captured the same image?
Fun fact, this isn't the correct observatory either. The Geneve Observatory that the caseback medallion is based on was located in the Promenade de l’Observatoire area of Geneva. If I recall correctly, it was torn down in the 60s.


https://www.geneve.ch/promenade-observatoire
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Omega should hark back to the vintage styling days.
 
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Omega should hark back to the vintage styling days.

If you mean pre-1980s vintage, then I completely agree. The current Manhattan has a very 1980s vintage look, which is quite dated in a bad way IMHO.
 
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That's fair – Lots of modern offerings tend to be both sized and proportioned larger, and the vast majority of Swiss brands don't seem to be able to retain sharp edges between adjacent polished surfaces anymore. Cases look softer across the board.

My comment was really just meant to bring up the perspective that precious metals and aggressive pricing seemed to be what worked, and what still works. Most of the luxury watch brands that survived the quartz crisis were positioned for luxury. From inception, the Constellation brand was always positioned towards the high-end luxury sector (silver-clad boxes, exceptional finishing, and all). Even when reintroduced, the Manhattan Constellation was almost always seen in gold or two-tone. While timekeeping was cool, and the Constellation's raison d'etre initially, its luxury aspect could have sustained it or even allowed it to thrive as the priority for timekeeping waned, not unlike the Day-Date.



Fun fact, this isn't the correct observatory either. The Geneve Observatory that the caseback medallion is based on was located in the Promenade de l’Observatoire area of Geneva. If I recall correctly, it was torn down in the 60s.


https://www.geneve.ch/promenade-observatoire
Wow interesting. I just figured that since the existing Geneva observatory (in Versoix) looks just like the case back that this was the one. In the historical photo above it appears slightly different from the case back.
 
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It’s amazing just how well the 1950’s and early 1960’s Constellation designs have aged. It speaks volumes that they are still so highly regarded and sought after nearly 70 years after they were introduced.
 
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I never really cared for the claws but the one one looks kind of cool especially with the meteorite. The previous Manhattan ones have a bit of that art deco 30 rockefeller center vibe to them but seem dated to me
 
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A little ride past the Geneva observatory today! I think I just about captured the same image?
Interesting that there is a GPS antenna on top of the building (with a cable running down). I guess nowadays they trust GPS more than the telescope since the earth rotation is not as stable as the atomic clock.
 
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The Manhattan style was the watch that put Omega on the map for me back then. I've never owned one, until yesterday....well, until it gets delivered. Honestly I fell in love with these in the mid 80's when I saw one at Lemp Jewelers in Syracuse. The watch I couldn't afford in my early 20's.

wts-wtt-omega-constellation-full-set-v0-525wb9p0c4pc1.jpg
 
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Ho hum.....some of us have no taste!

I like the recessed claws, it has lost 2.5 seconds since I put it on at 10:30 a.m. yesterday.

 
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Everyone here seems to think that China or the Asian market is keeping the modern Connie alive. Can any members from these parts of the world verify this? Personally, I've not seen anyone (male or female) wear one of these. And that's including when I travel to Southeast Asia, which I do almost annually.

Anecdotal experience in Mainland China/Hong Kong:

An older friend of mine (She's at her late 50s) wears a two-tone Constellation and she loves it
A young co-worker in my office (She's 25) wears one too, although it was a college graduation gift from her parents (whom should be in their 50s)

Also if you Google the right keywords, you can find this photo from years back:

247086434_1205149886648006_5696454744615649999_n.jpg

So yeah, I suppose Constellation has its fair share of market in Greater China at least. Although nowadays, people ranging from 20s to 40s tend to buy almost exclusively Seamasters and (to a lesser extent in Mainland China) Speedmasters.
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