Very confused newbie needs help identifying exactly what Constellation model I bought

Swissmister · May 17, 2019

Since we're in education mode, I know nothing about Constellations or pretty much any other dress watch. Why is a Constellation worth more than a Seamaster Deville in similar condition, age, materials? If this is rudimentary to some of you, I'm sorry. I just want to be prepared in case one falls in my lap someday.

efauser · May 17, 2019

Swissmister
Since we're in education mode, I know nothing about Constellations or pretty much any other dress watch. Why is a Constellation worth more than a Seamaster Deville in similar condition, age, materials? If this is rudimentary to some of you, I'm sorry. I just want to be prepared in case one falls in my lap someday.

Start your education: Omega Constellation Collectors

Swissmister · May 17, 2019

Thank you. Now, if any of you dress watch guys has a free 5 minutes, could you please give me the redacted version of the answer to my question above?

efauser · May 17, 2019

We could, or you could do your own homework.

Swissmister · May 17, 2019

Have a nice day.

JwRosenthal · May 17, 2019

Swissmister
Thank you. Now, if any of you dress watch guys has a free 5 minutes, could you please give me the redacted version of the answer to my question above?

Since you asked so ernestly and I’m not grumpy
today, i’ll Be happy to give your the short answer. The Connies were all chronometer grade watches (only a few lines of Seamaster were), and were the top of the line for Omega. They were available in stainless, gold capped or solid gold (SM was too but not as common as the Connie in solid gold), with what are considered some of the most beautiful dial designs (primary the late 50’s-60’s) ever made.

I tend to think of them as a sport watch from the time and not a dress watch. By today’s standards they are dressy but during their time they were more suited for to the tennis court or aboard your sloop than in the board room.
The are very special watches and highly prized by serious collectors.

Swissmister · May 17, 2019

Thank you, Jw. That was exactly the info I was looking for. I would have never known they were sporty in their day. If I can ever spend 3 minutes saving you 3 hrs, I'd be happy to oblige. I'm not ignorant on ALL things.

JwRosenthal · May 17, 2019

Swissmister
Thank you, Jw. That was exactly the info I was looking for. I would have never known they were sporty in their day. If I can ever spend 3 minutes saving you 3 hrs, I'd be happy to oblige. I'm not ignorant on ALL things.

The Rolex Datejust was also considered a sport watch back in the day-still is IMO.

JwRosenthal · May 17, 2019

If you have interest @Swissmister , you should actually do a little poking around at pics and see what you like. The classic stainless on beads of rice (BOR) bracelet is an absolute classic and when you get one on the wrist you get it. Jeans with a flannel shirt and a Connie peeking out of your cuff....yeah, bad-ass.

Swissmister · May 17, 2019

I'll look around and seek out further education. Maybe I'll buy one and give it spin. Thanks for the info and time. How can I resist bad-ass?

aprax · May 17, 2019

JwRosenthal
I tend to think of them as a sport watch from the time and not a dress watch. By today’s standards they are dressy but during their time they were more suited for to the tennis court or aboard your sloop than in the board room.

gatorcpa · May 17, 2019

Note that Omega calls the Ref. 2782 dial “pie-pan”.

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-constellation-omega-ot-2782

They made it, so they get to call it what they want.
gatorcpa

padders · May 17, 2019

gatorcpa
Note that Omega calls the Ref. 2782 dial “pie-pan”.

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-constellation-omega-ot-2782

They made it, so they get to call it what they want.
gatorcpa

Well yes but is this one of those references where multiple dials were fitted? If that is so, then perhaps one variant is indeed what many would call pie pan and others are not. That is certainly the case with later references. And in any case the vintage database isn't exactly known for accuracy or completeness.

A quick search threw up this 2782 pie pan:

Edward53 · May 17, 2019

gatorcpa
Note that Omega calls the Ref. 2782 dial “pie-pan”.

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-constellation-omega-ot-2782

They made it, so they get to call it what they want.
gatorcpa

They made the watch but I doubt they invented the term "pie pan", which I believe is a collectorism they've found it convenient to adopt. Of course, if anyone has a vintage Omega catalogue containing that description, I'll happily concede but in the meantime, the word means whatever it was originally intended to mean. I happen to believe that's the 12-sided dial which resembles a certain type of pie pan seen from below but Omega can call it whatever they like, just as Mormons can retrospectively convert deceased persons and with equal validity.

Peemacgee · May 18, 2019

I’ve always been interested to see otherwise exquisitely pedantic senior members (meant as a compliment) defend the painted two-tone dome dials as pie-pans and have never quite understood why.

To quote from Desmond’s blog on the subject:

“Omega’s main operations were based in Bienne (on the border of the French speaking population) and Geneva (right in the thick of the French-speaking zone) and hence it would be perfectly natural to describe the dial as “douze pans” (translated, “twelve-sided”), which was the legitimate description of it by Omega when first released and, indeed, long after.

As a young pre-internet watch enthusiast, I never heard the description “pie pan”, but rather heard these dials described as “twelve sided” or “faceted” dials. But someone, somewhere, at some time, probably after the advent of the worldwide web, was responsible for transforming “douze pans” into “pie pans”, and since that defining moment the “pie pan” factoid has been repeated so often by so many that Omega now uses the term in its printed and on-line material.
So, pie pans it is, but if you’re a horological pedant feel free to call these dials “douze pans", or if you are a fine, upstanding citizen of German-Speaking Switzerland, "zwöufsiitigs ziffreblatt” is perfect!”

Of course Omega can retrospectively call their watch dials what they like on the OVDB but the term pie-pan is very unlikely to have been coined by them.

In the English-speaking world it is only the Americans who appear to have ‘pie’ so firmly ingrained into their psyche that it is more than likely that the term was created there.
It is no more or less an aberration than Londoners calling the road ‘Route de Roi’ Rotten Row - it sounds a bit like the original name and does the job - and because they couldn’t speak French.

So, for me, I’m staying firmly in the douze-pans camp and an Omega pie-pan will always have a flat central plain with twelve clearly defined facets around the outer edge with an angle between each and the central plain.

And of course any good post needs a picture

hoipolloi · May 18, 2019

I would call all of these pie pan.

Very confused newbie needs help identifying exactly what Constellation model I bought

Swissmister

efauser

Swissmister

efauser

Swissmister

JwRosenthal

Swissmister

JwRosenthal

JwRosenthal

Swissmister

aprax

gatorcpa

padders

Edward53

Peemacgee

hoipolloi

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