Why it's always about Speedmaster & Seamaster

Hi Mohammed and welcome, we were actually just drooling over the brick bracelet De Ville in another thread, here, http://omegaforums.net/threads/what-are-the-ultimate-Ωmega-collectors-watches.143/page-3#post-1309 but I do see you're point, and I'll write the more detailed reply that it deserves in a moment.

Hi Mohammed, welcome to ΩF 👍

Sometimes the Constellation does get a bit looked over by the general public. I think you'll find some members here who are more passionate and knowledgable about them.

I think the big question is really why are the Submariner, GMT Master, and the Omega Speedmaster and Seamaster so popular.

The Submariner is a good starting point since I happen to own one, a 1979 1680 model Sub. The Rolex Submariner is the most popular dive watch in the world, and often spoke of as being the best dive watch in the world. The reality is quite different, the watch has a movement that is reliable, but not particularly special or sophisticated, definitely not aesthetically attractive. The bracelet is poor to average, its a cheaply made piece of stamped steel (this has been improved in the Sub-C) and in general the watch is rather unimpressive. So why is it worth the premium placed on it?

Its the preception, and history among other things. The Rolex Submariner was worn by British Navy clearance divers as a tool of their job, and they were absolute legends. It was worn by James Bond, a character in western culture aspired to millions, and the image of Bond as a character has transferred to the Submariner. During the Vietnam war, the Submariner became popular among US troops (in fact my 1680 Sub originally belonged to a Vietnam war veteran). Legends of Hollywood like director James Cameron, Actors Jeff Bridges and his father Lloyd Bridges, Brad Pitt, and musicians including known watch collectors like John Mayer wear Submariners. The USA's General David Petraeus, now director of the CIA and one of the countries most notable military heroes in modern memory serves his country wearing a Rolex Submariner.

That's what you get with a Submariner, the opportunity to share something with legends. Not necessarily a great watch.

The GMT Master is a similar piece, pilots the world over wear them, and during the Vietnam war they became popular with troops because helicopter pilots wore them frequently. Chuck Yeager wore a GMT Master and several early astronauts wore them. The association with aviation made it glamorous and made people want a part of that.

Then we come to the Omega Speedmaster. Arguably the greatest achievement in human history, definitely in western history was the moon landing in 1969. The story is now folklore, NASA engineers realised that they needed a watch for the space program, so they went to a local jeweller and purchased a range of chronograph watches which were all tested to death. There was no bias, no brand preference, no fanboy-ism, NASA was purely analytical, they simply wanted the best watch money could buy, and after their testing there was a clear winner, the Omega Speedmaster. Buzz Aldrin wore one on the surface of the moon, as did several other astronauts, astronauts wore them on spacewalks, on the outside of their space suits, in extreme temperatures and in a vacuum, yet the Speedmaster survived. During the Apollo 13 disaster, the only timing device left to measure a critical course correction burn was an Omega Speedmaster, and it served its purpose correctly. Omega has kept the Speedmaster in its original, NASA approved configuration ever since, and have ensured that it maintained its space flight certification. The watch was still worn by many during the Space Shuttle program. That's why the Speedmaster is special, its the only part of the US space program that you can buy in a store and wear, and that connection matters.

The Planet Ocean line is a modern echo of the original Seamaster 300, the broad arrow hands, and the design of the lume and bezel are remarkably similar to the vintage piece and for that reason it can be considered a piece of history, but with a remarkable level of technical sophistication. The original Planet Ocean Liquid Metal featured one of the most stunningly well finished dials ever fitted to a dive watch, and the liquid metal bezel was a marvel of engineering, the new Planet Ocean Liquid Metal Titanium takes this to the next step, unlike the submariner, Omega is pushing the envelope technology wise with each iteration, now fitting the brilliant and extremely sophisticated Calibre 8500 to the latest version, along with titanium that has a level of finishing on it not previously seen in Ti watches of the past. You can tell that the designers were given a mandate to go all out in designing the best watch they could with the materials available. That over-engineering is what sells the piece more than anything, and its why I'm very keen on them, especially the Planet Ocean Calibre 9300 chronograph.

Now to get back to your original question, the De Ville and constellation lines are both great sellers, with the Constellation in particular being a BRILLIANT seller, but it is in particular the Asia and Middle-Eastern market where that popularity lies. The reason behind it is obvious, the history of the Omega Speedmaster and Rolex Submariner are tied heavily to western, and particularly United States culture. The moon landings, while a great sense of pride in the west, simply don't matter as much in the Middle East and Asia, nor does Hollywood, James Bond, and especially not US and UK military figures. In China the only Omega to wear is a Constellation, if it doesn't have claws, it just doesn't look like an Omega, the same can be said of India, and the same can probably be said of many regions.

Watch forums the world over have a predominantly British and American audience which is why we see their point of view more than any other, but I have to say Mohammed, I'm very glad you've pointed this out, and I would love for this site to have a more international and balanced appreciation of watches, including the Omega De Ville and Constellation, they're amazing pieces that we simply overlook out of habit, and could definitely learn to enjoy if we were better exposed to them.