Caveat Emptor - Frankenwatches Galore!





A vendor on Ebay is offering a collection of new old stock ensembles of watch case, hands, piepan dial, crown and gaskets for 1962 model Omega Constellations. On offer are dials in white or black. Not a problem there at all, as it's perfectly legitimate to offer, and indeed a godsend to be able to obtain, Omega parts through sources other than authorised dealers because ADs can be quite niggardly and pricey at times. Perfectly legit if the dials weren't fake and the case suspect, that is!

The problem doubles with those who buy these shonky ensembles: honourable horologists and dealers will do the right thing, while shonks and crooks will see it as an opportunity to scam big dollars from trusting or inexperienced Omega collectors.

Some watchmakers and dealers, maybe not knowing that the ensembles are inauthentic, will search around to find the correct movement to fit the case and will offer their watches as authentic Constellations, pointing out that the case is NOS and the movement is a serviced vintage.

Shonks and crooks will find any movement that fits, or put authentic
rotor and wheel bridges on non certified movements and offer them
as genuine NOS Connies.

This is happening now on Ebay. Some Frankenwatch bandits of the first order are putting calibre 565 movements from Omega Dynamics and Seamasters into the cases they purchased and swapping the rotor and wheel bridges to make them look authentic!

The sad thing is that people are bidding furiously for them.

Let's be very clear about this. Omega never powered any Constellation with a Calibre 565 movement. The calibre numbers in the 500 series are: 501, 503,504, and 505 for watches usually manufactured in the 1950s and 551, 561, 562 (rarer) and 564 for watches manufactured in the 1960s. Any Constellation that is powered by other 500 series movements is inauthentic and should be avoided.

The case back number of these ensembles is 14900 62 SC. This means that the case should house a movement made from 1958 to 1963. To match up to Omega specifications, the movement should have a serial number from the sixteen million to 20 million vicinity - not 15 million or 21 million. In addition, it should be a twenty-four jewel movement and have a calibre numberof 561.

The rotor bridge should have stamped "Adusted to (5) positions and
temperatures", below which should read "Twenty-four' 24 Jewels."

Anything else and the watch is a Frankenwatch and will only be worth the cost of the case ensemble.

In surveys of Ebay over time, I have discovered that often more than 50 percent of all 'authentic' Pie Pan Constellations are not kosher at all.

As the Ebay watch market has been transformed from a wholesale market mainly servicing watchmakers and dealers to a retail market connecting dealers with collectors, the number of
frauds has increased dramatically.

Over the last few days a couple of these watches have come up and I will name the dealers in the hope that they will change their listings to reflect the true status of the watches:

Listing 170020435517 - ang615ushk - has a calibre 565 movement
Listing 290019071483 - lecoultre - has a calibre 565 movement

There are quite a number of other inauthentic Constellation Pie Pans on Ebay at the moment: wrong movements for the case back numbers, wrong hands, newer movements in older cases, wrong case backs - you name it.

If you are buying an Omega Constellation watch on Ebay, buy only watches that can be confirmed as authentic by the official Omega database. Secondly, only buy from dealers who show pictures of the case back and movement. If sellers will not send you a picture of the movement and case back - don't bother with them. Never bid until you have confirmed authenticity.

More Globemasters








Many thanks to Robert Laughlin,  Derek Dier and Bill Sohne for the scans above

Globemaster Son of Constellation?





Peter Wagenaar of Omega Fanatic sent me this picture of an Omega Globemaster along with a fascinating story on its history that he obtained from Jean-Luc Miranda of the Omega Museum.

According to Jean-Luc, Globemaster was the name chosen by Omega to market the first models of its Constellation line in the United States.

Miranda says that another corporation owned the Constellation name in the U.S. and Omega was prevented from using the trademark.

There is another story, however, that the Globemaster name had to be withdrawn from the US because of a copyright dispute and the watch was re-named Constellation. Which one is true? Some more detective work is required before we arrive at a definitive conclusion.

If the Omega Museum is correct, and one could argue it should be, then Omega must have ultimately purchased or obtained the rights to name its watches as Constellations, but not before a number of Globemaster models were released in the U.S. over some years.

Globemaster was the name of the predecessor to the massive transport planes operated by the US military. The Douglas C-124 was a two level giant powered by four propellor engines. The plane could hold 200 troops or 127 litter patients and could also hold vehicles as large as tanks. A total of 449 Globemasters were built between 1949 to 1955. The aircraft served the USAF until 1970 and the reserves until 1974.

The calibre of the movement in the example above is 491 and the 33mm case is numbered 3630037, the same case that was also used in Omega Century models. I have also seen a Globemaster with double stick markers powered by a calibre 501 movement with a case number D76973.

Another example I've seen has very similar arrowhead markers in gold as in the picture shown above. The case was identical to that which housed the early classic Constellations. It was numbered 3743524 and had a Star Watch Case Company logo stamped on the back.

It was common in the US at the time for watches to be cased there to avoid high tariffs imposed to protect its own watch industry.

Poscripts:

Thanks to Gatorcpa, a TimeZone contributor, we have some more information on Globemasters.

He referred to a previous discussion on the topic and mentioned a post by FrankN a respected Omega sage, who said "The Globemaster name is the original concept name for what eventually became the Constellation, but it never appeared on the dials of any watch, that came out of Bienne."

FrankN believes that the Omega importer in the US at the time, Norman Morris, made up the name Globemaster.

Gatorcpa says that it was a USA model with a USA made case and that, " There is some evidence to suggest that the Constellation was not immediately introduced to the USA in 1952. Whether this was due to copyright concerns or other competitive reasons, is not clear."

He confirmed that as early as 1959 both models were being sold in the USA, adding, " Based on what I've seen, it is possible that only the Globemaster was sold here at the beginning (say pre-1954) and at some point the Constellation was introduced above it. I know I've seen mid-50's Constellations with the adjusted chronometer movements (501/505)"

Gatorcpa and I embarked on a simultaneous search of the net and came up with scans of different ads of the time. Using the ads as evidence of the presence of Globemasters, a National Geographic advertisement from a 1954 issue confirms that they were being marketed at that time.

Gatorcpa makes the observation on some scans he unearthed, "Note that these Globemasters have the arrowhead hour markers. I've never seen an arrowhead example on the internet or anywhere else, until now. I suspect most of them have been re-dialed as Constellations and sold for big bucks on eBay at some point."

But the clincher, he says, has to do with spelling. " I always wondered why the early Constellations had the British spelling of the word Chronometre. Now I realize it is because none of the early Constellations were sold by Omega in the USA. Instead, Omega cased the identical movements here and called it the Globemaster. At some point (1956?-60), the issues were settled, and both watches were sold here, with the Globemaster taking a step down."

Jean-Luc Miranda's version of events is standing up well to scrutiny. The presence of advertising for Globemasters as early as 1954, coupled with the absence of similar advertising for Constellations (Constellation was launched in Europe in 1952) supports his version of events and somewhat discounts the version of events that has Globemaster being withdrawn owing to a trademark dispute.

In addition, the absence of early Constellations that have the U.S. "Chronometer" spelling indicates they were not marketed in the U.S. for some time. But, as Gatorcpa says, in 1959 Constellations were being marketed alongside Globemasters and that can be proved by a
price list on Chuck Maddox's site showing Globemasters being retailed at between 120 and 135 dollars and Constellations priced between 200 and 550 dollars.

Some original Globemasters were certified chronometers and often have different case markings and manufacturers stamps, indicating that Norman Morris was indeed casing globemasters as early as 1954.

Other Globemasters, however, were not certified chronometers and this adds a tad more confusion to our story. For example, our pictured example is not a certified chronometer as far as I can ascertain and the later added post above of a calibre 501 isn't either, although the example above with the double-stick markers has a Swan Neck regulator, but no stamping for adjustment to five temperatures and positions.

Bill Sohne, another Timezone 'Lifer' helps us gain even more clarity. He says that the Omega Constellation launch in the U.S. was delayed by a trademark issue with Lockheed. Bill adds, "Lockheed produced the Constellation plane in the 1940s and then produced the Super Connie into the late 1950s. Keep in mind that TWA had exclusive rights to the plane for a period of time and would market it as such to the public, so seeing ads for a Connie watch and a Connie plane could muddy up the marketing waters."

Bill also confirms that most Omegas were cased in the U.S. in the fifties. The Norman Morris habit ( NM was the exclusive U.S. distributor for Omega) of inventing its own models and styles was due to the latitude the company had in deciding how to present the Omega line in the U.S. Hence, he says, "You see Globmasters with non-chronometre configurations, whereas all Connies outside of the US were chronometre grade watches - at least during the early years 1952 - 1970. There are a lot of 'unique' US market Omega watches, cases and bracelets that came out of the collective imagination of Norman Morris Inc."

The Omega museum confirms that the copyright issue was settled in 1956 and from that time on the Omega Constellation name was seen in North America.

So, with some serious input from generous Timezoners I think we have as close to the definitive story as we may get, given the effluction of so much time, the resulting memory loss, and the fact that Omega's records are far from complete.  My thanks to all.

The Outsiders Who Saved Omega and the Swiss Watch Industry







( Top to bottom: Pierre Arnold, Ernst Thomke, Nicholas Heyek)
 
In 1982, there weren’t many vital signs of life remaining in the emaciated body of the Swiss watch industry. In one year alone, the sales of Swiss watches dropped by 25 per cent. The giant of Swiss Watch Manufacturing, Allgemeine Schweizer Uhrenindustrie AG - Société Suisse pour I'Industrie Horlogére (ASUAG-SSIH), owner of a number of memorable Swiss brands including Omega, was hemorrhaging money so badly that its bankers intervened to ensure that at least something remained of their investment.

The somewhat smug and superior Swiss horological establishment was in the depths of an horror-logical nightmare from which it couldn’t awaken. End of Days was in sight, and Switzerland’s rich watchmaking tradition and splendid history of innovation were in danger of being swept aside by some piddling piezoelectric material that vibrated at a particular frequency when captured within an electric field, namely quartz technology.
The Japanese quartz invasion, and, to a lesser extent, the emergence of the American jewel-free, throw-away watch company Timex, delivered a blow of atomic proportions to the Swiss. So many solid and cherished brands were vaporised overnight.

Like many manufacturers at the time, the doyens of ASUAG-SSIH were in a state of suspended shock at the devastation caused by the quartz onslaught. When the bankers stepped in and took control of the conglomerate, one of the first things they did was employ ‘outsiders’ to lead the rescue attempt, believing, with some justification, that the job couldn’t be done by industry insiders. This, as you can imagine, went down about as badly as would serving a plate of squid rings for lunch after a brit milah ceremony!

One of the great champions to right the wrongs of the Swiss watch manufacturing industry was an individual who knew precious little about horology and mass production of timepieces. Nicholas Heyek was engaged to develop a turn-around plan for ASSUAG-SSIH, a plan that ultimately led the Swiss out of the dark winter of despair into the sweetness and light enjoyed by the industry today.

Lebanese-born entrepreneur Hayek was the owner of a business consulting firm - Hayek Engineering Ltd. of Zurich. He carved the moribund conglomerate into three separate divisions covering the manufacture of movements and watch parts, finished timepieces, and manufactured products that leveraged the organisation’s key capabilities.

Another outsider, Pierre Arnold was chosen to head the organisation. Arnold’s only experience of mechanical timepieces was that of wearing one on his wrist. Before he joined the organisation he headed the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, a multi-billion dollar flagship of Swiss retailing.

Perhaps the most galling choice of all was the appointment of a medical doctor to run the watch division of ASSUAG-SIH. Radical surgery was necessary if the patient was indeed going to survive, and, apart from cutting deeper into the fat of the organisation, one of the most significant medicaments Ernst Thomke prescribed was to sell ‘ebauches (watch movements) on the international market. This hitherto unheard of practice was greeted by some of the more conservative insiders as tantamount to treason.

But, by far the most important decision made by this farsighted medico was to wage the horological equivalent of the Battle of Midway against the Japanese to recapture territory owned traditionally by the Swiss. Thomke established five rules of engagement for the coming hostilities. In creating a watch for the lower end of the market he decreed that the watch:

1. must have style
2. must be cheap to make
3. must be priced competitively
4. be durable, and
5. establish a technological lead.

Thomke’s vision lead to the ultimate creation of the Swatch in 1983, a brand that clawed back much of the ground lost to the Japanese. The Swatch was a brilliant fusion of style and technology. It mirrored the fashion preferences of the day and offered a quartz movement under an analogue dial. The number of parts used to produce the watch were reduced to around 60 percent of those employed in similar models. Great economies were achieved by robotics and single assembly lines.

Swatch has been the dominant lower-end brand of the last two decades releasing literally hundreds of designs, creating ersatz exclusivity and collectiblility by producing limited editions, and branching out into merchandising a range of fashion accessories marketed through Swatch stores.

In 1985, ASUAG-SSIH underwent a name change to SMH and Nicholas Hayek was chosen to lead the new entity. His appointment was greeted with the now-customary hauteur by the Swiss horological establishment who couldn’t quite get it into its head that outsiders offered a freshness of vision that was in very short supply within the industry.
Perhaps taking heed of Thomke’s surgical approach, Hayek excised nearly fifty percent of the company’s workforce and rationalised the number of brands produced by SMH. This allowed him to target the organisation’s energies into building up the brand power of important marques like Omega, Rado, Longines, Hamilton, Certina, Tissot, and Mido while milking the Swatch cash cow for all it was worth.

Swatch bankrolled the renaissance of many of SMH’s best known brands including our beloved Omega, and certainly has earned the right of a rename of SMH to the Swatch Group. Hayek’s claim that what rescued the Swiss watch industry was the very un-Swiss concept of the Swatch stands up well to scrutiny. Swatch signalled that functionality and time-telling were no longer the primary selling points in a watch.

Swatch was not so much marketing time-telling as it was fun, fashion and accessories. Heyek said, 'We were convinced that if we could add our fantasy and culture to an emotional product, we could beat anybody. Emotions are something nobody can copy.' Heyek went on to invent the Smart Car for the Mercedes group, known affectionately as the Swatchmobile. The same combination of fantasy, culture and emotion has made the Smart Car ubiquitous in Europe.

What is also indisputable is that without the vision, insight and vigor of three industry outsiders – an engineer, a retailer and a doctor - the mass production of Swiss mechanical timepieces and Switzerland’s role as the somewhat conceited high priestess of horology may have been but a fading memory of the past.
(c) Desmond Guilfoyle 2006