Cases 2699 and 2700 featured the very first pie pan dials on Omega Constellations. While case 2700 appears in the Omega database, strangely it's water resistant brother does not. We hope to change that soon.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this month's SOM - a case 2699 in 18k, powered by a pristine calibre 354 and featuring the first example ever of the 18k deluxe dial with polished facets.

Our thanks go to Mike N who generously agreed to share pictures of his pride and joy. Click here for the photo-essay

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:21 pm

    Wow!

    I have been wanting to purchase a Pie Pan Constellation for a while but your continuing essays on the plethora of fakes etc out there have managed to scare me out of the market :P

    Oh well, i keep reading your blog and maybe i will find one soon that i can clearly look at and say "yep, it looks legit"

    Meanwhile, beautiful example there, i wish i owned it :)

    Great blog btw, i read it every week

    Regards

    Chris

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  2. Thanks for your support Chris!

    Sounds to me that youre getting pretty market savvy - the biggest step in making a solid purchase.

    EBay and other online marketplaces at TimeZone, Watchuseek, etc are good places for the astute buyer and hell for the uninitiated.

    Good luck in your search.

    Desmond

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  3. Great blog!

    I am writing a magazine article on why people give watches as a symbol of achievement for graduations, retirements, etc... Do you know anything on this topic or just have an opinion about it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think one of the underlying reasons for giving watches and clocks as commemorative gifts is the very fact that they tell the time and, as such, are a gift that generally will be used, and (b) when used, remind the recipient of either the giver or the occasion in which the timepiece was given.

    Clocks and pocket watches were often given as retirement gifts up to the mid part of last century and even in the 1970s the gold 'service' or retirement watch was not uncommon. The most famous clock given as a retirement or service gift, particularly in the US, was the Jaeger Le Coultre 'Atmos'.

    I have no idea who first thought of the watch or clock as a commemorative gift, but it probably happened all over the world as timepieces became more affordable. But there seems to be a clear association with 'time' in the sense that a watch was given to honour time and service. The gold commemorative watch, by the way, was no piddling gift. They were expensive and so clearly that had something to do with expressing value with something of value.

    Good luck

    Desmond

    Th

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  5. Anonymous4:19 am

    Hi Desmond:

    Great watch! By the way, the vast majority of my knowledge re: vintage Omegas comes from your articles. Thanks for that.

    Of particular interest was your article on conservation vs refurbishment.

    I have a 2799 like you described (matte flat plane, shiny gold facets) and I was wondering whether one could restore or conserve this dial - while preserving the two-tone finish - without having to redial.

    Might I send you a picture of this dial for your opinion?

    Thanks in advance,

    Ken

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  6. Hi Ken

    Thanks for your support.

    Re the dial, feel free to send me a pic to mondodec@tpgdotcom.au - note the word dot needs to be eliminated for a . in the email address. I do this to confuse spam bots that pick up email addresses and then use them as a return on their spamming ops.

    Cheers

    desmond

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    Replies
    1. Hi guys,

      I need your advice on a early constellation. It's the 2699 model. The person I want to buy it from is a old collector of omega. He's like 80 years. Very reliable. I bought a couple of constellations from him. Now he wants to sell his last one. The 2699 model. But the text on the dial is wrong. It's saying:

      Omega
      Automatic
      Officially certified
      Chronometre

      But normally chronometre comes after automatic and than officially certified at the end. Did omega change this in the beginning of the 50's?

      Please advice.

      Delete
    2. Best to hve a look at some pics of the watch.

      Post your email address so I can contact you. I wont publish it.

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete