A French Omega Constellation 2648 Seen in the Wild

French 18 karat gold Constellations were cased in-country until the abandonment of the gold standard in the nineteen seventies, and the earliest models will always have the “Fab Suisse” (Made in Switzerland) appellation on the dial. 

I’ve seen many Seamasters and other Omega models of the nineteen-fifties with the “Fab Suisse” mark, but rarely have I encountered 1952 production, model 2648.  The first year’s production of Constellations was under eight thousand for all models, and this example with a 13 million serial number calibre 354 is rarely seen. 

While the photographs are not of the prize-winning variety, they do show a grand old Madame with an excellently preserved visage (the white spots are on the crystal and not the dial) and a case body and case back that have withstood the ravages of time.

The case back marks are correct, showing the Eagle for gold purity, the case maker’s mark, the ‘old’ Omega symbol and a case number recorded by Omega France but not documented in Switzerland. 

While most collectible in its country of origin, these extremely uncommon early French cased Constellations are more than a worthy candidate for any quality collection.