The 14395: Daddy of the Jumbo Omega Constellations

For some particularly strange and inexplicable reason, given that Oriental wrists are noticeably smaller than their European counterparts, Omega released a series of “Jumbo” Constellation watches in the Far East in the late nineteen-fifties and early nineteen-sixties (see post below and here).  These 37mm diameter cases contained a spacer in which to embrace the 28mm automatic chronometer movements powering various models.

We know that at least three Jumbo collections were produced, mainly for the Japanese market which was a significant supporter of the Omega brand.  Case 168.001 was preceded by case 14777 and recently a Constellation collector jolted my memory that I had seen the Grandfather of them all, the 14395, some years back on eBay.  Washing around in the recesses of my memory was the thought that the 14395 was powered by a calibre 561 movement, but not so!  

The screw-in case 14395 shown above and below, courtesy of Omega collector Tony who was motivated to trawl Japanese locations in search of a 14777, was recently unearthed.  Tony initially thought the watch was indeed a 14777, until he opened the case back and received a very pleasant surprise: an almost pristine calibre 504 movement bearing a seventeen million serial number.  So not only was Omega remaindering its inventory of calibre 504s in cases 14747 and 14397, but it's clear the company decided to experiment with larger cases in the Far East with a calibre 504 powered 14395.

The dial, with what could only be described as having a very rare finish for a Constellation, contains the standard calibre 504 chronometer script. The case itself looks very much like a 14747 gold capped version, with a narrower tapering of the lugs at the case body. 

The model featured here is only the second example I recall having encountered.  Given the circumstances of the acquittal of calibre 504 movements across various model numbers prior and during the launch of the calibre 561, it’s reasonable to conclude that calibre 504 powered Jumbos are quite rare.