Omega Constellation Cal.501 18ct 1955

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of innovations. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as official timekeepers for its pilots and again in 1940, RAF Pilots watches were supplied by Omega. The 1940s also saw the first tourbillon wristwatch and the first of the famous Seamaster watches, whilst the 1950s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over these years, everyone from John F Kennedy to Elvis wore Omega watches on official duties. What’s more, in 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra took his Omega Speedmaster to space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission, and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

In 1932, the watchmaker became the official timekeeper of the Olympics, inaugurating a multi-million dollar marketing effort. This was recently extended to the 2032 Games.

Description

A superb example of a classic, unrestored, 1950s gentleman’s Omega Constellation Automatic dress watch, with an oversize 35mm, 18ct yellow gold case. Further features include the stunning, unrestored two-tone quilted dial and the amazing condition of the high grade, Cal.501 automatic movement.

This watch also has an extraordinarily large 18ct gold case. Typically, during the 1940s and ’50s, gents watches started at 30mm in diameter, excluding the crown. The majority were 31 – 33mm, and during the 1960s and ’70s, sizes were usually to 33 – 34mm. Vintage watches larger than this are referred to as ‘Oversize’ and these are highly sought after, because a seemingly small difference in diameter adds significantly to the ‘presence’ of the watch on the wrist. For example, a 1mm increase in diameter, adds over 3mm (3.142) to the circumference of a watch.

The quality of the movement and the sturdiness of the watch case makes this the perfect automatic vintage watch, suitable for both evening wear and everyday use.

The Dial

As mentioned above, this watch carries the rare and collectable quilted dial sometimes referred to as a ‘waffle’ dial. If this appeals to your eye, please don’t miss this example as we are unlikely to find another for a long time. The two-tone off-white dial is furnished with applied ‘diamond’ hour indices and unrestored ‘Dauphine’ hands. The overall dial design speaks of a level of quality and confidence, in keeping with the high quality of the case and movement.

The dial carries the Omega brand and signature along with ‘Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified’ with ‘Constellation’ just above the 6 and ‘Swiss Made” at the very bottom. This dial also has the beautiful addition of a crosshair on the dial.

Usually, we restore the dial on each of our watches as part of the restoration. This is because vintage watch dials over 50 years old often become unsightly due to damage caused by sunlight, air pollution and humidity. This typically takes the form of fading, staining, pitting, speckling etc. Damage is also often caused during servicing, since anything which comes into contact with an aged dial will leave a telltale mark. Here however, the dial is in exceptionally good condition and so we have left it completely alone for the sake of originality and because some wearers prefer the charm of an unrestored dial. There are just some very early signs of spotting, only visible under high magnification.

The Movement

As can be seen, the original Omega Chronometer grade Cal.501, copper-tone, automatic movement is totally pristine. The Calibre 501 was the first full rotor driven movement and is considered to be one of Omegas best ever. These movements are highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability. This watch has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within +3 seconds per day with a 46-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than happy to offer this watch with our 12 months warranty on the movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, ‘Nineteen 19 Jewels’ and Cal.501 with the serial number 14,827,704 which dates the watch to 1955.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Watch Case

The 35mm Omega case is of exceedingly high quality with a beautifully designed profile and lugs. The case is very sturdy and one of the heaviest Omega Constellation cases produced.

All the lines and edges are well defined, indicating the watch has been very well cared for. The case-back Constellation Observatory motif is also very distinct, again indicating this watch has seen little use and the case-back, bezel and case body are all in beautiful condition with no scratches, dings or other damage visible to the naked eye. The watch has been lightly used and very carefully looked after, which has meant that after careful inspection, the case has simply required a professional clean and gentle hand-polish to bring back the almost new look of the watch.

As can be seen, the inside of the case-back is signed with the Omega Watch Co branding, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with Swiss 18ct hallmarks, the case serial number 11463074 and the case reference numbers 2852 SC and 2853 SC.

As ever our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a new, high quality brown leather strap and gold-plated Omega buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, or lizard skin.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1955.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will also be provided at the time of sale with our ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box, as shown in the photographs.

In Conclusion

This is a truly beautiful example of a top of the range, 1950s 18ct Omega Constellation in wonderful condition. If you are looking for a great example of a top marque Omega with one of Omega’s best ever automatic movements then this watch ticks all the boxes. The movement is of a very high grade and an equal to watches much more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Omega Constellation watches are highly collectable and the desirability of this watch means its value will always remain strong.

In addition to being perfectly practical for everyday use, this watch will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece, as well as be something wonderful to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! Even though vintage gold Omega watch prices continue to climb, we still feel sure that top class examples such as this are underpriced. This because, as time passes and the world market for vintage gold Omega watches continues to grow, limited supply means prices will inevitably climb ever higher.

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring these to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well-known stores in West London which are very successful, charging between two and three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch. All at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095 or mobile 07515 949 250 or if calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095 or mobile +44 7515 949 250.

We are here, ready, available and awaiting your call! We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting vintage watches, we will also be happy to hear from you.

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine vintage gold watches!

Thank you.