Omega Constellation Cal.354 Bumper Automatic 18ct 1959 – Quilted Dial

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 40s 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 into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Why This Watch is Important

The Omega Constellation is iconic, having been in continuous production since 1952 and one which has always represented Omega’s most luxurious precision chronometer timepiece. When launched, and throughout the 1950s and ’60s, the Constellation was a more prestigious and expensive piece than the equivalent Rolex Oyster Perpetual and also contained a much better movement. Finding a nice vintage Constellation is not that hard, but finding a nice early Constellation, particularly in this condition, is much more difficult.

The Dial

The original, previously restored, rare quilted dial is finished with deluxe hour indices and matching original yellow gold ‘dauphine’ hands. Not only are the hour indices wonderful, but the  quilted dial is the most sought after of dials among Omega collectors.

The wonderful ivory cream dial catches the light wonderfully, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs. The dial is in superb condition, considering the age of this watch. Normally we restore the dials of all the vintage watches you see on our website due to damage caused by sunlight, humidity, dust and pollution, however, due to this watch being previously restored to a very high standard, we have decided to leave it completely alone. There are just the faintest signs of spotting and some faded marks caused by the luminous hands. However, there are none of the usual scratches which dials often collect during servicing.

The dial is signed with an applied yellow gold Omega signature and ‘Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified’ with ‘Constellation’ and the yellow gold Constellation star. The dial also reads ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

Movement

This is the Omega Cal.354 which is the same movement used in the range-topping, Chronometer rated, Omega Constellation of the same period. The Cal.354 movement was designed by Charles Perregaux and is a true classic which has certainly stood the test of time. The bumper automatic uses an oscillating rotor which winds the movement in one direction. Over 1.3 million of these movements were produced between 1943 and 1955 and carefully designed for chronometer levels of accuracy while remaining robust enough to handle the strong vibrations caused by the hammer action.

As can be seen, the fully restored beryllium bronze movement is in amazingly clean condition having been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to all its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts before careful reassembly, adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within -8 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher and this level of performance is outstanding for any watch, particularly of this age. The movement also has an excellent 50-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The Omega Cal.354 movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch ideal for regular daily use.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, ‘Adjusted Five Positions and Temperatures’ along with the Calibre No. 354, ‘17 Jewels’, and the Serial No. 14920797 which dates this watch to 1959.

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

The Case

The sturdy three-piece ribbed, 18ct yellow gold watch case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the Omega signed crown. Inside the screw-down case-back, we find all the markings are correct and as expected with The Omega Watch Co. triangle, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’. 18ct hallmarks date the watch case to 1959. The case-back carries the  serial number 11452027, along with Omega model reference numbers 2782 and 2799SC as this watch has a transitional case.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and very lightly hand-polished as this was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition, with no scratches dings or marks of any kind visible to the naked eye. The case-back carries the famous Constellation motif which is almost as new. Being 18ct gold, this is often quite worn, but here it is still crisp and distinct, indicating this watch has hardly been worn. The screw-down case-back and sealed crown make this watch water resistant to 20 meters*.

*Although originally specified as ‘Water Resistant to 20 meters’, this has not been tested and is not guaranteed. As always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a high quality brown Lizard strap with a gold-plated Omega buckle. We think this compliments the gold case and the dial, 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 and black in stock, in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish, here.

The 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 1959.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The Omega presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

A rare and exceptional vintage 18ct gold Omega Constellation dress watch in incredible condition. The movement is of a very high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very best 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 to 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 choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. 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 check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and unfortunately out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges, however attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those that happen to visit the UK on occasion we are of course more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London and deliver your watch directly to you there.

Please note, we also 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, Repair, or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095. If calling from overseas +44 207 727 7095.

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, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

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

Thank you.