Manufacturer: Omega Year: 1957 Reference No: 2852 Movement No: 15'009'694 Case No: 112'594 Model Name: Constellation Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, 501 Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold, expandable brick link Clasp/Buckle: Folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 35mm. Diameter Signed:Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Omega Extract from the Archives
Catalogue Essay
Omega’s Constellation model was the firm’s most luxurious, technically perfect and costly model. Fitted with the in house calibre 501, an observatory tested chronometer, it was available in stainless steel or different versions in precious metal. The present example, a reference 2852, is from 1957 and unites a number of elements dear to an avid collector. Most evidently to the beholder is the stunning and unrestored black engine-turned dial featuring applied hour markers in gold but also the Omega symbol, Omega name and Constellation star in 18 carat gold. Furthermore, this Constellation still features the original gold bracelet, a rarity by itself. The watch is overall in excellent original condition and features the correct crystal, recognisable by the microscopically small Omega symbol in the centre.
Omega's rich history begins with its founder, Louis Brandt, who established the firm in 1848 in La Chaux de Fonds. In 1903, the company changed its name to Omega, becoming the only watch brand in history to have been named after one its own movements. A full-fledged manufacturer of highly accurate, affordable and reliable watches, its sterling reputation enabled them to be chosen as the first watch company to time the Olympic Games beginning in 1932. Its continued focus on precision and reliability ultimately led their Speedmaster chronograph wristwatch to be chosen by NASA in 1965 — the first watch worn on the moon.
Key models sought-after by collectors include their first, oversized water-resistant chronograph — the reference 2077, early Speedmaster models such as the CK 2915 and 2998, military-issued versions of the Seamaster and oversized chronometer models such as those fitted with their prestigious caliber 30T2Rg.