Amazon.com Product Description
Blending classic timepiece design with refined European style, this Omega Constellation men's chronometer automatic watch is comfortably at home in both the boardroom as well as the baccarat table. Mixing both stainless steel and 18 karat gold, this Constellation offers an appealing balance of luxury, durability, and precision, with its certified chronometer automatic movement awarded by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Control). Its brushed silver stainless steel case is topped by an 18 karat gold bezel that features engraved Roman numerals in black and curved claw accents at 3 and 9 o'clock. The silver stainless steel bracelet band flows seamlessly from the case and is slightly tapered. It's accented by thin horizontal bands of 18 karat gold that separate the silver links and stretch fully across the width of the band. It's joined by a secure push-button safety clasp. The silvery white dial background also includes gold-tone Dauphine hands (with seconds hand) and baton dial markers as well as a window at 3 o'clock for the automatic date display. Other features include a scratch-resistant and glare-proofed domed sapphire crystal, a distinctive Cabochon crown, and water resistance to 50 meters (165 feet). The watch case measures 35.3mm (1.35 inches) across and 10mm (0.39 inches) deep.
The Omega Story
The Omega watch story begins in 1848, when founder Louis Brandt began hand assembling key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen in his principality La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the northwest corner of Switzerland. However, the Omega name didn't appear until 1894, after Louis Brandt had passed away and his watchmaking traditions were taken over by his sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt. Omega watches have long been associated with glamorous screen and sports stars--the Omega Seamaster is famous for being the watch of choice for James Bond--with current ambassadors including Pierce Brosnan, Nicole Kidman, tennis player Anna Kournikova, and swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe.
But Omega is more than just a fashionable watch. In 1965, the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was "flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions" as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency's severe tests, including passing grades for extreme shocks, vibrations, and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius. The greatest moment in the Speedmaster's history was undoubtedly 20 July 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man's first steps on the Moon's surface as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Omega watches rocketed off to space on many subsequent missions, including visits to Skylab and the historic Apollo-Soyuz link-up of Soviet and American astronauts in 1975.
In more recent years, Omega created the world's first self-winding wristwatch with central tourbillon in 1994 and made history in 1999 with the first mass-produced watch incorporating the co-axial escapement, developed in conjunction with renowned English master watchmaker George Daniels. In simple terms, the escapement is the heart of a mechanical watch, generating the impulses that make the mechanism move. Omega's Co-Axial Escapement drastically reduces the friction among the parts that transmit energy to the other components, producing greater stability and precision and reducing service requirements.
Today, Omega is known for its rigorous testing of new movements, cases, and bands. Each new Omega movement is tested on the wrist in existing Omega models, while various laboratory tests are conducted to determine temperature-resistance, shock-resistance and vibration-resistance.
