This Groundbreaking Omega Watch’s Accuracy Is Calibrated Using Sound
Omega was manufacturing the Constellation for over 70 years, a watch that was the elegant flagship watch of the Swiss brand before the arrival of the Speedmaster in 1957. It takes its nickname from an image on the back of its case: an observatory under eight stars. The stars symbolized two chronometer records and six first-place precision awards won by Omega between 1933 and 1952, the year the Constellation was launched.
But Omega’s new Constellation Observatory collection features a completely new precision measurement procedure, which helps circumvent the thorny problem of these pieces not having a seconds hand.
Why should a second hand matter? The precision of the watches is tested with photographic tracking of the seconds hand over a given period. The lack of a seconds hand makes this impossible. The Constellation Observatory pieces, however, give Omega a certain watchmaking history since they are the first two-hand watches to obtain Master Chronometer certification without a second hand.
Traditional tests by COSC, the Swiss body that certifies the accuracy of Swiss watches, use photographic technology to measure the position of the hands in different positions and temperatures at regular intervals over 15 days. The accuracy standard is –4 to +6 seconds per day. COSC only tests the movement, not the complete watch. The case, bracelet and magnetic resistance are not subject to testing, and for two-hand watches, a second hand must be added to perform the necessary testing.
The more stringent METAS method tests the entire finished watch, not just the movement, taking into account its performance with the case, under real-world conditions, with exposure to magnetism, temperature changes and water resistance. To succeed, a watch must have an accuracy of 0 to +5 seconds per day and resist magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss. For Omega’s exclusive Master Chronometer certification, a watch must pass the COSC and METAS tests.
So how did Omega manage to bestow Master Chronometer status on the new Constellation Observatory watches, even though none of the pieces in the collection have a second hand? By designing a precision test that doesn’t require photography or a second hand at all.
Courtesy of Omega
Courtesy of Omega
Courtesy of Omega
Courtesy of Omega
Omega’s Precision Laboratory designed a self-contained test unit that continuously captures the sound of each tick while recording environmental parameters (temperature, position and air pressure) throughout a full 25 days of testing. This is a huge improvement over photographing the position of the second hand, capturing just two data points per day, as this new system generates continuous data from the first second.
