The accuracy of this pioneering OMEGA timepiece is calibrated using sound

It was an omega Made for over 70 years, the Constellation was the Swiss brand’s elegant flagship watch before the Speedmaster landed in 1957. It gets its moniker from an image on the case back – an observatory under eight stars. The stars symbolize two chronometer records and six first-place precision awards won by OMEGA between 1933 and 1952, the year the Constellation collection was launched.

But OMEGA’s new Constellation Observatory collection has a completely new precision measurement procedure, one that gets around the thorny problem of these pieces’ lack of a second hand.

Why should the second hand matter? Watches are tested for accuracy by photographically tracing the second hand over a period of time. The lack of a second hand makes this impossible. However, the Constellation Observatory pieces give Omega some history in watchmaking as they are the first two-hand watches to receive Master Chronometer certification without a seconds hand.

The traditional test conducted by COSC – the Swiss body that certifies the accuracy of Swiss watches – uses photographic technology to measure the position of the hands in different positions and temperatures at regular intervals over a period of 15 days. The accuracy standard is -4 to +6 seconds per day. COSC only tests the movement, not the full watch. The case, bracelet, and magnetic resistance are all outside the test, and for watches with hands, a second hand must be added to perform the necessary tests.

The more rigorous METAS method tests the entire finished watch, not just the movement, taking into account how it will perform with the case, in real-world conditions, with exposure to magnetism, temperature changes, and water resistance. To succeed, the watch must be accurate to within 0 to +5 seconds per day, and resist magnetic fields of up to 15,000 Gauss. To receive Omega’s Certificate of Ownership for the Master Chronometer, the watch must pass the COSC and METAS tests.

So, how did Omega manage to give the new Constellation Observatory the title of Master Chronometer even though none of them in the collection have seconds hands? By creating an accuracy test that does not require photography or a second hand at all.

Courtesy of Omega

Courtesy of Omega

Courtesy of Omega

Courtesy of Omega

OMEGA’s Precision Lab designed a self-contained test unit that continuously captures the sound of every click and click while recording environmental parameters (temperature, location, barometric pressure) throughout the full 25 days of testing. This is a significant improvement in imaging the position of the second hand, capturing only two data points per day, as this new system generates continuous data from the first second.