Dad's old watch - Omega Constellation Megaquartz 2.4 Mhz yellow gold

[EJL25]

Hi everyone,

My dad passed away last year.
I just got his old watch after several difficulties.
Now I'm trying to find as much information of the watch as possible.
Any information of the watch would be greatly appreciated.

Funny thing is that I have never seen him using it.
I think that the watch has been in safety deposit box longer than I have been alive!

Thank you all.

[heuerkane]

Sorry to hear about your dad. I have found a little information about your watch. It's a beauty cannot believe the price in 1974!

The Calibre 1510 was most famously produced with an aventurine crystal dial, nicknamed the ‘Stardust’. The watch came in a number of variations of dials: stardust (silver and gold), waffle dial in black, blue and brown and electric blue dial.

The total production run of calibre 1510 was also 1000 units, around 800 of which were produced in stainless steel with a variety of dials and 200 were produced in solid 18 carat gold (weighing over 200 grams) with either stardust or electric blue dials.

The original list price in 1974 for a calibre 1510 was £604 in stainless steel and £3275 in 18 carat gold, by contract the Moonwatch was £134!

[el marinero]

I am sure the resident Megaquartz experts will be along soon but depending on what typre of gold that is (solid or plate) then it could be rare.
Nice watch, with the star-burst dial still intact no less.
I'll be following this with interest.

[PickleB]

BA 396.0806...?

Edit:

• Omega Owners Manual for the 2400 Megaquartz movement aka 1510/1511/1516
• OMEGA 1510 MEGAQUARTZ f2,4MHz STARDUST 1974...that says the gold model was a limited edition, suggesting that yours is #90?
• Fellows auction catalogue (link) from November 2014 giving, on page 12, an estimate of £3,000-4,000.

[EJL25]

Sorry to hear about your dad. I have found a little information about your watch. It's a beauty cannot believe the price in 1974!

The Calibre 1510 was most famously produced with an aventurine crystal dial, nicknamed the ‘Stardust’. The watch came in a number of variations of dials: stardust (silver and gold), waffle dial in black, blue and brown and electric blue dial.

The total production run of calibre 1510 was also 1000 units, around 800 of which were produced in stainless steel with a variety of dials and 200 were produced in solid 18 carat gold (weighing over 200 grams) with either stardust or electric blue dials.

The original list price in 1974 for a calibre 1510 was £604 in stainless steel and £3275 in 18 carat gold, by contract the Moonwatch was £134!

Thank you!

Didn't realize that they made such a small amount of them.

So my dad could have bought 24 Speedmasters instead!

[uwtc]

Looks like no. 90 of 1000. Can't help value wise but that's a serious watch for the serious Omega collector!

[heuerkane]

Thank you!

Didn't realize that they made such a small amount of them.

So my dad could have bought 24 Speedmasters instead!

24 speedys what a thought! 😛

[EJL25]

I have the original papers but the box is missing.
Does anyone have an idea what would be the correct box for the watch?

[Gyp]

I have the original papers but the box is missing.
Does anyone have idea what would ve the correct box for the watch?

I think safety deposit box as per your original post!

[seikopath]

Sorry to hear about your loss
Your dad had taste!
Congrats on getting the watch
Dickstar77 is the man for info on these.
Best wishes
Dave

[EJL25]

I think safety deposit box as per your original post!

[Frakius]

Sorry to hear about your dad. I have found a little information about your watch. It's a beauty cannot believe the price in 1974!

The Calibre 1510 was most famously produced with an aventurine crystal dial, nicknamed the ‘Stardust’. The watch came in a number of variations of dials: stardust (silver and gold), waffle dial in black, blue and brown and electric blue dial.

The total production run of calibre 1510 was also 1000 units, around 800 of which were produced in stainless steel with a variety of dials and 200 were produced in solid 18 carat gold (weighing over 200 grams) with either stardust or electric blue dials.

The original list price in 1974 for a calibre 1510 was £604 in stainless steel and £3275 in 18 carat gold, by contract the Moonwatch was £134!

I get £3275 as been around £36k in today's money adjusted for inflation, a pretty big chunk of cash back then, I wonder what they are worth today? It does look like this one is on the limited gold edition ones?

[Caruso]

Love that, the blue dial goes well with the gold and the red date is a nice touch.

[EJL25]

I get £3275 as been around £36k in today's money adjusted for inflation, a pretty big chunk of cash back then, I wonder what they are worth today? It does look like this one is on the limited gold edition ones?

I have a receipt that shows that dad bought the watch in 1979.
He paid 18200 Finnish Marks which translates to today in 10070€ which is around £8800.

[alfat33]

My condolences on your loss. Your Dad left you an amazing watch.

There is some useful info in this thread, referencing @dickstar1977 :

http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...a-decade-makes

[Frakius]

I have a receipt that shows that dad bought the watch in 1979.
He paid 18200 Finnish Marks which translates to today in 10070€ which is around £8800.

Still a sizable sum of money, I wonder if he didn't wear it lot because it was so valuable or his tastes changed, it's certainly a striking watch and once that will come in and out of fashion more than a traditionally shaped case. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[EJL25]

My condolences on your loss. Your Dad left you an amazing watch.

There is some useful info in this thread, referencing @dickstar1977 :

http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...a-decade-makes

Thank you for the link!
Very interesting read.

[EJL25]

Still a sizable sum of money, I wonder if he didn't wear it lot because it was so valuable or his tastes changed, it's certainly a striking watch and once that will come in and out of fashion more than a traditionally shaped case. Thanks for sharing it with us!

I think he probably used it and saw how easily it scratches!

I have only seen him wearing cheaper watches like Citizen.

[PickleB]

BA 396.0806...?

Edit:

• Omega Owners Manual for the 2400 Megaquartz movement aka 1510/1511/1516
• OMEGA 1510 MEGAQUARTZ f2,4MHz STARDUST 1974...that says the gold model was a limited edition, suggesting that yours is #90?
• Fellows auction catalogue (link) from November 2014 giving, on page 12, an estimate of £3,000-4,000.

That Fellows catalogue listed the watch as lot Lot 51 on Thursday 20th November 2014. The catalogue for Thursday 4th December 2014 (link) gives (at page 48, or 50 in the pdf) the 'Price Realised' for that lot as £4,000.

[Wolfie]

That is an amazing watch, great rarity and provenance... it was your Dads and he had great taste :-)

Enjoy the watch and wear it... it's too beautiful to be locked away

[EJL25]

That is an amazing watch, great rarity and provenance... it was your Dads and he had great taste :-)

Enjoy the watch and wear it... it's too beautiful to be locked away

I will wear it for sure! Just need to get it serviced first.

[Swissz]

Wow, what a watch! The box for the 18K Stardust should be this one:



I have seen 2 different sales having this box for a 18K stardust.

[EJL25]

BA 396.0806...?

Edit:

• Omega Owners Manual for the 2400 Megaquartz movement aka 1510/1511/1516
• OMEGA 1510 MEGAQUARTZ f2,4MHz STARDUST 1974...that says the gold model was a limited edition, suggesting that yours is #90?
• Fellows auction catalogue (link) from November 2014 giving, on page 12, an estimate of £3,000-4,000.

Thank you for the links!
Yes, it is the BA 396.0806.
Tried to google it and only got some British Airways related pages!

[EJL25]

Wow, what a watch! The box for the 18K Stardust should be this one:



I have seen 2 different sales having this box for a 18K stardust.

Thank you!
Now just need to find one!

[EJL25]

Sorry to hear about your loss
Your dad had taste!
Congrats on getting the watch
Dickstar77 is the man for info on these.
Best wishes
Dave

Thank you!
Just read one of his threads.

[triumph coupe]

I love these in steel. Now I love them more in gold. Phenomenal!!

[webvan]

Nice watch! You can check to see if it's been worn much by looking at the stretch in the bracelet as these were quite prone to this.

[blackal]

It's styling is definitely "of its day'. I loved the Marine Chronometer version at the time.

It will be interesting to read the details of its exclusivity.

[AlphaOmega]

The original list price in 1974 for a calibre 1510 was £604 in stainless steel and £3275 in 18 carat gold, by contract the Moonwatch was £134!

The average UK house price in 1974 was...




...have a guess...


















£9,928.

This watch was on sale at roughly a third of that.

In 2017, the average UK house price is £206,665. A third of that is £68,888.

[Pardalis]

a beauty!
I wish I had my late Dads 1968 pie pan Constellation, sadly i never knew what happened to it.

[Alboy]

Wow, what a watch and you are so lucky to own it now!

Cherish it, wear it and think of him each time you do.

I cant help with information but I am appreciating a truly amazing watch with an interesting history.

[Wibbs]

Condolences for your loss EJ. That's a very nice watch and rare too. Real piece of horological history from a time when Omega in particular were really pushing the latest technology. Extremely accurate too. Generally speaking the faster the oscillator in a timepiece the more accurate it will be. The vast majority of quartz watches run at 32 kilohertz, your dad's watch runs at 2.4 megahertz. Even today precious few non radio signal set quartz could match it. Clearly he was a man with good taste and forward looking. Well may you wear.

So my dad could have bought 24 Speedmasters instead!

:) crazy how things change. Back then the very new tech of quartz was only fitted to the very top of the range models from the various manufacturers. They were very expensive movements to build, with the best in components used. Hard to get our heads around that now when nowadays you can source a quartz watch for a couple of quid from China.

[Mitch]

:) crazy how things change. Back then the very new tech of quartz was only fitted to the very top of the range models from the various manufacturers. They were very expensive movements to build, with the best in components used. Hard to get our heads around that now when nowadays you can source a quartz watch for a couple of quid from China.

Not just watches though.

I bought a new fangled device in the late 70s...................... a video recorder, the idea that you could record TV programmes seemed astounding at the time. I bought the Sony C7 a top of the range recorder and it cost £750, you could have bought a couple of Rolex watches and had change. The tapes cost £13.50 each. This was a serious amount of money in the 70s but within a few short years you could pick them up for a mere fraction of that price.

Should have bought the Rolex's I suppose!




Mitch

[Gyp]

I was looking at this and initially thought "wow! I wish my dad had had a watch like that!"

With hindsight though, I'm glad he didn't.

My DDW is a perfectly ordinary Seiko. I spent quite a bit getting it serviced, refurbished and fitting a new strap. I suspect that in its beautifully refurbished state it's probably worth £30, maybe £40 on a good day.

With the Omega, I'm sure I'd always be wondering if I ought to sell it.

[watchlovr]

As said solid 18k gold, very very rare in that condition.
I know of 2 or maybe 3 left with the bracelet. Mine is on leather.
I think Tony, the owner of STS (where you will 100% need to send it for service) has one.

Tom, where are you??????

[dickstar1977]

Bonjour

Well......... wow! That's quite the watch, most people have already given you the core information but what a stunning example. It's very rare to find one of these watches full stop, there are two members of the forum I know with one; Colin and myself.

The condition of yours is exemplary, it's never been refinished and I would image hardly ever worn judging by the bracelet and the case.

They were produced either on leather/ shark or on bracelet, I have both options for mine but the gold bracelet does make it a little bling and in your face.

As others have mentioned these were and are remarkable watches. Beyond expensive when new they were cutting edge technology. SSIH spent 30,000 Francs developing the movement and never even came close to recovering the investment in sales, it wasn't about the money for them it was about accuracy and boy did that achieve that!

There were only about 200 gold ones made, all of them by hand. The cases were all made in Fontana in Italy, the movements and dial being assembled in bienne.

So many have sadly been scrapped as there is over £4000 of gold in one BUT they are becoming increasingly sought after and as such valuable beyond the meer intrinsic weight of the gold

You are most welcome to PM me and I can let you have my number if you want to discuss or find out more about your watch, there also a write up on them written by yours truly on Wikipedia under omega marine chronometer

As others have mentioned STS in the U.K. Really are the only people to trust with one of these, not only because they are the only people (including omega themselves) with a lifetime of spares but they also have the expertise to handle them, never ever trust anyone else with it for repairs

What a great watch and a great example and I hope you choose to keep it and wear it regularly

Cheers Tom

[EJL25]

Nice watch! You can check to see if it's been worn much by looking at the stretch in the bracelet as these were quite prone to this.

There's no stretch at all.

I think he might have used it until the battery ran out, bought something else and then but it in the safety deposit box.

[Progressive]

Absolutely stunning!

[EJL25]

I was looking at this and initially thought "wow! I wish my dad had had a watch like that!"

With hindsight though, I'm glad he didn't.

My DDW is a perfectly ordinary Seiko. I spent quite a bit getting it serviced, refurbished and fitting a new strap. I suspect that in its beautifully refurbished state it's probably worth £30, maybe £40 on a good day.

With the Omega, I'm sure I'd always be wondering if I ought to sell it.

This is now the last watch I'd sell.
It fits my wrist pretty well when it's at it's largest settings so atleast I can wear it.
Just can't get any fatter!

Not an everyday watch but will be worn on regular basis.

[EJL25]

As said solid 18k gold, very very rare in that condition.
I know of 2 or maybe 3 left with the bracelet. Mine is on leather.
I think Tony, the owner of STS (where you will 100% need to send it for service) has one.

Tom, where are you??????

Only problem is that I'm in Finland so sending it to STS might be a difficult.
Any reason I shouldn't send it to Omega service?

[watchlovr]

Omega do not have spares. STS do and are 100% more receptive to vintage pieces.
They are also used to serving these, having done about 12 that i am aware of.

[EJL25]

Bonjour

Well......... wow! That's quite the watch, most people have already given you the core information but what a stunning example. It's very rare to find one of these watches full stop, there are two members of the forum I know with one; Colin and myself.

The condition of yours is exemplary, it's never been refinished and I would image hardly ever worn judging by the bracelet and the case.

They were produced either on leather/ shark or on bracelet, I have both options for mine but the gold bracelet does make it a little bling and in your face.

As others have mentioned these were and are remarkable watches. Beyond expensive when new they were cutting edge technology. SSIH spent 30,000 Francs developing the movement and never even came close to recovering the investment in sales, it wasn't about the money for them it was about accuracy and boy did that achieve that!

There were only about 200 gold ones made, all of them by hand. The cases were all made in Fontana in Italy, the movements and dial being assembled in bienne.

So many have sadly been scrapped as there is over £4000 of gold in one BUT they are becoming increasingly sought after and as such valuable beyond the meer intrinsic weight of the gold

You are most welcome to PM me and I can let you have my number if you want to discuss or find out more about your watch, there also a write up on them written by yours truly on Wikipedia under omega marine chronometer

As others have mentioned STS in the U.K. Really are the only people to trust with one of these, not only because they are the only people (including omega themselves) with a lifetime of spares but they also have the expertise to handle them, never ever trust anyone else with it for repairs

What a great watch and a great example and I hope you choose to keep it and wear it regularly

Cheers Tom

Hi Tom,

It has some markings and nicks so when he used it he clearly didn't worry about it's condition.
But I do think that he didn't wear it a long time.
How long does the battery last on these?
I have a strong feeling that when the watch stopped he didn't change the battery. He just bought a cheaper watch!

How much gold exactly does the watch even contain? £4000 sounds like a lot of gold!

I'll check out the Wikipedia and I'll PM you when I get a chance. Thank you for your kind offer.

I'm in Finland so sending the watch to STS might be difficult but would you recommend Omegas own service?

I will keep it for sure and try to wear it regularly.

[webvan]

Omega don't service them anymore actually and haven't since 2011 (maybe even before, would have to check my notes) ...along with the older quartz calibers like the 130x. That's OK with Tony at STS being the worldwide expert on these ;-)

Current battery life on these is about a year, it would have been more with the original mercury 1.35v batteries.

[EJL25]

Omega don't service them anymore actually and haven't since 2011 (maybe even before, would have to check my notes) ...along with the older quartz calibers like the 130x. That's OK with Tony at STS being the worldwide expert on these ;-)

Current battery life on these is about a year, it would have been more with the original mercury 1.35v batteries.

Well didn't expect that!
I thought Omega would be the way to go but I guess now I need to find out how I can get the watch to STS.

So the watch has probably been used less than two years!

[webvan]

FedEx, DHL?

So I checked my notes and found that they stopped servicing the 15xx and 130x in 2008.

As for battery life it dropped from 18 to 12 months with the switch from mercury to SO.

[EJL25]

FedEx, DHL?

So I checked my notes and found that they stopped servicing the 15xx and 130x in 2008.

As for battery life it dropped from 18 to 12 months with the switch from mercury to SO.

DHL insures up to £4000 but I don't think FedEx insures watches at all.
And I don't actually even know what the watch is worth.
And not actually sure that I want to take a chance that it gets lost. Not really worried about the money just that it gets lost.
Perhaps I need to book a flight to London...

[webvan]

That would certainly be the safest option and you could see STS's fabulous 151x (and other) Omega watches in their display booth!

[EJL25]

That would certainly be the safest option and you could see STS's fabulous 151x (and other) Omega watches in their display booth!

Now just need figure out how I'll explain the trip to the missus!

[Tiny]

Hi everyone,

My dad passed away last year.
I just got his old watch after several difficulties.
Now I'm trying to find as much information of the watch as possible.
Any information of the watch would be greatly appreciated.

Funny thing is that I have never seen him using it.
I think that the watch has been in safety deposit box longer than I have been alive!

Thank you all.

Beautiful watch. Really nice to see one of these.

[dickstar1977]

An interesting side note is thet yours would appear to be one of the very early ones that went to besancon for certification prior to Omwga changing their mind and only having the marine chronometer certified.

I can find no evidence off the coding but 0090 is the lowest one I've ever seen.

Although it has some knocks and nick if you do send it for service my advise is ask tony to very lightly hand refinish it NOT machine.

If you are sending it for service take a very deep breath! The service on these is now £750 plus VAT (not sure if you could claim the vat back) if it needs a circuit or motor (the two core components) they are £450 a piece!

The weight of the watch is 92-96 grams for the head (I've weighed six so far and that the range I get) and between 95 and 110 grams for the bracelet dependant on the number of links.

Omega still make the calf leather bands for these as modern service replacements, they are extremely good value, they are less than £100.