Nearly 20 years ago, I walked out of a high-end retailer having just shelled out what I thought at the time was a shed load of money for a watch. I had just bought a stainless steel Omega Constellation Perpetual Calendar (35mm, Quartz, Ref:396.1202). It certainly is a great looking watch.

The purchase of the Omega Constellation Perpetual Calendar was to mark my first son’s birth. My intention is to wear the watch, enjoy it and then pass it onto him at some future point in time. Many aspects of the watch still make me smile. I have a sense of satisfaction when wearing it as it certainly does exude a sense of quality.

The sense of joy and pleasure is a little tainted with disappointment as a result of the AD’s attitude and service costs. The watch also has some wearability issues which I will touch on later. The AD left me with a sense of “less than” when describing it as “quartz” rather than appreciating that everything has a cost in terms of real wages when it comes to purchasing.

The watch does take a while to get used to wearing, particularly if it has been out of rotation for some time, as the crown can stick into the hand and the bracelet does open unexpectedly from time to time.

All these things aside I’ve recently started appreciating how classic the size of the Omega Constellation Perpetual Calendar is. If you’re thinking of purchasing a now “near vintage” piece, this is one for you to consider. It is very much off-the-radar and looking around you will be able to find it for sale at relatively good value. I have seen high quality pieces on the secondary market. As for my son, he’s certainly is looking forward to getting his hands on it!