Omega Unveils the New Constellation “Manhattan”

Omega brought out some serious star power for the launch of its new Constellation collection in Shanghai: Cindy Crawford, Nicole Kidman, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Liu Shishi were the guests of honour. The redesigned Constellation Manhattan has many of the signature features of the previous collection, introduced in 1995, including Roman numerals etched into the bezel, iconic claw motifs on the case side and bezel, and a bracelet with a new extension feature. The original Constellation was introduced in 1952 and redesigned in 1982, when it was dubbed the Constellation Manhattan. The collection was revamped again in 1995, with substantial input from Crawford, who had joined the company that year as an ambassador. (Last year, her son, Presley, and daughter, Kaia, became official Omega ambassadors as well.)

Liu Shishi, Nicole Kidman, Omega president and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, Cindy Crawford, and Alessandra Ambrosio.

“I joke that I’ve been married to Omega longer than I’ve been married to my husband,” said the 52-year-old Crawford. “It’s been a great relationship.” She added, “When I started with Omega, I was 25, a young model, and they’ve allowed me to mature into a grown-up woman. In the fashion industry, there’s a shelf life, and I love that Omega has embraced me becoming a woman and not made it so focused on, okay, she’s a young, hot model.”

The new Constellation collection is 101 references. There are three sizes―25mm, 28mm, and 29mm―and seven dial options, including mother-of-pearl and a unique silk-embossed gold champagne dial, as well as five metal colour combinations for case and bracelet, including a stainless-steel model. The 29mm models contain mechanical Master Chronometer Co-Axial movements; the rest are quartz. Compared to the previous model, the edges of the case and bracelet links of the new Constellation are now bevelled, so the watch reflects more light. The integrated bracelet retains the same basic design, but with a new feature: there is a built-in extension system that is self-adjustable to add or subtract 2mm. New, triangular shaped indexes, meant to be reminiscent of Manhattan’s Freedom Tower, replace the baton markers on some models, and diamond markers remain an option. The dauphine hands on the 1995 version are now skeletonized leaf style hands.

The Omega Constellation Manhattan.

The small sizes of the new Constellation indicate they are aimed at the important Chinese market―Omega is the largest selling Swiss watch in China. Ambassador Liu Shishi, who is from Shanghai, was asked what it means to her to be a Chinese woman representing Omega.“Chinese women have a restrained gentleness, but they’re also very firm, with a lot of power inside,” said Shishi. “The other three ambassadors are very outstanding with distinct personalities and characters. Together, we hope to express a feeling of independence and confidence. I think that’s also what Omega hopes to express in its ladies’ watches.”

_______

Never miss a story. Sign up for NUVO’s weekly newsletter, here.