Having a need to investigate some new watches for a change, I decided to call in at my chums at Berry’s in York. I had in fact pre-warned the manager, Michael, a few days before, and as usual, he was very accommodating. Such visits are only occasional and I do not do a super professional job – so, no light box, plus I am happy for some of the plastic wraps and labels to be left on. The images are for my money quite adequate for the purpose!
When I arrived shortly after 11am I was greeted with friendly courtesy. Although Michael was not in (it was a Sunday so only one of Berry’s three York shops was open), he had primed staff that I was descending on them! As such I was allocated a corner table and we then discussed some likely watch candidates. These eventually encompassed models from three brands; Omega, Blancpain, and Breguet. In this review I cover the former.
Omega Constellation Meteorite reference 13130412199003.
For 2014, Omega offer this watch in tough 316L stainless steel and a blue-hued meteorite dial. The size is 41mm x 13.5mm. The watch is on a butterfly type clasp bracelet.
The underpinnings are essentially a pretty standard Omega Constellation offering – so, the general case shape plus polished “claws” and here, Roman numerals on the bezel. The latter is interesting in that it is of grade 5 titanium which has been sandblasted (laser-ablated!) to, well, an almost sandy finish. A screw-down crown is offered. The case reverse has an exhibition port so one can view the inner workings – mainly the rhodium plated rotor (bi-directional) and bridges, with a Cotes de Geneve wave decoration. Waterproofing is noted at 50m. Sapphire non-reflective synthetic crystal is used, which in this case is rated at 9/10 on the Mohs-hardness scale – so almost scratch-proof.
As one might expect, the main attraction is the dial. A slice of an iron meteorite has been taken and coloured by a pvd/galvanic process. Here two blues emerge – dark and light. It is though the haphazard pattern of the “sticks” that grabs the eye, and as one may guess, it is utterly unique. No other “slice” will be the same. The blues in this case are certainly not vibrant, but quite subtle – although they do change dependent on the light and angle. The hands are sword in shape and lumed. There is a date window at 6 o’clock – white on black. The hour markers are tapering batons.
Turning to the motive power, this is via automatic Co-Axial caliber 8900. It has 39 jewels and beats at 25,200 vph, and has anti-magnetic and anti-shock properties – plus a time zone function whereby just the hour hand can be altered. A more efficient gear train is employed – one aspect being a silicon balance spring. This also all means less servicing. The movement boasts two barrels in series and this provides an impressive power reserve of 60 hours. The movement is, of course, very high quality, and is backed up by having no less than two independent ratings. The first is by COSC (the official Swiss chronometer control) and they test the accuracy of the watch in a variety of positions and conditions. To receive their blessing, the movement must operate within -4 to +6 seconds a day. The other tests (8) are via METAS (Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology), and they require the movement to operate within 0 to +5 seconds a day. As such the watch is classed as a Master Chronometer by Omega – essentially one of their most accurate offerings! Incidentally, the watch comes with a 5 year warranty.
In conclusion, this obviously is a very high quality watch, with super build quality and employing some innovative components. So, it will not only be very robust but also very accurate. Aesthetically it is a pleasing image, with an attractive case and dial (what with that piece of geological history and all), and the time and date readings are pretty legible. All that said, the watch wears pretty heftily. The width at 41mm is not so huge, but with a depth of over 13mm and weight of 169gms, you know you are wearing it. For my average size wrist, my preferred case size is 38mm, and at 40mm+ starts to swamp things a bit. All that said, it is a comfortable wear and the bracelet adjustment is fine.
So, naturally, all this does not come particularly cheap, with the UK rrp being £8,800. For what you get, however, I think this is pretty fair. I can think of numerous other brand offerings (particularly independents), that will happily relieve you of double that for essentially the same thing – but such is the price so-called exclusivity! The fact that you are also buying from one of the great watch brands should offer much reassurance – notwithstanding that 5 year warranty.
Rating: 4.5/5
P.S. I did in fact take an image of the ladies Constellation version from Omega. I do not usually review such watches as, quite simply, I have no real interest in them! However, on this occasion, I make an exception – briefly!
In this case, reference13115286099001 was offered up for inspection. It is in stainless steel with small pave diamonds on the bezel. The back is solid. On this occasion the meteorite has a lavender hue which I think is really nice. The watch size is 28mm x 8.5 and has a stainless steel butterfly clasp bracelet. The weight is 81 gms.
In this case the watch has a 4061 quartz movement, with a battery life of 48 months. So, here you get “leave alone” electric accuracy – but no quality ratings like the gents version. The price in the UK is £8,600 – a fair chunk being for the diamonds I wager! So, all in all, a lovely, pretty, delicate, quality timepiece. Not perhaps for everyday use, but certainly for a nice evening out!
Rating: 4.5/5
My thanks to all at Berry’s in York.
Words & Images: The Writer.