OMEGA CONSTELLATION ELECTROQUARTZ F8192 BETA 21 - RARE

Omega Constellation Electroquartz F8192 BETA 21

Reference: 196.005

Year of production: 1969 (31.xxx.xxx serial).

Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Calibre Omega 1300 (Beta 21).

Glass: Hesalite.

Case:

Stainless steel

38mm x 42mm.

Case number: 196.005.

Original steel crown.

Movement:

Beta 21.

Quartz.

13 jewels.

Center sweep seconds directly run by pallet wheel.

F8192hz (8192 beats per second. 8192 beats...per second!).

Dial:

Factory brushed blue dial.

Applied silver hour indexes.

Center sweep seconds.

Strap: brand new, gray leather strap 22 mm.

ATTENTION! READ THE CONDITION REPORT AT THE BOTTOM!

The Omega Electroquartz was introduced in 1969 as the first Swiss quartz watch to be produced. It was the collaboration of 20 Swiss watch companies and the movement was utilised by Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Omega amongst others. The Beta 21 movement used in the Electroquartz was accurate to 5 seconds per month, far better than ANY automatic or manual wind movement of the day!

In 1970 an Omega Constellation F8192hz in Stainless steel cost £330. By contrast the Moonwatch was £93.50 and the now extremely coveted Omega Bullhead was only £90.50.

That means this watch cost over three times as much as an Omega Moonwatch!!!!!!

That should tell you all you need to know when it comes to the collectability of this watch. It was a first, it was revolutionary...and it still is!

The Omega Electroquartz was the first Swiss quartz watch produced as part of a range called beta 21 watches, the beta 21 was developed at the CEH research laboratory by twenty Swiss watch manufacturers. The beta 21 is noteworthy and significantly important to the history of watch making as it marked the first quartz watch produced on an industrial level and began what is known as "the quartz crisis".

Condition:

has dings, chips and scratches to case and to glass consistent with a 54 year old watch. (one deep nipple on the glass at 12 o'clock), However it runs, and looks damn cool on your wrist! You can bet your right arm hopefully you will be wearing the watch on your left), that this is probably not a watch you will see anybody else wearing in the club! A true survivor from a bygone era. The watch runs but runs very fast (1 min takes about 30 seconds, so about double speed). I have been told by a specialist that the reason for this might be that these watches came with 1.35 volt quicksilver batteries which are now obviously forbidden. The batteries you get now are 1.55 volt and that can tend to cause this speed-up. Apparently you can buy a 1.55-to-1.35 adapter battery that might solve the issue. At any rate, that is why this watch is sold as a PROJECT WATCH and a NON-RUNNER, though it does run...just too quick.