Like many other watch manufacturers in the 1970s, Omega employed the ESA 9162/9164 tuning fork movements in many of their watches. Rebadged as the Omega 1250 with Date and 1260 for the Day Date version, today's example is the former.
The ESA 9162/9164 movements are often considered the “Rolls Royce” of tuning fork movements. They were designed by Max Hetzel, who had previously worked for Bulova; he was also responsible for the Accutron 214. In May 1972, ESA also released a chronograph version of these tuning fork movements; it was known as the ESA 9210 and was used in the Omega Speedsonic range of watches.
The Omega watches employing these tuning fork movements were usually referred to as the ‘Omega f300’ models reflecting the frequency of the tuning fork.
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The Specs
Age: c.1972.
Reference: 198.003.
Movement: Electronic Tuning Fork with Sweep Seconds and Date Wheel.
Calibre: 1250.
Dial: Original Omega Factory Dial.
Crystal: Original Signed Omega crystal.
Getting Acquainted
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Bits that stand out:
- Very Clean Example.
- Date Wheel.
- Fully Serviced Tuning Fork Movement.
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Nitty Gritty:
- Some minor age related scratches and dings to the Case.
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Overall the Constellation is in very nice Vintage condition.