Omega Women’s 1571.71.00 Constellation My Choice Quartz Small Watch Review
I grew up in a house where watches were extremely valued — my first “major gift” that I remembered from my dad was a watch.
I have this particular watch — I chose the “My Choice” because I fell in love with the pyramid markers used for the hour markers. I have the mother of pearl version though I have to say that I would also love to get a blue-faced version as well. I have had it many years and actually bought it pre-owned and it has kept perfect time since the day I have gotten it. There are no regular maintenance intervals required (unlike Rolex) — it just works regardless of what I am doing or where I am.
In the luxury watch world — there are two primary brands (well… a lot more but at least in the realm of “attainable” by anyone other than the CEOs of wall street firms): Rolex and Omega. Rolex seems to garner all the attention while Omega sits in the relatively quiet background.
Omega has been around at least as long as Rolex — it is also a Swiss watch. Their accuracy is on par with Rolex.
However, Omega has done many things to make themselves more appealing than Rolex — they do not have a “one-look-fits-all” styling. They have several lines including the Constellation (this watch), the Omega Women’s Seamaster 300M Quartz Watch #2224.80.00 which is a little more “rugged”, the Omega DeVille. All lines have a distinct look to suit your tastes and all are watches that will last you a lifetime and be something to pass on to your children.
Omega customer service is much friendlier than Rolex. For example, you could purchase a pre-owned Omega watch and email Omega with the serial number and other information and they can tell you if that watch is genuine (like Rolex — there are many “fakes” on the market to watch out for) and exactly when that watch was made and the type of watch. If you were to try to get that information from Rolex, you would never receive a response.
As another reviewer pointed out — Omega’s hold their value and they continue to work decade after decade. I collect vintage watches and Omegas from the 40s or 50s keep the same level of precision as my newer watches. In fact, many would argue that the older Omegas — mostly with a manual winding mechanism — are superior time pieces to those that are relatively mass-produced today.
In my mind, the main difference between Rolex and Omega is 1. Marketing and 2. Styling. Rolex has clearly spent a great deal more on marketing their watch as “the watch to own”. However, they also have the distinctive styling that makes you seem more like you are about the name brand than the quality.
Finally, the cost of ownership for Omega is much much lower. Rolex watches have, for the most part, stayed true to their automatic winding roots (as opposed to using quartz technology). Consequently, every 2-4 years, a Rolex must be serviced in order to continue to work. The only way to do this safely is to find an “Rolex authorized service” facility — which means sending your watch away for several weeks to be worked on. This service will cost at least several hundred dollars. You could argue that if you can afford a Rolex, then that is no big a deal. However, do you really want to be without your watch for weeks at a time?
If you choose a Rolex or an Omega, you will enjoy wearing a supreme time piece and both will appreciate in value. However, if you want to have the option to express your own individualism with an understated elegance, then Omega, in my opinion, gives you more options to do this.
Finally, as I alluded to, you might want to consider Vintage Omegas or Rolex watches — both have superior craftsmanship to the newer watches and frankly, as I have gotten older, there is something appealing to knowing that you are owning a piece of history. Vintage watches often have a lot of character sometimes lacking in the newer mass-produced versions. Vintage watches will be as reliable and dependable as newer watches (with the exception of water tightness — watches made before the late 50s or 60s did not tend to have the water seals that more modern watches employ so you definitely aren’t going to want to go scuba diving in your vintage watches to the same extent.
If you do decide to go the Vintage route, make sure you deal with a reputable dealer since there are many forgeries for both Rolex and Omega on the market. Educate yourself regarding the prices of vintage watches by looking at Vintage watch websites.
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Omega Women’s 1571.71.00 Constellation My Choice Quartz Small Watch Feature
- Precise Swiss-Quartz movement
- Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside
- Case diameter: 25.5 mm
- Stainless-steel case; White Mother-of-Pearl dial
- Water-resistant to 99 feet (30 M)
Omega Women’s 1571.71.00 Constellation My Choice Quartz Small Watch Overview
Blending classic timepiece design with refined European style, this Omega Constellation women’s watch offers graceful lines and a medium-sized width. Part of the Cindy Crawford My Choice collection, this fully silver watch offers an appealing balance of luxury, durability, and precision (with its Swiss quartz watch movement). Its highly polished stainless steel case is topped by a brushed bezel that features engraved Roman numerals in black and curved claw accents at 3 and 9 o’clock. The silver stainless steel bracelet band flows seamlessly from the case and is slightly tapered. It’s composed of alternating wide links and contrasting thin bands, and is joined by a secure push-button safety clasp.
The iridescent white mother-of-pearl dial background also includes silver-tone baton hands and square, multi-faceted hour markers that reflect light like diamonds. Other features include a scratch-resistant and glare-proofed domed sapphire crystal, a distinctive Cabochon crown, and water resistance to 30 meters (99 feet) The watch case measures 27.7mm across and 8mm (0.31 inches) deep.
Mother-of-pearl is the pearlescent material found on the inside of mollusk shells like abalone, oysters, and mussels, which can be scraped off, sliced thin, and applied to all manner of jewelry.
The Omega Story
The Omega watch story begins in 1848, when founder Louis Brandt began hand assembling key-wound precision pocket watches from parts supplied by local craftsmen in his principality La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the northwest corner of Switzerland. However, the Omega name didn’t appear until 1894, after Louis Brandt had passed away and his watchmaking traditions were taken over by his sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt. Omega watches have long been associated with glamorous screen and sports stars–the Omega Seamaster is famous for being the watch of choice for James Bond–with current ambassadors including Pierce Brosnan, Nicole Kidman, tennis player Anna Kournikova, and swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe.
But Omega is more than just a fashionable watch. In 1965, the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was “flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions” as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency’s severe tests, including passing grades for extreme shocks, vibrations, and temperatures ranging from -18 to +93 degrees Celsius. The greatest moment in the Speedmaster’s history was undoubtedly 20 July 1969 at 02:56 GMT, when it recorded man’s first steps on the Moon’s surface as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Today, Omega is known for its rigorous testing of new movements, cases, and bands. Each new Omega movement is tested on the wrist in existing Omega models, while various laboratory tests are conducted to determine temperature-resistance, shock-resistance and vibration-resistance.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 21, 2010 22:28:28
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