OMEGA WOMEN
The luxury marque is famous for its men’s watches, but brand ambassadors Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford talk to Life about what’s new for the ladies
For 170 years, Swiss luxury-watch company Omega has been pushing the frontiers of precision in horology, proven by the calibre of individuals donning Omega’s timepieces on their wrists. From John F. Kennedy to Neil Armstrong to North Pole explorer Ralph Plaisted, watches like the Speedmaster and Seamaster have been cemented in some of the most important moments and milestones in world history.
Apart from their legendary male-centred models, Omega has also created some iconic ladies watches, which have undergone various guises throughout time. From 19th-century watches hidden in bangles (as it was rude for women to check the time), Omega’s women’s watches have evolved into what many watch-geeks know as the iconic Constellation collection, worn by the likes of Omega ambassadors Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, Alessandra Ambrosio and Chinese actress Liu Shishi. Last month, all four megastars were in Shanghai, China, to launch the latest incarnation of the Constellation collection in the Omega Iconic Ladies Evening, featuring more than a hundred new timepieces.
Life talked to Cindy Crawford and Nicole Kidman on their thoughts about the collection’s new facelift.
“I would definitely say sleek, feminine and I think — can I say? — like jewellery,” said Crawford about the new collection. “It’s like a bracelet. It feels like more than a watch — it’s like a real style accessory.”
Crawford, at 22 years, is the longest-serving Omega ambassador in the brand’s history. Having worked with Omega for such a long time, Crawford jokes constantly about how her relationship with the brand is much longer than her relationship with her husband. She’s seen the subtle evolution in each and every collection, like the Constellation, for example. The timepiece was introduced in 1952 with a Calibre 354 movement and was redesigned in 1982 and redubbed the Constellation Manhattan with a quartz movement with a chronometer certificate. Then it was revamped in 1995 with substantial input from Crawford herself in her first year as ambassador.
The latest, 2018 version comes in three sizes of 25mm, 28mm and 29mm. The Omega Calibre 4061 powers the first two models, while the 29mm versions house the Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8700/8701. Users can pick and choose the materials from 18k Sedna gold, 18k yellow gold, stainless steel or two-tone versions. And the dials come in a choice of sunbrushed blue, chestnut brown, dark grey and gold champagne colours, silk-embossed silvery or gold champagne, and crystal silvery. The bracelets and bezels have been revamped as well, giving it a more refined look. What’s special about the bracelet is that it has a built-in system to add or subtract 2mm, taking into account that our wrists expand during the day.
“You know what — there are enough changes that make it seem like the new Constellation, but also it’s enough the same that I still have the same feelings from it,” she said. “I definitely like the lower profile — I think it’s super-comfortable and I like that there’s an updated bracelet, like the little bars that look different. But what I’ve always loved about the Constellation is how feminine it is.”
Nicole Kidman, who’s been an Omega ambassador for 13 years, says that the Constellation is her go-to watch on normal days.
“I wear the Constellation most of the time because it can be worn in daytime but it also can be an evening watch and it’s very streamlined. It’s very chic and people always comment on it when I wear it,” she said. “I love it when it’s very streamlined and flat because I don’t like things catching, so I just actually love a very, very chic streamlined watch, which I consider the Constellation to be. I’m not someone that has a lot of things. I travel a lot so I like something that can work in many different occasions. And that’s probably the most important thing for me, is chic-and-streamlined.”
And though timepieces may be redundant in a time when everybody and their grandmother has a smartphone, the Oscar-winning actress believes that watches are still relevant, and also empowering in her life.
“I think when you look at the history of watches, a lot of times, for a long time women weren’t allowed to wear watches because they weren’t allowed to know the time. That is so important because when you know time, when you control time and your own time, you’re controlling your own destiny and that’s obviously why they weren’t allowed to wear watches then,” she said.
“I really try to wear a watch to keep it separate from a phone because I think that’s a really important part of just us controlling our work-pleasure ratio, so that you do consistently say, ‘I need to have me-time, I need to have family time that isn’t work time’, and, you know, so much of work is attached to your phone. Or suddenly you pick up your phone to see the time and then you see you have a text and then you see, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve got to return that email’, and then you see, and before you know it, you’re drawn into the abyss. Whereas with a watch, a watch is a watch, done.”
I definitely like the lower profile of the new Constellation — I think it’s supercomfortable and I like that there’s an updated bracelet