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1967 White Gold Constellation 168.019 on Hodinkee

Annapolis
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I'm wondering what the vintage Omegaxperts think about this piece. Doubt I'm the only one who's noticed it here.

https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/constellation-wg

I'm fascinated by it, and have never encountered another like it that I can remember. (The ad does mention "unicorn status.") I don't know that I'm a buyer, but it's tempting, as it seems to blur lines in a way I find appealing: precious metal but under-the-radar; dressy but also sporty. The overall look doesn't pull me in, but it doesn't push me away either.

Am I right that Omega's 18k white gold would be (unlike Rolex's) rhodium plated, or the like, rather than gray gold all the way through? The bracelet looks a little rough, but I don't think I see any yellow gold showing...

Thoughts about the condition and price? (I'm confident in Hodinkee, so not worried about seller reputability.)

I'm also wondering if folks think that the bracelet is comprised of solid links or if they're formed/hollow. Just trying to imagine what kind of heft this watch would have, as that's obviously one of the appeals of a pm watch. It strikes me that the size is small but not to the point of being too dated for contemporary wear---it's akin to a 36mm Day-Date.
 
cristos71
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It's changed hands a couple of times recently before it ended up on Hodinkee. I was in conversation with the Dutch guy who bought it from auction not too long ago and was hoping to add it to my collection. No such luck though as he already had good offers on the table. It was listed with no mention of it being white gold and the guy when he bought it thought he was buying steel....it was only when it arrived that he noticed all those funny little hallmarks all over it......
 
Davidt
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I think it’s great. A white gold Constellation (but an earlier case type) is one of my grails.

It’s not rhodium plated either. Even if it were it would be rubbed in places. Instead it has that lovely warm hue you get with vintage white gold
 
ConElPueblo
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Not trying to be a party pooper here, but C-case Constellations in white gold, while definetely not common, is by far the most common of the white gold Constellation and I would reckon that two or three hit the market every year.

Hodinkee's eye-rollingly obnoxious fetish for Rolex is evident in the description of the bracelet as being in the " half Oyster-style, half Jubilee-style manner" 🤦

It's like the metric/imperial meme:

sinkhole-roughly-the-size-of-six-to-seven-washing-machines-americans-will-measure-with-anything-but-the-metric-system.jpg
 
Shabbaz
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Not trying to be a party pooper here, but C-case Constellations in white gold, while definetely not common, is by far the most common of the white gold Constellation and I would reckon that two or three hit the market every year.
Yep I saw several WG C-connies for sale the last couple of years.
 
Davidt
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The gold C cases might not be as rare as Hodinkee are making out from the Rolex-verse but they’re still cool as hell.

White gold was used so less frequently for much of the early/mid 20th century compared to the last 30 years and I love how under the radar it can be compared to yellow.

Although I think they’re great, I wouldn’t actually buy one.

That white gold 14393 on the other hand 🥰
 
Annapolis
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Common… on white gold bracelet, though? (Not suggesting otherwise—genuinely asking.)
 
Spruce
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Here it is - in all it’s glory 😉

F1BDCE51-BA8A-4B7C-8BAD-8CD4BB836FAA.jpeg


…… but, TBH, I’ve never quite got ‘white gold'.

If you want to wear a gold watch, wear a gold watch, if you prefer this colour, then get a perfectly nice looking one in stainless steel.

What’s the point of white gold, if it just looks like stainless steel?
 
Traveler
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Spruce Spruce
Here it is - in all it’s glory 😉

F1BDCE51-BA8A-4B7C-8BAD-8CD4BB836FAA.jpeg


…… but, TBH, I’ve never quite got ‘white gold'.

If you want to wear a gold watch, wear a gold watch, if you prefer this colour, then get a perfectly nice looking one in stainless steel.

What’s the point of white gold, if it just looks like stainless steel?

It doesn’t feel like stainless steel, and to be honest, even visually you can tell the difference. If you know, you know ….
 
STANDY
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Not trying to be a party pooper here, but C-case Constellations in white gold, while definetely not common, is by far the most common of the white gold Constellation and I would reckon that two or three hit the market every year.

Hodinkee's eye-rollingly obnoxious fetish for Rolex is evident in the description of the bracelet as being in the " half Oyster-style, half Jubilee-style manner" 🤦

It's like the metric/imperial meme:

sinkhole-roughly-the-size-of-six-to-seven-washing-machines-americans-will-measure-with-anything-but-the-metric-system.jpg

Working with a few NASA guys setting up a launch pad in Australia and they were trying to tell me time was imperial.

I told them I would explain why it wasn’t at 26/60th at 13/24ths. And they looked at me like I was dumb. 😗
(it was 1:25pm when I said the above)
 
Untame
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Traveler Traveler
It doesn’t feel like stainless steel, and to be honest, even visually you can tell the difference. If you know, you know ….
I imagine this would feel lovely on the wrist. WG makes SS look bluish. I personally love the idea of under-the-radar luxury. Subtle beauty meant to be appreciated privately.
 
Annapolis
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Spruce Spruce
…… but, TBH, I’ve never quite got ‘white gold'.

If you want to wear a gold watch, wear a gold watch, if you prefer this colour, then get a perfectly nice looking one in stainless steel.

What’s the point of white gold, if it just looks like stainless steel?

It’s all been said before—it’s a personal taste thing. I, for one, find yellow (and associated) gold jewelry and watches to be ostentatious—gaudy—even, in many cases tacky. But that’s just my taste, and I respect that others feel differently. I certainly like gold coins and wouldn’t say no if someone offered me King Tut’s funeral mask.

White gold, like platinum, has a certain visual quality (as others have mentioned) that distinguishes it from steel or titanium, etc. And the weight of it is special too. I like that with these metals, the pm quality isn’t at all flashy or even discernible to most people. I’m not wearing the watch to get other people’s attention; I’m wearing it for me. (In fact, on the few occasions when someone has noticed a watch I was wearing, I’ve found the experience annoying. I’m guessing this happens more with yellow gold watches.)

Can’t say I’ve ever tried on a full white gold Sub or GMT or Speedy, but I imagine it’s a difficult experience to forget once you have…

All that said, I do love stainless steel watches.
 
Foo2rama
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Awesome piece…

but to me it’s a collectors piece not a wearing piece.

WG is rare and has a luster… but as others have noted it’s hard to distinguish from SS for the average person. So dropping 13g on what would be a 3g watch in SS…. You make the call.

I love c case Connie’s and if I was collecting them I would want this in my set as it’s in great condition and super uncommon.

alas I’m not in a position to buy anything other then the rhodium grey dial SS C case.
 
timoss
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White gold is to stainless steel what stainless steel is to chrome plated.
 
Spruce
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timoss timoss
White gold is to stainless steel what stainless steel is to chrome plated.

Only softer?
 
ConElPueblo
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Annapolis Annapolis
Common… on white gold bracelet, though? (Not suggesting otherwise—genuinely asking.)

I don't have any hard data, but I would say that the mesh bracelet is fairly common (relatively speaking) while this one is less often seen. It is certainly more common to see a gold C-case on a bracelet than the other golden references, but this is probably also the first Constellation to have its own specific bracelet types. Earlier references used "generic" Omega BoR and flat link bracelets*, I guess.



*this is not an invitation to ANYONE to come and flaunt their solid gold flat link bracelets... Gits.
 
cristos71
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My feeling was a big "Yes" around €5-6.5K, any higher than that I wasn't feeling it.

ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
*this is not an invitation to ANYONE to come and flaunt their solid gold flat link bracelets... Gits.

* noted

😁
 
Sherbie
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Nearly 14 Large, and still no shot of the movement

🤬
 
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