Hi,

28 year old guy from Sweden here who is very new to vintage watches but planning on making my first purchase and i have had my eyes on the Omega Constellation Pie Pan since i few years. I am buying one for the purpose of wearing it myself but also to buy something vintage that hopefully will keep (or in best case increase) in value.

I have noticed that this watch comes in many different versions and specifications and also very similar watches of this model can vary greatly in price. Some of them looks "polished?", some have date and others don't, some have "dog legs" and different cal numbers and so on.

I'm looking for some advice on two auctions that i have looked at and tips for how to determine the value and if it's a good price or not. Will attach pictures marked with 1 or 2 depending on what auction it relates to.

Auction 1 - Price 1158 Dollars
Description -
"For sale, one piece of Omega Constellation Pie Pan Gold/Steel. Cal. 561, 34 mm. Crosshair dial. Plexiglass with Omega logo. Comes on a brown Hirsch crocodile strap with Omega buckle. Tested today on Timegrapher. See pictures for condition."

The seller has also added later in the description -
"Caseback marked with Reference 167.005, the movement marked cal 551."
Which is not that same as it said above?

Action 2 - Price 1593 Dollars
Description -
"A fine watch from 1961, automatic. Diameter 34mm, the watch is in good condition. A service was done in 2020 for 473.00 Dollars, receipt available. The crown was replaced in 2020. Receipt for the watch is missing, but the bag with the box is available, see picture."

There is also some auctions that is from official resellers like this one. Will send link since description is in English.
Price - 3639 Dollars
Vintage Omega 168.005 Co.. | Köp från MarcelsWatchGroup på Tradera (616840095)

Price - 4073 Dollars
Vintage Omega 168.005 Co.. | Köp från MarcelsWatchGroup på Tradera (616832852)

Very thankful for any advice tips you can spare.

Best regards,
Victor

 

Correct description for option one is Ref 167.005 with caliber 551. The date version of this watch is a reference is a 168.005 with caliber 561.

Option 1: Ref 167.005 with caliber 551. Heavily polished case. Crown looks to have some of the gold worn off based on the one view. Appears to be keeping good time. Dial looks clean and original. Price is reasonable.

Option 2: Ref 14393. Caliber 561. Not a dog leg. Replacement crown that is the incorrect style. Polished case. Need better pictures to assess the dial. Either way I think the price is high for a gold capped example in this condition. Service history is only valuable if there is documented proof, though it rarely adds to the value of a watch unless there is a corresponding warranty associated with it.

 

Does that mean the Option 1 probably have had the back of the case replaced to one from Ref 168.005 since that is supposedly what is written on the back? Feels like that would effect value.

Any thoughts on the other more expensive options i linked towards the end of the post? Is the 3x or 4x price compared to option 1 actually close to true value?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, very helpful!

 

Yes it would -but they may have made a mistake as they also note a cal 561 movt.
Do you have pics of the inside case back?

No, they are outrageously expense even for dealers.
For that kind of money you should be able to get a solid 18k gold Constellation in good condition.
My advice would be to look somewhere other than Tradera.

 

I'm confused. Are these ongoing auctions? Completed auctions? How do we know the price if they are ongoing?

 

Unfortunately no pictures of the back for option 1.. I have asked the seller just now.

Thank you for clarifying that. I was searching for any reason for why they were so expensive but couldn't find any!

What site would you personally recommend? Preferably a site that ships within EU / Sweden.

 

Yes you are correct, i never clarified that.

Option 1 is active bidding. The price i stated was my own personal "final price" i was thinking of. At the moment it is below 100 dollars from what I said and auction is ending in about 2 hours. I felt like i needed some seasoned advice since i kept seeing similar models but with a wide price range and I am very new to vintage watches.

Option 2 is "set price" auction, so i wrote the buy out price, but those auctions also have the option to bid with a lower price which the seller can accept/decline.

 

Just got a message back from the seller and it was written 167.005 on the back so everything seems to be in order.

The most recent bid is now up to 1205 dollars so i might just sit this one out until i get more comfortable with the models/conditions/price ranges.

 

Thanks for clarifying, and I think some of the confusion was just a language barrier. In English, we generally use "auction" to mean a listing with bidding. A fixed price listing is not an auction.

 

Yes good idea. Best to research the model you like and become familiar with details to look for and how to assess condition. You will make a more informed decision. Good luck with your search your time spent with research will be rewarded.

This is required reading:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/learn-how-to-fish.52603/

 

There have been quite a few nice Constellations on the OF private sales board in recent months.

As others have said - get your eye in regarding condition, references and case materials.

A gold cap case should always be cheaper than a comparable condition SS Constellation.

Different references sales prices can vary significantly.

Hope that helps.