I am looking to source a silver Omega Constellation 168.005 (date) or 167.005 (no date) to add to my collection as a dress watch.

I would just like to try and find a good example that has not been over polished and has all original parts.

I am not too bothered about it having the original box/paperwork or bracelet, as I will be fitting a black leather strap.

Does anyone have any advice on what budget range I should be looking for and anywhere that may sell these based in the UK?

Appreciate any advice.

 

$1,500 give or take for a good 168.005 in stainless steel, more for a 167.005 as the no date version usually sells for more than the date version. Best place to shop is right here on the OF private watch sales forum. Otherwise, all of the usual places: eBay, Chrono24, other auction sites, etc.

 

I've purchase two watches from https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/ - He's not the lease expensive if you want to look and look but his watches are well sorted and he provides great customer support.

 

"Not the least expensive" is quite an understatement. Yes, he's beyond any doubt in quality, but the prices are extremely high in return. Case in point, speaking of doglegs:

https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/product-page/1968-omega-constellation-watch-8


Asking is 2750$, for a date version with a white dome dial, about the least sought-after version there is in steel cases. This is a common watch, that - with just a bit of patience/effort - can be found for half that without much trouble. Not trying to be judgemental here, if you want the quick way out and money isn't an object really this is your solution right there. But with minimal effort you'll save yourself a thousand dollars or more here. Just saying.

 

This site has nice serviced and warrantied watches for a little less $$ and closer to you.https://vintagewatchservices.eu/omega-constellation-chronometer-vws-1844/

 

Still VERY expensive for a 168.005 even with the beads of rice bracelet.

 

Well, you’re not the only one looking for exactly that. In my opinion the market for the classic 167/168.005 refs has never been hotter. The number of messages I received lately to buy mine (not for sale) is staggering.

Pricing (in EUR):

fair/good, meaning case with visible facets, dial with a few flaws like even spread light patina or discoloration, I would say 1250 to 1500 euro;
very good/excellent, meaning unpolished and sharp case, perfect mint dial, I would say 2000 to 2500 euro.
NOS, meaning the best condition I ever saw => whatever the nut wants to pay.

The market will only get tougher so buy now when you can. Unfortunately watches in the very good/excellent category don’t come up for sale that often anymore. Omegaenthusiast is selling watches in this category for 3,5k usd. And they sell instantly.

 

Times have changed.

 

Indeed - you won’t find a pie pan dial 168.005 that’s nice for under 1k anymore. But good, sharp examples with nice dials, especially in Japan, are available all the time. No-date is a different story.

 

Have they really? I purchased this one a few months ago for $1,540, fully serviced and shipping included. I added the strap and buckle.

 

Agreed. They are charging a premium for a service and piece of mind that they are not fakes or will require expensive fixes. And the come in a box.
The buyer can decide if it is worth it vs ebay.
Best value is here on OF IMHO.

Oh, you can get a 10% discount if you subscribe to his very entertaining watch nerd YouTube channel .

 

If this is 1500USD a very good example is definitely 2000+ and probably closer to 2500 if in perfect condition.
The price increase in that small improvement of condition is very high on these kind of watches.
When I last owned these I also got the feeling crosshair dials and onyx was more sought after.

A bit surprising these are so expensive since the dogleg and other 60s connies was produced in very high numbers compared to the earlier 50s references. But they seem to attract many buyers and are well known by most as the go-to connie.

But top examples are uncommon even with high production numbers since these cases are very sensitive to polishing and wear.

 

I bought this one (serviced) from a forum member last year. And the price was def closer to 2000 than 1500 (w/o the bracelet). And I think it was a good deal for the condition.

 

No small marker at 3. Dial has fine spotting, black painted hour markers ?

 

Yes, all true and that is reflected in the price. At the opposite end of the spectrum, $3,500 for a very good to excellent example that, as septentrio says, would sell on The Omega Enthusiast website “almost immediately” is ridiculous. Perhaps it would sell for that price there, but it certainly would not sell at that price on OF to collectors who know better.

 

No-date example though. And a rather lovely one.

 

I’m not saying an excellent example would sell here at 3,5k. I’m saying it will take 2 to 2,5k anywhere, here included. Your 1,5k example is great, but, given this ‘condition is everything’ market, a perfect dial would have cost you significantly more.

 

And let’s be honest, compared to any run-of-the-mill Datejust costing 4-5k, these watches have been too cheap for decades. They still are imho.

 

The pie-pans are great watches and I'm certainly not going to dissuade you if that's what you really want. If you're not 100% certain, however, I suggest exploring other references to see if you really like the design or just want one because of their hype. I thought I wanted a connie pie-pan because it was the model everyone talks about. After some research, I found myself liking the rail track variants more and ended up purchasing one of those instead (without the same premium).