Hi all
I make no bones about the fact that I would dearly like to find a 168.004 hidden crown Connie
-ideally a SS 564 with a dome dial and the late 'two tone' pencil hands (if anyone has one going spare.......)

but you know how your mind wanders when you can't find what you want -and I've been having a hankering for a bit of gold recently -looking at all sorts of things at the opposite end of the spectrum to my wish list -like solid gold case 354 pie-pan waffle dials....

anyhoo -I thought I found something tonight that would satiate both the hidden crown desire and the gold lust

gold case, hidden crown, dome dial -lovely!



at first glance all looks well
I was too busy looking at the fonts , the minute markers, the T SWISS T.......all seems legit

took me a while to notice that - as we all know -with the minute track on the outside and generally with dome dials in particular the minute hand reaches the minute track -so the bloody hands are too short and must be from a pie-pan not a dome dial

I thought FFS! -why would anybody do that?

but then I found this old advert on Desmond's site


well what do you know?!!
gold case
dome dial
outer minute track
short hands

-so they do exist........

I've asked for better pictures from the auction house -and will post them up for comments when I get them

Philip

 

Yes, the minute hand should reach the minute track:

 

that's what I always thought
but there are two (two!) gold case versions in the same old catalogue with short hands
the round case and a 168.006 (which I would have thought would have had a 'gold case' reference but that is how it is listed)
courtesy old omegas.com

 

Well, they do exist... But on a very different watch. I probably wouldn't have noticed the shorter hands in your example, but now that you have pointed them out, they do look a bit akward.

 

granted that the watches featured are grand luxe and de luxe
but if the one up for grabs is a similar era and could be a de luxe -then it may be a gold case thing?
I might know better when I get more pics

 

My 168.004 (gold capped) has same shorter hands but with a different dial. The hands length matches the dial on this one.
This is not my collection period so I have no clue whether it is a correct configuration or if it has been modified. Hope you specialists will be able to tell me.

 

the hands on your watch match the dial -they reach the minute track which is the general idea

 

I'm sure you know that I meant that as the illustrations show gold cases that there is a possible connection.

Re the catalogue -I know there has been questions over Constellations being illustrated with 'incorrect' crowns -but I can't believe that Omega would allow a sales brochure to be circulated with majorly incorrect elements like the hands -on top of which the Germans make the Swiss look positively sloppy when it comes to 'correctness' -so I'm happy to hold onto the belief that there was short hand dome dials out there.
-that however doesn't mean that the hands in the OP are correct....

 

okay -so I brought this Constellation to your attention a few days ago, listed as a 'gold-cased' (168.004) watch
-with unusual hands of questionable lineage
the pics weren't great so I asked for additional images
added are the dial and the rear
the first thing you will notice is that it is gold capped and not gold cased
(I've mentioned this to the auction house -as it is priced as a gold cased watch)
however, the dial looks legit -except for the odd inclusion of T-SWISS MADE-T
Those indexes have never seen lume and there is only lume on the questionable hands
-which, perversely, means that the hands could (I only said 'could') be correct -but this we are unlikely to ever know

This Constellation won't be for me -I'm ideally still looking for a later version of the one posted by @Georgieboy58 (nice watch by the way) -but I'm thankful for coming across it as it's been an interesting diversion and I've actually enjoyed finding out more about the possible vagaries of Omega dials/pointers relationships


Philip

 

well now -having advised the auction house that the watch looked like a gold-capped watch not a gold-cased watch, I expected them to revise the description -or withdraw the lot
instead I got a response along the lines of "we can give you no further description of the watch and should you wish to make a bid we suggest you view the watch in person"
they didn't revise the description and the watch just went under the hammer

as a reminder -the watch had an estimate of £1,000-£1,500 -the lower estimate probably triple the correct estimate (and double the likely selling price)

the bids got up to £860 on the net (around £1060 all in) I can only assume from someone who isn't on the forum/ask for pictures/or ono want better -but it didn't meet the reserve?!!

I'm not sure who I feel more relieved for -the potential buyer or the auction house
a lucky escape for both I would suggest
-and for us collectors -as every 'rogue price' goes to raise the expectations of the next seller.....