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Considering buying this Constellation C-Shape (my first Omega).

  1. Dedalus05 Nov 22, 2017

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    Hi,

    I am about to buy my my first Omega from an established and respected brick-and-mortar jeweler in my home city.
    Thanks to these forums, here is what I can glean are some of the most important facts about the piece:

    A Constellation C-Shape. 1970, with Omega stainless steel strap.

    * There are no papers with the watch.
    *A Constellation C-Shape calibre 751. Produced in 1970, it comes with the original Omega stainless steel strap.
    *The 'knurled bezel' is stainless steel (not white gold).
    *The crown appears to have been replaced at some point - but the sale is predicated on the jeweler finding an original Omega crown and replacing the impostor.
    *It has been recently serviced.

    Everything else looks legit I think. I love the dial. It appears the 'T' on either side of the 'Swiss Made' text corresponds correctly to the Tritium on the hands (but lack thereof in the case of the hour-hand). I struggle to decipher the MOY test, but from my understanding it is a movable target on some pieces.

    It is not cheap - but I feel like treating myself. I don't mind paying over internet prices if it means the watch has been serviced, and I can start my relationship with the watch close to the seller in case of any issues with how it runs.

    Below are pictures. I don't have any decent pics of the replacement crown - just the blurry one attached. A particular question is should I insist the 'new' crown they source is white gold?

    The seller is asking just North of EUR 900 all-in.

    Browsing these forums over the past week your infectious enthusiasm for these pieces has really rubbed off on me, and increased my determination to start with an Omega.

    Kind regards, and thanks for your help in advance.

    D
     
    IMAG3681.jpg IMAG3680.jpg IMAG3679.jpg Capture2.JPG Capture1.JPG Capture.JPG
    Edited Nov 22, 2017
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  2. Pete568 Nov 22, 2017

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    It's a nice looking Conny. 900 sounds a lot. Here's my example without the milled bevel but same year and movement. It came with original receipt and papers for £435.
     
    20171122_174422.jpg
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  3. BenBagbag Nov 22, 2017

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    It all checks out and yeah, for it being serviced (btw make him give you a year or two year warranty for his work) and for a new crown and peace of mind, it is expensive but it isn't a ripoff considering you are buying from a jeweler at a brick and mortar store. Most people here shop on the internet as you see and noted. If you don't mind paying extra for the convenience it is a nice looking piece in better condition than the other mentioned here. I love these sparkle dial Connies.

    I always mention this: This watch has an automatic movement which will stop in ~2 days unless it is worn or wound. If you don't plan to wear it daily it can get annoying resetting both the day and date feature each time you want to wear it.

    I think as a community we get lost in the hunt. I spend hours searching for the right piece at the right price, but if I didn't have that time and only wanted one watch, I'd pay extra for the right piece right now.
     
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  4. MikeMan2727 Nov 22, 2017

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    Also...very nice first post! I wish all of them were like this!
     
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  5. Noddyman Nov 22, 2017

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    Are you sure the dial is original?
    Not 100% familiar with all the C case font but something doesn’t look right to me.
    Look at @Pete568 photos and you can see the font differences.
     
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  6. COYI Nov 22, 2017

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    I'd be surprised if it's a redial but one thing I did notice was that the 'y' in 'officially' is directly below the 'o' in 'chronometer' which could indicate a problem. I always thought that the 'y' is normally to the left of the 'o' like in Pete's example.

    It would be interesting to hear what some of the Connie experts say about this.
     
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  7. Dedalus05 Nov 22, 2017

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    @Pete568 - £435 sounds like you got an incredible deal. I'm open to correction, but I can't imagine many of these watches still have their papers, given there were so many produced, and aimed at those with a bluer-collar, who perhaps would not have anticipated the value of the papers.

    But you're right. Price is a concern.

    @BenBagbag - yeah - I intend to wear the watch daily as my only watch. If I get to the stage where I am putting the watch away for extended periods because I am wearing a different watch - well I guess in that case I'll have other problems :)

    @MikeMan2727 - Thanks Dude.

    @Noddyman - Thanks to this excellent article by a regular here (whose username escapes me):

    http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.ie/2008/12/constellation-c-shape-omegas-child-of.html

    Here is what I can figure out:

    The watch model, according to the back case, is 168.029. A model explicidly mentioned in the article above where it says:

    "Some later calibre 751 models did feature the new dial script, however unless a collector intends to collect these transition dials specifically, it is a wiser collecting decision to collect the traditional dial lettering.Case 168.029 opposite is an example of a transition dial. Note the new era Constellation lettering in this solid gold model 168.029 powered by a calibre 751. The configuration of the script is the same as that of earlier models; however the Constellation lettering is of the new style." (see pic).

    So this would seem to suggest the watch I am considering buying is likely one of the transition dials. I am not a 'collector' - but I don't feel having a rarer model is all that of a bad thing.

    @COYI - Thanks for the observation. As I said in the top post, the MOY test is a bit opaque to me. So, I'll wait for further opinions. Thanks again.
     
    Capture.JPG
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  8. Noddyman Nov 22, 2017

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    His name is Desmond.
    No worries, I thought it worth raising the question but seems you have it covered.
    MOY test is not always a true indicator of an original dial, I have seen plenty that fail MOY but are still original. This also seems to be more common on C shapes from what I have seen.
    Good luck whatever you decide.
     
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  9. turbo_muc Feb 20, 2018

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    Did you buy it? Remember that if its fully serviced this can be worth up to a few hundred EUR/Pound. You must calculate these costs extra if you buy on the internet without a history of the watch.
     
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  10. Dedalus05 Mar 11, 2018

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    @turbo_muc Dude, I picked it up yesterday. Finally. As it happened my central heating boiler went a day or two after I posted first and replacing it swallowed my ready cash. So I fretted for a couple of months, and tried to talk myself out of making such an extravagant purchase. But once I had the readies again, I couldn't help myself. Long story short, it is on my wrist now and I couldn't be happier with it. Time to splash out on some short sleeved shirts. You know, 'cause it's spring ;)


    For anyone interested, I didn't insist the crown replacement be white gold as they had a stainless steel one in stock, and replaced it there and then for me.
     
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  11. turbo_muc Mar 11, 2018

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    Congrats @Dedalus05 ! I am sure you will enjoy the piece every time you look at it :thumbsup:

    I still think that it was not overpriced especially because its also coming with the original bracelet (this is always worth a lot because most of these C-Cases, including mine, come on an aftermarket strap) and you have a seller you can go to for one year if there is an issue.

    Share wristshots for all of us to enjoy with you :)

    Best, Thomas
     
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  12. Dedalus05 Mar 11, 2018

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    @turbo_muc - Thanks dude, and thanks everyone who contributed to this thread. I posted a wrist-shot pic in the The C-Cased Constellation thread here.
     
  13. KarlsKrone Apr 11, 2018

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    Looks beautiful!!
     
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