Wanted to inquire what forum members thought about this Constellation. I'm considering bidding on this 168.010 (non-pie pan) + cross hair dial. Have been back and forth between the +/- date function and 168.005 vs. 168.004 or 168.010. Given that this one is up for auction and seems to be in great shape may make that decision for me. It does not have dauphine hands, which I think I would prefer, but I have seen these hands on serial numbers from circa ~1967... so I think they are original. These pictures also show the "swiss made" but it's partially covered at least in the pictures -- which is a bit strange to me (I have seen this around too.) Could this be due to a replaced crystal? The seller claims 5x signed and all original including no "refinished dial"... Seller also says was serviced this month. There are quite a few bidders, so thinking that up to about $1000 USD is reasonable? Any feedback is appreciated.

 

Looks good, all seems to be original.
It needs a case back seal and some rotor rub may need addressing but these are minor issues.
Can’t decide if the case has seen a light polish, ... maybe not! @Peemacgee is the expert on these.

Edit: looking again maybe the Swiss Made is partially covered due to having a none oem crystal and retaining ring fitted.

 

No expert but certainly guilty of a fondness for this reference.

Case has seen a little wear and isn’t super sharp but is ok.
Dial has a bit of spotting but not too much.
The pencil hands are correct for this later version (which I personally like)
I think @Noddyman is correct about the crystal and rotor rub.
(The seal is on the case back in these references rather the case)
This particular style of the reference has (corectly but peculiarly) both onyx inserts and lume (you can see the T-Swiss Made-T if you look at the reflection) but I think the Lume dots outside the indices have been removed to accommodate the incorrect retaining ring.
Hope that helps.

 

Could have been worse I could have used guru or oracle. Apologies for added pressure

 

Thanks for the details. Seems like if I can pick it up at a reasonable price I could take it to a decent watchmaker and get a correct retaining ring and get a case back seal and address the rotor rub...Any idea what this may cost? I'm in New York City - anyone know any good and reliable shops that do good work?

 

Case back seal is there but should be replaced anyway if you have a service which would usually sort your rotor rub.
You could have the Lume pips reinstated too but I wouldn’t bother personally - but good leverage to bargain for the watch.

 

I didn't realize that lume pips could be replaced. Now that tritium is no longer used, what are they made of?

 

If indeed the crystal is not the correct one, is it easy to source the correct crystal for this reference? It will bother me if the swiss made is not visible.

 

Also, is it fairly easy to source the right omega buckle for the strap that came with this particular model as well? I know there are some differences between the earlier 50's and the 60's buckles...

 

Most often Lume is replaced with non-glowing lookalike material to make the watch look correct.
However, I believe there are some watchmaking wizards out there who combine (old?) tritium at lower levels with lookalike material to give some semblance of a glow.
The alternative would be superluminova which would look wrong.

 

The 168.010 takes a 19mm strap - so you have to be aware of that when buying straps / buckles for this reference (I’ve not seen an original strap/buckle for one of these so don’t know what the correct buckle size should be. )

 

You can buy modern buckles from a OB or from a watchmaker with a parts account. ( not vintage but genuine and not that far off looking wise )

Last time in the Netherlands a watchmaker at a vintage store noticed I had a generic buckle when I showed him my constellation after he spotted it and went out the back and changed the buckle on it for me for free. Popped it out of a Omega blister pack that looked quite new

 

Thanks for the info. Should be easy enough then to get a new Omega buckle. When I find a good shop to get it service - (if I end up getting it as there are a few bidders) I should be able to get it fixed up. Appreciate all the feedback everyone.