Some of the Constellations have gone up in price in recent years (though not a whole lot), but from my observations it is pretty much only the dog-legged versions with pie-pan dials. It's a more classy version of the Seamaster DeVille - a (excuse the term) "n00b watch". It's the quintessential Constellation and every new collector seems to know those traits (dog-leg horns, PP dial, decagonal crown, possibly onyx inserts as well. Date optional) has to be there for it to be desirable. Even people who have next to no clue about the history of these watches or vintage watches in general - most will never have held one in their hands - will be seeking out these particular specifications, wanting none of dome dials or curved lugs... It boggles the mind, really.
To me, the earlier iterations are better looking - I prefer the 14.3XX series to the later ones by some margin, but the market disagrees. A 167.005 in patinated, but good condition is nearly twice the price of a similar 14.381! For a watch that, IMO, wears slightly worse and loses a huge amount of the attraction by being polished.
And while it is true that it is a collector's item, etc. etc, it is not very uncommon. Probably due to it being a premium product only used on special occasions there are always a large amount of them available, many in very decent shape...
Click to expand...