Hello, I was given my fathers vintage Omega about 20 years ago when i was 16. I was way to young to appreciate it, I set it aside in the memorabilia I had of my late father at the time and never thought of it again. About a week ago I was going through some of my old stuff and I found the box with the few reminders I had of my father and in there was the watch. You see he passed away when I was 2 months old, and never knew him. All I know about my father was in the stories from my mother and uncle. We moved to the US from Kuwait shortly after he passed as my mother decided to finish her PhD, during that time the Gulf War happened and all of our possessions and memorabilia we had of my father was all stolen from our home their. I'm glad my mother in one of her trips back to Kuwait decided to bring this watch bag to give to me or that too would have been lost forever. No matter what this watch is worth be it 1 dollar or $2,000, as you can imagine its priceless to me. It is one of the few connection I have with my father. The fact I can wear something he wore creates a connection to him, even though I never knew the man. I think being a father now I think about him more and as such would like to keep this part of him with me to remember him when I look at the time. After all he was taken quite young and it would be a good reminder to enjoy the now and appreciate the little time I have with my family. My mom remembers that he bought this watch while he was studying in Perth, Scotland at the AST Aeronautical Engineering School, some time in 1960. where he bought shes not sure on a trip to London or from Scotland. I don't know anything about this watch to be honest. I know its a constellation cross hair with a black dial. I'm assuming everything on it is original as its a bit worn. It looks to be plated with pink gold, as does the strap. I would love to learn more about this beautiful timepiece and any advice on where to take it for a proper cleaning, i don't want much done to it, I like that its worn, last thing I want is to send it to an Omega restoration shop and I get this sparkly brand new looking watch, with original pieces replaced. I can tell you it winds ok and so far the time has stayed accurate. I will look to get the back opened to take a look at the inside. I'll be sure to take some macro photos of that when i do open it up. But for now ill post some iPhone pics of it for your advise and feedback. Thanks again for listening and for any info you can give me on the watch. -Ali
Nice watch, don't try to open the back without tools. Get a independent omega certified watchmaker to do it and service it. Get him to take a few photos of inside for you. Gurus on constellations will be along soon to give better year and model information
Post the state you live in and someone might advise a good watchmaker for you. Don't wind it anymore or wear it until serviced as it has been unserviced and oils are dry and harm can be done to the movement parts..
It's a nice heirloom to be sure - the dial looks nice and original to me though the case is worn - partly from wear and partly from polish. From what I have learned it seems the black dial constellations were special order items and not readily available - for this model I guesstimate that about 1 out of every 100 constellations had an original black dial. I know you don't care about the value but to a collector - this is a desirable watch because of the dial. Have it serviced if you intend to wear it. But do not have anything else touched - only the movement. And don't send to omega - costly with a reputation for non-sympathetic restorations.
Hi Ali welcome to the forum lovely watch and great backstory Constellations were the height of Omegas achievements -they created great watches but these were the best of the best yours is the Gerald Genta designed 'dog-leg' style of case with pie-pan dial with date as MSN says, the dial looks to be spot on -and a genuine black, cross hair, pie-pan dial, Connie is a much sought after thing it has a nice BoR bracelet (Beads of Rice -also known as Grains of Rice) however, as also mentioned the case is somewhat polished- (the case has a thick gold layer called gold-cap) and it has lost its definition and the plate is wearing on the bracelet -so this would limit the 'collectability' and therefore reduce the sale value if you were ever to want to sell it (there are many who would want it just for the dial) -but the watch still looks great and as an heirloom of your family it is priceless - and remember, every wear mark is a record of your father we can help better with the age once you get the movement numbers and serial numbers from inside your estimate of around '60 might not be too far off the hands have lume (luminescent material) but the dial has no Ts beside the Swiss Made at the bottom of the dial therefore it is either radium or in the transition period before Omega put Ts (for tritium) on the dial (more likely the latter) this means it could be in the 14902 series or 168.005 series cases it also means it could be of 2 or 3 movement types as noted above please get your watch serviced (you are doing it damage just by running it) but DON'T send it to Omega if you can tell someone the State you live in members will give advice on who to take/send the watch to for service one word of warning once you start looking too closely at Constellations -it is addictive and very difficult to stop! for more info on Constellations you can look at Desmond's website http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.ae good luck and I hope you enjoy wearing your Connie once you have had it serviced Philip
I agree but I was hedging my bets against an early 564 -or did they only arrive after the Ts were added?
Wow. Stands, MSN, peemacgee Thanks for all the help. I'm learning a lot about this watch. I appreciate all your input it may save the watch considering I gave it a good wind this morning and it's still ticking. Should I pull out the crown out to stop it? I no longer live in the states. I'm currently living in Muscat Oman. Omega has an Agent and service center but I'm not sure they would be able to service this old of a watch. I will find out tomorrow when I go to the shop. MSN, you mentioned getting only the movement serviced, what does that entail? And what should I be sure not to do, because I'm expecting the shop to try and get me to do more to it for a larger bill. I definitely would like to wear it. So whatever other advice you can give to ensure a long life I would appreciate. I'll be taking photos of the inside as well. Actually read a bunch of Desmond's posts on his blog while I was trying to research the watch. But I couldn't find any picture that matched it exactly and I now understand why. Nice to know its a rare watch as well. Peemacgee, I will look at ever wear mark as a record of my father as you pit it so elequently.
If I know anything about Omega dealers in the ME they will take one look at your vintage watch and say it has to go back to Omega in Switzerland - their service centres are generally set up to look at new Omegas I tried to get my BoR bracelet shortened in Dubai and that was the response I got But as Muscat is a bit more 'out on a limb' they may offer more services so it's worth a try
You have already got good advice and I do not have much to add except - when you have had the watch (the movement) serviced - do not use the bracelet again. Even if it is a BOR and all - it really shows some wear and that might be dangerous if it breaks but it also makes the watch look bad. When steel is starting to show thru, it is not a beautiful sight... Here is my black dial gold cap connie. My case has also seen some wear and the sharpness could be better - but with its black dial and on a black leather strap it is still a stunning watch. I suggest you get a really nice genuine alligator strap 18mm wide at the watch and 16 at the buckle. And then use your fathers watch a lot.
Thanks Steggpygenno, Your right, if you notice the bottom of the watch wear the strap connects to the watch two of the "clasps" or beads (still picking up the lingo) are separating. I would be devestaded if it fell of my wrist and got badly damaged. It fits real snug as well which makes me wonder if I'm separating it by wearing it. Your watch looks very sharp btw. My wife also told me to get a black leather strap as it wouldn't look as "beat up" as she put it. Is there anything I can do about the scratches on the lense/crystal? What home maintenance can be done to it. Peemacgee not often will muscat offer more than dubai on the retail/service space. Fingers crossed though.
Find a good, reliable local watchmaker and give him explicit instructions not to touch the dial AT ALL (do not relume!) and take extra great care not to scratch it. If there is any doubt whatsoever, make arrangements to send it to @Archer in Canada - it's worth it in terms of the time it will take and the cost.
You can use something called polywatch on the crystal to remove light scratches but if you are going to get it serviced then ask for new Omega crystal - not too expensive and worth it +1 on getting the right person to service it though I send my watches back to the UK for service - wouldn't trust anyone here - even if I could find someone
I want to thank peemacgee and spacefruit for there kind suggestions of how to best service my watch. Your input and advise has been top notch and I truly appreciate it. In all honesty I have a new found respect for watches and all the intricate work that goes into creating such a masterful timepiece. I find myself looking at my bvlgari scuba in a whole new way. I regret the disregard I've had while wearing it and all the little nicks and scratches that didn't bother me before do now so much more. Maybe I should be cursing you guys for than praising you That said, I've realized that I can't just ship this watch away to be serviced for the first in my life time without me there to be the first to see it open. So on my next trip to London. Most likley to watch Arsenal play a match, I will be taking my Connie to a reputable watchmaker and personally onserve the opening of this watch first hand. I'm expecting a metaphorical pulp fiction like light to shine out of the watch when it's finally opened. Thanks again for everyone's input on my journey with this watch and I'll be sure to keep the forum posted on all the next steps. Humbly, Ali
