Need a new crystal for Omega Constellation Chronometer

I have an Omega Constellation that belonged to my Dad and I'm wearing it now with much gratification. However, I somehow got a chip in the crystal and it would seem I need a new one. I need to know where/how to get one and hope you might direct me to the right place for this. I'm pretty handy, have some tools, and have the watch running perfectly so that it keeps fantastic time! Here are the details:

Omega Case Reference Number: 168.005
Omega Movement Serial Nuber: 20960690

And a picture of the damage.....it's right at the 12 o'clock position, hope you can see it.


Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

Thank you Al, I'm really not well-versed in this subject so I'm going to need some suggestions as to where one might source the crystal? Thanks again.....

PS - I read that one might source something like this at a place called Cousins, also Boley but could find none.

Yep, I saw that one too and wondered if that was a reasonable price.....a bit taken aback, actually! What was the original made of? Do I need a retainer ring or is it possible to use the existing one? Gatorcpa, the watch is as pictured above.....has gold and silver. Thanks all.

Do you know what the originals were made of? I ask because I'm thinking mine is mineral crystal because of the chip.....otherwise, if it were acrylic, it does not seem likely to me that it would chip like this. So, knowing next to nothing about it, I'm guessing mine is the original crystal made of mineral. Although.....I spend a lot of time polishing it, a joy actually as my Dad did the same thing when sitting around relaxing as in watching a baseball game on tv, and it restores very, very well with scratches coming out pretty easily. I'm trying to do as much research about this on my own and am reading that sapphire crystal would be the best, most expensive and befitting of a watch like this but not sure if I want to put that much $$$ into a crystal? Are the crystals like that one on eBay made of sapphire crystal? That might account for the high price tag.....or not?

Gatorcpa, how might the chip in the crystal be explained if it is plexiglass?

My father did not come by this watch as a new purchase. He obtained it from a seller who also did not know the history so it is entirely likely that the crystal had been replaced, along with the face/dial of the watch as Hoi points out not being original. Just the same, it is a fine piece that keeps perfect time and makes me happy to wear. I'm going to get a new crystal once I establish for certain, with your help, exactly which one it is that will be a match.

I'm attaching two more pictures, one that shows the inside of the back where you can see the numbers 168.005 stamped into the metal and another where you can see the serial number of the movement. Hoi, does this confirm it is a "correct 168.005?"

Such an adventure. I'm seriously considering sending it to one of the resident Omega Certified Watchmakers here on this forum for a complete going-over, just not sure folks like Archer, above, are in the business of doing this? Please advise.

A little more history....you might recognize this watch from a post a couple of years ago where I sent it to someone for "cleaning and maintenance." I had gummed up the balance and it needed a new one but that is all I can tell was done. The watch came back and ran fine until it didn't, as the minute hand began to spin as though the pinion had not been tightened. After doing some more research I believe that a full cleaning and maintenance of the watch, which was the agreement, should have included disassembly to properly clean, hence the hands would have come off and the pinion, upon re-assembly, would have been snugged up at that point. I sent it back and that is where some other troubles began as the provider of the service wanted to bill me further just to tighten the pinion. Long story short, I finally got the watch back and while the pinion seems tight now, the crown is really stiff and hard to turn the hands to set the time, as in when I don't wear it for a while and then have to re-start it and re-set the time and date. So, I figure chalk it up to experience and go find a real watchmaker who knows what they are doing and get the job done right. I was really disappointed in this gentleman because I had heard some good things about his work as well.....just didn't pan out for me. I even gave him a good recommendation on this site so I suppose I should go back and amend that to keep others from having issues like I did.

Here are the two further images so you can see the case reference number as well as the movement serial number:



Thanks, everyone, for your kind help with this challenge!

Yes, I see.....kind of what I was wondering as well. Is there any other way to tell if it's plexiglass? Tapping it sounds more like hitting glass than plastic, but I'm no expert for sure in these matters.

Yep, that would make perfect sense and I do get every small scratch out with a stone-looking thing a friend gave me for doing this. Just rub the (soft) stone on a special cloth and start rubbing.....finish with another cloth, actually the reverse side of the same cloth and it shines beautifully! The fact that it chipped like it did was what got me thinking it may not be plexiglass, but I had also read that most of these particular models had plexiglass crystals from the factory.

Question: Are there "knock-offs" that are OK substitutes? I believe the original Omega crystals are "signed" somehow, i.e. they have a marking on them that identifies them as authentic Omega-made. Being an audiophile, and one who values analog sound above all else, I've dealt with many phono cartridges and styli and have found some of the "knock-offs" to be of extremely high quality, costing fractions of the price of the originals. Just wondering what you all think about such things.....?

Thanks for that advice, gatorcpa.

Just a follow up.....I took a really close look at my crystal and it does appear to be the original, or at least an original Omega crystal because I see the very, very tiny Omega symbol in the center of it when I'm looking at it from the inside out, as when I have the movement out of the watch. Tempted to get another original installed rather than a knock-off.....