Hello guys and girls

It's my first time writing here after being a quiet reader for a long time.

I have bought my first vintage Omega dated 1969. An Omega Constellation C Shape 18k Gold Cap 168.017 with a linen dial and a cal 564. I have never owned a gold watch (but wanted one) and wasn't a fan of gold plated watches (since they are prone to losing their golden finish) but after stumbling across a gold capped watch (a term I needed to research because I never heard it before), I started liking it. The linen dial is beautiful and remindS me of an vintage JLC that had a silver linen dial. Unfortunately, I missed the auction and regret not buying it.

Anyways, I tried to research some facts about the watch and tried to figure out if it has been tampered with.

Luckily for me, I did find an exact copy of the watch on the internet for comparison purposes.

Here is my summary:

Dial & Crystal
Looks fairly clean and I can't see anything that would make me think that it was a redial. The text is uniform and perfectly aligned. The applied golden star looks how it should. The minute markers are all original (no repaint whatsoever).

The fact that it didn't have any tritium is a big plus for me. I have seen some dials getting destroyed by the radiation. The damage is most likely permanent and when the tritium dots finally fall off, it destroys the aesthetics of the watch.

Crystal doesn't have much scratches but is unfortunately not an original Omega one (missing Omega logo in the center)

Hand
At first I was suspicious because I couldn't find a similar watch with blacked out hour and minutes hand. But after finding a 1:1 counter example, it was clear that the hands where the right ones. And it makes sense for them to be black since gold hands on gold dials wouldn't allow for a quick time check.

Case
The case is in good shape: It has only slight polish to it and the gold cap is all around the case. There are no major marks. All the edges are still somewhat sharp. What's missing is the side and top case polish around the dial. Not sure if it really has been polished off or if it's due to gold being somewhat soft and the polish wearing off in the last 50 years.

Movement
Movement appears clean an the watch seems only a few seconds off a day (5 sec). There is no rotor grinding against the case back.

One thing that came to my attention is that when I shake the watch slightly up and down I can hear and feel the movement of rotor in it's vertical axis (=/= I don't mean the circular movement). Not sure if this is because it's an vintage watch (i.e. normal) or if the rotor needs to be screwed in a little bit better.

Band and Buckle
Band seems to be a cheap fake leather band. It's okay since I put on a brown suede leather strap which IMO suits the watch much better.

As far as the clasp goes, it's a branded golden one ("B Swiss") but not the one the watch originally came with. I am not quite sure if the buckle is fake or not.

Price
It costed me around $622 here in Switzerland. I have compared similar offers in different places on the internet. Sometimes, it was in the $500 area and other times I have seen similar 18k capped watches being offered >$1000.

I might have overpaid slightly (if I didn't bid in the end, the watch would have gone for $575). Luckily, the other bidder let go off the watch and I could chime in. Considering the watch is in good shape, runs great and looks stunning because of it's linen dial, I think that I did a good job. I don't have the intention to flip it so I think I can't really complain.

After seeing someone else in this forum write: "It's better to overpay a bit for a great watch than to regret not having overpaid" I have to completely agree with that statement (writer unknown).

Pictures
Left is my watch and on the right a similar watch for reference (https://www.poshtime.com/501.024/Omega-Constellation-168.017-c.1967.php)





After changing strap

 

TL;DR: I freaked out and offended people without a reason. The next few posts are explicit. I made a mistake and we have cleared things out.

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Correct Box
I have found multiple C-shape watches of the same era as mine but all with different boxes. So I am not quite sure what watch box to buy for mine. Would be great if someone could lead me in the right direction?

These are the examples:





Correct Buckle
After researching what buckle had to come with my watch, I have found multiple sources confirming this buckle was the one that originally must have come with 1960's Constellations:

 

Have you read the essay on boxes on Desmonds wonderful site - Omega constellation collector?

or have you used google?

or have you looked through the excellent Omega box thread on this forum?

its really not that difficult to find the answer

 

No, Sir. I finally managed to find that guy that I saw being mentioned in a post as "Desmond". Funnily enough, when I was looking all over the internet, I remember stumbling across his site scrolling down but discarding it since it looked fishy and it didn't contain any useful info displayed on the front page. I didn't notice, that all the links on the right was not just some random advertising but links to his useful essays. My mistake.

Yes, Sir. I spent some hours on the internet trying all sorts of possible wording combinations to find links of boxes accompanied with the above watch. The results are to be seen in my post. Btw I am in my 20s and tech savvy, so go figure.

Yes, Sir. Looking at my post would have suggested that I went through the 20 pages. But you were probably too busy being pissed that I bumped my thread.

It's not that it's difficult to find an answer. As you can see in my post, I have found plenty of answers. The main point being here is that I am a noob regarding Omega vintage watches and that I really wished for an honest expert opinion on that to be 99% sure which one to pick. Sorry for being too gullible believing this forum for praising itself with "experts".

I will credit you that much for "kindly" leading me to the Desmond website (again) but not so much for your manners. I smelled the hostility through my display (Wow mindblow). So... thanks but not really though.

If this post sounds rough then it's because it was meant to be.

 

Wow, that's some way of encouraging the "experts" to help you out with the information that you need!

 

Good morning @Heisen0erg

I get that your enthusiasm may have been blunted by @Sherbie ’s reply but it’s never a good idea, for a self-proclaimed noob, to react in this way.

if you were offended then a simple “thanks but I’ve done my research and I need some help” would have been sufficient.

As @cristos71 says, you are the one looking for help from the members (who are always ready to give generously of their time) and a little humility wouldn’t hurt.

Perhaps try again and others will chime in with the information you are looking for.

 

Hello @Peemacgee

Thank you for your reply. I guess, you are right. I did overreact and maybe it was a tad too late for me when I started to write my reply. I probably over-interpreted @Sherbie 's reply.

@Sherbie I apologize for writing a dreadful reply. Reading over your message again, I must admit that it's all fine. I must somehow gone nuts when I read your advise to google after it. I fully understand where you're coming from because I had/have to deal with such people in other places as well who would ask primitive questions whose answers could already be found in the FAQ or by using the search bar. It seemed offensive to me since I am rarely the one who has not done his homework. I must further admit though that I could have better organized my text in my original post.

I hope you can forgive me for being a literal d*ck.

I really value all of your expertise. Thus, you can discard my sarcastic comments.

Again, I am sorry folks

Wish you all the best

 

Nicely done @Heisen0erg - but I suspect you may have deleted the wrong post
(Either that or you have wicked sense of humour)

to answer your, now deleted, questions.

Boxes and buckles are perhaps some of the more vexing questions you could ask.
Firstly, the buckle you showed could well be correct, it rather depends on the year your watch was sold.
You can see, from Desmond’s blog, the array of possibilities around the turn of the 60s/70s


Secondly, for boxes, there could be a couple of options.
The original box should have Constellation written inside but a jeweller could also easily have reached for the nearest Omega box to house a watch.

The Constellation was the top of the range Omega, so the material (even solid gold) didn’t affect the box it came in (except for grand luxe’s whereby you could buy a special solid silver box )

Again both the year the watch was sold and the location may have affected the ‘correct’ box for your watch.
Most Connies in the 60s came in the classic red Constellation box with removable tray and curved watch support, with the grey-blue box you posted coming later.
However, IIRC, I seem to remember posts about the grey-blue box being used in the Far East whilst the red box was still being used in the West.

Not conclusive , I know - but hope this helps

 

No need to apologise. I admit my post Could be interpreted in several ways, and wasn't exactly helpful. And I agree with the experts here - there is a wealth of material out there, but none of it absolutely concrete and set in stone.

This is not an exact science and some dealers were better than others at providing the correct boxes etc with the watches they sold

It seems your initial post has been removed however or deleted

 

Thank you so much for taking your time to write this reply.

I have indeed deleted some parts of the post with the intention to rewrite it.

Yes, this is a pretty good article from Desmond. I have come to the same conclusion that the buckle I originally posted was indeed the right one. There are plenty to be found on the Internet but only so many that are truly genuine. I am currently debating, if I...

A) ... either should get a fake one but which at least resembles the original one (They are relatively cheap. $20 sounds okay-ish IMO BUT there will always be that reminder when looking at the clasp that it's not original. So at least twice a day ),
B) ... or if I should buy a current original gold plated one from an Omega boutique but the buckle being quite generic,
C) ... or if I should hunt for a genuine vintage one until one pops-up, pay a generous sum of money but at least having the satisfaction that I own a more complete set.

Hard to decide but I guess sooner or later C) will be the only viable option.

Thanks for that facts about the boxes! I didn't know that Constellations were the top-notch watches of their time.

If I understood the things correctly I have read previously during my research (including your recent revelation), then this pretty much would have been the "generic" box for the C-shaped constellations, am I correct here?

Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-VINTA...186883?hash=item443c582983:g:PUYAAOSwfchcyGsYPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Constellation boxes of that time era were strictly 5cm (2 inches) in thickness whereas Seamasters would have come in a similar box but 1cm thicker. I guess the above box would surely fit the bill... in terms of being the right box but not so much in terms of it's price .

I guess, to be really precise about the country the watch was headed to (and thus the box the watch originally came with) I would need to do an archive extraction. Not sure if it's worth though.

I really appreciate that you took the time to write a good reply! THX!

Cheers

 

Thank you for your reply!!!

No worries, mate. Really appreciate you leading me to Desmond which I originally discarded as being a fishy site.

I guess, let's make the forum a good source of knowledge for future members by contributing good facts and sound reasoning in order to recreate the history of Omegas past empire.

As far as my original post goes, I have indeed deleted some parts of it with the intention to rewrite it in the next few days (as a future reference for others) since it wasn't coherent at all.

English is my 4th language, so I apologize in advance for not writing intelligibly enough.

Cheers

 

I cant remember now the age of your watch, or the case material, but one option could be to buy a hallmarked 9k gold Omega buckle from the UK, especially if your watch falls into the correct age bracket

these were trading around £80-120 a few years ago, so i have no idea what they cost now, but worth keeping an eye on ebay and other trading sites - as these do pop up

there are two main styles, with the later squarer buckle introduced around 1962 - this was something i wrote up a few years ago, but it gives you an idea

 

Thank you @Sherbie for this informative write-up!

 

Couple of weeks ago I saw a 168.017 with box and papers. I made pictures for my database

 

This is the box I would go for if I was looking for a C-case box.

Seamaster boxes came in different styles (and colours)
At least one type was slightly taller and one type is rather lovely with a panelled top but the same height (this latter one came in red and green) both are smaller in plan than the Constellation box being roughly square in plan rather than rectangular like the Constellation box.

The one you posted is outrageously expensive.
Although finding one with the removable inner tray still inside is key.
There was one for sale on the forum fairly recently (now withdrawn)
It was still rather expensive but not as bad as the one on eBay.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/60s-omega-constellation-box-with-tray.114911/
(You could always PM the member to see if it is still available)

I don’t know which country you are in but watch your local auction houses - boxes do turn up now and again. (and check EBay for more sensibly priced boxes)

If you go for a modern Omega buckle, try Otto Frei or Cousins they may have some left and will likely be less expensive than an Omega Boutique

 

Really appreciate your help!

I do have a corresponding box on my radar here on a local auction site. However, it's without the inlay... damn.

Cheers

 

That local auction site is likely your best bet (Ich bin auch Benutzer)

Or, if you still have not found it by November, try going here in La-Chaux-de-Fonds: https://www.j3l.ch/fr/P47580/bourse-suisse-d-horlogerie

Or maybe SGAH will have another event this year in Geneva (site stills shows 2019): http://www.sgah.org/

I have purchased a lot of watch boxes at these sort of events.

 

Just a comment off topic:

Having read this thread beginning with the initial post I was shocked how fast the thing turned into something very agressive
and I quit reading at once.

Reviewing the thread now I'm very reliefed that you guys solved that and got back to what this forum is about:

Talking friendly about watches

 

Really appreciate your help!

Although it's a bit too far away from where I am, I think it might be worth it.

Danke und Gruss

 

Well that was an intense buildup. Having been the noob on this forum plenty of times I know the feeling of doublechecking every fact before making a conclusion. You will get used to navigating this site and trusting the answers you find to correspond to what you are looking for in information.
To answer your question about price, I dont think you over did it. The c-shape is a beautifull piece and the condition looks good. Sure you can find cheaper examples but they will likely have a defect. Grats on a new watch!