Hello all, Could anyone give their opinion on this one?: http://www.austinkaye.co.uk/Omega-Gents-Constellation-steel-automatic-on-strap-4378-p.aspx Having familiarised myself a little with this forum, I am ready to hear that this is overpriced (London weighting) and a redial! The seller's description is very brief…... Really this is out of my budget anyway, but I like the appearance, the small case diameter and the apparently slim case as I have skinny wrists. Could anyone point me in the direction of a vintage Omega style like this one that is 34mm or less, steel, with a slim case - and the appropriate price banding? Many thanks for any help
Even if that were $ instead of £ that would be a little on the high side. You're on the right track for a thin Omega though - the 71x series of automatics were a joint venture between Omega and Rayville (Blancpain) to get in on the ultra-thin market.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Dennis, you have helped me narrow down my search. Are the 71x series relatively common, or difficult to obtain?
Not common but by no means rare. They are quite remarkable for their time, allowing for a watch about 2.5-mm thinner than watch with a 55x movement from the same period.
Hi XJR, great picture. Does the thinness make these watches more susceptible to ongoing maintenance problems?
Not as long as they are serviced regularly and they should be serviced by someone familiar with this sort of movement. Being designed for dress watches, they are a bit more delicate but are not problematic as far as I am aware. In addition to Constellations they were also used in some Seamasters and DE VILLEs.
Thanks XJR - do you have any pictures of Seamasters or De Ville's with this calibre? What do you think of the watch I linked to in my OP?
Yep, blue. Tough color to catch correctly with a camera, but I think the above picture is a pretty good representation.
Denver, a friend of mine bought a watch from that shop and went to lunch - at lunch the crown fell out, and they gave him a very hard time when he tried to return it. I think you'd be ok with this one - you see a lot of 712s almost unworn, but the price is excessive. I have a stainless steel and a rose gold example of this dial/case style, both in basically NOS condition and both cost me less than half what yours would cost. One was bought at a uk watch fair, and one came from a us collector on ebay.Be patient and you'll find a good one for a lot less than this.
That's right - you're the one with the sweet rose gold ultra-thin. I bet it would look real good on my wrist.
i think it would look lovely.... But I'm not remotely tempted to sell, even at Austin Kaye prices....
Now, if you ever see another blue dial like yours let me know... Not even going to bother dibsing yours...
Hi Mothra, Many thanks for the advice - I will carry on researching and reading this forum. Thanks to all of you who have helped with my novice query - all within less than 24hrs! Much appreciated.
Good work Denver, you've saved yourself from buying a heap of crap by getting a consultation. I see a watch that's seen too much time on the buffing wheel, a caseback that's had a tour on a lathe (maybe to remove gouge marks), a replacement generic crown, and a dial that I suspect as not original. And to seal the deal, no movement photo's I wouldn't touch it with your dick (old Aussie saying).
Hello Jim Thanks for your no nonsense Aus assessment! Would appreciate your view (and others) on this one (calibre 712, sixth watch down from top): http://www.qualityvintagetimepieces.com/vintageomega.html Using your comments on the Austin Kaye one as a reference, this seems a better example - Omega crown, less "tarting up" and over-polishing, just looks more natural and authentic. Or am I way off the mark? - do let me know! Thanks