Hi all, just wanted to share a recent acquisition that's been very satisfying, and is turning out to be more interesting than I initially thought. The watch is from the Omega Constellation Integral line, ref 368.0852. A picture: I've since found that Desmond blogged on this http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/search?q=integrated, and it's prominently featured on the Omega Museum site: http://www.omegamuseum.com/constellation. It seems to be a real pioneering model in watches with integrated designs, coming in well before Royal Oak (1969 vs 1972). As for this particular piece, it's in surprisingly good condition. The original finish and lines are well preserved. The bracelet is very tight, and the movement is in pretty good condition. It's quite a heavy watch, coming in around 135 grams after I removed a few links to fit my wrist. I still have a significant problem - one of the screw pins that attach the bracelet to the had the screw head break from the stem - I put the screw back in, but won't be able to remove the bracelet completely from the watch without having a hole drilled in from the other end to push the pin out. The watch has clearly not been cleaned on polished in a very long time, but it's very cool to see a serious gold watch with that kind of seasoning on it. Would love to hear from folks who may have come across this watch or are interested in it. HAGWE!
Very nice for the odd outing on the wrist, but I don't think much good for a daily watch. The beautifully integrated bracelet would wear quickly if used on a daily basis and they are almost impossible to find, and you can't use anything else. But with love and care it should last you out.
Yeah, the bracelet replacements are not going to be easy to find. I would love to try it on a nice, custom-made alligator that tapers like the bracelet, however, it is going to be a very expensive proposition. It's amazing though, how this bracelet has held up compared to gold rolexes from the same time frame. I have a jubilee and a president from 40+ years ago, and they have a lot of "play" (president much better off, relatively speaking). The solid links have something to do with it. The watch was enjoyed - I could tell that by the amount of gunk I had to clean off the bracelet... Love and care, it's getting a lot of.
Very nice! Love these integrated bracelet models. I bought a middling stainless model as my second Constellation and then a two-tone later model in better shape as my third.
That's quite a collection you've got there! Is one of those (on the far right) a quartz? Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
Thank you! I wish OF had been around when I started in 2011 as I would have made different decisions. Yes, the last on the right is a MegaQuartz, and the second from the right is an F300 (tuning fork movement). The other three are automatics.