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Omega Constellation Bracelet

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Good afternoon all. This is my first post on the forum. I recently inherited a beautiful 1969 Omega Constellation from my late father. The watch is in mint condition but sadly I have been unable to wear it because the bracelet is too small for my wrist. The watch retains it's original stainless steel 'beads of rice' bracelet (unfortunately I have had some problems posting up some images).

I took the watch into my local Omega specialist to ask if an additional link (maybe two) could be added to the bracelet but they couldn't help me as they are unable to obtain the parts I need from Omega due to the age of the watch. Would anyone have any additional links I could buy please? Many thanks
 
Deafboy
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Welcome to OF! The Constellation is a luxury watch and is capable of high accuracy as a timekeeper because they are adjusted to chronometer specifications. A photo would be nice. You can drag and drop the photo in the edit screen.

Does the bracelet show numbers? Located on the clasp. Often the last link (near the watch itself) has a number too.
Edited:
 
S
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Thank you for your reply.

Still having problems uploading images for some reason The numbers on the clasp are quite difficult to read with my poor eyes but I think they say:

Stainless steel 1037
No. 12

There is an additional number '555' on the last link of the bracelet.

I found out today that my dad had the watch serviced way back in 2006 by Swiss Time Services. It's hardly been used since but I have had it out of it's case over the last couple of days and it's keeping perfect time. If there are no issues with it running I guess it would be pointless spending £400 odd quid on having it serviced again? I havn't removed the back of the watch for fear of damaging it so I phoned Swiss Time Services today who informed me that they still hold records of the watch and it carries the serial number 31968230 which I believe dates it to 1969?
 
Deafboy
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The 1037 is "Beads of Rice" model often fitted on the Constellation. You can find links on eBay or perhaps someone here can provide a few. My guess is you'll also need the pins to attach them to the existing bracelet.
 
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kkt
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S Simon G
If there are no issues with it running I guess it would be pointless spending £400 odd quid on having it serviced again?

No, the lubrication dries up. While the watch can continue to run with dry lubrication, doing so causes extra wear on parts and makes it more likely that it will need parts replaced when eventually you do have it serviced. It won't cause wear if the watch just sits unused, but if you're going to wear it, the recommendation is to have it serviced every 5 years. And if it might be around rain or handwashing, have it pressure checked annually. If you've had it serviced there, lots of watchmakers will do annual pressure checks for no extra charge.
 
S
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kkt kkt
No, the lubrication dries up. While the watch can continue to run with dry lubrication, doing so causes extra wear on parts and makes it more likely that it will need parts replaced when eventually you do have it serviced. It won't cause wear if the watch just sits unused, but if you're going to wear it, the recommendation is to have it serviced every 5 years. And if it might be around rain or handwashing, have it pressure checked annually. If you've had it serviced there, lots of watchmakers will do annual pressure checks for no extra charge.
Thank you for your advice
 
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Deafboy Deafboy
The 1037 is "Beads of Rice" model often fitted on the Constellation. You can find links on eBay or perhaps someone here can provide a few. My guess is you'll also need the pins to attach them to the existing bracelet.
Thank you for the advice. I shall take a look on ebay
 
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krogerfoot
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I've been advised that the 555 endlinks are rather sought after and hard to find. Not to get all Gift of the Magi about it, but you may well be able to finance a full service for the watch (from an independent watchmaker) by selling the bracelet and endlinks.
 
ConElPueblo
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If the watch has hardly been used in more than ten years and it was a very reputable service center who took care of it last time, I'd find a cheaper alternative. Try www.watchguy.co.uk or www.cjnwatch.co.uk, both of whom I have had great experiences with - both should be nearer the £200 mark all in.
 
S
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krogerfoot krogerfoot
I've been advised that the 555 endlinks are rather sought after and hard to find. Not to get all Gift of the Magi about it, but you may well be able to finance a full service for the watch (from an independent watchmaker) by selling the bracelet and endlinks.
Thank you for the reply. I think I would prefer to keep the watch in it's original state. It has a lot of sentimental value as well
 
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
If the watch has hardly been used in more than ten years and it was a very reputable service center who took care of it last time, I'd find a cheaper alternative. Try www.watchguy.co.uk or www.cjnwatch.co.uk, both of whom I have had great experiences with - both should be nearer the £200 mark all in.
Thank you for your advice
 
S
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Having taken a further more detailed look at my watch I am now starting to ask the question if it is genuine or possibly re-dialled. I know it won't help that I can't post up a picture but I have noticed that the lumes on the dial don't seem to work and they are very faint on the hands. The dial has very clearly defined three dimensional Omega logo and star with the top point aimed at 12 O'Clock but I have noticed that the final 'n' on the word constellation doesn't curl under as I have seen on other images of this watch. Can anyone offer me any advice please? Many thanks
 
Deafboy
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S Simon G
Can anyone offer me any advice please?

Need picture...
 
Magnix
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Nice watch! I thought 570 and 70 endlinks are the right ones, but this one wits better...
 
ConElPueblo
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Ooh, never looked too closely at 751 Constellations, but looks good to me too 😀

Great looking Constellation!
 
S
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Thank you for your replies chaps. Must admit I'm an eternal pessimist so it's reassuring that the watch looks genuine. Out of curiosity what would the reason be for the lumes no longer working? Is it simply due to age? Also ConElpueblo, when you mentioned '751' is this the calibre number? Sorry if I appear not very clued up but I have only just started to take an interest in this watch and I have never owned an Omega before. I havn't actually seen inside the watch but my local watchmaker who removed the back when he was checking to see if the links were available said that the case number is 168.01. The movement number according to Swiss Time Services who serviced it a few years ago is 31968230. Do these numbers match up?
 
ConElPueblo
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S Simon G
Thank you for your replies chaps. Must admit I'm an eternal pessimist so it's reassuring that the watch looks genuine. Out of curiosity what would the reason be for the lumes no longer working? Is it simply due to age? Also ConElpueblo, when you mentioned '751' is this the calibre number? Sorry if I appear not very clued up but I have only just started to take an interest in this watch and I have never owned an Omega before. I havn't actually seen inside the watch but my local watchmaker who removed the back when he was checking to see if the links were available said that the case number is 168.01. The movement number according to Swiss Time Services who serviced it a few years ago is 31968230. Do these numbers match up?

Yes and yes to questions about lume not working and the calibre number 😀

The reference number is 168.016 if I remember correctly. The serial number tells you when the movement was produced and can be used for ordering an extract of the archives at Omega. It could - theoretically - be from a different watch (say, a Seamaster), but there is no reason to suspect so.
 
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