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On the hunt… my first vintage piece. Omega Constellation Pie Pan

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Shabbaz Shabbaz
The one from closer.... dont you think there's something wrong with it? I think it's a refinished dial.

Congrats on the star by the way. Where's your restaurant?


Thank you! The restaurant is in Atlanta.
I al inside about the dial.. looks to be in very good shape and the picture seems to show that the
Gav1967 Gav1967
OF listings are a good bet for someone new to collecting. What about this one?

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ss-168-005.169295/


This is a great piece! It is a bit out of my budget I was shooting for. Have already negotiated down both pieces that I posted here to get close to the range I need. But I am seeing some good critical feedback here that is encouraging patience and to keep looking. I will start looking at some of the offerings on this site as suggested. Appreciate all of the input!
 
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gbesq gbesq
When I joined OF and decided that I wanted to buy my first Constellation, I read everything that other members told me to read, studied, asked questions, studied, asked more questions, and took a lot of time to search. This was the result and I still have it:
x1601814-51ceac0535b36a337292a41b8154bdbb.jpg.pagespeed.ic.GQHeIJ77q5.webp
1482676-e1b95b9da103ac58da414cb5aa3a862f.jpg
Moral of the story: take your time, do your homework and listen to the advice of the established members on OF. The world's most experienced and knowledgeable collectors of vintage Omega watches are right here and most are very willing to help you learn.
Very well received advice and thank you. We got our Star back in October and it took me this long to finally decide on which piece I wanted to commemorate with, so now would not be the time to be hasty. Have been doing lots of research and will continue here. Thank you for welcoming me!
 
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Peemacgee Peemacgee
Welcome @W@tch K8ty
Congratulations on your Michelin Star - what better way to celebrate than with a Constellation.

Members much prefer it if you would post pictures with your links - you'll likely get more responses that way.
Pie pans are classic Constellations and arrowhead pie pans are splendid as are lyre-lug cases but if you are willing to look at other pie pan dials and other case styles, you will find the field of choice significantly wider.

As @Shabbaz says, there are possible problems with the first watch you post that shouldn't appear on a Constellation - these things will become much clearer and easier to spot once you've viewed a few Constellations.
The minute haches are too close to the edge on this era of pie-pan and are an irregular distance from the edge
I think the arrowheads intrude too far into the inner field
The fonts should be serifed and look to be plain on this watch (although closer's pics are always over exposed and so can mislead sometimes)

It's a shame about the dial on the second watch as the furniture appears to be rose gold, which is uncommon.

If you haven't found them yet, there is a thread just for Constellations but there is also one dedicated to pie pans
https://omegaforums.net/threads/vintage-constellations-show-and-tell.19186/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/ppp-pie-pan-porn.48012/

it would be useful if you could give an idea of budget - so that folks don't suggest watches out of your price range
have fun browsing and post (pics) of any watches you like for members to comment on

(oh - and when you find a watch, don't wear your Constellation in a hot steamy kitchen)


larger pics of closer's watch
Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 11.49.41.png Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 11.51.08.png
Y’all are really so generous with your input! Thank you for the best practices suggested for the forum. I’ll learn, I promise! Will post pictures moving forward. And don’t worry about the restaurant hurting my wrist candy… I’m the GM/Maitre D of a sushi/omakase restaurant, so not much steam or fire coming ant me. I out of harm’s way. ☺️
 
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And my target budget is $1500-$1700 ideally. With a little wiggle room if I find something special for the money. I know that may limit me some, but I’m open to a variety of references and don’t need too much in the way of precious metals..
 
W
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gbesq gbesq
When I joined OF and decided that I wanted to buy my first Constellation, I read everything that other members told me to read, studied, asked questions, studied, asked more questions, and took a lot of time to search. This was the result and I still have it:
x1601814-51ceac0535b36a337292a41b8154bdbb.jpg.pagespeed.ic.GQHeIJ77q5.webp
1482676-e1b95b9da103ac58da414cb5aa3a862f.jpg
Moral of the story: take your time, do your homework and listen to the advice of the established members on OF. The world's most experienced and knowledgeable collectors of vintage Omega watches are right here and most are very willing to help you learn.
Good grief that’s a gorgeous watch!!
 
ahartfie
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I’m no expert on dogleg Connies but that bracelet would not have come with that watch. What does the listing say about it? I have my doubts about it even being a genuine Omega bracelet because to my knowledge they did not use rolled links like that.

Not the best pic but maybe you can see the solid edge links on my C-case Connie ref 168.017 with 1040 bracelet.
IMG_7062.jpeg
 
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ahartfie ahartfie
I’m no expert on dogleg Connies but that bracelet would not have come with that watch. What does the listing say about it? I have my doubts about it even being a genuine Omega bracelet because to my knowledge they did not use rolled links like that.

Not the best pic but maybe you can see the solid edge links on my C-case Connie ref 168.017 with 1040 bracelet.
IMG_7062.jpeg
Agree the bracelet looks different from any examples of bracelets I’ve seen in other posts. Doesn’t say whether or not bracelet is original to the watch but just lists condition ranking…
 
IMG_5176.jpeg
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W W@tch K8ty
Agree the bracelet looks different from any examples of bracelets I’ve seen in other posts. Doesn’t say whether or not bracelet is original to the watch but just lists condition ranking…
And I personally think the bracelet is a bit ugly…
 
qazwsx1
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I believe this dial was not original.

Please note the tip of the arrowhead markers on OP's watch compared to mine when they touch the minute tracks.
IMG_2260.jpeg IMG_2262.jpeg
 
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qazwsx1 qazwsx1
I believe this dial was not original.

Please note the tip of the arrowhead markers on OP's watch compared to mine when they touch the minute tracks.
IMG_2260.jpeg IMG_2262.jpeg
Oh man… you guys are good! Show me the way and the light…
 
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Ok, so continuing to look for more options and start training my eye for what would be out of place and then I see this piece… and even I am scratching my head at so much about this watch… Omega and Constellation swapped where they are on the dial, date window not the right shape, case shape itself seems cheap/off somehow, the movement, and the medallion on the case back is sunken in… is this as bad of a fake as it seems? Also from Closer, who I thought was supposed to be reputable.
 
IMG_5177.png IMG_5181.png IMG_5178.png IMG_5180.png IMG_5179.png
liquidsongbird
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I agree with others re buying here... I went through same process as you are right now. I purchased one in same range and everything is correct. I'm very happy. Congratulations on your star.
 
ahartfie
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One last note while I can’t sleep - try the WatchRecon site/app. It concatenates sales listings from all the major forums and Reddit.
 
X350 XJR
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W W@tch K8ty
Ok, so continuing to look for more options and start training my eye for what would be out of place and then I see this piece… and even I am scratching my head at so much about this watch… Omega and Constellation swapped where they are on the dial, date window not the right shape, case shape itself seems cheap/off somehow, the movement, and the medallion on the case back is sunken in… is this as bad of a fake as it seems? Also from Closer, who I thought was supposed to be reputable.


Totally legitimate reference. Often referred to as the last of the dog-leg constellations.

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-constellation-omega-st-168-0065
 
Peemacgee
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@W@tch K8ty

the no-date Dogleg that you show from closer is almost a nice watch.

Let's assess it.
Reference 167.005 - a no date dogleg constellation, this one with pie pan dial
Cal 551 - looks clean and the OXG stamp says it was originally a US import watch
The 20,3M serial, places it as a quite early 167.005 - around 63/64.
You will pay a small premium for a no-date Constellation, as fewer were made and no-date watches are quite popular due to their 'uncluttered' dial (this is a personal preference for some collectors but just as many prefer a dial with a date)
The case is pretty good, although showing some signs of polishing, the facets on the lugs are still well defined - this watch would look good on the wrist.
The medallion on the case back is clear and sharp
Original crown (you can tell by the style of the Omega symbol)
The dial looks to be in pretty good condition, although the description says it is marked all over - but closer's pics are always over exposed, so difficult to be absolutely sure.
The single T next to SWISS MADE is fine (there are often Ts either side of SWISS MADE)
The lume in the ends of the indices looks a bit hit and miss - but it won't glow much anyway so shouldn't worry a buyer too much
The hands are not so good, the description suggests that they are patinated but in addition to that Omega didn't use 'minty' green lume on Constellations, the hour and minute hand have had the lume replaced.
The seconds hand is a replacement (probably generic by the looks of the centre hole configuration)
The crystal is a generic replacement. (no Omega symbol in the centre)
The bracelet has nothing to do with any 60s constellation.

In summary, a pretty good watch IMHO and would be a reasonable price for 167.005, from a dealer, if the hands weren't redone in green lume filling.
Unless specified (and evidenced) you should always allow for a service for all vintage watches - so if you could find a watchmaker that could also replace the green lume you could end up with a nice watch.

hope that helps

image for reference
Screenshot 2024-03-21 at 09.18.15.png
 
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