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One more question: about women's ss Constellation 568.014 768.03 (calibre 682)

loveslemon71
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Hello again -- I hope I'm not using up the Omega Forum's patience... Just one more watch for your collective expert opinion, and then I'll stop.

This is a watch offered for $500 on eBay. I have been looking for a women's vintage Constellation and recently almost paid a ridiculous price for a frankenwatch on Chrono24, but was saved from that fate (thank you!) by several of you. Now I'm attracted to this watch, and have tried to do my due diligence on it. I can see the first several digits of the serial number (308...), which would date it from 1969, and the case seems appropriate for that year. The brushed finish seems intact. Hands and lume (both on hands and dots above the hour markers) look right. There's no T ... T before and after "Swiss Made," but my understanding is that this is sometimes OK? But I am wondering about the first photo of the mechanism, and specifically the big silver-colored screws.

The seller says he bought the watch (along with some other Omegas he has listed) from an elderly watchmaker in Tokyo who went out of business before the pandemic. Many thanks again in advance!! You people are amazing.
 
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loveslemon71
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An update: after spending hours on the web looking at other examples of model 568.014 768.03 (the number on the inside of the case back) and getting several more photos from the seller, I bought it!! The seller says the watch was serviced by its previous owner (the watchmaker in Tokyo) before the pandemic, and to my untrained eye the mechanism looks pretty clean. But I am prepared to have it serviced again.

OF doesn't seem super interested in women's watches, which is quite understandable. Still, there are two things I'm wondering about, which I'll just list here in case anyone has any thoughts:
1. the seller did not mention what the coin-edged (knurled?) bezel is made of, but I notice that many other examples of this watch--both the female and male versions--are described as having a "white gold bezel" and sometimes even "18K white gold." Are some of these bezels steel, while others are white gold?
2. does this watch count as a C-shape? It has a slightly more oblong/rectangular/blocky look to it than the other C-shapes I've seen.

Anyway fingers crossed that I actually receive it! Thanks again to everyone for your help.
 
WestCoastTime
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loveslemon71 loveslemon71
But I am wondering about the first photo of the mechanism, and specifically the big silver-colored screws.

I don't have 1st hand experience with this movement, but in looking at the results for a Google Image Search for "Omega 682", the screw head size / type on yours looks consistent.
 
loveslemon71
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Thanks, WestCoastTime! That's what I decided too, after looking around... appreciate the second set of eyes.
 
Archer
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The 568.014 steel case uses a steel bezel.

Cheers, Al
 
loveslemon71
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Ah, good to know, thank you. I kept imagining that I could see a slightly different color glinting off that bezel in the photos, but that must be just a trick of the coin edge. Which I love!
 
Passover
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Good looking watch, don't forget to post a wristshot when it's there 👍
 
gatorcpa
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loveslemon71 loveslemon71
the seller did not mention what the coin-edged (knurled?) bezel is made of, but I notice that many other examples of this watch--both the female and male versions--are described as having a "white gold bezel" and sometimes even "18K white gold." Are some of these bezels steel, while others are white gold?

The men's version of this watch, Ref. 368.0845, had an 18K white gold bezel, at least according to an older version of the Omega Vintage Database that was archived through the old Naligazone website. That site has also bitten the dust.

Unfortunately, there is no information regarding the women's version presented by the OP.



49CA849D-3341-4BAD-9F2B-18A6F4C9C4F8_zps0bqpcrub.png
https://web.archive.org/web/2016042...index.php/data-watch/omega/13-watch/omega/726

I remember seeing something on Ofrei.com a number of years ago saying that Omega no longer made the 18K white gold bezels as replacement parts, but they did offer knurled bezels in steel to fit the 168.0045/368.0845 case.

@Archer, am I correct on this, or just dreaming?
gatorcpa
 
Archer
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
I remember seeing something on Ofrei.com a number of years ago saying that Omega no longer made the 18K white gold bezels as replacement parts, but they did offer knurled bezels in steel to fit the 168.0045/368.0845 case.

@Archer, am I correct on this, or just dreaming?
gatorcpa


Only thing I can tell you is that the steel case doesn't show a gold bezel for it, only steel.

Of course the gold cases have gold bezels shown, either yellow gold with yellow gold bezel, or pale yellow gold with pink gold bezel for the 3680845.
 
connieseamaster
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To answer #2, this is a later case design than the C-cases. It went C-case, D-case (talk about early 70s funk), integrated cases (which yours is), and then the Manhattan case (echoes of which are seen in modern Constellations.
 
JwRosenthal
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This is a spectacular watch- nice score! I owned this watch in day/date and traded it to a fellow member here. It’s a chunky sucker (the men’s version) and I’m betting so is the woman’s version. I think these are incredibly fun due to the 70’s funk in the same way the Cosmic’s are but this is funky posh. I think $500 with a service is a fine price for this provided the bracelet fits. It is integrated into the watch so you can’t swap it for a strap.
And mine did indeed have the white gold bezel which was just a shade warmer than the case. Yours looks like the white gold in the pics but I trust the specs Archer has in front of him. Although we have seen Omega spec that were wrong in the past.
 
loveslemon71
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So interesting—thank you, connieseamaster. I love the C-shapes, but this integrated model started to grow on me—something kind of brutal and futuristic about it. I can imagine someone in the late 60s movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” wearing it…
 
JwRosenthal
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loveslemon71 loveslemon71
-something kind of brutal and futuristic about it.
Absolutely! They truly are part of the brutalist era of design. I love that Omega was playing with form, texture and style in a way that Rolex never even dreamt of. How many versions of an oyster case can we see??
 
gatorcpa
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Archer Archer
Only thing I can tell you is that the steel case doesn't show a gold bezel for it, only steel.
I went to the Internet Archive and found the Ofrei listing:

upload_2021-8-9_21-47-6.png

https://web.archive.org/web/20110923094326/https://www.ofrei.com/page663.html

No mention of composition of the original bezel except for the old Omega database listing. I would have to imagine that if it were 18K white gold, and if Omega were inclined to sell them (which they will not), a replacement bezel would cost at least $1,000.
gatorcpa
 
ChrisN
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It's a lovely watch and the movement looks fine to me, although I've only built one of these 68x series. It was in my wife's diver that I built some years ago - a bit like a Watchco style watch.

These calibres are a similar style to the 550-565 series that everyone seems to like but, at 2/3 scale. Quite an impressive feat to pack everything in such a small calibre.
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I hope it arrives safely and you enjoy it.

Cheers, Chris
 
loveslemon71
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Thank you, Chris! That diver is gorgeous—the dark red dial looks amazing with the black and silver. Is it true that most watchmakers dislike working on small mechanisms? It must be awfully fiddly.
 
ChrisN
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They are a little more difficult as they are even smaller but, a good quality calibre like your watch has, can be fine. For me, the cheaper watches, in small sizes, can be a pain to set up well.

The issue is that there is so much work out there that you can pick and choose so, why give yourself more trouble. I do them for existing customers, though.

Cheers, Chris
 
SeaMSTR
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I am still searching for one of these, or a c case 568.001. if you see any decent examples on your travels, please let me know.

I have seen one or two tidy examples in Japan, but they are circa £700, plus import fees, and will probably need a ‘proper’ service once here, so a bit pricy!

Glad you managed to get out of the purchase of the one with the wrong hands!

Be sure to post some good photos of this one when it arrives!

Cheers.
 
loveslemon71
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Thank you, SeaMSTR. It was owing to your thread that I first posted on OF, full of excitement about what turned out to be a frankenwatch... very grateful for that escape! You realize of course that I know next to nothing, but that said I did come across this one on eBay, offered as a BIN for $549 (but open to best offer). From a Japanese seller with a good feedback record. Unfortunately the photos are not great, plus there is no image of the mechanism. But perhaps worth asking to see one? (And many apologies in advance if this is in fact a poor suggestion.)

Here is the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/284315245546?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
 
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