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The C-Cased Constellation Thread

L
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Neeb Neeb
So I've been skirting around the Constellation C-cases by aquiring C-cases from other brands.. Doubtless I'll get an Omega one eventually!

I'm curious though - is the Constellation C-case the "original" C-case? Did Gerald Genta basically design this style of case specifically for Omega, with all of the other late-1960 / early-1970s C-cases from other brands being inspired by it, more or less?

Is it a style of case that didn't have any precidents before the Constellation 168.009 was released in 1964? If so, it was a genuinely era-defining piece of design. It's hard to find a major watch brand that didn't introduce their own version of the C-case in the late 60s/early 70s.
I've had the same question as you. If it is indeed true that Genta was the first to design the C-case for Omega, then I would have to argue that it was his most influential watch design, because as you mentioned pretty much every watch brand introduced their own c-case version during this time... Seiko, King Seiko, Grand Seiko, Girard Perregaux, AP, VC, Patek, Longines, Certina, Universal Genève... the list is endless... yet no-one seems to be talking about it... do people think the design is boring compared to the royak oak and nautilus? I just don't get it.
 
kaplan
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L lehippi
I've had the same question as you. If it is indeed true that Genta was the first to design the C-case for Omega, then I would have to argue that it was his most influential watch design, because as you mentioned pretty much every watch brand introduced their own c-case version during this time... Seiko, King Seiko, Grand Seiko, Girard Perregaux, AP, VC, Patek, Longines, Certina, Universal Genève... the list is endless... yet no-one seems to be talking about it... do people think the design is boring compared to the royak oak and nautilus? I just don't get it.

As you now better than any of us, there isn't much demand for most vintage watches at this point, let alone Omega's, once/if the demand hits, it will matter

We're just a handful of people at this point
 
Neeb
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L lehippi
I've had the same question as you. If it is indeed true that Genta was the first to design the C-case for Omega, then I would have to argue that it was his most influential watch design, because as you mentioned pretty much every watch brand introduced their own c-case version during this time...
Well, there's an obvious challenge that might help to answer the question. Can anyone find a watch from any brand made before 1964 that has anything like a C-case design?
 
padders
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I may be in a minority here, but I think peak Genta was the dog-leg Connie. I have a C case Connie which I like but I don't quite love but I positively loathe the Patek Aquanaut and A-P RO which reek of over designed 1970s kitsch, rather like a pair of bell bottom flares and pork chop sideburns. The market disagrees with me, but I think Genta should have hung up his pencil circa 1966.
 
Neeb
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Did an image search on Chrono24 for watches made in the 1950s and 60s up until 1964, and there is nothing really like a C-case.

Except... you can sort of see the trajectory leading up to it in the Rolex models of the 1950s, which, like most Rolexes today still, have solid +/- triangular lugs that create straight lines from the centre of the case to the tips of the lugs. Like the C-case, the round dial is completely framed by the lugs, with the lugs really dictating the overall shape of the watch rather than the dial itself.

The difference from the C-case is that the lugs are always straight on their outer surface rather than curved, and the slope of the lugs is one-dimensional (down towards the tips), rather than curved in two dimensions like the C-case.

You can definitely see the C-case design as an answer to the Rolex datejust though - almost a logical extension that moves further beyond the idea of the lugs as an element that's distinct from the rest of the case.
 
Neeb
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I'm planning my Constellation C-case search/purchase...

I'm tending towards date-only with knurled bezel, but the 168.027 seems to be a slightly less common model (so less choice), so I might compromise on one of these (but not both).

What are people's opinions on knurled vs. "sun guilloche" bezels? If you've had both, which attracted you most at first / grew on you / became less attractive with familiarity?

The knurled bezels are quite visually dominating on the models that have them. Iconic..?
 
cverstegen
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When I was searching, I kept seeing rust on the bezels of the steel, sun guilloche examples, so ended up leaning toward the knurled ones. Most (if not all) of the steel 168.027 versions that I found had a white gold bezel, so no concerns about getting rust on that. I would love to get a rust-free, 017 version though at some point if I can find one, but the only ones I find are very overpriced.
 
cverstegen
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Question: Does anyone know why some of the dials with lumed hands/indexes have the "T Swiss Made T" and some only have "Swiss Made?"

I see dials without the "T" on older models than on some with the "T," so it is not that the ones without don't use titrium, is it? Or maybe it was different laws about labeling for different countries in which they were sold?


EDIT: I think I found the answer in another thread https://omegaforums.net/threads/when-did-omega-stop-using-radium.86834/. No "T" is an older dial before it was required to be there.
Edited:
 
L
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Neeb Neeb
I'm planning my Constellation C-case search/purchase...

I'm tending towards date-only with knurled bezel, but the 168.027 seems to be a slightly less common model (so less choice), so I might compromise on one of these (but not both).

What are people's opinions on knurled vs. "sun guilloche" bezels? If you've had both, which attracted you most at first / grew on you / became less attractive with familiarity?

The knurled bezels are quite visually dominating on the models that have them. Iconic..?
I much prefer either the smooth or sun guilloche bezels, the knurled bezels remind me too much of the fluted Rolex bezels... I've had both the smooth and guilloche bezel and the guilloche bezel certainly adds some more detail and character to the watch.
 
kaplan
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I won this watch today, 42.000 sek + costs, I was the only bidder

The watch checks a lot of boxes for me, I wanted a dual color bezel, wanted one of these bracelets

It has 1-2 flaws but I don't think it matters too much, I like when the star turns and becomes upside down, have a C-Case with a turned star that I consider very lucky, the star on this watch started turning but it's not upside down yet 😀

I believe he's the owner: https://www.geni.com/people/Kurt-Mark/6000000017087158048 (or was the owner, depending on how you look at things)

I wonder what you guys think of the inscription, I've asked a couple of friends, the feedback was positive

3751327.jpeg 3751327-6.jpeg 3751327-5.jpeg 3751327-4.jpeg 3751327-3.jpeg 3751327-2.jpeg 3751327-1.jpeg
 
R
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kaplan kaplan
I won this watch today, 42.000 sek + costs, I was the only bidder

The watch checks a lot of boxes for me, I wanted a dual color bezel, wanted one of these bracelets

It has 1-2 flaws but I don't think it matters too much, I like when the star turns and becomes upside down, have a C-Case with a turned star that I consider very lucky, the star on this watch started turning but it's not upside down yet 😀

I believe he's the owner: https://www.geni.com/people/Kurt-Mark/6000000017087158048 (or was the owner, depending on how you look at things)

I wonder what you guys think of the inscription, I've asked a couple of friends, the feedback was positive

Very nice, 18k gold, i suppose including the bracelet, looks very unique, maybe this is one of the limited editions I don't know.
Yes, about the star, it's not aligned, but do you prefer it upside down?
 
cverstegen
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kaplan kaplan
I won this watch today, 42.000 sek + costs, I was the only bidder

The watch checks a lot of boxes for me, I wanted a dual color bezel, wanted one of these bracelets

It has 1-2 flaws but I don't think it matters too much, I like when the star turns and becomes upside down, have a C-Case with a turned star that I consider very lucky, the star on this watch started turning but it's not upside down yet 😀

I believe he's the owner: https://www.geni.com/people/Kurt-Mark/6000000017087158048 (or was the owner, depending on how you look at things)

I wonder what you guys think of the inscription, I've asked a couple of friends, the feedback was positive

3751327.jpeg 3751327-6.jpeg 3751327-5.jpeg 3751327-4.jpeg 3751327-3.jpeg 3751327-2.jpeg 3751327-1.jpeg

That is awesome! Congrats. The two-tone reversed from the watch world norm (steel case with gold bezel) is really neat and I quite like the way it looks. Is the bezel steel or white gold?
 
Peemacgee
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kaplan kaplan
I won this watch today, 42.000 sek + costs, I was the only bidder

The watch checks a lot of boxes for me, I wanted a dual color bezel, wanted one of these bracelets

It has 1-2 flaws but I don't think it matters too much, I like when the star turns and becomes upside down, have a C-Case with a turned star that I consider very lucky, the star on this watch started turning but it's not upside down yet 😀

I believe he's the owner: https://www.geni.com/people/Kurt-Mark/6000000017087158048 (or was the owner, depending on how you look at things)

I wonder what you guys think of the inscription, I've asked a couple of friends, the feedback was positive

3751327.jpeg 3751327-6.jpeg 3751327-5.jpeg 3751327-4.jpeg 3751327-3.jpeg 3751327-2.jpeg 3751327-1.jpeg

congrats on acquiring this rare little beasty
One of the more bizarre Omega designs - but if it floats your boat then that’s all that matters.
 
kaplan
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R Rex123
Very nice, 18k gold, i suppose including the bracelet, looks very unique, maybe this is one of the limited editions I don't know.
Yes, about the star, it's not aligned, but do you prefer it upside down?

First time it happened I was devastated as it was something I overlooked, but loving that watch, and the watch being my #1 - I don't care that much about the turned stars anymore, it's part of the character for me, as enamel dials crack from heat cycles, I think some stars turn just a little

I mainly believe this as I've seen it on many pristine original sunburst dials, the other option is tampering but if a watch was tampered, sunburst dial being prone to scaling on impact, would be damaged as well, so I assumed it was a slow metallurgical process, maybe the solder can move just a little over time which adds up (The theory could've been someone else's)

cverstegen cverstegen
That is awesome! Congrats. The two-tone reversed from the watch world norm (steel case with gold bezel) is really neat and I quite like the way it looks. Is the bezel steel or white gold?

Thank you 😀 As far as I know the hands / bezel is white gold while the dial/watch is yellow gold

Peemacgee Peemacgee
congrats on acquiring this rare little beasty
One of the more bizarre Omega designs - but if it floats your boat then that’s all that matters.

Definitely floats my boat, but primarily from a collecting perspective - secondarily I find the lack of minute marks cleaner

It's also a 168.008 - which was another ticked box
 
padders
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You do pick up some nice pieces, and that is no exception, I like it a lot. Bravo.
 
KLXN
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@kaplan Congratulations!

It's amazing how nice the bracelet flushes with the shape of the case. I know C-case from years of wearing one with a leather strap and I've never thought there could be such a possibility. I can't stop looking at this photo:

x1431865-da03d876cae5a3891b06cb2b86df79c1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.2fyqcp9dpE.jpg
 
G
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A few ( actually quite a few) years ago, I bought a 564 incl connie dial and hands, which was a left over after giving the case into the melting pod.
Went to hunt down a gold (capped) c-case, but could only locate a stainless steel one.
connie10.jpg
 
kaplan
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@padders @KLXN Thank you!

G gerdson
A few ( actually quite a few) years ago, I bought a 564 incl connie dial and hands, which was a left over after giving the case into the melting pod.
Went to hunt down a gold (capped) c-case, but could only locate a stainless steel one.

Would be nice to see a natural light picture as well, I wonder how the gold coloured dial looks in the steel case
 
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