A long time ago (etc, etc...) I had the opportunity to grab what looked to my uneducated eyes to be a very nice 751 Constellation. I hesitated and lost out - that's life. I also wasted an opportunity to pick up a Dynamic from the same store.

Ever since then I've had a mental 'itch' wanting to be scratched - add a vintage to my small collection.
I will be the first to admit I know next to nothing about Omegas or vintage watches - I'll need help if I'm not to get burned.
I'm looking for something mid to late 60's (my birth year is '68) but the problem is I can't wear anything smaller than 38mm (and then only if it's mostly dial and not much bezel), and I'm not a huge fan of the Speedmaster Pro (tried one on and it just didn't 'feel' right. Can't explain it better than that, as they are beautiful to look at).
Maybe there isn't an Omega that fits the bill (I hope not), so perhaps any suggestions of other types as a last resort (e.g. Navitimer) if that's not too offensive on an Omega forum...
Thanks for any advice, I'm looking forward to a new kind of hunt ...
Edit - oops sorry, I guess an obvious omission - budget. I would like to stay under $1000USD. Hope that doesn't limit me too much.

 

It does, in a really big way too. Unless you go looking for a (much) lesser-known brand, you will have a hard time finding a big watch from that era without a big pricetag attached to it.

Big watches = primarily diver's watches.
Diver's watches from well-known brands = expensive.

Ditch the insecurity regarding size and you're golden

 

And if the speedy pro didnt feel,right, and thats a real comfy watch to wear, then suggest whatever you do, please try the vintage watch on before you buy!

Soemthing like a Speedmaster Mark series watch, or anything with a cal 1040 or 1045 would be large enough, but also very thick ( up to 15 mm thick i think from memory)

Best of luck - the Omega vintage stable is vast, but as mentioned, your imposed max limit will hinder your choices for sure

 

Don't think you can get something that large for this kind of money. I'm curious why you say you can't wear watches below 38mm. It's mostly down to feeling, unless you have logs as wrists of course. My best advice is to get something around 35mm, try it for a few days and see how it goes. You can always sell it doesn't work for you.

 

I have a megaquartz that is from 1973, they are big on the wrist 41mm and are relatively cheap, I think 7-8 hundred dollars would get you a tip top one. Its one of those that is not everyone's taste but I love it and will never part with it, if someone tried to steal it I would punch them a new face and eat their kids. First thing is to check its original, lots of people on here who could spot a fake or redial a mile off so try to get someone to check first.

 

Thanks for the replies. To answer a few of your comments:
Yeah, I thought the budget might be too low for what I'm looking for, but it didn't hurt to ask.
I don't have any insecurity about the size of the watch. My wrists are not trunks, (7.5") but smaller watches don't look good on it. I had a 38mm Seiko 5 that I ended up flipping because it looked too small on my wrist (see pic). Maybe you think it's a perfect fit, but I've found 40-42mm to be the 'sweet spot' to my eyes and when I go smaller they start to look out of place. (Maybe a different strap or bracelet would have made this less obvious on the Seiko...)

Compare this with a 40mm:

And a 42mm:

As mentioned, it's subjective - a personal taste thing. So perhaps I'm just wishful thinking, and the vintage world just isn't for me right now?
At least I can still enjoy them vicariously through some of the amazing watches I see on this forum .
Thanks again.

 

It has taken me several years to come around on sub-40mm watches, so I understand where you're coming from. But I recently have come to realize that a truly well-designed watch looks good on any wrist, regardless of the wearer's wrist size or the watch's diameter.

Another thing to consider is how many watches you own, and how you rotate them. Long ago I tried giving all of my watches equal time, but now I allow myself to have some favorites. So if you buy a 36mm vintage watch you can still wear your 42mm watches the vast majority of the time, and only pull your vintage pieces out on occasion. Much of the enjoyment of a vintage watch is in just owning it not entirely in wearing it daily.

 

I like your thinking, good advice
I have about a dozen or so watches that I would wear on a rotation, although lately I've just been throwing on a titanium Pro-Trek for work and not really thinking about it. It's like I've lost the 'passion' and was hoping a vintage piece might spark it back into life. You're absolutely right, a good looking watch will look good on almost any wrist, and I'm probably being overly critical of how it would look on me. I probably need to try some on to get a better feel for what works and what doesn't.

 

How about a Chronostop? Big size and should be within budget. Has an 865 so similar to a Speedmaster in diameter but a little thinner and with less complication. A bit quirky although only useful for timing up to 400m races or a blast up the hill at Prescott hillclimb (both under a minute)

Couple of quick scrappy pics of mine.




Cheers, Chris

 

Totally appreciate where you are coming from on this Muttley. You and I have similar wrists at 7.5" and being somewhat flattish. I, like you, also like the 40-42mm sized watch on my wrist. I even have the same Seiko you flipped, albeit in olive green. You may have provided yourself with the answer to your dilemma; strap experimentation. That Seiko looked awful on the supplied nylon strap, but looked markedly better on a bund.

My '69 c.750 Seamaster offers a larger for the era size thanks to its day/date movement, but at 38mm it isn't exactly jumping off my wrist. But unlike the Seiko, it doesn't have that sport-watch look, so the smaller size is somewhat blunted. Add in a beefy crocodile strap or OEM bracelet and you are looking pretty good. Staying below your bduget should be easily doable.





Hope this helps you step into the pool of vintage.

 

Cheers Wetworks (and I haven't spoken to you for a looong time, it seems...), also good advice. That 750 must be around the same dimensions as the 751 in my original post, and that was borderline okay on my wrist (I'm sure I'd grow to get used to it). Those straps do make a big difference to the look and no doubt the 'feel' of the watch on the wrist.
I'm not after an heirloom or museum quality piece, but something I can wear reasonably often and enjoy. Something like you posted above might be spot on.

 

Oh, and ChrisN - thanks for the Chronostop suggestion. It's a good looking watch, but I'm not too keen on the cushion cases (correct me if that's not the right term for that watch), which also rules out quite a few watches from that period.

 

Yup, it's been awhile (nursing school is kicking my butt). The dimensions are very likely close, but the lugs on the Seamaster are going to give you just that much more in appearance of width as opposed to the Connie's straight lugs.

I got mine for a now-ridiculous $300 USD. Got my 751 Seamaster (which I ultimately sold ) for around $400. I'm so out of the loop I couldn't tell you what things are going for now, but I'd imagine a bit more.