The Best Value for Money Constellation?

I receive numerous emails from Omega fans asking me what is the best buy or best value for money vintage Constellation on the market today. My answer is always equivocal because I believe that Constellations of the 1950s and 1960s have still not arrived at their real value.  

My yardstick is the calibre 1570 Rolex (a mighty movement almost on par, in my opinion, with the calibre 561 Constellation) 

Despite the Rolex hype, a stainless steel Rolex calibre 1570 with stainless bracelet can be had in 2008 for around the 1700 - 2000 mark (and sometimes a little less). To me, that is the benchmark for a stainless steel calibre 561 Constellation in excellent condition with original dial. And yet we don't see Connies of this ilk selling for those prices on electronic markets, but we do see them at that price in bricks and mortar establishments. So, my first answer is that calibres 551 and 561 in excellent condition with original dials still haven't found their relative price point and still offer good value.

That having been said, there is a cousin of the calibre 551/561 that I think is substantially undervalued and that is the calibre 751. The 751 has all the pedigree of the 551 and 561 models but with added day-date. It is a blood brother, argubly, of the best family of production movements ever made.

I still see good examples of this calibre in a range of cases going for under $500.00 US dollars. The first ever, and patented, integrated bracelet model 368.0845 with white gold bezel and stainless case and bracelet (as pictured above) can still be sourced in 2008 for as little as $450 and up to $600 for a very good example with original brushed finish.

The 751 is a good 'entry' model, particularly for those who hanker for the more chunky models of the late 1960s.

So, while, I will continue to equivocate about the best VFM Connie, I think that collectors who acquire a good example of the 368.0845 are getting exceptional value.  

Recycling Par Excellence

Old watch parts never die, they just find their way into model motorcycles, cufflinks and even insect jewellery.

In this post is a selection of inventions by Jose Geraldo Reis Pfau, who creates these pieces as a hobby. Mike Libby from Maine has an Insect Lab business where he constructs an array of insects from watch and electronic parts. His work is beautiful, if not scary! Enjoy the pics.

A Case of misunder-Stan-ing?

The fake cases coming out of Vietnam and China are getting better, but they're still not good enough to fool the fastidious buyer...thank every God in the Universe for that! My thanks to a fastidious eBay trawler for bringing this crime against the horological community to my attention. Forgive my hyperbole, but really! 

EBay Seller StantheMan is listing a "RARE Omega Constellation PiePan Auto" with a fake case and dial. I don't know if Stantheman is aware that this is a counterfeit case and dial so let's give him the benefit of the doubt. But I have to say, Stan, that this 'rarity' is about as rare as a George Bush malapropism!

Click here to view this abomination.

Stantheman states that "The case has very very little ageing marks and wear. The dial is Original and the glass is in Perfact Condition." Well, what would you expect of a fake case and dial, Stan, aging and patina? Now, that may be a little too much to ask of our Oriental fakirs, wouldn't it? An original? Well, I guess it is, as original fakes go.

Stan goes on to say "My photos do not do this Watch any Justice at all". Well Stanley, old cheese, if we were to do any justice to this watch at all, we would place it under a steam roller and invite the media to watch the crushing of yet another Oriental confection masquerading as the real thing.

Stan says that the watch "just Looks so Stunning", and I agree. It's taser-like in its potential to stun an unsuspecting purchaser who takes this watch into a reputable expert to assess its originality.

There are numerous essays on this site about these fake Oriental 'wannabees' and so I am not going to reiterate what's wrong with this pretender. If you feel inclined, post a comment on what you think is wrong with it.

Stan, we're gonna watch you from now on.

Here's another fake cased 167.005 (click here) with a 1969 serialled cal 564 that has a decidedly Franken appearance. The calendar model mid-500 series should be encased in a 168.005.

Any amount of window dressing of the listing and hyperbole, seller tarka55, will not obsure the fact that this watch is a FrankenDog. Avoid like the plague.

Cases 2699 and 2700 featured the very first pie pan dials on Omega Constellations. While case 2700 appears in the Omega database, strangely it's water resistant brother does not. We hope to change that soon.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this month's SOM - a case 2699 in 18k, powered by a pristine calibre 354 and featuring the first example ever of the 18k deluxe dial with polished facets.

Our thanks go to Mike N who generously agreed to share pictures of his pride and joy. Click here for the photo-essay

For Those Who Want Twice the Watch for Half the Price

If you can't make up your mind over a choice of a vintage Seamaster or an Omega Constellation, consider this little example of Bulgarian ingenuity.

I choose not to mention the eBay seller's name here, because this attempt to be all things to all people is so gormless that it demands amusement rather than censure as a response. Nor do I know if the seller is aware of such a comical faux pas.

One must consider that reality in Bulgaria until recent times was largely determined by a committee of old fossils on a Politburo rather than careful questioning and obervation of phenomena. So, if a big man with bushy eyebrows and a authoritarian glint in his eye says "This is an Omega Seamaster Constellation" who is likely to question?

Strangely, this will be a good buy for someone if purchased cheaply. The watch itself is a real Connie with a silly dial. The hands, movement, case number, etc are correct. A good dial refinish would bring back its natural personality.