Omega Constellation Cal.565 18ct Pink Gold 1968

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of innovations. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as official timekeepers for its pilots and again in 1940, RAF Pilots watches were supplied by Omega. The 1940s also saw the first tourbillon wristwatch and the first of the famous Seamaster watches, whilst the ’50s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over these years, everyone from John F. Kennedy to Elvis wore Omega watches on official duties. What’s more, in 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra took his Omega Speedmaster into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

Here we have a stunning 18ct pink gold Omega Constellation Tonneau from 1968 with a silver tapestry effect dial. This watch is rare, as few Tonneau cased Constellations were made in 18ct pink gold. This watch carries the amazing Calibre 565 movement which was Omega’s state of the art movement for most of the 1960s and the heavy 18ct tonneau watch case measures 36mm in diameter and is in superb all-round condition. As with all Omega Constellations, this watch carries the ‘Constellation’ motif on the case-back which is very distinct, indicating this watch has been used sparingly and has been very well cared for. This watch is original, unrestored and untouched, yet remains in immaculate condition.

The Dial

The beautiful original, unrestored and untouched silver tapestry dial is simply superb. This is a classic Constellation dial design which has become highly sought after in recent years and it isn’t difficult to see why. Furnished with black inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices and the original unrestored black onyx ‘index’ hands, it catches the light beautifully and looks far better in real life than in the photographs.

The dial also carries the applied gold Omega brand and signature, with ‘Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified’ below and ‘Constellation’ at the below with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom, below 6.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition. While the dial is in excellent condition for the year and many collectors prefer original and untouched dials, if a customer prefers, we could restore the dial of this watch back to its original condition, at no extra cost.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The Omega Cal.565, 24 Jewel hand-wound movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most highly regarded and successful movements, remaining in production for almost 20 years. This movement was also the first Omega movement to include a quickset date function. This means instead of continuously rotating the hands forward to set the required date, this can be advanced very quickly, one day at a time by pulling the crown. This movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch perfectly suited for everyday use as well as evening wear.

The movement is in tip-top condition having been overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to all its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts before careful reassembly and adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably and at the time of testing, immediately following its service, results were within +8 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has an excellent 50-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, and ‘Twenty Four Jewels’ with the Calibre 565 and the serial number 26,387,918 which dates this watch to 1968.

The Case

This 18ct solid pink gold case measures a large 36mm across, excluding the Omega signed crown. This Omega Tonneau case is very heavy and robust and also carries a wonderfully fluted bezel, giving the watch a good deal of ‘presence’ on the wrist.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and very lightly hand-polished as this was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition, with no scratches, dings or marks of any kind visible to the naked eye. The case-back carries the famous Constellation motif which is only very lightly worn. Being 18ct gold, this is usually worn to a greater or lesser extent, but here it is still crisp and distinct, indicating this watch has hardly been worn.

Inside the screw-down case-back, we find all the markings are correct and as expected with the Omega branding triangle, along with 18K-0.750 French hallmarks and the serial number 168027.

Please note – Although originally specified as water resistant, this has not been tested and is not guaranteed. As always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a genuine Omega black leather strap with a pink gold-plated Omega buckle. We feel this contrasts very nicely with the pink gold case and the dial, however, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock, in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish, here.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1968.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The Omega presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

A rare and exceptional vintage gold Omega Constellation dress watch with an 18ct pink gold case. The movement is of a very high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.