Omega Constellation Cal.564 18ct 1969

Omega

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 1950s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over the 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 to space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission, and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

The Omega Constellation has remained Omega’s flagship Chronometer grade automatic dress watch since 1952 and was a development of the highly successful Omega Centenary Chronometer Automatics, 2499 and 2500, launched just a few years previously to coincide with the celebration of Omega’s first 100 years of high-end watch manufacture.

Description

Here we have an 18ct yellow gold Omega Constellation in amazing condition from 1969 with a wonderful gold dial. This watch carries the truly excellent Calibre 564, 24 Jewel movement which was Omega’s state of the art movement during the early 1960s. This is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability and self-winding efficiency.

The heavy 18ct watch case measures 35mm 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 fairly distinct, indicating this watch has been lightly used and has been very well cared for.

This watch has an immaculate unrestored dial and a watch case in museum standard condition. The movement in particular, is in spectacular condition. We believe from the condition, this watch has hardly ever been used.

Omega Constellations have always been highly regarded for their accuracy and dependability, making this one of the most practical vintage dress watches you can buy.

The Dial

The original, unrestored and untouched gold dial is in tip-top condition, as you can see in the photographs. This dial has outstanding bold onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, these are matched with the original, unrestored ‘Dauphine’ style hands, providing the classic smart 1960s functional aesthetic.

The dial carries the applied gold OMEGA brand and Signature just below 12, with ‘Automatic’ and ‘Constellation Chronometer’ just above 6. An aperture at ‘3’ displays the date register.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors 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.

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 see here 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

This is the very high grade, Omega Calibre 564 automatic, copper-plated beryllium-bronze 24 Jewel movement which as can be seen, is in absolute tip-top, sparkling condition.

These movements have a very efficient self-winding mechanism and are highly accurate and reliable. This makes this an ideal watch for regular use, should you so wish. Once set and worn, you will seldom need to make any adjustments if worn daily.

The movement has been fully overhauled by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means disassembling the watch movement down to all its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration. This watch, therefore, winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +2 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This is no exaggeration, we have checked and confirmed these test results on our electronic watch timegrapher. Please bear in mind, this kind of performance is outstanding for any watch, particularly of this age. The movement also has a 46 hour power reserve when fully wound. We are highly confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co. Swiss’, ‘Twenty Four Jewels’, and ‘Cal. 564 Adjusted 5 Positions’ with the serial number 28958644 which dates the watch to 1969. These watches are well known for their exceedingly robust, accurate and reliable movements making this watch perfect for everyday use or simply as evening wear only – as you wish. The automatic winding mechanism is very efficient and if worn regularly each day, this watch will never need winding and seldom need resetting. The movement winds, runs and sets smoothly and is working perfectly.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

Watch Case

The heavy 18ct yellow gold waterproof* watch case measures 35mm, excluding the correct original Omega signed crown. It is in the typically robust design of the period, with strong sweeping lugs and a screw-back. The case was designed to be waterproof and dustproof, made in two-parts with a solid upper body which has an integrated, radially engraved bezel and a separate case-back which screws into the upper case.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and very gently hand-polished to remove some tarnish, 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 almost as new. Being 18ct gold, this is usually worn to a far greater extent, but here it is still crisp and distinct, indicating this watch has hardly been worn. The screw-down case-back and sealed crown make this watch water resistant to 20 metres*.

Inside the case-back, all is as expected with the correct branding and correctly signed: ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Swiss Made’, along with Swiss 18ct hallmarks and the serial number 168018.

*Although originally specified as ‘Water Resistant to 20 metres’, 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 and Buckle

The watch is finished with a very high-quality black Alligator strap and matching gold-plated Omega buckle which we feel suits the watch beautifully. However, if you have a preference for another colour or style, please let us know and we will do our best to supply and fit your preferred strap for no extra 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 from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their wonderful 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 1969.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will also be provided at the time of sale with our ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

A high quality hardwood presentation box, as shown in the photographs, is included in the sale of this watch.

If you would like to pay by bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. 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 that happen to visit the UK 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 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 truly beautiful top of the range, 1960s 18ct Omega Constellation in wonderful condition. If you are looking for a great example of a top marque Omega with one of Omega’s best ever automatic movements then this watch ticks all the boxes. The movement is of a very high grade and is equal to watches much more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Omega Constellation watches are highly collectable and the desirability of this watch means its value will always remain strong.

In addition to being perfectly practical for everyday use, this watch will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece, as well as be something wonderful to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! Even though vintage gold Omega watch prices continue to climb, we still feel sure that top class examples such as this are underpriced. This is because as time passes and the world market for vintage gold Omega watches continues to grow, limited supply means prices will inevitably climb ever higher.

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.