Latest Vintage Piece

1970 Omega Constellation 166.059 168.047 125gr. net weight 18kt. $14,500.00 CAD. 510-00148

When this watch was made in 1970 Omega had produced a little over 30 million watches since there inception in 1848. They were producing around 4 million watches annually. Rolex by comparison had produced only around 3 million watch since their founding in 1905 and had annual sales of around 200,000 watches per year. Omega dominated the Swiss made market for the majority of the 20th century. This was the heyday of Swiss watch production. The Swiss had absolute control of the watch industry. Their luxury mechanical watches were eagerly purchased by coming of age baby boomers and their parents. There were lots of great paying jobs and the world economy was booming. As a nod to complete luxury, not only is the case and bracelet made entirely of premium 18 karat gold, so is the dial as indicated by the OM text at the bottom. OM stands for “Or Massif” which translates to solid gold in English. A solid gold gents Omega on bracelet is a very rare find for us. This is one of only a handful of vintage examples to pass through our estate department. The condition looks almost completely original. The 18 karat sold gold dial (not painted) is in very good condition, showing very minor oxidation stains. An integrated link bracelet graduates in width to the fold over snap buckle. An embossed Omega logo on the buckle shows little wear, even the subtle striped pattern is still visible. Tight joints in every link show show a small amount of wear and a touch of stretch in the heavy bracelet. It’s hard to say with 100% certainty but we think the only thing not original is the crown. The gold capped crown is possibly a genuine replacement item as it is signed with the more modern short Omega logo and exhibits the expected degree of wear. There aren’t too many service records etched in the case back and the plastic crystal displays the corporate logo embossed in the center. Housed inside the gold case is a beautiful Omega 20 jewel in house calibre 1001 that is running well and keeping great time. Rose gold plating on the movement still display the type of finish that helped earn Omega great respect among those who serviced them. My father was a watch maker who learned his craft in the late 1940s. I remember him saying how Omega watches were a pleasure not only to look at but to work on too. This slender movement was independently certified to chronometer status making it one of the most accurate wrist watches of its day. To earn certified chronometer status the watch must maintain accurate time keeping of better than 99.99% per day. The movement was overhauled by our master watchmaker in June 2023 and is performing well within certified chronometer levels of accuracy. The timing report shows a gain rate of just 1 second per day, an excellent balance amplitude of 284 degrees, and a perfect beat error of zero milliseconds. Looking for similar watches online lines reveals very few to compare. The case back numbers of 166.059 168.047 doesn’t really help in finding many as nice as this one. I suspect many of these watches were melted down over the years to access the gold value they contain. This watch has a weight similar to that of a solid gold Rolex Day-Date of the era at over 142 grams. Removing the movement and crystal leaves a net weight of 125 grams including the solid gold dial. At the current price of gold ($4,533.00 CAD June 6, 2025) the value of just the gold in this watch is $13,600 This is a good sized watch that wears much larger than its 33mm wide case size suggests. The 18 flexible link bracelet will accommodate a wrist size of over 8 inches. For a 54 year old watch, we’d consider the overall condition to be quite good. Including a complimentary 1-year Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers warranty this cool vintage Omega is estate priced at $14,500.00 CAD. Stock #510-00148.

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