
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega Constellation 168.005 Beads Of Rice, 1968
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- 1968
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 34 mm
- Stock no.
- Product 7354620772535
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Huntington Company (product 7354620772535)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1968 Omega Constellation 168.005 Beads Of Rice (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Huntington Company (dealer) (stock number Product 7354620772535), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1968. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 34 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Huntington Company
Condition Analysis A 55-year-old Omega in this condition is ridiculous. The dial is literally perfect. The unpolished case does show signs of wear but nothing out of the norm. It has its original omega-stamped crystal and constellation crown. The Calibre 564 housed inside is very clean and dates to 1968. Description Year: 1968 Model: Constellation Case Diameter: 34mm Lug to Lug: 42mm Case: Steel Condition: In regular, worn condition Dial: Amazing Condition Movement: Automatic winding Curator Thoughts The Constellation is one of those vintage icons when it comes to affordable luxury. A very unique design with its pie-pan dial and aggressive lugs. The 'pre-Genta' Constellation will always be THE Omega Constellation. A watch that is so clean yet so dressy all at the same time. Sporty with its original Beads of Rice bracelet or just dress it up with a simple alligator strap. What's not to love?
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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