Skip to content
Omega Constellation 1960s 18k Gold Automatic Watch 25251780 — view 1 of 4
View 1 of 4 · Image: Hampton Estate Auction / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Omega Constellation 1960s 18k Gold Automatic Watch 25251780

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Omega (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
18k gold, gold
Lot
Item 159082019
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 622, Fine Jewelry and Watches, Hampton Estate Auction (2023), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Omega Constellation 1960s 18k Gold Automatic Watch 25251780 (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 159082019), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k gold, gold. The record is illustrated with 4 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

Lot description — Hampton Estate Auction

METAL: 18k Gold. MEASUREMENTS: Case 35mm, 18k gold bracelet is 7.5" long. Cream dial with gold stick markers. MOVEMENT: Automatic, working order. Ref. 25251780, circa 1967. WEIGHT: 98 grams.Watches are guaranteed to be in running order, if described as such, at the time of listing only. Watches have not been tested for features functionality, unless otherwise stated in description.

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

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

  • A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
  • 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
  • A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

  • Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
  • Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
  • Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

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.

Related records