An Omega Constellation is typically worth $400 – $6,000, depending on reference, condition, originality, and provenance.
Market values current as of October 2026Most Omega Constellations that owners bring out of a drawer are worth somewhere between $400 and $3,000. A 1980s or 1990s quartz Constellation "Manhattan" in steel or steel and gold usually sits at the low end. A vintage automatic chronometer from the 1950s or 1960s with an original "pie-pan" dial sits higher, and one in a solid 18k gold case can bring $2,500 to $6,000.
Three things decide where yours falls: whether the movement is a vintage automatic chronometer or a later quartz, whether the case is solid gold or only gold-capped or plated, and whether the dial is original. Refinished dials are very common on old Constellations, and they cut value hard.
A quartz Constellation Manhattan typically sells for $400 to $1,200. A vintage steel or gold-capped automatic Constellation usually brings $700 to $2,500, and a solid 18k gold one with an original pie-pan dial typically $2,500 to $6,000. Rare Grand Luxe and enamel-dial pieces are a separate, five- and six-figure market. Check the caseback medallion, the movement caliber and the dial before anything else.
What exactly do you have?
Omega launched the Constellation in 1952 as its line of certified chronometers. The name comes from the eight stars on the caseback crest, which stand for precision records Omega set at the Kew-Teddington and Geneva observatories. Owners usually have one of two very different watches.
- Vintage automatic (1952 to early 1970s): An observatory medallion with eight stars on the caseback, "Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified" on the dial, and a chronometer movement. Early bumper calibers 352 and 354 were followed by the 501 and 505, then the 551, 561 and 564 (date), and the 700-series calibers of the late 1960s. Many have a pie-pan dial, with the outer edge faceted downward like an upturned pie dish.
- Quartz "Manhattan" (1982 onward): Designed by Carol Didisheim, it has four "claws" at 3 and 9 o'clock and an integrated bracelet. Most are steel, steel and gold, or full gold, in men's and ladies' sizes, many with day-date or double date displays.
Look for the reference number inside the caseback (such as 14381, 14393, 167.005, 168.005 or 396.1202) and the serial number on the movement. To get a first read on model and period, photograph the dial, the caseback medallion and the bracelet clasp.
Solid gold, gold-capped or gold-plated?
This is the biggest value question for a "gold" Constellation. A solid gold case carries a karat stamp (18K, 0.750, or 14K on some US-cased models) and a hallmark inside the caseback; the bezel, lugs and back are gold throughout. A gold-capped case is stainless steel with a thick gold layer bonded to the front, often with a gold bezel; the inside back and the underside of the lugs show steel. Gold-plated cases have a thin layer over base metal and wear through at the edges. Capped and plated pieces sell for less than solid gold and have no meaningful melt value. For a solid-gold watch or an 18k mesh bracelet, the gold weight sets a floor; check it with our gold melt calculator.
Is it real, and is the dial original?
Outright fakes exist, but the far more common problem is the redial: an original dial that was stripped and reprinted. Signs include thick or wrong-shaped lettering, a missing or misplaced "Swiss Made," crooked printing, a Constellation star logo that looks blurry, and markers that sit off-center. A redial typically cuts a vintage Constellation's value by half or more.
- Check the movement matches the dial. A Constellation dial should sit on a chronometer caliber such as the 564, not the similar non-chronometer 565 used in Seamasters.
- The caseback medallion should be crisp. Soft or smeared stars suggest a replacement back or a fake.
- Replacement crowns, hands and bracelets are common. They lower value but do not make the watch fake.
What Omega Constellations sell for
| Item | Typical value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan quartz, steel or steel and gold | $400 to $1,200 | Box and papers add a few hundred dollars. |
| Manhattan quartz, full 18k gold | $2,500 to $6,000 | Gold weight of the integrated bracelet drives the floor. |
| Vintage automatic, gold-capped or gold-plated | $700 to $1,800 | Wear-through on the cap lowers value. |
| Vintage automatic, steel, pie-pan dial | $1,000 to $2,500 | Original, unpolished examples bring the most. |
| Vintage automatic, solid 18k gold, pie-pan dial | $2,500 to $6,000 | Original dial and an unpolished case matter most. |
| Grand Luxe, platinum or enamel dials | $10,000 and up | Specialist auction territory. |
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Recent and notable results we could confirm:
- CHF 413,700: platinum Constellation Grand Luxe, Antiquorum "Omegamania," Geneva, April 2007 (verified).
- CHF 152,500: 18k gold Constellation with cloisonné enamel observatory dial, same Antiquorum sale, 2007 (verified).
- €20,000: 18k white gold Constellation Grand Luxe with diamond-set dial, cal. 501, Uhren-Muser, November 2025 (verified).
- CA$3,500: 18k yellow gold pie-pan Constellation, ref. 14381/2, cal. 551, Waddingtons, June 2025 (verified).
- €2,422.50: steel and gold Constellation, ref. 14393-61 SC, cal. 561, with a tropical brown pie-pan dial, Bonhams Paris, February 2022 (verified).
- £1,024: steel quartz Constellation, ref. 396.1202, with box and warranty card, Bonhams, July 2025 (verified).
Those are auction prices including buyer's premium. A dealer buying your watch will usually offer 50 to 70 percent of what they expect to resell it for.
What to do now
- Do not polish the case or clean the dial. Sharp case edges and an untouched dial are worth more than shine.
- Do not open it yourself. A watchmaker can photograph the caliber and serial number without risk.
- Gather papers. An original box, warranty card or receipt adds value, especially for quartz models. For a vintage piece, Omega's Extract of the Archives (about CHF 120) confirms production date and the country it was delivered to.
- Get a value range first. Our watch valuation page explains the options, and the Omega Speedmaster value guide covers the same reference and serial checks.
Where to sell and what it costs
- Under $1,500: eBay or a local watch dealer. Marketplace fees typically run 10 to 15 percent; dealers pay less but buy immediately.
- $1,500 to $10,000: Online watch auctions at Bonhams, Heritage or a regional house. Seller commissions are usually 10 to 20 percent, and buyers pay a premium of about 25 percent on top.
- Above $10,000: Specialist sales at Phillips, Christie's, Sotheby's or Antiquorum. Find a nearby specialist in our watch and timepiece directory.
Trusted resources
- Antiquorum Omegamania top lots: the benchmark Omega auction.
- Watchonista on Omega's Heritage Department: Extract of the Archives and Certificate of Authenticity explained.
- W Magazine on the Constellation Manhattan: the 1982 claw design.
- Waddingtons pie-pan lot and Bonhams ref. 14393 lot: fully described vintage examples to compare against.
- Bonhams quartz Constellation lot: what a complete box-and-papers set looks like.
- American Society of Appraisers: find a credentialed appraiser for insurance or estates.
What Drives the Value
- Case metal — solid 18k gold is worth several times more than gold-capped or gold-plated, and sets a melt-value floor.
- Dial originality — an original dial, even with patina, can be worth double a refinished one.
- Movement — vintage automatic chronometers sell for more than later quartz models.
- Pie-pan dial — the faceted pie-pan dial is the most sought-after vintage design.
- Case condition — sharp, unpolished lugs and a crisp caseback medallion add value.
- Rarity — Grand Luxe, platinum and enamel dial models are a separate high-value market.
- Box and papers — matter most for quartz Manhattan models, often adding a few hundred dollars.
- Bracelet — original gold or signed Omega bracelets add value; generic replacements subtract it.
Identification Checklist
- Turn the watch over: vintage Constellations have a gold medallion on the caseback showing an observatory under eight stars.
- Read the dial: vintage chronometers say Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified, and many have a faceted pie-pan dial edge.
- Find the reference number inside the caseback, for example 14381, 14393, 167.005 or 168.005 for vintage and 396.1202 for a 1990s quartz.
- The movement caliber identifies the era: 352 and 354 bumpers (early 1950s), 501 and 505, then 551, 561 and 564, and the 700 series in the late 1960s.
- Quartz Manhattan models from 1982 onward have four claws on the bezel at 3 and 9 o'clock and an integrated bracelet.
- Check the clasp and case for 750 or 18K marks; an 18k mesh bracelet will be stamped on the clasp and links.
- The movement serial number gives an approximate production year; Omega's Extract of the Archives gives the exact date.
How to Spot a Fake
- Redials are the main risk: look for thick, uneven or wrongly shaped lettering, blurry star logos and misaligned markers.
- Confirm the movement matches the dial; a Constellation dial on a non-chronometer caliber such as the Seamaster cal. 565 suggests a swapped dial.
- Soft, smeared or flat caseback stars point to a replacement or counterfeit back.
- Gold-capped cases show steel inside the caseback and under the lugs; solid gold cases carry karat stamps and hallmarks.
- Modern counterfeit Constellations often use generic movements and misspelled or wrongly spaced dial text.
- For watches likely worth over $3,000, ask an auction house specialist or Omega's Heritage Department to check originality before selling.
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The route often matters as much as the item. A dealer typically pays 45–70% of an item's value, so they can resell it at a profit; an auction house typically returns 75–88% after its commission, but takes weeks.
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