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1961 Connie refinished and back to former glory!

Yo32Leigh
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Morning all 😀,
Some of you may be familiar with my previously inherited Connie which is was responsible for bringing me to OF's in the first place. My first post back in the day showed the watch as I received it, in what could be described as 'well used' condition.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/inherited-1960-omega-constellation.139681/

Having taken advice and guidance from users on here and further afield, I decided to go ahead with the refurbishment of this watch, including the following:

- Replacement bezel
- Replacement crystal
- Replacement crown

The replacement bezel was beautifully handcrafted by @No Mercy and really brings the piece back to life. As you can see the case has been sympathetically polished and still maintains its beautiful lines without the previously visible battle scars.
I think the end product is stunning and I thought it only fair that I share as a lot of you have contributed to bring this watch back to life.
The only remaining question now is with regards to sourcing a nice leather band to do it justice. I have heard the 'Hirsch' name mentioned as a source of quality bands. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Should I go black or brown?
Thanks again for all your input on this journey.
 
x1358394-6d4d0323f47eb2a33d6c983461932b43.jpg.pagespeed.ic.LhT6PQy_lS (2).jpg x1358395-5fc21dd55654a9fb49b41395e82fb732.jpg.pagespeed.ic.qNcfN6qhOT.jpg x1358396-195db841b1ea76d273ba35677b976cbc.jpg.pagespeed.ic.8It7ALUbsL.jpg x1358397-f52ff8b3e38aca0f6ac78840d9a907a3.jpg.pagespeed.ic._KMy2NQ3TQ.jpg x1358399-dedbffccc5fe39dc8c414934278a6026.jpg.pagespeed.ic.vYXwn1F2o2.jpg
river9
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Congratulations on your inheritance!
Nice work done too on your timepiece, esp the case appearance with great sharpness.
May I ask how much it cost you to restore this watch case solely. Thank you.
 
Yo32Leigh
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river9 river9
Congratulations on your inheritance!
Nice work done too on your timepiece, esp the case appearance with great sharpness.
May I ask how much it cost you to restore this watch case solely. Thank you.
I had the case polished as part of the broader package of works which included parts, labour and a service. I suspect just case refinishing as a stand alone piece of work would be more expensive.
Drop @No Mercy a message and see if this is something he would be willing to undertake for you.
 
Larry S
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Beautiful work. Congrats! Great example of how OF is an amazing resource. BLACK gator …
Edited:
 
Noddyman
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Great job, well done.

Yo32Leigh Yo32Leigh
Should I go black or brown?
I find wine/burgundy goes quite well with that dial colour.
 
nkhandekar
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It looks great now. Regarding the strap, I would go with black as it picks up the black insert of the indices. Camille Fournet make very nice straps for my money. You could do worse than search for straps on Fratello to find out some other options.
Edited:
 
gbesq
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What a gorgeous restoration. Congrats! To answer the OP’s question, Hirsch makes some very nice straps, but they aren’t inexpensive. I’m a fan of RIOS1931 straps which are more moderately priced but still very good quality. Here’s my dogleg Constellation on a RIOS crocodile strap.
A6572368-B72A-4D36-B641-3F3738B9F893.jpeg
 
JayBe
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That was quick and I hope you enjoy the result! My vote would be definitely for a black strap, maybe ostrich or gator if you want to go fancy. 😀
 
cineaste
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gbesq gbesq
What a gorgeous restoration. Congrats! To answer the OP’s question, Hirsch makes some very nice straps, but they aren’t inexpensive. I’m a fan of RIOS1931 straps which are more moderately priced but still very good quality. Here’s my dogleg Constellation on a RIOS crocodile strap.
A6572368-B72A-4D36-B641-3F3738B9F893.jpeg
Rios or Fluco are my choice, otherwise go custom.
 
SkunkPrince
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Color, you can have whatever you want. Typically it was brown with gold or black with steel, but whatever makes you happy is all you need.

If you can deal with the shorter length of 110+75, you can get authentic Omega NOS straps on eBay... but have us help you by vetting the auction before you buy. There is/was a seller from Saudi who had some but I don't see any listings for him at the moment.

Also, while you can of course buy whatever leather you like, it was common for more expensive watches to come with alligator or crocodile.

As for buckle, Omega is making a reproduction of their 50s buckles. STZ006410 for 16mm in steel.

Of course you can buy straps directly from Omega if you choose.

Good luck!
 
padders
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Color, you can have whatever you want. Typically it was brown with gold or black with steel, but whatever makes you happy is all you need.

If you can deal with the shorter length of 110+75, you can get authentic Omega NOS straps on eBay... but have us help you by vetting the auction before you buy. There is/was a seller from Saudi who had some but I don't see any listings for him at the moment.

Also, while you can of course buy whatever leather you like, it was common for more expensive watches to come with alligator or crocodile.

As for buckle, Omega is making a reproduction of their 50s buckles. STZ006410 for 16mm in steel.

Of course you can buy straps directly from Omega if you choose.

Good luck!

All very good advice above, as usual. I myself have bought a couple of the genuine repro buckles in 16mm and 18mm for future projects. However, for a beginner at least I would caution against buying a supposedly genuine strap from ebay. There are literally thousands of fakes on there and some in depth knowledge is needed to weed out the fakes. I am sure Tom has it, but not too many others will have studied enough to be sure.
 
SkunkPrince
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padders padders
All very good advice above, as usual. I myself have bought a couple of the genuine repro buckles in 16mm and 18mm for future projects. However, for a beginner at least I would caution against buying a supposedly genuine strap from ebay. There are literally thousands of fakes on there and some in depth knowledge is needed to weed out the fakes. I am sure Tom has it, but not too many others will have studied enough to be sure.

One other caution I might add, sometimes NOS straps have not been stored very well and can fall apart the instant you try to use them.

So yah, maybe skip the straps on eBay. 😀

This is a store I have bought from before and have always been satisfied: https://holbensfinewatchbands.com
 
Untame
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Looks really nice. I too am curious about how much you invested to bring it back.

Be brave with the strap -- RED skin of some sort. Lizard, Aligator, Stingray, etc. WWKO'LD ("What Would Kevin O'Leary Do?")
 
YYTIN
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Nice job ! Very well done indeed !
To add to those strap options, you could also go for a black lizard from Camille fournet. I found one in Ebay supposedly from a shop that stops its business and it did cost 60euros a year ago... Maybe worth checking that path.
 
ConElPueblo
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I would recommend buying a few different straps from beo-shops on eBay. For the price - or double that - I can't think of a similiarly well made product. A bit basic in the lining, but well built. Make sure you buy non-padded straps for the slim Constellation.

Great work on reviving it!
 
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Tet
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Congratulations, that's a great restoration and a lovely watch that will doubtless be a pleasure to wear.
 
ahsposo
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
I would recommend buying a few different straps from beo-shops on eBay. For the price - or double that - I can't think of a similiarly well made product. A bit basic in the lining, but well built. Make sure you buy non-padded straps for the slim Constellation.

Great work on reviving it!
Thanks for that link. I used to buy these straps or very, very similar a few years ago from a seller with a different name. Incredible value.
 
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Yo32Leigh
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Color, you can have whatever you want. Typically it was brown with gold or black with steel, but whatever makes you happy is all you need.

If you can deal with the shorter length of 110+75, you can get authentic Omega NOS straps on eBay... but have us help you by vetting the auction before you buy. There is/was a seller from Saudi who had some but I don't see any listings for him at the moment.

Also, while you can of course buy whatever leather you like, it was common for more expensive watches to come with alligator or crocodile.

As for buckle, Omega is making a reproduction of their 50s buckles. STZ006410 for 16mm in steel.

Of course you can buy straps directly from Omega if you choose.

Good luck!
I found this listing on the bay for buckles. Do you think it looks legit? It might be me been cynical, but the more someone says original, the more I query authenticity?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192303743192
 
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SkunkPrince
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Those are legit, but new style. The part number I cited is for one of these:

IMG_0961.png


Sorry for the crappy pic. 😀 You can order it directly from Omega.
 
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