I'm still looking for a nice C case, and like the knurled bezel versions. There is one that has been on Ebay for a while, I don't know the seller, and the watch basically looks right to me except that a bridge is not quite the same color as the rest of the movement--Dennis helped me with that. Just looking for an opinion on this as to correctness, etc. The grey dial is nice, and I think these variations were in the later versions. I've seen a couple of blue ones, too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130729008760?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

These are getting harder to find and more expensive, too. I keep chasing leads when I can. Any comments are appreciated.
David

 

Not sure why, but something about that dial is making me uneasy. Is the lack of hyphens around the 'T SWISS MADE T" a problem? Also, something about the hands seems wrong, like they're too short or something. Obviously one of them is missing part of the insert.

 

Absolutely, and I picked up on that as well. BTW, the hand design seems to be normal, with lume only at the ends, I've found a couple more just like that, but enough here to not trust. I'm not sure if the inner portion is supposed to be cut out or just black, though. Thanks for everyone weighing in on this.

 

Here's WUS member RayG's grey dialed C-case:




He's owned it since new. Yes, it's a different caliber and an earlier model (a guess due to the dauphine hands) but a good reference for this thread. Compare it to the eBay watch and let's see what everyone thinks.

 

Very interesting. The markers are different, too, for the earlier watch, they seem to be like for the standard silver dials from that era. I'll attach another dial shot of a 751 that has the same dial furniture as the Argentina watch, and the inner hands have black inserts, I can see the Ebay watch has a section missing from the hour hand. Desmond does not include photographs of these in his articles on the C Case or the 751 models. I do see this one has a later script, too.

 

IMHO the dial on the ebay one is original. It retains the 'star burst' lines radiating out from the centre and I doubt that could be recreated well. The type and lume dots etc.. also look good. Hands also original.

 

These are both verified original, but notice the slight variations in the printing, lack of "Ts" on one dial as well as different amounts of lume.

Quality control was not nearly as strict years ago, as long as suppliers met a set of general specifications noticeable variations were allowable from one to another.

 

I was actually going to question the example Dennis posted due to its "T T" dial and apparent lack of sufficient tritium on the dial and hands to warrant it. But according to XJR, it could be the result of less than ideal quality control. Good to know.

 

Interesting, huh? The last "n" in Constellation doesn't roll under in either of his examples and that would have been a big no-no in my book.

 

Wow, fantastic back-up here. I noticed the lume--as well as fine detail of the fonts--is different on the two I posted, and also on some of the others. I can see why verification of these can be a challenge. It's great to see several examples and variations. Great discussion...