Hi guys: Just need some advice on this watch I've been "holding" on to for the past day.. The case-back was off today at STS and Simon (the Omega tech) wasn't really overly enthused about the case as it didn't have a case-back reference as it was made for the French market, Hence he couldn't place it. It has a cal 505 movement. In 18k Rose gold. Desirable arrowhead markers. Dial has a very light patina. Case in fairly good nick. It could apparently do with a clean. ..Simon said.. It is quite a lot thinner (I imagine..) than a true Omega Suisse caseback but the overall beauty of the watch is still evident..especially on the wrist! Case seems quite big for a connie of this age, maybe 36mm? Unless most if the 50's constellations were like that. What I need to know is.. Will this case alter the future desirability of this watch? It's still a pie pan type dial with arrowhead markers in rose gold I suppose. Also be interested what people think it would be worth and what you would be expected to pay for such a piece. Many thanks! If people know about the original version of this case let me know. I want to know if it has been heavily polished or in fact it ever had the 'constellation' and 'waterproof' on this type of caseback...oh, there's a pick of my Ranchero there on an old hirsch too!
French cased vintage omegas whether they are connies or other models are less desirable and valuable than swiss cased omegas. In this case, the dial is nice, the case looks nice too though have not seen many like this one. The inner caseback has typical markings and we'll need to see pictures of that to verify it is indeed a French national production case. I personally wouldn't buy a french cased omega unless the price was really low. Valuation, hard to tell - I would estimate anywhere from 20-50% less than its swiss cased counterpart.
It is a french case. The eagle head hallmark on the caseback and (less visibly) the lug and side of the case identify it as such.
I'm not really sure what the price of Swiss cases go for ? Any leads? The case back is thinner material...
Here is my 18k Rose Gold piepan connie - I've posted pictures of the front before but this is the first one with the back. The case has never been polished - notice the difference in case detail compared to your example.
Yes. In general yours is a nicer case. There are different textures in the gold. As opposed to the reflective shine on my example. I think it's difficult to say for sure if it was the same as yours in terms of design. :: with that beauty though!
I don't think you can compare MSN's and Stygg's watches with that one. The case looks totally different. Lugs, shape, everything looks different. I'm not sure if the French ones ever had edges as sharp as the Swiss market pieces. I agree that there's probably less gold (and intrinsic value) in these watch cases, so I'm sure they are worth considerably less. Dial looks original and is in decent shape. Crown, while not the preferred 10-sider, is probably OK, too. It comes down to price at the end, gatorcpa