Dear forum members,

for a special occassion and to celebrate a career step I bought a vintage Omega constellation Friday this week. The watch is a Omega constellation "pie pan" ref 14381- 11SC serial numer 18172311 and by the seller dated to 1961. It should have caliber 551. I made the purchase from a brick and mortar reputable art, vintage jewelry and vintage watch dealer in Sweden. The watch is in overall visually very good condition and I am very fond of these types of watches. My colleague has one and I have been looking for a good example. I felt confident with the watch I purchased and also the seller. The information I got was that it had been fully serviced and that the crown and glass had been replaced using genuine Omega parts. I have no doubts about the watchmaker they use. It all felt very legit and I was given a 6 month warranty. The price was pretty steep, but I checked other sellers and prices and it was within a reasonable price interval. I realize there are a lot of fakes, frankens etc out there so I am vary, however I don't feel 100% confident. Especially after what happened next.

The evening of friday I noticed there was hardly any rotation of the rotor. I tried gently shaking the watch. The rotor seemed to come to a full stop. I felt a bit anxious since I was planning to wear the watch to a wedding the following day. Yesterday, Saturday, I was very busy with my family coming up to the wedding and the watch trouble kept clouding my mind. I couldn't find time to properly have a look what was wrong with my watch. Later that day I tried to gently wind the crown and the watch started ticking only to come to a halt shortly after. By the evening it was a dead fish on land. A major dissapointment and I felt it badly. This watch was expensive, I had bought it for a personal achievement and also a special occasion. The watch failed me. Now its Sunday and I need to decide what to do next. Tomorrow I will take the watch back to the seller. Swedish consumer's law provide med with a couple of alternatives. Repair or I could try to claim money back and cancel the purchase.

Questions I have to you fellows that I please ask your help with:.
- Is this Connie legit and do you think the watch is fully original dial included? Might the dial have been re-dialled? It sure looks original although in a suspiciously good condition. I know the glass, crown and strap have been replaced. (see photos of previous parts). The stars on the Geneva observatory on the back make we wonder a bit. The two stars to the right are almost gone and hardly visible.
- What do you think could have happened to the movement?
- Should I claim money back and cancel the purchase? The thing is already my faith and experience with this watch has partially been ruined. For me the reliability of watch is important. Can that trust be restored I wonder. Do any of you have experience with fixing broken caliber 551?

All help is highly appreciated. I know this post is rather long but I wanted to give as much info as possible. See also photos.

Many thanks in advance.

 

Hi, I don't know how much you spent on that one, but it has been over polished for one thing.
The crown does not look appropriate for that model.
Dial looks original.
For me it wouldn't be a keeper.
Good luck.

 

Sorry to hear of your predicament. I can imagine your disappointment.

To answer your questions:

Dial is original and very nice.
minute hand and centre sweep appear a tad too long
Case lugs are a bit rounded owing to polishing
Medallion is worn a bit - not too bad but not showing all the stars. Polishing may have helped.
Crown is not original factory spec, but they don't make decagonal crowns for the 2mm pipe size models any more.
If the rotor is not working, there is the possibility of either the rotor post or the bearing needing attention - a real issue if that is the case.
Can't speak for the rest of the movement because there isn't a shot of it.

So, the watch is genuine with an above average dial - from what we can see. There are issues in respect to what a collector would demand - longer hands and case condition being the the two most significant areas. A decagonal crown is sometimes a deal winner/breaker for those who demand factory originality. Generally, many people would be happy to wear the watch, however if you want full factory originality and are concerned about the movement, I would be inclined to take the money back option and continue your search for an example that meets all of your demands.

Keep your eyes on the For Sale Forum on this site for example, because they do pop up regularly.

Regards

Desmond

 

Thank you for your replies. I too feel confident on the dial. Now looking at the minute and second hand they stretch over the minute markers. I suppose, as with many watches, the tip of the hands should point straight on the innermost part of the minute markers. The hands may at some point have been changed but
I suspect not in the latest service done by the seller since other changed parts have been saved and where given to me in plastic baggies.

I am hesitant towards opening the caseback as I have never done so to a vintage watch previously. I am also careful not to tamper with the watch too much should it come to claiming a full return.

I will sure look in the Sale Forum. I am fairly new to vintage watches so all advice is highly appreciated.

Regards,
Gerdsken

 

Don't get into the nightmare of trying to get it fixed and back to the original configuration. It's not working so you have grounds to return it. Do that and look for something else.