Everytime one thinks that they've seen everything, a stumper comes along...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-OME...689-005-/231234123997?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network



Looks like a locally cased Constellation Ref. 168.005 with the nominal reference "168.9005". Never heard of "Carci" before, is it Brazilian?

I would say to save it in the auction section, but the dial is just a little too beat up for my taste. I'll let the "powers that be" decide that one.

Paging Doug Gravina, Mr. Gravina?
gatorcpa

 

What's the "0,750"? Isn't that a hallmark? I agree that alone doesn't guarantee anything.

This reminds me of the British Dennison cases. This one has its own variations on the standard pie-pan case reference. Don't think that a cal. 561 would fit inside a 2652 or 2852 case. Again, that doesn't make it real either.

This particular example looks like a melted ice cube, it's been polished so hard.

Just not sure what this is.
gatorcpa

 

2887

 

OK. So I could have been more descriptive in the title.

Got you to look, didn't I?

Doing more research. Don't think I will have a definitive answer. Still drawing a blank on "Carci".

gatorcpa

 

Yes, I wonder if Spencer still has his. I think Kyle sold his.

 

Some of the non-Swiss made cases of the 1960's did have perlage finishes inside, the Swiss made ones generally did not. Here is a UK made Dennison caseback:





As you can see, when these are overpolished, the medallion gets worn down quickly. Here is an old auction listing, showing a similar caseback in excellent condition. Unfortunately, I can't find a way to post large pictures from this listing:

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21662/lot/126/

A couple of points worth noting about the original "Brazilian"(it may or may not be Brazilian...the watch is only located there) example:

1. The case back is engraved with the "BB" prefix, which is the correct Omega case metal code for rose or pink 18K gold.

http://www.old-omegas.com/ommetcod.html

A counterfeiter would have to know this. Couldn't be a "BA" or "BC", as those are different colors of gold.

2. The fit of the movement in the case is too good to be a cast copy of a Ref. 2652 or 2887. The cal. 50X movements are thicker than the cal. 56X. The dials are not compatible either. You would need a custom spacer to make it all fit. Even then, I'm not sure how the dial would look. I also don't think that you could mate a phony cast 1st generation screw-in caseback to a 2nd generation case top. The dimensions just don't work. Try it and see.

3. I think we all agree that the dial and movement are Omega made, even if ridden hard and hung up wet. I'm not sure if the crown is original or not.

My semi-educated guess is either this is a genuine non-Swiss made case that is heavily worn and poorly polished or it is a totally counterfeit case. I still can't find any reference to Carci on the internet. This is certainly not a good sign for the veracity of the case.

I really can't tell if this is real or fake, but I do not believe to be a cast copy either.
gatorcpa