Bubbling dial impact on value retention on Omega.

Jorge 3 · Wed. 11:03am

Hello everybody,

I have been looking into purchasing a Constellation. I have come across this one attached at what I believe is a fair price (500 euros), however I was wondering to what extent the bubbling affects the value of the watch, as I am unable to find a similar online with bubbling. The crown appears to be original and it seems to be unpolished. I have previously bought from this seller and he is reputable, and he states the movement is running great. In summary I would like to know if anybody can inform me of the impact of the bubbling on the value of the watch, and if I am getting a great deal or just a fair one.

Endshake · Wed. 11:18am

You have to imagine it this way: under all of These bubbles there is Rust. And once those bubbles beginn to Open up , the dial will Not look good anymore.

Endshake · Wed. 11:19am

The dial is the face of the watch and often the most valuable Part

Canuck · Wed. 11:23am

From the look of the scratches on the case back, you might wonder about the state of the movement! If it was moisture that spoiled the dial, chances are there will be additional damage inside. If it is the seller’s picture, considering they didn’t show a picture of the movement, I’d be gun shy on this one. Chances are the case is corroded, and it will not be possible to seal it! These are around. Don’t be in a hurry! Too many questions!

SOG53 · Wed. 11:56am

The charm of this reference are the beautiful dials.
Your example is poor, keep searching.

cristos71 · Wed. 11:57am

That's a walk away watch. For this ref. in excellent condition you shouldn't be paying more than €750/800 absolute max.

This one is in poor condition. Knackered dial, lume missing in the hands, deep scratched case back and I'm 99% certain that's not the correct crown either.

Larry S · Wed. 12:42pm

No good will come from your purchase of this watch.

Dan S · Wed. 12:52pm

Be prepared for the dial to degrade further. Unless you really love this particular dial for some reason, I would spend a few hundred more for a clean dial.

ErichKeane · Wed. 1:11pm

Jan Dietrich
You have to imagine it this way: under all of These bubbles there is Rust. And once those bubbles beginn to Open up , the dial will Not look good anymore.

I mean, definitely not rust. Dials are made of brass...

Jorge 3 · Wed. 1:24pm

Jan Dietrich
You have to imagine it this way: under all of These bubbles there is Rust. And once those bubbles beginn to Open up , the dial will Not look good anymore.

Thanks

Jorge 3 · Wed. 1:25pm

Canuck
From the look of the scratches on the case back, you might wonder about the state of the movement! If it was moisture that spoiled the dial, chances are there will be additional damage inside. If it is the seller’s picture, considering they didn’t show a picture of the movement, I’d be gun shy on this one. Chances are the case is corroded, and it will not be possible to seal it! These are around. Don’t be in a hurry! Too many questions!

I understand, also makes sense. Thanks

Jorge 3 · Wed. 1:25pm

SOG53
The charm of this reference are the beautiful dials.
Your example is poor, keep searching.

That looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing

Jorge 3 · Wed. 1:26pm

cristos71
That's a walk away watch. For this ref. in excellent condition you shouldn't be paying more than €750/800 absolute max.

This one is in poor condition. Knackered dial, lume missing in the hands, deep scratched case back and I'm 99% certain that's not the correct crown either.

Thanks

reggie_v · Wed. 11:43pm

ErichKeane
I mean, definitely not rust. Dials are made of brass...

You know what, this has never clocked in my head. Good point. I’ve always just assumed rust causing the bubbling to. So it is just moisture seeping into the paint and trying to escape back up?

dsio · Thurs. 12:02am

I’ve had a 2852 with bubbling worsen in the 15 years I’ve had it noticeably despite being serviced and having the case sealed as best as possible with a new crown and gasket.

Then I have others that didn’t change at all, I think it really does vary by what’s bubbling (lacquer vs dial paint) and a range of other factors.

Jorge 3 · Thurs. 4:21am

Canuck
From the look of the scratches on the case back, you might wonder about the state of the movement! If it was moisture that spoiled the dial, chances are there will be additional damage inside. If it is the seller’s picture, considering they didn’t show a picture of the movement, I’d be gun shy on this one. Chances are the case is corroded, and it will not be possible to seal it! These are around. Don’t be in a hurry! Too many questions!

Thanks for all the excellent advice. In case anyone was wondering here is the movement.

ecarpino · Thurs. 5:04am

The movement doesn't look bad (although picture quality is low), but as said above there are tons of these watches around and you can find one with a great dial at a reasonable price.

50kopek · Thurs. 6:28am

Clearly in a minority here, but the even spread of the bubbling over the dial makes it look quite attractive to me. But the fact that I'm the only one of this opinion so far probably tells you plenty about value retention.

ErichKeane · Thurs. 8:03am

dsio
I’ve had a 2852 with bubbling worsen in the 15 years I’ve had it noticeably despite being serviced and having the case sealed as best as possible with a new crown and gasket.

Then I have others that didn’t change at all, I think it really does vary by what’s bubbling (lacquer vs dial paint) and a range of other factors.

I actually don't quite know the mechanism. It is likely some sort of de-lamination with the dial mixed with the paint absorbing water/expanding. I DO know that I managed to 'create' a bubble dial at one point with heat[0], which makes me think expand/delamination.

[0]: back story: I got a cheap watch sold to me as 'not openable'. I ended up breaking a bunch of inserts on my caseback opener tool trying to open it because it was so stuck. The superglue trick didn't work at all, and penetrating oil didn't do anything either. So I gave up and used my soldering heat-gun followed by dipping caseback-only into alcohol. That finally got it unstuck enough that I was able to remove it. BUT the dial got some bubbling, likely from the heat.

Bubbling dial impact on value retention on Omega.

Jorge 3

Endshake

Endshake

Canuck

SOG53

cristos71

Larry S

Dan S

ErichKeane

Jorge 3

Jorge 3

Jorge 3

Jorge 3

reggie_v

dsio

Jorge 3

ecarpino

50kopek

ErichKeane

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