Constellation 2852 issues

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

Hi guys,

I come across this connie, but i spot a few problems.
The dial doesn't look right, seems like the font amd crosshair line is engraved on the dial. Never seen anything like this. Redial or fake dial?

Crown is after market, bezel has chipped.
Second hand seems too short and colour doesn't match with minute and hour hand?

Ref 2852-6SC, Serial 14XXXXXX, Cal 501 19 jewels.

What do you think? Thank you

seekingseaquest · May 14, 2021

It’s a complete dog - redial, cracked bezel, incorrect second hand and crown as you say.

MtV · May 14, 2021

Medallion has seen better times, too - and the position of the regulator is, uhm, interesting.

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

seekingseaquest
It’s a complete dog - redial, cracked bezel, incorrect second hand and crown as you say.

Indeed.. what confused me is the engraving like on the font and crosshair dial.. what kind of redialer will refurbish a dial like this..

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

MtV
Medallion has seen better times, too - and the position of the regulator is, uhm, interesting.

Please could you explain on the regulator thingy? Not a watchmaker, really confused on the movement parts.

Thank you

MtV · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
Please could you explain on the regulator thingy? Not a watchmaker, really confused on the movement parts.

Thank you

Not the most beautiful solution, but all I can do at the phone right now. See the “lance” that I marked red? That usually points to the hatched area I marked green. After a service, the watch should keep good time and the lance would point to the middle of the hatched area. Over the years, when the movement might start to run a little quick or slow, it can be regulated with this mechanism and you’d see the lance pointing not to the center, but more towards one of the ends of the criss-crossed bit. Here, it’s far outside of that area. It’s not even within the metal loop of the mechanism anymore.

Hope that makes sense. I’m sure members with a better command of the English language and the technical terms will be able to explain this more eloquently.

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

MtV

Not the most beautiful solution, but all I can do at the phone right now. See the “lance” that I marked red? That usually points to the hatched area I marked green. After a service, the watch should keep good time and the lance would point to the middle of the hatched area. Over the years, when the movement might start to run a little quick or slow, it can be regulated with this mechanism and you’d see the lance pointing not to the center, but more towards one of the ends of the criss-crossed bit. Here, it’s far outside of that area. It’s not even within the metal loop of the mechanism anymore.

Hope that makes sense. I’m sure members with a better command of the English language and the technical terms will be able to explain this more eloquently.

This is very helpful! Thank you for educating me, I've been studying mostly on the exterior (dial, case etc) but hardly anything on the movement due to difficulty to understand the mechanism or parts.

But im slowly getting into it. I appreciate your hardwork on the drawing and writing long text for explaining. I definitely learnt something new today.

Thank you again. 😀

Archer · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
This is very helpful! Thank you for educating me, I've been studying mostly on the exterior (dial, case etc) but hardly anything on the movement due to difficulty to understand the mechanism or parts.

You should also note that the screw for adjusting the regulator appears to be corroded, so it would not surprise me if there are other parts inside that are also corroded.

In addition, the rotor appears to have been scraping on the movement plate, so likely the rotor pinion requires replacement - these are discontinued from Omega, but you (or your watchmaker) may be able to find them on the open market.

This watch will likely need some work, and arts for these aren't inexpensive - something to keep in mind.

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

Archer
You should also note that the screw for adjusting the regulator appears to be corroded, so it would not surprise me if there are other parts inside that are also corroded.

In addition, the rotor appears to have been scraping on the movement plate, so likely the rotor pinion requires replacement - these are discontinued from Omega, but you (or your watchmaker) may be able to find them on the open market.

This watch will likely need some work, and arts for these aren't inexpensive - something to keep in mind.

I do not own this piece, just come across this at some local store. Noticed some red flags and decided to post a thread.

A donor cal 501 is not hard to source if im not mistaken, seen it somewhere but i forgot.

What i find it hard source for restoring the watch is a set of hands, and bezel, and most importantly the dial. Any idea on what's wrong with the dial apart from uneven minute track?

cristos71 · May 14, 2021

seekingseaquest
It’s a complete dog - redial, cracked bezel, incorrect second hand and crown as you say.

And a cracked bezel is never a problem to be underestimated!

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

cristos71
And a cracked bezel is never a problem to be underestimated!

Any potential problems which could led by a cracked bezel? Please educate me.

I always thought bezel is replaceable if mishaped or cracked, as long as we could source the same case ref?

cristos71 · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
A donor cal 501 is not hard to source if im not mistaken, seen it somewhere but i forgot.

What i find it hard source for restoring the watch is a set of hands, and bezel, and most importantly the dial. Any idea on what's wrong with the dial apart from uneven minute track?

I'd never recommend a noob to go down the restoration journey when only starting with the mid case and case back 😲 Sounds to me like a one way ticket to empty-pocket-headacheville

cristos71 · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
Any potential problems which could led by a cracked bezel? Please educate me.

I always thought bezel is replaceable if mishaped or cracked, as long as we could source the same case ref?

I can assure you there are very, very few loose steel 2852 cases floating around on the market....and even less bezels

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

cristos71
I can assure you there are very, very few loose steel 2852 cases floating around on the market....and even less bezels

True.. went to ebay for looking up what i could find, not even one 2852 case nor bezel from sold history. Dial are not cheap too.

Not gonna cash in this piece, just wanna know the thoughts from experienced collector, so I would know what to do in future when encountering a similar piece.

Thank you.

ChrisN · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
A donor cal 501 is not hard to source if im not mistaken, seen it somewhere but i forgot.

A good 501 donor will cost significant money and will probably also have worn parts so, it would end up as an expensive exercise leading to a frankenwatch with reduced value. I think you've already come to the conclusion that a battered watch with a beat up movement is not a good way to go.

If I were you, I'd avoid the 500 series where parts are scarce and expensive and instead look at the slightly later 550-565 calibres where movement parts are generally available.

A fully functioning, serviced watch without missing or damaged parts would be the best start. It will give satisfaction from day one as a bad watch can be very frustrating.

Good luck, Chris

cristos71 · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
Not gonna cash in this piece, just wanna know the thoughts from experienced collector, so I would know what to do in future when encountering a similar piece.

Thank you.

This is the kind of watch that I'd give about 0.1 seconds of time to evaluate and then move on speedily

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

ChrisN
A good 501 donor will cost significant money and will probably also have worn parts so, it would end up as an expensive exercise leading to a frankenwatch with reduced value. I think you've already come to the conclusion that a battered watch with a beat up movement is not a good way to go.

If I were you, I'd avoid the 500 series where parts are scarce and expensive and instead look at the slightly later 550-565 calibres where movement parts are generally available.

A fully functioning, serviced watch without missing or damaged parts would be the best start. It will give satisfaction from day one as a bad watch can be very frustrating.

Good luck, Chris

Thank you for sharing Chris, I did the math of gathering those parts for restoring, I might as well just pay a premium on some reputable site for the watch, to save me from troubles and headache.

Dansnoppydoo · May 14, 2021

cristos71
This is the kind of watch that I'd give about 0.1 seconds of time to evaluate and then move on speedily

Thanks to OF and members for sharing their thoughts, I would do the same next time 😁

MtV · May 14, 2021

Dansnoppydoo
A donor cal 501 is not hard to source if im not mistaken, seen it somewhere but i forgot.

Note that only a tiny portion of 501s were chronometer rated - not sure that’s relevant for you but if you wanted it to be “correct” you’d need one that is, which makes the task of finding one indefinitely harder. But as you’ve read above, that’s really the smallest of problems on this watch.

Constellation 2852 issues

Dansnoppydoo

seekingseaquest

MtV

Dansnoppydoo

Dansnoppydoo

MtV

Dansnoppydoo

Archer

Dansnoppydoo

cristos71

Dansnoppydoo

cristos71

cristos71

Dansnoppydoo

ChrisN

cristos71

Dansnoppydoo

Dansnoppydoo

MtV

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