Did I make the right decision?

[StealyPhil13]

Hello OF,
My name is Phillip & I'm pretty much brand new to the forum, Omega watches & vintage watches.

I'm super excited to be a part of this community & look forward to learning as much as I can from everyone.

Today is a big day for me. I just received my first vintage Omega watch in the mail today after winning the eBay auction for it last Friday. It is absolutely stunning in person & I'm already in love with this watch.

I had been looking for a good Pie Pan Connie for a few weeks & after many failed attempts to get one, I finally landed this beauty.

I dove head first into all the Connie information that I could find so I could make an informed purchase & not get swindled.

So my question to everyone is: In your opinion, did I get a good watch & did I get it at a good price?
Here are the listing pictures from the auction as well as my analysis of the photos that lead me to feel comfortable enough to pull the trigger.

1st, it appeared to pass MOY
2nd, the star is in line with the 12-6 indices & is pointed to the 12 marker
3rd, the size, & weight of the lettering appeared to be original & it appeared that the serifs are visible
4th, the second "T" in Constellation is only half crossed & the "I" is dotted
5th, the date window surround has the correct chamfered corners
6th, the minute markers are the correct weight & all are an equal distance from the "pie pan" edge
7th, it has the correct 10 sided crown, signed
8th, the lugs & casebook do not appear to be overly polished & all 8 stars are visible in the medallion
9th, the 564 movement with a 168.005 case is a correct combination
10th, there does not appear to be any significant wear on the bridge, rotor or caseback

The only thing that gave me cause for concern was the slight mismatch in coloration of the bridge & rotor compared to the rest of the movement, but that could just be lighting. I will be opening the watch to inspect myself.

I ended up paying $985 for the watch plus CA sales tax which was about another $100.

Please let me know what you think of the watch & of my analysis as I am here to learn all that I can. Don't be afraid to be harsh, I can take it. 😀
I love the watch already & it is now a part of my very small but growing forever collection.

 

[masteroftime]

Welcome! I just bought one of these and I'm waiting for it to come in. I can't give overly detailed feedback, but it looks good to me after a first look. Part of your savings did come from the dial spotting/damage which would scare some people away. I would also bet that the rotor and automatic winding bridge have been replaced and the color difference is the best indicator of that.

 

[kaplan]

Your did very very good, just the O of CHRON O METER bothers me, but it's probably original and at this point I'm pretty schizophrenic when it comes to dials

The original hexagon crown is rare to see for the price you got this for

 

[Wlcutter]

Well done on the watch, but *way* better, nice work on the research. I think you did great at that price; the dial's obviously not perfect, but given the price trajectory of these of late, I think you did really well. Congrats.

 

[Peemacgee]

Welcome @StealyPhil13
Congratulations on your pie pan, dogleg constellation.
Great to see someone doing their research before buying.

yes, it has a patinated dial - which is quite nicely distributed - and you obviously love it and that is what counts.
I think $985 is a very good price for your watch.

decent case
Nice medallion
Other than the patination, a good, correct, pie pan dial, with onyx inserts.
(By the way, the wonky ‘O’ is a known thing, as is the peculiar ‘C’ in OFFICIALLY)

as others have said, the rotor and bridge have likely been replaced as one unit at sometime due to rotor rub - you can see the feint ring in the case back and the lighter ring around the edge of the movement as evidence of historical rotor rub.

if the watch hasn’t had a service recently , it’s recommended to have one before wearing it too much.
The regulator being hard over in the swan’s neck suggests the watch at least needs regulating.

All in all, what’s not to like ?
I’m sure it looks great on the wrist - you must be very pleased.

 

[AngelDeVille]

I'm in a long research stage on getting one, and I think you did very well.

She's a beauty!

 

[blueteg]

S StealyPhil13

Hello OF,
1st, it appeared to pass MOY
2nd, the star is in line with the 12-6 indices & is pointed to the 12 marker
3rd, the size, & weight of the lettering appeared to be original & it appeared that the serifs are visible
4th, the second "T" in Constellation is only half crossed & the "I" is dotted
5th, the date window surround has the correct chamfered corners
6th, the minute markers are the correct weight & all are an equal distance from the "pie pan" edge
7th, it has the correct 10 sided crown, signed
8th, the lugs & casebook do not appear to be overly polished & all 8 stars are visible in the medallion
9th, the 564 movement with a 168.005 case is a correct combination
10th, there does not appear to be any significant wear on the bridge, rotor or caseback

The only thing that gave me cause for concern was the slight mismatch in coloration of the bridge & rotor compared to the rest of the movement, but that could just be lighting. I will be opening the watch to inspect myself.

Nice little checklist here. Quoting for my own reference since I've been looking at picking one up in the near future.
Congrats on the new pickup!
👍

 

[amcclell]

Congrats on an astutely executed search. Nice watch and excellent price. This is a classic case, dial and movement.

 

[StealyPhil13]

Peemacgee

Welcome @StealyPhil13
Congratulations on your pie pan, dogleg constellation.
Great to see someone doing their research before buying.

yes, it has a patinated dial - which is quite nicely distributed - and you obviously love it and that is what counts.
I think $985 is a very good price for your watch.

decent case
Nice medallion
Other than the patination, a good, correct, pie pan dial, with onyx inserts.
(By the way, the wonky ‘O’ is a known thing, as is the peculiar ‘C’ in OFFICIALLY)

as others have said, the rotor and bridge have likely been replaced as one unit at sometime due to rotor rub - you can see the feint ring in the case back and the lighter ring around the edge of the movement as evidence of historical rotor rub.

if the watch hasn’t had a service recently , it’s recommended to have one before wearing it too much.
The regulator being hard over in the swan’s neck suggests the watch at least needs regulating.

All in all, what’s not to like ?
I’m sure it looks great on the wrist - you must be very pleased.

Great catch on the regulator. I didn’t even see that. Definitely gonna take it to an expert to evaluate it.

 

[StealyPhil13]

masteroftime

Welcome! I just bought one of these and I'm waiting for it to come in. I can't give overly detailed feedback, but it looks good to me after a first look. Part of your savings did come from the dial spotting/damage which would scare some people away. I would also bet that the rotor and automatic winding bridge have been replaced and the color difference is the best indicator of that.

Thanks.
I honestly thought it was one of the better looking dials I was seeing on eBay & was gladly surprised that it didn’t go for more. There was even a naked movement with a horribly damaged dial that sold for like $500-600.

Edited: May 1, 2021