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  1. vandesteeg Jun 30, 2018

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    Hello everyone,

    I am looking into buying my first 'real' watch and want to buy the first piece for my future collection. Now, i've een looking at second hand watches (especially Omega's) and I find it hard to figure out what watch is worth what price. I don't have a lot of money since I'm a student but I would really like to own a quality vintage dress watch. So here's two watches that i've been looking at. The first one being the most beautiful one of the two, an Omega Constellation:
    - Omega Referentie: CD 168.004
    - Omega Caliber: 561 (Chronometer, 5 positions, 24 jewels)
    - Mechanism nr: 230462XX (1966)
    But this also comes with a price, i think i can get it for about 700-800 Euros. Omega constelation front.JPG Omega constelation back.JPG
    Now the second watch i've been looking at, which is at a much lower price point, and I don't know as much about this watch as I do about the other one. It's an Omega De Ville with the .1002 movement. Now I know this is a somewhat 'faulty' movement and i cant figure out whether it has had the fix that would make this movement better. Here are the pictures of that watch.
    Omega de ville front.JPG Omega de ville back.JPG
    I can get this watch for about 300 euros.

    Now my question is, are both watches worth their asking price, and which watch should i get from a price/value perspective? From a looks point of view i like both, but i know the constellation is a better watch.. However it's also way more expensive. I hope you guys can give me some insights since I'm pretty new to horology.

    Thanks,

    Jelle (btw I'm Dutch)
     
  2. Fialetti Jun 30, 2018

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    It's hard to tell much about the condition of either watch from these small and out of focus photos. If you are buying them online, you should request more detailed photos from the seller. You can take a look at the for sale postings here to see what an informative set of photos looks like.

    Both these watches appear to be gold-plated. You should bear in mind that that tends to depress value vis-a-vis steel examples, as the plating of vintage watches is generally worn, and cannot easily be repaired without a full re-plate (which can be costly and may actually reduce value, at least for collectors). So you should be very attentive to worn plating, and expect to pay a bit less than you would for a steel-cased specimen, ceteris paribus.
     
  3. vandesteeg Jun 30, 2018

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    Thanks for your reply. Here's a link to the actual page which has better pictures. I can go take a look at the watches before buying them since its not that far away. The gold plating seems to be in good condition. Here's a link to the Constellation: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/sierad...d-cap.html?c=9b26ed2a557deff636f4f8b9c5b7a618
    And heres the link to the De Ville: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/sierad...datum.html?c=9b26ed2a557deff636f4f8b9c5b7a618 . I had some problems uploading the full resolution pictures so now you can have a closer look. Thanks.
     
  4. Noddyman Jun 30, 2018

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    The Constellation looks nice and seems to check out. If the watch comes serviced (with proof) I would say around €600 - €700 would be a reasonable deal.
     
  5. vandesteeg Jun 30, 2018

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  6. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Jun 30, 2018

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  7. vandesteeg Jun 30, 2018

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    Ok, thanks for the tip. Here are the pictures. $_86 (1).JPG $_86 (2).JPG $_86 (3).JPG $_86.JPG
     
  8. Noddyman Jun 30, 2018

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    That last one you posted the 14393 is a no go. It’s a bad redial and overly polished, avoid at all costs.
     
  9. Noddyman Jun 30, 2018

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  10. vandesteeg Jun 30, 2018

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    You're right, i've got a lot to learn and it might be better if I get more knowledge before buying a watch like this.