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hand me down constellation

GordanDaniel
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Hello all
this is my third post today, hope to not annoy anyone, but im just so curious.

This is the watch the somewhat sparked my whole interest. My great grandfathers constellation, which he got upon retiring.
originally i thought it was a pie pan, but after further research i realize its fairly different.
I do not have any photos of the movement or the inside of the case back yet but i will this week and will upload them when i do.

Unlike my other constellation 168.015, this one does not have the reference number on the back.

does anyone know the reference number ?
Supposedly he had the hands painted black since the gold was hard to see ..
any information is greatly appreciated.

thank you all.
Screen Shot 2020-02-10 at 5.52.39 PM.png Screen Shot 2020-02-10 at 5.52.50 PM.png Screen Shot 2020-02-10 at 5.53.04 PM.png Screen Shot 2020-02-10 at 5.53.17 PM.png Screen Shot 2020-02-10 at 5.53.32 PM.png
 
Dan S
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52 years! I wonder if the paint could be carefully removed from the hands with some solvent, without damaging the lume.
 
MikeMan2727
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This would be a ref 14381 with what they call a "rail track" dial. The ref number would be on the inside of the caseback so the watch would have to be opened.

The condition looks to be great! Is it solid gold or gold filled?

Edit: just saw the gold stamp on the back lug. Solid gold it is!
 
GordanDaniel
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MikeMan2727 MikeMan2727
This would be a ref 14381 with what they call a "rail track" dial. The ref number would be on the inside of the caseback so the watch would have to be opened.

The condition looks to be great! Is it solid gold or gold filled?

Edit: just saw the gold stamp on the back lug. Solid gold it is!


Thank you so much,

It was tested as 14K solid, i had sold a bunch of scrap gold at one point and had them test the watch while i was there.
 
GordanDaniel
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Dan S Dan S
52 years! I wonder if the paint could be carefully removed from the hands with some solvent, without damaging the lume.


do you think this is worth looking into ?
 
Dan S
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GordanDaniel GordanDaniel
do you think this is worth looking into ?

I'm confident the paint could be removed, but I think it would be tricky to do it while leaving the lume intact, since most solvents that would remove paint would also be likely to degrade the lume. So if you remove the paint, very likely you would end up having the hands re-lumed, which could be done in a way that would match the color of the lume on the dial. It would probably be an improvement overall, but very much a personal decision. Since it's an heirloom piece, it would also be reasonable to leave it as your great grandfather preferred.
 
janice&fred
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oh man with that rare dial I would be super careful with who I choose to work on those hands. I agree with Dan that the hands would probably clean up nicely, and cleaning of the black paint along with matching lume would make that watch much prettier and it would still be an heirloom.

BTW the watch is gorgeous!
 
BlackTalon
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Wow, that is a very nice-looking watch. The caseback looks like it just rolled off the line!
 
GordanDaniel
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Dan S Dan S
I'm confident the paint could be removed, but I think it would be tricky to do it while leaving the lume intact, since most solvents that would remove paint would also be likely to degrade the lume. So if you remove the paint, very likely you would end up having the hands re-lumed, which could be done in a way that would match the color of the lume on the dial. It would probably be an improvement overall, but very much a personal decision. Since it's an heirloom piece, it would also be reasonable to leave it as your great grandfather preferred.

Was there loom on these hands originally ? there is not other lume on the dial as far as i can tell .. and from the very little that i know, if there is lume, doesnt the swiss made at the bottom have two "T"'s around it?
 
Dan S
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I thought there were lume dots at the very outer part of the applied metal markers on the dial. But the photo doesn't show it very clearly, so I could be wrong. Perhaps it is just the shape of the markers that I am seeing. Can you get a better photo? Similarly, I thought there were thin rectangular sections in the middle of the hands that were filled with lume, and then painted over. High res photos would help.

If there is no lume, then things will be much easier.
Edited:
 
gatorcpa
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Unfortunately, there is lume on the hands based on this close up:

D23DBEEE-CE5D-46BC-A847-D5E66D02816E.jpeg


It may be possible to replace these hands, although they will not have radium or tritium.
gatorcpa
 
MikeMan2727
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Dan S Dan S
I thought there were lume dots at the very outer part of the applied metal markers on the dial. But the photo doesn't show it very clearly, so I could be wrong. Perhaps it is just the shape of the markers that I am seeing. Can you get a better photo? Similarly, I thought there were thin rectangular sections in the middle of the hands that were filled with lume, and then painted over. High res photos would help.

If there is no lume, then things will be much easier.

I think there is lume in the markers. It shows better on some markers than others.

Here is a close up of mine with very similar rectangular markers. There isn't very much of it, which is probably why it's hard to see:

20200210_191612.jpg
 
X350 XJR
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Cool watch. 👍

If you are going to wear it please remove the bracelet, the ends tend to wear the inside of the lugs and get it serviced.
 
lindo
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
Cool watch. 👍

If you are going to wear it please remove the bracelet, the ends tend to wear the inside of the lugs and get it serviced.

Agreed. The bracelet is worthless except as a family relic, and will damage the lugs. A good leather band would be what the watch originally came with anyway.
 
wilderbeast
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lindo lindo
Agreed. The bracelet is worthless except as a family relic, and will damage the lugs. A good leather band would be what the watch originally came with anyway.
Yes, I was going to mention that too. I reckon a smart black leather strap will look amazing with this watch (worth investing in a decent one), regardless of what you choose to do with the hands.
 
ConElPueblo
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Just FYI, I have previously had good experience removing black paint on hands with lume inlay.
I wouldn't be afraid of doing it myself, carefully switching between lightly scraping the paint off and using a ear bud soaked in solvent.

Your mileage may vary, as they say 😀

A really, really cool Constellation this one. Certainly worth restoring.
 
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