UPDATE: The watch went to Omega Canada who has since sent it to Omega in Switzerland. Canada would not do work on it but did confirm all the details of the watch. Case Reference is 2945 Movement Caliber is .504 I had asked if the gold strap was original and they confirmed it was and they will service that as well in Switzerland. I was also given the serial number of the watch, I am unsure if that provides any more details and worth posting on this website ? Hello, My grandfather left me this watch, I believe he obtained it in the 1950's. I would love to find any information on it. I could not find any pictures of the exact same model online. Thank you
Pictures of the inside of the caseback would tell a lot as would a picture or two of the movement. In the meantime here's a great cornucopia of Constellation knowledge: http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/
From reading that site it seems to share a lot of similarities of the 2699 model. I believe it was given to him in 1952 as well. I've looked at hundreds of pictures from that era and none are exactly the same. I guess I should just take it to someone who can open it up.
Looks like a gold capped '57/'58 ref 2943 to me. Uncommon to begin with, and arrowhead markers make it even more intriguing. Very, very nice. Art
Except why does a gold capped watch have a deluxe dial? I didn't think those dials came with gold cap? Something smells to me.
It's defiantly in no way a fake, it was given to him in the 50s. The family has been extremely fortunate. It was brought to our family's jeweler many years ago and he did some work on it. He has all the details on it, I'll drop by sometime next week when I have it sized for me and post the exact details. Thanks
Customization wasn't unknown then. How about a black pie-pan steel Connie . . . . . . with lumed white gold arrowheads and steel hands, and serrated crown? I know the background story of this specimen, and it's doubtlessly genuine. (Original owner was a pilot, and ordered it in this configuration.) Given the gold bracelet, which would be unusual on a capped watch to begin with, having a special dial fitted isn't untenable. Best, Art
Ask your watchmaker to find an original replacement crystal with a matching gold-tone sealing ring. That would be beneficial aesthetically.
I've never seen a gold top model with an original factory retro-fitted solid gold dial before and can hardly believe that Omega Bienne would do that. AFAIK the solid gold dials were exclusively used only on the Deluxe and Grand luxe references during this period. I'm not sure that bracelet is an Omega product either, the logo looks very after market to me, I'd like to see some hallmarks...OP?
I remember a previous discussion where a similar logo on a (similar) clasp was deemed proof of local manufacture. The poor guy who claimed it was original Omega ( ) didn't stand a chance... I have seen a Omega Constellation f300 with solid dial/plated case, but agree that it seems odd here. ...Looks pretty damn good though!
After customization performed by Omega prior to wholesale [and I'm agreed that's practically impossible], we're left with: (1) customization performed by the importing agent [unlikely, but not impossible], (2) performed by a retailer/jeweler on request, (3) performed by a watchmaker during service [i e, replacement dial], (4) and skullduggery. My '56 Longines Conquest . . . . . . has been in the family since '56. I believed it to be original until Bill S and Tony C deemed otherwise. In the last sixty years, it was serviced twice, once in '65 by the Longines agency in London, and again in '04 by my watchmaker. I know my watchmaker didn't touch the dial, so it had to have been changed during its first service. Without experts like Bill and Tony weighing in, I'd never have believed that the dial wasn't original factory issue. Like we used to say on the night shift, "it happens" . The op's dial may well have been replaced at some point in the last 50+ years. All I'm saying is there's a chance the op's memory isn't faulty, and the dial's unchanged from when it was retailed. Art
It's quite possible my grand father had parts of it customized. I'll let our families jewler dig into and I'll posit picture of inside of the watch etc. I know this watch did have work on it by said jewler after his death when I was very young. This was his oldest watch and in least good condition of the ones passed on.
Ok so curiosity was killing me, I went to the jewler that has done work for my grand father and other family. He has not worked on that watch only his Rolex's. It was worked on by a company in Montreal, Lucas. Apparently he was not a man to customize his jewelry the jewler said. In any matter the watch is off to Omega via my jewler to have a complete service job. I will provide details when I hear back from Omega.
