Greetings fellow citizens, First of all, thanks for accepting my membership request. I have been a lurker on this forum for almost a year now and I’m glad to have finally joined the community. As my interest in Omega Constellation grows, I hope that i will be able to contribute to the discussions and the knowledge base (a tall order considering the wealth of knowledge that some senior members seem to possess) I am Epictetus, a Roman citizen and a former slave who went on to become a renowned stoic philosopher It is a pleasure to meet you all! === At 31, just recently moved to a new country, got promoted and felt I wanted to crown this part of my life with a watch that will stay with me until my time. I always thought that watch would be a Rolex, but since i stumbled upon Desmond’s blog and Omega Forums, I have become a constallation convert. Now an opportunity presented itself and i was offered a constellation Ref. 14381/2 which appears to my untrained eye to be in an impeccable condition. I referred to OF articles about what to look for when buying vintage Omegas and to me this watch seems to tick all boxes. Hands look correct, constellation writing seems identical to models i found on Desmond’s blog, lugs seem correct. I also remember reading a lengthy thread on OF about whether the scalloped crown was authentic to Constellations at some point and the verdict was that it was, being featured in ads and all, so the crown too checks out. 2500€ is not a sum of money that would lead me to financial ruins, but i have worked really hard for my money (especially having been raised a slave) and i’d feel gutted if i were scammed. So, i would esteem it a great personal favour, if you could have a look at this watch and give me your, much appreciated, verdict. https://www.chrono24.com/omega/constellation--id12553982.htm Note, i managed to box the price down to 2500€. Watch comes with original box and original strap and buckle, supposedly. Looking forward to hearing your responses. P.S. I reached out to Desmond before my OF account was approved and his feedback was very favourable indeed. In order not to skew your opinion i will withhold what he said until we have gotten more feedback from the more senior members around here.
First, welcome to OF. Second, I’ve been here long enough to know that OF members do not want links to the timepiece, they want pictures. Below are your pictures. As a new member also, this is currently my only contribution to the forums.
The dial is refinished: the pie pan edges have turned soft. It is one of the better redials, though. But for 2500 € you can do better.
Hi @Epictetus, welcome to the forum and good decision to ask here before buying. The watch has two main issues; 1. The dial has been repainted at some time, it’s not a terrible job but not something a collector would be interested in. 2. The case has seen a fair bit of polishing with all the original sharp edges having been lost. This one of mine is the same reference 14381/2, compare the edges. If it was all original the price would be fair but considering the issues it’s well over priced. Keep hunting and studying the blog, it will get easier to spot the bad apples.
@Noddyman @felsby thank you for the feedback. @Noddyman yes, i did notice that the edges were not as sharp, but i thought that given the year it was produced, it was still in a desirable condition. Would you never consider a watch which has this level of polishing done? Just for future reference, how could you tell that the dial has been touched up? To me it seemed authentic (then again, im a newbie). When compared to pics online. At this point I’m starting to wonder if I will ever be able to find a nice Constellation which has not been fiddled with :|
You will find a Connie. We all do, but it takes time and study. Look at this dial. It has sharp pie pan edges (along with the minute markers) and correct lettering. Does it have to be an 18k case?
I suppose everyone will have a different view on what’s acceptable but for me this one’s too far gone. Once you see or own a nice example it’s difficult to then lower your standards. As collectors we all strive for that perfect watch. It’s certainly not easy I give you that, especially when most folks here have already seen the watch your chasing before you do. Have you looked through the OF private sales section?
Still.. to my untrained eye the lettering looks the same. I guess I’ll need to scrutinise hundreds upon hundreds of pics of connie dials to be able to detect the difference. Yes, I have set my sight on a full gold 18k watch to start off my collection.
It's practice, no one can tell you in a few sentences how to spot a redialled watch. The softness of the pie facets jumps out as repainted. The rest is very near the original and doesn't ring bells, but the facets are never that dulled on an original watch. Swiss made is messed up on the watch you show too, it may be where they reapplied the bottom arrow after painting. I thought redial immediately based on those 2 issues, the text does look good otherwise.
I have indeed. Spent 2 hours sifting through the listings testerday but did not manage to find an 18k gold constellation with a piepan dial. I guess i’ll have to curb my infatuation and save up some more so that when a real good specimen shows up I’ll be able to clinch it. Thanks fir the feedback - greatly appreciated
Well spotted! The “Swiss Made” label is totally messed up. I have never seen a single 14381 which had that. The softness of the facets did not have my convinced cuz they looked alright to me (although i admit, without a doubt, less sharp than other specimen), but the swiss made being all messed up is a clear enough indicator. Also, check how the tip of the 6 o’clock hour marker doesn’t meet the line straight, but it comes at an angle! Thanks for your input!
A few threads you might find useful Troels’ really useful guide https://omegaforums.net/threads/learn-how-to-fish.52603/ Desmond’s MOY Test https://download1337.mediafire.com/xq1vglulcvjg/ojf488dzh034yzk/Condialdefinitive part 1V2.pdf https://omegaforums.net/threads/vintage-constellations-show-and-tell.19186/ OF Sales forum is the best place to find a great watch - however, it might take a while to find what you’re after, from personal experience being patient is very difficult . On the flip side buying s watch without truly knowing what you’re looking at/for can be a very expensive mistake. All the best Nathan
Thanks for all your input so far. As I said, this will be my first big purchase and I want it to be perfect! A watch that i will wear with pride and hopefully one day pass down to my, unborn, son. All this feedback is pure gold! Really glad I finally joined the community and resisted the urge
This is a similar era Constellation which I have. I've put a big photo here so, if you zoom in on Automatic, can you see a difference in the fonts to the one you were looking at? You could probably put the two next to each other in a picture as that might help. Be interested to see what you think @Epictetus Hope this helps. Cheers, Chris
Well, the differences are not subtle. I’d say it’s a completely different font! Is the font used on the pic you posted the only one used on Constellations? If so, then that would help me eliminate a great deal of watches i come across eBay daily, as I’d say around 40% of the them use a different font. @STANDY thanks for reference. I will start digging through his posts shortly! Appreciated
The fonts are usually similar between the different models but, vary with year - here's another Connie and a sharp picture. https://omegaforums.net/threads/is-this-pie-pan-repainted.103109/#post-1347896 They are all delicate and, usually, with serifs. Gets a bit harder with a textured dial but, if you keep researching, the text becomes easier to spot. This is a 50s bumper with textured dial. Cheers, Chris
As I didn't see it being mentioned in the previous posts: Especially the 4 hours arrowhead marker (but also the 5 hours arrowhead) sticks out - it doesn't align with the hour marker.