Hey everyone,

I am looking to buy this 14393 constellation from a private dealer, and I am seeking your expertise. Are you able to spot anything wrong with this watch? Should I be concerned by the poor case back condition? Would love a second set of eyes on this.

Thanks all!

 

Do you have photos or video of the movement and inside cover?

 

All looks correct on the outside.
As per @gbesq comments you need to see pics of the inside.
Up close you can see the dial has some light spotting and the case back has plenty of scratches as noted.
How much Is the dealer asking?

An up close pic of the dial.

 

Hands have some corrosion. The dial looks more like micro-bubbling of the lacquer than spotting. The asking price should reflect the condition of the dial and hands

 

Same difference in my world. Whatever the cause it’s non retrievable without great risk.

 

Does it need to be retrieved though? It's just another kind of patina. My 168.005 has micro bubbling/spotting and I still love it.

 

Not at all it looks absolute fine and probably even better at normal viewing distances.
My point was more about the difference between bubbling and spotting. Same thing in my book.

 

I'd say that the dial bubbling is something that would worry me a lot more than the caseback. I still find it attractive though

 

Thanks, folks! Here are the photos of the movements. He is asking for $2,000.

 

Ouch. That's a couple of hundred to high.

 

Are you worried that the condition of the dial will deteriorate much faster with the bubbling than without?

 

I would'nt worry about that to much.

 

Good to know!

 

Ask the dealer when the watch was last serviced. If it was serviced, ask when and if there is documentation showing what was done. Depending upon whether a service was performed, I’m thinking more like $1,300 - $1,500. This is not a $2,000 Connie IMO. Others may differ.

 

I was going to say about $800 too much....so somewhere between $200-800.

dealers gotta eat, baby needs new shoes

 

If you are willing to spend close to 2K, with a little patience you should be able to find a much nicer example on the Private Watch Sale forum here.

 

movement pics look good, shows cal 561 for date (which shows on the dial).

prices have generally fluctuated more on the upside (ie going up). that said, check if private seller willing to make a deal to take few hundred off. I'd walk away if not....these are great examples to collect. those in better condition will command a premium price. this one doesn't seem that...dial and case back scratches some of which are already mentioned above. Cheers and good luck

 

From what I've seen on eBay (regarding 14393s and 2852s, mostly), 2000USD buys you near immaculate SS examples. I think 1200-1300USD might be a low price, especially for a dealer, but around 1400-1600 is what I'd guess this would fetch on eBay.