So (a) someone has paid a low price to take on this project - restore a vintage Conquest or (b) paid $200 for a scalloped crown.

What’s your view?

 

Dial appears to be hand drawn.
If it runs, send off the dial and have it re-done.

 

I'm a guitarist. Many guitars have their logos applied as a decal. If you can't find a dial restorer that you trust, (and this is a question open to everyone) what's to stop you removing the hand painted logo, and having somebody create decals for the text? As an added bonus, you'd keep all that lovely patina. Plus, decals are cheap as chips to make.

Just a rambling thought, perhaps it's not possible at all.

 

I'd pay $200 for a scalloped crown... then try to flip the case and movement to recoup some of the cost.

 

It needs a better dial, not just for the decal but also for the date window. If you are going to have this a fun daily wearer and you can get a low cost re-dial go that way. Otherwise take the advice from Rumar89.

 

What kind of project could that be? Restoring the the most awful Conquest Franken ever? I think it is quite obvious what happened here.

 

I wouldn't touch it. Complete franken, including the movement.

 

Good one

 

The movement appeared in close competition with that dial!

 

A watchmaker I know has created his original caseback dedicated to the writer Hemingway. It’s doable, that much is true