Community Stories

My Dad's Constellation - repair advice please

amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
Hello everyone, my first post here, so sorry if I am not posting info correctly. I know nothing about watches and I would really appreciate some advice please.

My father passed away December 2024, and I found his Constellation in a drawer. It was given to him as a 21st birthday present on 28 January 1964, so I 'm guessing it is a 1963 model? It has no papers or box. I would like to get it running and wear it daily. The second hand ticks away and the hour and minutes move sometimes and then don't.
I have sent it to Swiss Time Services and they have sent this repair schedule in a diagnostic report:
Crown requires replacement to guarantee water resistance - Included £0.00
Back seal - Included £0.00
Fixed bezel scratched/marked
Case back scratched/marked
Case scratched/marked
Aftermarket strap/keeper broken-New Omega black calf strap/pin buckle
Crown requires replacement to guarantee water resistance - Included
Plexi glass replacement to guarantee water resistance
Hands scratched/marked - New set of hands
Automatic Service
Our Mechanical Service Package: Full dismantling of the movement with any worn parts/damaged parts replaced. Cleaning and
reassembling of the movement, lubrication, gaskets, water resistance testing to manufacturer's specification, light
refurbishment of the case and bracelet (if applicable), ultrasonic cleaning, time and functionality testing and aesthetic control.
Plates and rotors are excluded from the service price and will be estimated separately if required. Any casing components and
rusty parts will also be subject to separate estimate.


So my questions are:
1. Is getting the hands replaced a bad idea? I am sorry the pictures are so bad, so it is hard to see the hands ; I don't have any other photos.
2. The crown replacement - I guess I have no choice but to replace this, as STS will not carry out the work otherwise.
3. How likely is the above Automatic Service offered by STS to return the watch to working order? To my untrained eye it is mostly cleaning work. Am I likely to get a further quote for replacement parts?
4. Does anyone have any other advice? What have I missed?

IMG_5863.webp IMG_5864.webp
 
Dan S
Posts
20,879
Likes
47,814
We can't really give an opinion on the hands from that photo. But unless they look awful, I'd probably keep them in place. The tip of the sweep hand appears to have broken off, so maybe they can replace the sweep hand and keep the original H/M hands installed. Or, if they look terrible, and the replacements are identical ... replace them. (Usually replacements are not totally identical, which would bother me.) You need to decide what you prefer.

You may or may not receive a bill for additional parts, it depends on the condition of the movement. But it is what it is. You want them to do a thorough job repairing the watch. Sometimes when my watchmaker disassembles a movement, everything is fine. Other times, something is broken or badly worn. If an extra $100-$200 is going to deter you from repairing the watch, then maybe you should have it returned and keep it as a display piece for now.
Edited:
 
amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
Thank you for the advice, Dan S.
The hands looked fine to me, so I think I would rather keep them, perhaps replacing the sweep hand, as you suggested.
You are correct about the extra $100 to $200 being worthwhile. The watch has sentimental value to me, which is beyond its monetary value. I think what I am most concerned about is forking out money and then the watch still not working at the end of the process. STS has a 24 month warranty, so I suppose that should give me peace of mind.

The quote mentions "light refurbishment of the case" - is this something I should refuse?I am probably never going to sell the watch, but I would like to avoid anything that would change the character of the watch. Any scratches were caused by my dad, and I'd like to keep them, if you get my drift.
 
Dan S
Posts
20,879
Likes
47,814
amikoyan amikoyan
Thank you for the advice, Dan S.
The hands looked fine to me, so I think I would rather keep them, perhaps replacing the sweep hand, as you suggested.
You are correct about the extra $100 to $200 being worthwhile. The watch has sentimental value to me, which is beyond its monetary value. I think what I am most concerned about is forking out money and then the watch still not working at the end of the process. STS has a 24 month warranty, so I suppose that should give me peace of mind.

The quote mentions "light refurbishment of the case" - is this something I should refuse?I am probably never going to sell the watch, but I would like to avoid anything that would change the character of the watch. Any scratches were caused by my dad, and I'd like to keep them, if you get my drift.
I obviously can't speak for STS, but they are a very reputable company and this is a pretty standard job. I see no reason why they wouldn't be able to get the watch running well again.

Generally we don't recommend case polishing, but it's a personal decision and also depends on the current condition of the case. Preserving scratches is generally less important than preserving the original shape of the case, e.g. sharp edges and facets. However, if those edges and facets have already been lost through previous polishing, there's not much left to lose. Again, that's pretty hard to judge from the photo.

Incidentally, I don't think that the crown in your photo was the original crown anyway, so replacing it is probably not a big deal.
 
amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
Thanks again for the advice, Dan S.
If its okay to do so I'll report back how it turns out in 8 to 10 weeks when it's returned.
 
SOG53
Posts
1,893
Likes
3,841
Photo very blurry but I think I see T SWISS MADE T at bottom of dial which means tritium lume. I can’t see lume on indices due to blurry photo. If they replace hands the new ones will not be tritium and will look different so that’s a consideration when replacing. I would ask about that but imo unless hands look terrible I would try to keep original HM hands just replace sweep.
Please post photos after service of course! This is a nice heirloom enjoy it and welcome to OF.
 
SOG53
Posts
1,893
Likes
3,841
And regarding polish, I would tell them nothing more than light hand polish with cloth, nothing that would alter case edges. But this is personal choice of course. My approach would be to keep it as close to how my dad saw it as possible.
 
amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
SOG53 SOG53
And regarding polish, I would tell them nothing more than light hand polish with cloth, nothing that would alter case edges. But this is personal choice of course. My approach would be to keep it as close to how my dad saw it as possible.
I agree, it's about keeping as much of what my dad saw as is possible.
 
Peemacgee
Posts
5,562
Likes
8,616
Welcome @amikoyan
Condolences on the loss of your father.

STS are indeed a reputable company and should be able to sort your watch for you.

From their written description, it sounds like they are offering an Omega-style service that includes parts (except plates and rotor or case parts) - is that correct?

If so, this can be a good hedge against unknown costs but usually comes at a high cost for the service.

Do you mind telling us what you have been quoted for the service?

@SOG53 is correct in saying the dial looks to have Ts at the bottom but there is no lume.
It’s likely that the dial has been refinished in the past ( a common practice) so I would also keep the original hands unless they are losing the black paint and just replace the seconds hand.

The crown is a replacement - so just have them replace it with a new one and have a new crystal fitted (both these items are part of the waterproofing for the watch.
 
amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
@Peemacgee, here is the breakdown of costs:

Automatic Service £675.00
Bracelet Leather
Movement No. 18859643
Serial No. 18859643
Watch Ref ST14393
Case Material Steel
Brand Omega
Watch Specification:
£767.26Total Cost of Mandatory Items:
£18.00
Estimate Valid Until: 11 March 2025
Plexi glass replacement to guarantee water resistance £74.26
Crown requires replacement to guarantee water resistance - Included £0.00
Back seal - Included £0.00

Optional Items: These items are aesthetic issues which will not affect the performance of your watch and are at the owner’s
discretion. RRP
Inc VATNoYes
Aftermarket strap/keeper broken-New Omega black calf strap/pin buckle £306.90
Hands scratched/marked - New set of hands £68.59
 
hoipolloi
Posts
3,636
Likes
6,132
I would put it back into the drawer and do nothing about it.
 
Peemacgee
Posts
5,562
Likes
8,616
That was what I was rather afraid of when sending the watch to STS.
Don't get me wrong they will do a good job - but they are a large commercial watchmaker and act just like Omega in their pricing strategy (IIRC they may even be used by Omega)

As I said above, this method is a good hedge against unknown costs but you are paying a hefty premium for some kind of 'surety'.

To put this into perspective, an independent watchmaker might charge £200-300 for the service, this will include a full strip down, clean and lubrication plus a new mainspring and gaskets. (all as good as STS can do)
Any additional movt parts that require replacement will be extra.
Crown, crystal, hands etc would be extra too.

I think the most I've been charged for a service was around £450 - and that included a crystal and an expensive winding part - and that is only for one watch out of many Constellations that I've had serviced - you may not need anything replaced but it is of course a bit of a risk you would have to take.

You certainly do not need an Omega strap - and modern Omega straps are often far too heavily padded for vintage Constellations (I have a watch like yours and it looks great on a very simple black strap from Hirsch - which cost around £30)

The difficulty you may have is finding an alternative watchmaker that has an Omega account as Omega restricts genuine parts to Omega-certified watchmakers and therefore parts can be difficult to come by.y
Unless money is no problem, you could contact @Mitka or Christian at Watchguy to see if they have spares availability and what their costs might be as an alternative to STS - both are members here and have good reviews for their work.
(don't be concerned about getting your watch back from STS, they must get this all the time)
 
Peemacgee
Posts
5,562
Likes
8,616
hoipolloi hoipolloi
I would put it back into the drawer and do nothing about it.
At that price of service I might agree but the the OP did say the watch has great sentimental value and they wanted to wear the watch and it doesn't work at the moment.
 
hoipolloi
Posts
3,636
Likes
6,132
Peemacgee Peemacgee
At that price of service I might agree but the the OP did say the watch has great sentimental value and they wanted to wear the watch and it doesn't work at the moment.
He can put it on his wrist to remember his dad and uses his phone to tell time.
 
Larry S
Posts
13,037
Likes
51,979
hoipolloi hoipolloi
He can put it on his wrist to remember his dad and uses his phone to tell time
amikoyan amikoyan
@Peemacgee, here is the breakdown of costs:

Automatic Service £675.00
Bracelet Leather
Movement No. 18859643
Serial No. 18859643
Watch Ref ST14393
Case Material Steel
Brand Omega
Watch Specification:
£767.26Total Cost of Mandatory Items:
£18.00
Estimate Valid Until: 11 March 2025
Plexi glass replacement to guarantee water resistance £74.26
Crown requires replacement to guarantee water resistance - Included £0.00
Back seal - Included £0.00

Optional Items: These items are aesthetic issues which will not affect the performance of your watch and are at the owner’s
discretion. RRP
Inc VATNoYes
Aftermarket strap/keeper broken-New Omega black calf strap/pin buckle £306.90
Hands scratched/marked - New set of hands £68.59
It’s a bit high but you will get a quality job and a warranty. Watchmakers around
me are drifting upward in price significantly. See if they can clean up the hands without damaging them, often a difficult and risky process. You can choose new ones if that does not work. Lotsa good strap options far less than an OEM.
 
Dan S
Posts
20,879
Likes
47,814
I would also send it to Mitka. But it sounds like the OP did not ask this question beforehand, and the watch has already been sent.
 
amikoyan
Posts
10
Likes
2
Dan S Dan S
I would also send it to Mitka. But it sounds like the OP did not ask this question beforehand, and the watch has already been sent.
Yes, it is with STS at the moment. It can be sent back to me for a small fee. I had not heard of Mitka or Watchguy, so thanks to this forum i have now. I did a bit of research over Christmas break and STS seemed to get good reviews. I will look into the alternatives this afternoon and have a think. There is no hurry.
 
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

Heli26

My Dad's Constellation Pie-Pan

Heli26 Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
Heli26
Heli26
Posts
3
Views
2K
C

Found my Dad's Constellation . . .

csf Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
Aroxx
Aroxx
Posts
12
Views
2K
L

Constellation ID and Service Advice Please

leoallen01 Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
Dan S
Dan S
Posts
3
Views
3K
M

omega constellation 168.004 repair and parts advice

maximilian g Forum News & Member Support
M
maximilian g
Posts
9
Views
4K
masteroftime

Seeking Advice on a 145.012-67 "Restoration"

masteroftime Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
itsjustausername
itsjustausername
Posts
4
Views
3K
GuiltyGear

Omega Constellation Deluxe 168.010/11 18k YG Serviced [Reduced]

GuiltyGear Private Watch Sales
GuiltyGear
GuiltyGear
Posts
8
Views
9K