Need Advice on Legitimacy - Bought an Omega Constellation

[blopkinz]

Zman4eva

I agree with what everyone here said. Also, sellers that do this type of "restoration" are targeting a specific customer (people that want shiny thing hence the over polishing) and tend to charge multiples of what the watch is worth. To me, a good condition 2852 is probably $2k. I can see a seller charging $5k for this watch because "it's in such nice condition".

Please tell me you didn't pay $5k for this watch.

Oh goodness no LOL!

But, I think with all this feedback I can get it probably to 1k, they said "ThEy WeRe In HeAvY oN rEsToRaTiOn dUrDuRdUr 421.00 doLLaRs"

 

[Peemacgee]

Dan S

That was not me, but I agree. 😁

apologies!

 

[blopkinz]

Mark020

I assume the OP paid a little bit more...

@Mark020 It was supposed to be fair market value; exactly around the 2k range! D:

 

[blopkinz]

I was fearing that @Fallout Boy was right when he said O m E g A D:

 

[Fallout Boy]

B blopkinz

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!?!?!?

You don t need to shout here...

 

[gbesq]

blopkinz,

Here's the bottom line. You overpaid signifcantly for a poor example. The watch is redialed with an overpolished case and has no collectible value. It does not appear that you were misled by the seller since he/she advised you that the watch had been restored, but if there was anything in the listing that is contrary to what you now know, you may have cause to return the watch for a refund. Even if there is no cause, you have nothing to lose by contacting the seller and requesting a return of the watch and a refund. If you can't return it, then this is a hard lesson in purchasing vintage watches and you'll either have to keep the watch and live with your mistake or sell it -- with full disclosure as to what it is -- and recoup what you can. The time to come to OF and seek our opinions as to originality and condition was before you bought the watch, not after. Another hard lesson, I'm afraid. Better luck going forward.

 

[wagudc]

I searched the image source, and it seems the watch came from Second Time Around Watch Co. They do accept returns. Even if you have to pay the 7.5% restocking fee, it is worth it given the asking price I saw on the cached page. See:

https://secondtimearoundwatchco.com/pages/faqs#8

Also please keep in mind, the folks here are giving you free advice based on many years of experience. We are a community of enthusiasts, not a appraisal service. Your tone has been less then cordial. You've waltzed in without introduction, asked questions, and complained when you don't like the answer. Yes, some of the answers were short and not as well explained as you would have liked, but you are one of many people asking such questions each week which is why you are getting short-hand answers. Regardless, you have gotten very clear sound advice from several members, and I have not heard a single thank you.

 

[Fallout Boy]

👍

 

[Bruce235]

OP, note that clean shiny black dialled connies from the 1950s are extremely rare to find in original condition. It takes long to find one and it will be expensive.
There will be 10-50 redials and Franken watches for each original that you see.

 

[ecarpino]

Bruce235

OP, note that clean shiny black dialled connies from the 1950s are extremely rare to find in original condition. It takes long to find one and it will be expensive.
There will be 10-50 redials and Franken watches for each original that you see.

I can tell from experience that redials are very common on the black ones, so you must have a trained eye and trust the people in here before buying. After what happened to me, I would always ask for an opinion on black dials.

 

[blopkinz]

wagudc

I searched the image source, and it seems the watch came from Second Time Around Watch Co. They do accept returns. Even if you have to pay the 7.5% restocking fee, it is worth it given the asking price I saw on the cached page. See:

https://secondtimearoundwatchco.com/pages/faqs#8

Also please keep in mind, the folks here are giving you free advice based on many years of experience. We are a community of enthusiasts, not a appraisal service. Your tone has been less then cordial. You've waltzed in without introduction, asked questions, and complained when you don't like the answer. Yes, some of the answers were short and not as well explained as you would have liked, but you are one of many people asking such questions each week which is why you are getting short-hand answers. Regardless, you have gotten very clear sound advice from several members, and I have not heard a single thank you.

@wagudc woah! I didn't interpret my tone as not being cordial, mayhaps it is a generational difference. Typically when a thread dies down, I give final thanks to everyone's help, input, and assistance because I value complete inclusivity 😉 Let's not assume that I for one would not show my appreciation to this beautiful community, collectively. I have not had the time to consistently prowl this thread, but I do value the input and scrutiny of the purchase. I will also make note that my expressions are not said in disgust or issue with the replies; I will clarify my responses are with levity, not with disgust or issue. I recognize that it is not an appraisal service, I only came here for the opinions of the wonderful enthusiasts within this forum - I asked for thoughts, and how much people would typically pay in their own opinion.

Edited: Oct 23, 2023

 

[blopkinz]

ecarpino

I can tell from experience that redials are very common on the black ones, so you must have a trained eye and trust the people in here before buying. After what happened to me, I would always ask for an opinion on black dials.

@ecarpino can I ask what happened to you?

 

[blopkinz]

Bruce235

OP, note that clean shiny black dialled connies from the 1950s are extremely rare to find in original condition. It takes long to find one and it will be expensive.
There will be 10-50 redials and Franken watches for each original that you see.

I see, does a redial truly kill the value of a watch though? Or is the answer "it depends?"

 

[Dan S]

B blopkinz

I see, does a redial truly kill the value of a watch though? Or is the answer "it depends?"

Yes, a redial kills the collectible value and generally reduces market value by at least 50% for a watch in this category. The watch still has value as parts, and as something to wear to tell the time.

 

[blopkinz]

Dan S

Yes, a redial kills the collectible value and generally reduces market value by at least 50% for a watch in this category. The watch still has value as parts, and as something to wear to tell the time.

Gotcha! I did not know that, I was always told that a redial is sometimes necessary and completely okay, rather than something that has the ability to significantly diminish the value of the watch at least by half! That's crazy to think of... Thank-you for your help!

 

[blopkinz]

Bruce235

OP, note that clean shiny black dialled connies from the 1950s are extremely rare to find in original condition. It takes long to find one and it will be expensive.
There will be 10-50 redials and Franken watches for each original that you see.

When we say expensive, how much are we talking?

 

[blopkinz]

gbesq

blopkinz,

Here's the bottom line. You overpaid signifcantly for a poor example. The watch is redialed with an overpolished case and has no collectible value. It does not appear that you were misled by the seller since he/she advised you that the watch had been restored, but if there was anything in the listing that is contrary to what you now know, you may have cause to return the watch for a refund. Even if there is no cause, you have nothing to lose by contacting the seller and requesting a return of the watch and a refund. If you can't return it, then this is a hard lesson in purchasing vintage watches and you'll either have to keep the watch and live with your mistake or sell it -- with full disclosure as to what it is -- and recoup what you can. The time to come to OF and seek our opinions as to originality and condition was before you bought the watch, not after. Another hard lesson, I'm afraid. Better luck going forward.

Dang! Definitely better luck going forward; two hard lessons in one day - life is a bitch, inded! LOL

 

[blopkinz]

Fallout Boy

You don t need to shout here...

Can we apply a smiling person to the caps, does that make it sound any better?

 

[blopkinz]

gatorcpa

Incorrectly professionally restored dial. Very heavy polished case, to the point where much of the detail on the case is gone.

Pictures look very overexposed, which tends to hide some of these flaws.
gatorcpa

I love the fact that you are called "InvestIgator" - clever and witty!

So I told the shop this - and they argued that it is hard to determine the dials correctness and to not believe any reference from OMEGA's vintage database as that is not set and stone... I wasn't sure how to take their response, and they reiterated that the redial was done correctly, which is interesting because I am seeing the exact same thing you are seeing.

 

[Dan S]

B blopkinz

So I told the shop this - and they argued that it is hard to determine the dials correctness and to not believe any reference from OMEGA's vintage database as that is not set and stone... I wasn't sure how to take their response, and they reiterated that the redial was done correctly, which is interesting because I am seeing the exact same thing you are seeing.

Semantics. They can say it was redone correctly if the all the words are present, spelled correctly, and generally in the right places. What the experts are saying is that the printing is not accurate. A really good re-dial can take careful inspection to identify, this isn't one of those.

Overall, I don't think that the seller misled you. And TBH, they rely entirely on inexperienced buyers to sell watches like these. Buyers who have the idea that it would be cool to have a vintage watch, but want it to look new and shiny. There are plenty of buyers in that category.

There is no reason to argue with the seller, if you don't want it, it seems that they have a return policy. If you feel you need to explain your reasons, you can just say that you misunderstood what was meant by "restored." People with experience understand that to be a euphemism for repainted, but I've often seen inexperienced people think that it means the dial was cleaned. If they want fewer returns, they can be more upfront in their descriptions.