Hi All - just found this beauty at an antiques shop in Sydney. Looks like a gold capped 166.011 from what I can tell. Missing the bezel (?) but otherwise runs really well. Just wanting to learn a bit about the model, and also seeking advice as to where I might be able to get a replacement gold bezel. Thanks.
Thanks for this - how much would you say I should have paid for this?
To be brutally honest I think you should have passed. Both the case and dial conditions leave a lot to be desired and the missing bezel will be extremely difficult, verging on the impossible, to find loose.
I'm sorry to say this, but this was probably not a good purchase unless you bought it for parts. Someone likely scavenged the bezel for scrap value because the dial is in poor condition; the price of gold is quite high at the moment. It's possible that the store itself might have done it, which would really be sad. Either way, they really gouged you on the price. Typically, a restoration would involve custom fabrication of a bezel out of gold, which would be expensive, and difficult to justify given the overall condition.
IMO, this watch is honestly best used for parts, to repair other watches. That is assuming that the movement is in decent condition. As noted previously, you are already upside-down on the watch, and I wouldn't recommend investing any more into it. Save your money and start with something in better condition. Please feel free to vet any future purchases on the forum, members will be happy to help.
Someone likely scavenged the bezel for scrap value because the dial is in poor condition; the price of gold is quite high at the moment.
I don´t think the bezel was worth scrapping as it will not have been solid gold but only gold plated or capped as the rest of the upper case is.
Didn´t you see the SS case back?
I don´t think the bezel was worth scrapping as it will not have been solid gold but only gold plated or capped as the rest of the upper case is.
Didn´t you see the SS case back?
Yes, I did. I avoid gold-capped/filled/plated watches so I guess I was wrong about this, but I was under the impression that they often had solid gold bezels. Desmond has noted that gold-capped Constellations have solid 14k bezels. http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec//GoldCap.pdf
And this topic has been discussed in many other threads, where various members suggested that bezels used on gold-capped cases were solid gold. I could post some links, but it sounds like you may have different information, perhaps first-hand.
Yes, I did. I avoid gold-capped/filled/plated watches so I guess I was wrong about this, but I was under the impression that they often had solid gold bezels. Desmond has noted that gold-capped Constellations have 14k bezels.
I think somebody else was also under that impression 🙄.
Another example of the (T) SWISS T -problem on vintage watches. Dials seems original, but where is the Tritium?
🍿
The tritium is at the end of the indices - the photo is a bad angle, but there’s black/grey dots at the end of each one. Apologies I new to this forum - can you help me understand your post? Are you trying to answer my original post?
To be brutally honest I think you should have passed. Both the case and dial conditions leave a lot to be desired and the missing bezel will be extremely difficult, verging on the impossible, to find loose.
Thanks mate - luckily for me I like the patina and I’m going to keep it as a daily. Thanks for your opinion though - much appreciated.
The tritium is at the end of the indices - the photo is a bad angle, but there’s black/grey dots at the end of each one. Apologies I new to this forum - can you help me understand your post? Are you trying to answer my original post?
Apologies - was this reply to me? I’m not sure I follow.
I was as replying to the post above mine which questioned why your watch has T marks. It seems that contributor believes your watch has no lume, I don’t see it that way. As you say it has lume on both the dial and hands so it is logical it would have a T mark. I too don’t think it was a great purchase as the missing bezel won’t be easy to find or recreate. Not impossible but not easy.
