Now this has my interest......Connie 14381

Banner Roar · Mar 12, 2017

Constellation 14381, 551, 17.7mil movement. Bezel and lugs look sharp, crown could be correct and BOR is a bonus. Currently at $900.
Concerns -
1. cant see and omega symbol on the crystal
2. star seems a bit off skew or the bottom left point is broken.

Anyone else see anything........

mondodec · Mar 12, 2017

Looks alright to me. Note the absence of a case back gasket, and thus you should ask if it has been replaced. May or may not be an original crown, depending on the origins of the watch, but don't bank on the crown offering much protection against dust and wrist moisture. Crystal issue is minor really and its hard to tell if the symbol was originally there because crystals get polished. Still some chamfer on the bezel and the lugs dont look overly rounded. Hands would seem to be correct as some of these early 81s did have hands that overreached the chapter ring a little more than in pie pans. BOR is a bonus.

Cheers

Desmond

RancheroMaster · Mar 13, 2017

My main concern is that you're worried about the crystal being unoriginal. The Omega symbol is embossed into the underside of their crystals, so it can't be polished off as Mondodec implies.

tamura · Mar 13, 2017

I polished the underside of my crystals very often..😎

ConElPueblo · Mar 13, 2017

R RancheroMaster
My main concern is that you're worried about the crystal being unoriginal. The Omega symbol is embossed into the underside of their crystals, so it can't be polished off as Mondodec implies.

...I've seen that happen. Some crystals get polished on the inside during service. On two of my Omegas the logo is so vague that it takes a loupe and light coming from a specific angle to see it.

Peemacgee · Mar 13, 2017

ConElPueblo
...I've seen that happen. Some crystals get polished on the inside during service. On two of my Omegas the logo is so vague that it takes a loupe and light coming from a specific angle to see it.

+1 on my 168.010 pie pan

TNTwatch · Mar 13, 2017

tamura
I polished the underside of my crystals very often..😎

How do you do it?

RancheroMaster · Mar 13, 2017

TNTwatch
How do you do it?

Why do you do it? There is literally no logical reason to polish the underside of the crystal.

mondodec · Mar 13, 2017

The inside of the crystal takes the brunt of any vapours that come from movement lubrication and any other vapours that come in through the crown if its not sealed.. Ive even seen dials and crystals of watches that have not been well sealed, probably belonging to smokers, that have a yellowish film on the inside of the crystal.

tamura · Mar 14, 2017

TNTwatch
How do you do it?

😀😀

I always try to keep the old original low profile crystal.

Some replacement crystals are high domed and destroy the design of old omega watches, in my eyes. Polishing the crystal from both sides could help a lot.

onthedial · Mar 14, 2017

mondodec
The inside of the crystal takes the brunt of any vapours that come from movement lubrication and any other vapours that come in through the crown if its not sealed.. Ive even seen dials and crystals of watches that have not been well sealed, probably belonging to smokers, that have a yellowish film on the inside of the crystal.

Hi Desmond,
This is interesting. I would think that a superficial residue (yellowish film) could easily be dabbed or wiped away, thus leaving intact the etched logo--no heavy handed buffing or polishing required. Granted, I've seen old, yellow-ish crystals wherein the foreign substance is actually embedded to or within the plastic and no amount of buffing or polishing could bring it back to acceptable clarity, but these were on non-Omega, lower quality watches. Anyway, the consensus I reached for very-hard-to-see etched logos is that they left the factory that way. [Under a loupe, although faint, the lines are fairly defined, not soft or obliterated as you would expect them to be if polished].
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Instagram: @onthedial

Archer · Mar 14, 2017

I've serviced watches where the inside of crystal is scratched - not sure how it happens but it does...not common though.

mondodec · Mar 14, 2017

Yes, I'm sure that quality control on the depth of the etching wasn't much of a priority, and your explanation is indeed one plausible option. My old watchmaker, now retired, used to use a light abrasive jewellers cloth on the inside of the crystal as standard practice, and the mop with light rouge on the exposed side on crystals that had scratches on them. I don't know how widespread the practice was, and is, but it points, along with other explanations in this thread, to the varieties of ways that an etching can be abraded.

Also, my understanding with Hesalite is that it is advised not to use some of the more astringent spirits on these crystals, and so I wouldn't be all that surprised if individual watchmakers have found other ways of removing any sticky/thick film from the inside of the crystal.

Cheers

onthedial
Hi Desmond,
This is interesting. I would think that a superficial residue (yellowish film) could easily be dabbed or wiped away, thus leaving intact the etched logo--no heavy handed buffing or polishing required. Granted, I've seen old, yellow-ish crystals wherein the foreign substance is actually embedded to or within the plastic and no amount of buffing or polishing could bring it back to acceptable clarity, but these were on non-Omega, lower quality watches. Anyway, the consensus I reached for very-hard-to-see etched logos is that they left the factory that way. [Under a loupe, although faint, the lines are fairly defined, not soft or obliterated as you would expect them to be if polished].
--------
Instagram: @onthedial

sphinx77 · Oct 18, 2018

R RancheroMaster
My main concern is that you're worried about the crystal being unoriginal. The Omega symbol is embossed into the underside of their crystals, so it can't be polished off as Mondodec implies.

My watchmaker here, said the same thing.