I´ve had similar watches bought that have actually cleaned up very nicely. I would love to see the end result. I think it may have very good potential! I would not go the dial refinish way unless it is grave corrosion underneath. A service, new crystal and perhaps some very careful dial cleaning (rodico) and you may just find yourself the owner of a very nice Connie!
So I got it in the mail yesterday and did some fiddling. Here is a shot of the movement, 354: Case reference 2782-1sc: And a shot of the case precleaning: And the case after a visit to cape cod:
That's why he wants to buy one (in WTB section) I have one but have to dig it out, should be pink ? Mine is yellow.
The crystal could benefit from a polishing. A nice and simple DIY project if you have not tried it before!
Correct on the WTB. I am not certain which color medallion Omega was using for RG markers on the 2782. I thought I remember reading that Omega used standard medallions on all their early non-solid gold models (maybe I am just making that up). I haven't found any photos of a stainless 2782 case with rose gold markers. However, Kyle's stainless 2782 had white gold arrowhead markers with a non-matching yellow gold medallion: http://omegaforums.net/threads/1950s-omega-constellation-2782-cal-354-white-gold-arrowheads.9080/ So it's entirely possible this watch originally had a yellow medallion. Can anyone confirm? The cape cod cloth did a nice job on the case (looks much better in person) and cleared the crystal up a bit but I am going to take some toothpaste to it this week. Will post my results! I am keen to try out the lemon juice dial cleaning method, but don't know how to take the thing apart without destroying it Still not sure if I am hanging onto this one, though....
Some restoration points here... First, go on eBay and buy a small tube of Polywatch. The toothpaste will work as a first pass. You need something finer to get the crystal, well, crystal clear. About the medallion, I've never seen a white gold one, even with dials with white gold markers. These would have yellow gold. Pink gold only went with pink gold markers and hands. I would recommend being very careful with the dial. The lacquer looks totally shot and I can't tell whether the damage is only at the top level or has affected the paint underneath. This is why the vast majority of these dials have already been refinished. Good luck with your project! gatorcpa
Another option is to cut out the middle of the back and turn it into a display back, I was considering it
Hi! On the issue with the crystal I do not think there is enough elbow grease to make either Polywatch nor toothpaste do a proper job on it. To get it right you need to go harder to work. DO NOT WORRY! It is actually a relatively simple DIY job, and there are several good guides around on how to do it. The basics: Mask the metal with some adhesive tape in order to protect it from an accidental slip while working on the next items. Start of sanding the surface of the crystal down with emerald paper grade 200 (This is what I do). Do not panic, it is supposed to turn grey!! Use gentle movements, and do not use any force. Depending on the scratches this step takes from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. When you have removed all deep scratches, you work your way up to 400, 600, 800 and finally 1200 grade paper. Each step will not need any force applied, and 30-60 seconds may be ok. Now you have a even surface with a slight "haze" to it. Finish off with a polishing compound. I have sometimes used Polywatch at this stage, and it works perfectly. At this point you have a pristine looking crystal, and the whole job will take about 30 minutes and leave no sweat! BTW: This is how a professional (which I am not) does this: http://watchguy.co.uk/how-to-polish-an-acrylic-watch-crystal/ Good luck!
I do the same as Northernman, except that, for a superior finish, I use anything up to three grades of lapping film before the Polywatch - call it OCD.