Omega Cosmic Moonphase Buying Guide: Refs 2471, 2486, 2606

Dug · Jan 6, 2026

A Happy New Year everyone, and to OF admin of course.
My latest 'grail', and a resolution for 2026, is to add an Omega Cosmic Moonphase to my small collection. My original intention was to find one that wifey might kindly buy me for Christmas, but the months have rolled by! Having spent months stalking chrono24, ebay, auctions etc, I am no further forward...probably over-cautious, having been stung a couple of times in the past. Anyway, I'm now doing what I should have in the first place, and seeking advice from the wise folk on here; what to look out for, safest place to buy, any specific issues with these, price range....condition dependent of course. Will be settling for the standard....the tank would be nice, but not unless the wife wins the lottery! Many thanks in advance.

Dug · Jan 6, 2026

Just to add, I've just spotted codytza444's entry, and responses, from last month, which have provided answers, but mainly about dial authenticity. Some contributors did, though, seem to infer that these moonphase models are problematic?

Dan S · Jan 6, 2026

It is extremely hard to find a decent example with an original dial. I'd start by studying correct dials so that you know every detail by heart. That way, you will immediately rule out 99% of the watches you find and not waste time. Since almost every example you find has a repainted dial, you may have an unrealistic idea of what a good one will cost, so make sure you track down some auction sales of nice watches.

cristos71 · Jan 6, 2026

These are really great watches and I think one of the most attractive and special vintage Omega's of the late 1940's - early 1950's.

The first thing to look out for of course is the dial. As I'm sure you have read many, many, many have been redialled, the majority more than likely due to water damage. With a snap back case and all those non-waterproofed correctors on both sides you could see it as wearing a small sieve on your wrist! Well, that is an exaggeration but these are not a watch to wear whilst doing the dishes....and I'm extremely conscious whilst washing my hands. Having said that for the rest they are just like any other dress watch from this period and whilst I certainly wouldn't wear one for heavy gardening, neither would I wear a 50's Constellation for that kind of thing either.

Parts can be both tricky to find and expensive depending on what is needed with date adjustor parts the hardest to get. So buying one in working condition is advisable if you don't want to be faffing about for months to get all the bits together. Servicing them is more expensive than a simple three hander, about the same as a chrono normally.

Pleasure of ownership is high....be aware they can become addictive as in typical Omega 1950's fashion there are a myriad of different dial designs.

Best thing to do is check in here if you find something.

Good ones go for good money and to add to @Dan S comments about pricing I'd say that the start price for a good 2471 in steel with a decent dial and case is about €3K-€3.5K rising depending on sharpness of case and crispness of dial. About the same for a gold top 2606 and the gold filled jumbo 2486. Jumbos in steel are generally a lot more expensive €7.5K-€10K+ if you can find one. Gold 3944 are thin on the ground and start at €8K-€9K. Black dials, Farsi dials, etc increase all these starting levels. The solid gold round references I don't really follow, but these are also now probably around €7K starting in decent shape, rising quickly the better the dial and case.

Dug · Jan 7, 2026

cristos71
These are really great watches and I think one of the most attractive and special vintage Omega's of the late 1940's - early 1950's.

The first thing to look out for of course is the dial. As I'm sure you have read many, many, many have been redialled, the majority more than likely due to water damage. With a snap back case and all those non-waterproofed correctors on both sides you could see it as wearing a small sieve on your wrist! Well, that is an exaggeration but these are not a watch to wear whilst doing the dishes....and I'm extremely conscious whilst washing my hands. Having said that for the rest they are just like any other dress watch from this period and whilst I certainly wouldn't wear one for heavy gardening, neither would I wear a 50's Constellation for that kind of thing either.

Parts can be both tricky to find and expensive depending on what is needed with date adjustor parts the hardest to get. So buying one in working condition is advisable if you don't want to be faffing about for months to get all the bits together. Servicing them is more expensive than a simple three hander, about the same as a chrono normally.

Pleasure of ownership is high....be aware they can become addictive as in typical Omega 1950's fashion there are a myriad of different dial designs.

Best thing to do is check in here if you find something.

Good ones go for good money and to add to @Dan S comments about pricing I'd say that the start price for a good 2471 in steel with a decent dial and case is about €3K-€3.5K rising depending on sharpness of case and crispness of dial. About the same for a gold top 2606 and the gold filled jumbo 2486. Jumbos in steel are generally a lot more expensive €7.5K-€10K+ if you can find one. Gold 3944 are thin on the ground and start at €8K-€9K. Black dials, Farsi dials, etc increase all these starting levels. The solid gold round references I don't really follow, but these are also now probably around €7K starting in decent shape, rising quickly the better the dial and case.

Many thanks, your advice is very helpful and much appreciated. It seems to have been the same with every watch in my collection,... months of searching and many, many hours of reading. With the greater majority of dials having been redialed it is going to be a long haul, but either that or settle for second best....not in my nature. It does make you wonder, though, who owns all of the redials out there; I guess a mix of those who are unaware and those who are happy to wear a vintage watch with no sign of age to the dial. I don't mean that as a critiism, something for all tastes. Anyway, the search continues.....onwards.

theluckyluke · Jan 7, 2026

Good luck with the search. It took me two years to find one, and as said above they’re stunning and a great reference.

They eventually come up in original and good condition. The main issue is often that prices are really really high (maybe because often sold by dealers? I don’t know).

Chris has said it all I think, but having gone through this search before (starting as a newbie on this ref), this is my advice:

1. get started on understanding original dials vs. redials (often they’re terrible, but sometimes they’re harder to tell) so you can develop you eye and act “quicker” when you find one

2. get a sense for the minimum condition you want. There is a really large spectrum and amongst original dials, many have patinated heavily or have older water damage

3. define how much pricing flex you have if ever a great one comes up. Because it’s not quite a linear scale. Strong examples shoot up pretty quickly above average ones

cristos71 · Jan 7, 2026

Dug
Many thanks, your advice is very helpful and much appreciated. It seems to have been the same with every watch in my collection,... months of searching and many, many hours of reading. With the greater majority of dials having been redialed it is going to be a long haul, but either that or settle for second best....not in my nature. It does make you wonder, though, who owns all of the redials out there; I guess a mix of those who are unaware and those who are happy to wear a vintage watch with no sign of age to the dial. I don't mean that as a critiism, something for all tastes. Anyway, the search continues.....onwards.

I always find the weeks/months/years of reading and researching to be as much an important part of the vintage Omega hobby as the actual ownership. And as I mentioned above that is especially so in the late 40s and early 50s period....there are still today interesting and previously unseen dial variations popping up, which is quite amazing when you think about it.

MSNWatch · Jan 7, 2026

As mentioned dial condition and originality plus movement condition and functional status are paramount. Also there appears to be a higher percentage of gold cap models in good shape than stainless steel. And check the for sale section here regularly. A nice example might pop up for sale every year or so. Many nice photos of nice examples of these models are in this forum so that should be the start of your learning.

cristos71 · Jan 7, 2026

MSNWatch
As mentioned dial condition and originality plus movement condition and functional status are paramount. Also there appears to be a higher percentage of gold cap models in good shape than stainless steel. And check the for sale section here regularly. A nice example might pop up for sale every year or so. Many nice photos of nice examples of these models are in this forum so that should be the start of your learning.

Picked any up recently @MSNWatch ?

MSNWatch · Jan 7, 2026

cristos71
Picked any up recently @MSNWatch ?

Nope but haven't been looking that closely. Also restrained from purchasing outside of the US because of additional import costs.

bjensen · Aug 8, 2026

Good evening.

My wife and I were gifted this by a family friend whose father was a watch maker. I’ve looked at as many photos I can find and I haven’t seen any with this hand set. Do any of you know if it is a different reference or where these hands might have come from? To the best of my knowledge it is an untouched dial that has been living in anchorage Alaska for the last 60 years.

Also, it is currently not functioning. I understand it might be difficult, but because of the family sentiment I want to get it working. Does anyone know who I might send it to? Would omega service it?

Thanks for any insights!

theluckyluke · Aug 8, 2026

Hello. References are linked to cases - so here likely a 2471. Each reference comes with a variety of dial and hands.

The dial looks original to me, although the OMEGA text font looks slightly bold - but I can’t see anything else clearly suggesting a redial. The dial condition is typical for these refs, which aren’t water resistant and dials have aged quite poorly.

They came with various hand styles. The second hand (over the moonphase disc) might be fine (at least it has the correct style and length). The blue date hand looks correct too.

Despite a variety of hands on this ref, I don’t think the hour and minute hands are correct. Likely transfered from another watch.

The crown also looks quite thin (but pairs quite nicely aesthetically). Might have been replaced in the past, as was pretty common during service.

Don’t service with Omega, they could try to restore the watch and touch the dial. It would be best to find a good independent watchmaker. This might be costly depending on the state of the mouvement. You can search on the forum for references based on your location.

Be wary of trying to adjust or test the buttons until issues are identified.

Picture of mine - almost similar layout.

Welcome to the forum!

cristos71 · Aug 8, 2026

Yeah, I'd generally expect leaf hands on a 2471 with this dial style.

Omega Cosmic Moonphase Buying Guide: Refs 2471, 2486, 2606

Dug

Dug

Dan S

cristos71

Dug

theluckyluke

cristos71

MSNWatch

cristos71

MSNWatch

bjensen

theluckyluke

cristos71

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