This forum is really bad for the addiction! Not only does it feed my speedmaster obsession, it has recently got me hooked on vintage constellation.

I've been searching for a good pie pan example and this one popped up on a local listing. An hour drive later I found myself chatting with an old gentleman who has had this watch for over 50 years.

What I know about it:

Ref 168.004
Cal 561 with 20 million serial #
Dial looks original to me but would like input
Case looks good, not polished much, 36mm diameter, 18mm between lugs
Case back has all the stars
Second hand was probably replaced sometime ago, there are 3 service markings on the case back
Movement needs a good cleaning, maybe a few replacement parts as well, like the rotor post


I've taken some pictures, please take a look and let me know what you think!

 

More pictures

 

Wait for a better one I guess

 

Could there be a decent "usin' " example underneath the grime and the flailed crystal?

That is, if the price is right?

 

looks like a split on case side at 10

(Edited to what I meant )

 

Thanks for the input!

I already pulled the trigger. Price was 400CAD

As for the dial it looks to me like the crystal is cracked. Will have to take it out of the case to know for sure.

 

It looks like a 2-tone pie-pan 168.004, similar to mine


I think mine has the correct second hand. But the best examples come from one of Hoi's & Desmond's earlier threads on another forum.

Once it cleans up nicely, do show us pics! Would love to see how this pans out.

 

Nice watch OP -you get the feeling that there could be a little gem underneath that hammered crystal

Also nice watch @NT931

one thing though -Desmond's earlier comments in the link refers to the 168.010 as being the 'definitive non-hidden crown'
-but my 168.010 has a hidden crown (although it protrudes very slightly like Desmond's .004)
-and is almost certainly original as it is rose gold-capped and the crown matches the case colour

 

Dutch forum buddy of mine has a very very nice 18k gold pie panned 168.004 for sale... If you're interested, I'll get you in touch.

 

I haven't seen any little gem going with a tired movement like that

 

I don't know if your comment was aimed at me or the OP -but I could be interested

 

ok -fair enough...I might have been being a little over-generous
I suppose I was talking 'superficially" re the case and dial could scrub up well (metaphorically -I'm not suggesting to scrub either of them!)
not too many two tone dials like this around so worth the effort -and for around £200 definitely worth the punt
-although the movement might clean up quite nicely with a little TLC

 

In my book not a good buy. USD 300 for a watch practically worn out is not what I should describe as a bargain. That watch has been worn for decades, and has had it fair share of moisture, which can be seen in the dial through enamel loss. IMO a 60ies Omega dresswatch need to have a near perfect dial to be worth spending money on. The status of the movement, I don´t even want to think about.

To OP, you can do a lot better. It´s worthwhile to make the extra spending to get real quality. A cheap watch can be a bargain, but isn't most of the times.

 

I agree - the watch has major wear from the rotor scraping for a long time - this indicates lots of use without proper service. Fixing the rotor pinion is not a big deal, but if you get into worn pivots in the automatic winding system, that can get expensive very quickly - the winding wheel alone is a $100 part, and I replace a lot of them for worn pivots, as well as the satellite wheels and the ratchet wheel driving wheel. Add in likely some bad wheels in the movement, possibly worn out barrel - it's not really difficult to end up with $400 in parts on one of these movements...

 

I appreciate the honest feedback from everyone!

I will upload pictures of the dial condition next week once it is out of the case.

As for the movement condition, there's only one way to know the overall wear and that is to have it taken apart.

 

Wait for better condition. rust around the dial and acrylic that mean the moisture had ever gone in.
Good luck for searching one

 

Thought I'd revive this thread with a little update.

After disassembling the movement, moisture did indeed get into the watch from the crown. The setting mechanism and most of the dial side parts had some level of rust.

After cleaning the rust off and servicing the movement, I picked up a new crystal from eBay and put it back together.

Been on my wrist for a month now and ticking away nicely.




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