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Pie Pan Q...

B
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hello - New to the vintage world - seeking to purchase a pie pan without ever having radium or tantalum applied or present. Are there models that would meet this criteria? I've seen the onyx inlay...I really like them but not sure if they ever had R or T? thanks for any help you can provide.
 
padders
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Firstly there is no Tantalum in use on any Omega, you perhaps mean Tritium? If you purchase a model with Onyx markers with no visible lume spots on the dial and no lume wells on the hands you will be fine. If it is only Radium you are hoping to avoid, but are OK with Tritium lume (which by now will be next to inert after 5 half lives) then any omega after 1962 should be fine. Radium remains nasty stuff, tritium much less so. On a later watch, if you see T letters either side of Swiss Made, this indicates the presence of tritium, but unfortunately the earlier watches had no equivalent warning for Radium so you need to use common sense to figure out if it is present or not.
 
Bruce235
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Short answer is yes, most references were made with and without lume.
 
B
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Yes, correct...I ment Tritium thanks - okay, I've seen a few with Onyx markers and on hands - my favorite! But I've been trying to teach myself what to look for on dials, etc but it's a scary challenge. I came close to buying a 1961 Onyx but backed off as I learned a few things about what's correct and not correct.
 
Olhenry56
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Also, most of the pie pan dials with arrowhead markers don't have any lume - just metal. But the ones with onyx inlay baton indexes (indices?) are less expensive.
 
X350 XJR
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padders padders
no lume wells on the hands

Not entirely true as many (most?) onyx dials have "lume" wells in the hands which are filled with black paint.

IMG_1948.jpg
 
padders
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Fair enough, but of course I meant not actual lume on the hands.
 
Bruce235
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Tritium is safe unless you eat mass quantities. Just wearing a sealed watch is harmless.
So any pie pan after 1962 is fine, so serial numbers greater than 18 million.

Look for a watch on the sales forum on this site. You can also find a watch and ask the fine folks here to vet it for you BEFORE you buy or bid on it.
 
B
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Bruce235 Bruce235
Tritium is safe unless you eat mass quantities. Just wearing a sealed watch is harmless.
So any pie pan after 1962 is fine, so serial numbers greater than 18 million.

Look for a watch on the sales forum on this site. You can also find a watch and ask the fine folks here to vet it for you BEFORE you buy or bid on it.
sounds good Many thanks
 
norb1967
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
Not entirely true as many (most?) onyx dials have "lume" wells in the hands which are filled with black paint.

IMG_1948.jpg
Just wanted to say that’s a gorgeous watch there - is it yours?
 
B
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what do you guys think of this one below. Dial seems to be good, probably replaced hands?, crown is good, case seems original, it seems to have some water spots but I'll never find a perfect one - this one is in the US as am I.



1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg 4.jpg
 
X350 XJR
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norb1967 norb1967
Just wanted to say that’s a gorgeous watch there - is it yours?

I sold this one to a forum member several years ago, so it's still in the family.
 
gatorcpa
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B Bikerider
so it's good guys?!
Need larger and higher definition pictures. The case looks good to me, as does the movement.

The one thing I would say is that if correct, this example would be the first one I've seen in almost 20 years of collecting that had a true pie-pan dial over a Cal. 501 chronometer movement.

The pie-pan dial was introduced around 1956. By that time, the Cal. 501 had been replaced in the Constellation by the Cal. 505 with a higher jewel count and improved automatic assembly.
gatorcpa
 
B
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
Need larger and higher definition pictures. The case looks good to me, as does the movement.

The one thing I would say is that if correct, this example would be the first one I've seen in almost 20 years of collecting that had a true pie-pan dial over a Cal. 501 chronometer movement.

The pie-pan dial was introduced around 1956. By that time, the Cal. 501 had been replaced in the Constellation by the Cal. 505 with a higher jewel count and improved automatic assembly.
gatorcpa

interesting...
 
gatorcpa
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Good original dials for this reference are very hard to find. If the price were right, I'd buy it despite the dial that I do not think is original to this watch (but is original to cal. 505 versions) and then look to do a swap with a collector who preferred a pie-pan dial. You could even make a few dollars on the deal.

Cal. 501 with "dome" dial"

OM1249-Omega-Constellations-1955-18ct-Gold-5-a-wm.jpg

https://www.vintagegoldwatches.com/product/omega-constellation-cal-501-18ct-1955/

Cal 505 with pie-pan dial:
https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/wat...ation-18-karat-yellow-gold-2853/id-j_5091001/

Study and compare. Note that both watches have the same case reference, Ref. 2852. The Ref. 2853 is the 18K case with a solid gold dial. None of the three watches shown here have a gold dial.
gatorcpa
 
gatorcpa
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B Bikerider
https://www.chronomaddox.com/OmegaCaliberList.html#Constellations
As much as we miss Chuck and his research, this table is at least 20, maybe 25 years old.

Chronometer rated versions of Cal. 501 existed and were used in Constellations for a short period of time (1954-56). Even Omega recognizes this.

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-constellation-omega-ot-2852

You might want to peruse this website for awhile:

http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/

gatorcpa
 
B
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I might be confused...so...is it possible that 2852 / 2853 (don't know why there are two numbers?) could have a 501 movement then?...according to the Omega link you posted?
 
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