"Service parts" query

I keep reading about watches with "service hands" or dials and am wondering what the difference is. My 1987 Constellation was gone through by Omega, it got new hands and they are identical to what they sent back. Same with my early 2000s 3523.80 triple calendar speedy. It got a new blue dial as well. Identical to the original. Are they just recent enough for NOS parts to still be available?

Service parts is a term that when used here generally refers to parts that have an appearance that is somehow different from what the original parts that were on the watch.

So for example if the original hands had tritium lume the service hands might have luminova.

In reality any parts needed that is replaced in service, is a service part. But if there is no outward difference to the original hands, they don’t tend to be called anything other than parts.

For your Constellation, if the hands are not lumed, they may be identical to the original hands that were on the watch. If they are lumed, and the lume on the hands they replaced looks identical to the hands they removed, then the removed hands might already be replacements.

Often there are subtle differences that you might not notice at first glance. But collectors value originality, so they study all the details very closely in an attempt to confirm that parts are original.

That said, these concerns are usually about older collectible watches, where something like a service dial could reduce the value in half, even if it looks similar. For relatively modern (Neo-vintage) watches, the value isn't so closely tied to originality. And for even more more modern watches, service parts might be identical to the original parts.

Thank you gentlemen.