Thoughts on constellation? I am new to this and have been doing as much reading here and on desmond's blog.

My thoughts are:
Pie-pan with oxidation and spotting.
Gold hour markers look good however lume may have been washed off but still glow with UV.
Hands look original with lume present.
Font looks correct
Based on serial number I am thinking it is from 1959 or 1960
Ref 14381-2 SC
Cal 551 Movement appears to be original? No mismatching colored parts. Dirty and probably needs servicing.
Caseback over polished.
Lugs look soft and overpolished. Between the lugs there is corrosion and pitting.

Questions:
Is the no “T” next to swiss made and no “officially certified” because of the year it was made and not required?

The black spot at each hour marker is that old lume material or a mark on the dial to help with aligning the hour markers and/or to help with the placement of lume? With UV light those darks spots do glow faintly. I couldn’t zoom any closer.

The second hand and the omega symbol have a rose color appearance. Is that oxidation or replacement?

The crown has a different shade of gold however is does match the shade of the hour hands, so not sure if it is orginal.

 

Heres mine for comparison. This is a slightly later 14381-9 on 17.75m also with the 551 movement. These capped models are never as sharp on the lugs as the solid steel or gold models as the capping process leads to a little less of an edge, though mine has likely had a light polish which doesn't help of course. The OP watch has certainly seen a bit of life, the medallion in particular isn't great but as a whole it may come up OK after a service assuming no significant damage to the capping. On the wrist this feels every bit as special as my solid 18K pieces. They ooze quality.

 

First observations:

T regulation starting from '63/64.

Second hand to long? It's over the edge.

 

Connie crowns. I think you can write a book about them...

 

It's an "almost" watch. Almost nice...but not quite.

A tired dial with some bubbling, hands that have lost their lustre, a tired movement with discoloration and maybe corrosion and a case which although at first glance is quite presentable also shows some wear and pitting.

Pass, you'll regret this one in the long run as with a bit of patience it's still possible to find a minter for not too much money, especially in gold cap.

 

First of all - it is a breath of fresh air for someone to offer their own critique of a watch.
About the only thing you missed is the rotor rub on the case back.
I have to agree with @cristos71 that this is a tired watch.
The 14381 is a lovely watch but this one doesn’t do it for me unless it was a real bargain.

 

Thank you everyone for the input!
Shabbaz - The second hand is over edge a little bit. However, looking at Padders beautiful watch above it hangs over the edge a bit at his angle.
Thanks cristos71 and Peemacgee. I will keep looking for a nice gold cap. Now, I have an idea of what a tired movement looks like. Also, I never paid much attention to the caseback beside the numbers and letters, so did not notice the rotor rub there.

 

Yes I do think the angle plays a part regarding the hand length. It’s irrelevant really since you have had good advice to avoid this one. The lug corrosion which I missed originally is very bad news. Thank tou for your compliments though

 

She gets better looking each TIME is see. A Gem