I saw this watch on an auction site at a currently reasonable price. It certainly seems to have problems, foremost of them that it's a redial. Those minute markings seem to be a little, um, migratory? The star seems to be a little kerwumpus. The seconds hand is interesting, but not canonical? Wrong crown? The movement, case number, and serial seem numerically correct for a 1957 era watch. That being said, the color of the movement is quite unusual? Does it suggest that it's trashed? These arrow head Constellations don't seem to come up all that much. If a person had a good watch maker to clean it up and planned to wear it, would it be a good buy at $350 or so? Or is this beyond hope? Since it's already a redial presumably, what would be the harm of getting a better job done on it now?

 

A redial is never a good buy at any price IMO. Wrong minute hand, crown, movement looks really beat. I would pass

 

You're probably right...though I'm not such a purist about the redial matter. Blasphemy, I know. If it's something I'm going to wear, I'd like it to look nice and I'm afraid those rare, pristine ones are so valuable that I'd be afraid to have them on!

That being said, I'm glad I spotted the same flaws you did, but you got me on the minute hand. I need to have another look! Thanks for your scrutiny and helping me calibrate!

 

Sorry I meant second hand. If you like the look go for it, but personally I would wait for a better example. If you grow tired of that one you will have a hard time reselling it. If you buy a nicer one they become much easier to flip if something else in the future catches your fancy (which happens to me all the time ).

 

I totally agree! I'm going to let some other lucky soul have at it! Even with a very reasonably priced watch maker in Asia, it would be a bigger investment than I'd want to make. I haven't sold a watch yet, but my instinct tells me that totally cleaned up, convincing redial, I couldn't have more than $400 sunk into that one.

 

Its not about being purist. Redials usually are ugly. When you see a real one in the flesh youll understand.

 

Good god NO.

It has a poor redial, wrong hands and a trashed movement. What's it got going for it? I understand some people are ok with redials when everything's been polished, serviced, cleaned etc, but this isn't even in that category.

 

Well, the point there is to get it to that latter category. With not too great of an investment. Interestingly, this poor old thing is likely to sell for more than that.

 

I'd stop with the condition of the movement alone.

 

Yes, that's the part that really scared me off...I wonder what happened to that poor thing? If that had looked a bit more healthy, I think I'd have taken a shot at it. I know it's probably apostasy in these hallowed halls, but it seems like a crime to let that beautiful arrowhead countenance just die because someone redid the dial. If the movement were more 'there,' that old girl could have another 50 years of life in her! And for not all that much money.

 

Quick update on this watch. It's about to sell for $590. Yikes!