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  1. eelpie Jun 28, 2014

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    Today I picked up a sweet project.

    It's a 60s vintage Conny Chronometer, 36mm steel case and case-back, with gold Observatory medallion, gold-capped lugs and gold (14K?) bezel.

    I cannot get the case-back off, so I don't know the exact caliber or age, but with a crystal, service and crown it will be very cool.

    My question: since the finish is gone from what is likely the original crown, should I use a yellow or white replacement crown.

    Yellow seems to be right since the lugs are gold capped, and the bezel is, gold, but I wanted a second opinion.

    Thanks . . .
     
  2. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Jun 28, 2014

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    That's the easiest question I've had all day.

    Yellow.
    gatorcpa
     
  3. Habitant Jun 28, 2014

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    Are you sure? :D
     
  4. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Jun 28, 2014

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    On a gold-capped pie-pan Constellation, I'm sure.

    Anything else, I'd need to see it.
    gatorcpa
     
  5. eelpie Jun 28, 2014

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  6. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Jun 28, 2014

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    Yellow, 10-sided. Not sure of the part number, as I can't tell if this is a cal. 504 or 561 movement piece.

    If it's a cal. 561, your task will be difficult.
    gatorcpa
     
  7. mondodec Editor Constellation Collectors Blog Jun 28, 2014

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    I think it's a 14381 case Gator, and so your observation about the availability of crowns is spot on. The crowns are no longer manufactured as far as I know and Omega Bienne now replaces with round crowns when they service these vintage pieces.

    There are some fake or 'homage' decagonal crowns circulating, but I'm told they don't seal hermetically.

    Cheers

    Desmond
     
  8. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Jun 28, 2014

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    Thanks for the clue, Des! I now think it should be a case ref. 14393, which I think is more or less the same case as the 14381. Some of these had the scalloped crown, which should be acceptable for this reference.

    Here's a link to a thread that has several examples.

    http://omegaforums.net/threads/1959-constellation.3332/

    Jules Borel shows the following as the current crown for this reference:

    http://cgi.julesborel.com/cgi-bin/matcgi2?ref=\]ZETGSMUq

    [​IMG]

    So even the scalloped crown is rare now. It isn't going to get any better.

    Yellow would look the same, well, in yellow.
    gatorcpa
     
  9. Habitant Jun 29, 2014

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    Sorry, I'd been joking, which is why I put the smilie in there. You are, of course, right and it sounded so. No irony in electrons, I guess.
     
  10. mondodec Editor Constellation Collectors Blog Jun 29, 2014

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    You're absolutely right Evan. It is a 14393 I believe. My memory ain't as good as what I'd like it to be.

    Yep, I think either the clover leaf or round crown would look fine :)

    Cheers

    D


     
  11. Fritz genuflects before the mighty quartzophobe Jun 29, 2014

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    There's always the farm boy option:

    Years ago my Dad replaced his worn down crown with a blob of silver solder..... didn't even remove the crown to heat it up enough to get the solder to stick. A nice 30mm Omega from the 50s was just an old watch in the seventies so he was just keeping an old lump running.

    I hate to think what that did to the seals and oils when that blast of heat transferred into the movement!

    It later, much later as it ran for years after such abuse, got a new crown during a proper service.