Hello, Still on the search for my first vintage Omega. I came upon this piece and was seeking the experts' advice on refinishing/condition/value. The model is a 14900 SC 61 with a 551 movement. The is nothing wrong with the dial that I can see. The hands are see-through where the lume paint/onyx inlay normally is on most Constellations. So I'm wondering if this is missing, or if the hands were designed that way. The dog legs look rather sharp to me. There are a few scratches on the back but otherwise, the cosmetic condition looks good. There are no pictures of the movement unfortunately. I will definitely ask for those. Asking price is $1250. What do you think?
Another thing- the serial number is in the 19 millions which I believe place the watch as a 1962 model. However, the seller's picture of the original papers stated it was sold in 1968. Is this a red flag?
Personally I would pass on this one. $ 1250 is serious money but the dial is not attractive IMO. You should do better with a bit more patience. Maybe wait a month or two longer and spend a bit more you could get a perfect one.
Hello @Excalious The dial, while correct, has an unusual patina making it look dirty. The lume has been removed or fallen out of the hands and indices, you can see the notches where it once was on the indices. The case has been heavily polished. Replacement crown. Good spot re the manufacturing date and sale date. If the retailer had been in the US, Europe or one of the major centres down under then the papers would raise big red flags. However, being Panama, it is just feasible it sat in a shop for 5 years. It would be a pass from me too.
While it is getting harder to get this reference in a good condition at a decent price, i would probably pass on this one. If you didnt have the chance to look at it in person, it is hard to say how the dial condition looks in real life from those few photos. Sometimes they look way worse in photos than in real life, depending on the lighting, angle, etc. However my expectations would not be too high, the dial does look kind of dirty. I would wait for another one to come.
Thanks for the pointers, all. Trying to find a stainless steel pie pan < 1500 feels like digging for gold in a minefield. There seem to be so many traps and pitfalls. What do you think about this one? It's a 167.005- no obvious errors that I can see. The dog legs appear to be pretty narrow from polish, but could that be an optical illusion due to it not being shown with a band? Ongoing auction- so no price yet. Is this a good example and what might an acceptable ceiling for it be?