Vintage Omega Constellation Black Honeycomb Dial ID

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Hi All,

I inherited this watch from my grandpa who would wear it everyday.
It's old & worn, I plan on getting it restored and then wear it myself but would first like to get some more info on what exactly it is.
It still holds time great and i'm not sure if he ever previously got it worked on.
He was located in France, so likely purchased in France/Switzerland.
The case is two-tone, the dials have the 3/6/9/12 numberings, no date.
Inside the face reads: "Omega; Automatic; Chronometer; Officially Certified; Constellation"
On the back is written: "Constellation; Waterproof"
The strap appears to be off-brand. I do very much like the black leather strap for it, so will likely get a new one for myself.

Pictures attached, any info on the era/specs of this watch would be much appreciated, and any suggestions for the restoration would also be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Odoyle
 
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Hi All,

I inherited this watch from my grandpa who would wear it everyday.
It's old & worn, I plan on getting it restored and then wear it myself but would first like to get some more info on what exactly it is.
It still holds time great and i'm not sure if he ever previously got it worked on.
He was located in France, so likely purchased in France/Switzerland.
The case is two-tone, the dials have the 3/6/9/12 numberings, no date.
Inside the face reads: "Omega; Automatic; Chronometer; Officially Certified; Constellation"
On the back is written: "Constellation; Waterproof"
The strap appears to be off-brand. I do very much like the black leather strap for it, so will likely get a new one for myself.

Pictures attached, any info on the era/specs of this watch would be much appreciated, and any suggestions for the restoration would also be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Odoyle
Hi Odoyle
I would go for a full service about 100 bucks if nothing damaged inside and that it, maybe a very soft glass polishing but if it was me I would keep the actual state as much as it is
And I will just put my touch on the bracelet
So you have your gran pa side with you own touch on the bracelet
But that’s just my perspective 😉
I am French and get an old LIP from my grand pa I’ll do something similar one day
Mathieu
 
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Hi Odoyle
I would go for a full service about 100 bucks if nothing damaged inside and that it, maybe a very soft glass polishing but if it was me I would keep the actual state as much as it is
And I will just put my touch on the bracelet
So you have your gran pa side with you own touch on the bracelet
But that’s just my perspective 😉
I am French and get an old LIP from my grand pa I’ll do something similar one day
Mathieu

Id be very wary of a service that cost $100
 
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Id be very wary of a service that cost $100
how much would you pay for a service ?
I personally have a old man already retired but still in service ex Rolex certified in my region how is doing all my service for that range of price
The omega I recently bought the service cost me 150€. It is just a full decommissioning process cleaning re oiling and re assembling
I may have a bad comparison point but here in France for about 150€ you have already good service and it goes up to 400 for a chrono even branded one such as Omega
 
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Thank you David et merci Mathieu!
I definitely don't want to bring it back to new, but maybe just taking it apart and cleaning/polishing everything. I also don't know if the insides have ever been serviced..
I was thinking of getting it sent to Omega and getting them to do everything (which surely will be a lot more expensive).
I'll look into alternative services closer to where I'm located (Pittsburgh) but I really don't know too much about the watch world so I'd rather stay on the safer side!
 
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Nice heirloom, heavily worn but still beautiful. Don't send to Omega find independent watchmaker with Omega parts account. Omega will be very expensive and they replace a lot of parts including hands and may lose the vintage appeal and value.
An independant watchmaker can service it without polishing further and give you a nice vintage heirloom watch to wear. Service will likely cost around $500, search OF for watchmakers in your area there are many threads like this.
 
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Nice heirloom, heavily worn but still beautiful. Don't send to Omega find independent watchmaker with Omega parts account. Omega will be very expensive and they replace a lot of parts including hands and may lose the vintage appeal and value.
An independant watchmaker can service it without polishing further and give you a nice vintage heirloom watch to wear. Service will likely cost around $500, search OF for watchmakers in your area there are many threads like this.
Will do, thank you!!
 
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That's a great heirloom. Experienced collectors will typically have watches like these serviced by an experienced independent watchmaker, who will perform the process carefully and sympathetically from beginning to end, instead of having the Omega factory-style service where they will just want to replace anything that looks worn or old. There's no need to limit yourself to a local, however, don't expect to find someone to do this for $100 as mentioned above.
 
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That's a great heirloom. Experienced collectors will typically have watches like these serviced by an experienced independent watchmaker, who will perform the process carefully and sympathetically from beginning to end, instead of having the Omega factory-style service where they will just want to replace anything that looks worn or old. There's no need to limit yourself to a local, however, don't expect to find someone to do this for $100 as mentioned above.
Thanks Dan! I found a Omega authorized dealer within the city that has a watchmaker with good reviews. I'll go meet with them in person and see what they have to say/offer!
 
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Thank you David et merci Mathieu!
I definitely don't want to bring it back to new, but maybe just taking it apart and cleaning/polishing everything.
As others have said, don't send it to Omega. Find someone who can give it a proper service but make sure you specify that you don't want anything polished. Cleaned yes, and the scratches on the glass should be easy enough to buff out, but I would not be touching the case, bezel or lugs. Throw a new strap on it and you have a beautiful watch and reminder of your grandpa.
 
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Thanks Dan! I found a Omega authorized dealer within the city that has a watchmaker with good reviews. I'll go meet with them in person and see what they have to say/offer!
An AD will probably charge about the same as Omega, in my experience. So I'm guessing that you may get a quote in the $700 range.

P.S. Just double-check that they are going to service it locally/in-house. Sometimes an AD will send a watch out to who-knows-where, and this can lead to poor communication. You may choose to make specific requests about what should be done or not done, and you want to make sure those requests are honored.
Edited:
 
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As others have said, don't send it to Omega. Find someone who can give it a proper service but make sure you specify that you don't want anything polished. Cleaned yes, and the scratches on the glass should be easy enough to buff out, but I would not be touching the case, bezel or lugs. Throw a new strap on it and you have a beautiful watch and reminder of your grandpa.
Sounds good! Thank you!!
 
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An AD will probably charge about the same as Omega, in my experience. So I'm guessing that you may get a quote in the $700 range.
I'll report back! I'm just scared of sending it somewhere myself to be honest and there wasn't much else (with good reviews) in close proximity :/
 
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Nice heirloom, heavily worn but still beautiful.
^Yep, this. Odoyle, that's a grandpa I wish I'd had! It will be great to see photos post-service and new strap. WIGH!
 
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Beautiful heirloom. As others have said on service.

Shifting the topic to the watch itself, the reference will be in the inner case back. Looks like a 2852. The dial is a black honeycomb/waffle dial. Looks original to me. To assess this, it's usually best to have close-ups of the fonts.

Note that the dial says "Chonometre" (French spelling for Chronometer.. this changed for the last batches of 2852 and for further 5-digit references).

Once the watch is open, the serial number on the movement will tell you an approx. date. Likely late 1950s.

The case is worn and what we call "soft" in the hobby - which basically means it's been polished and worn - clearly a watch that's been enjoyed. I wouldn't mind, as I has sentimental value.

The crown is a replacement crown, likely swapped during prior service. A competent watchmaker should be able to source a correct period crown for this reference if this matters to you.

I think the hands have also likely had some sort of re-lume in the past, as the color looks pretty bright.

Enjoy it with care and hoping it brings you a lot of joy!
Edited:
 
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Hi All,

I inherited this watch from my grandpa who would wear it everyday.
It's old & worn, I plan on getting it restored and then wear it myself but would first like to get some more info on what exactly it is.
It still holds time great and i'm not sure if he ever previously got it worked on.
He was located in France, so likely purchased in France/Switzerland.
The case is two-tone, the dials have the 3/6/9/12 numberings, no date.
Inside the face reads: "Omega; Automatic; Chronometer; Officially Certified; Constellation"
On the back is written: "Constellation; Waterproof"
The strap appears to be off-brand. I do very much like the black leather strap for it, so will likely get a new one for myself.

Pictures attached, any info on the era/specs of this watch would be much appreciated, and any suggestions for the restoration would also be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Odoyle
Great piece of family history. Please avoid polishing the case; the sharp edges are part of the charm.
 
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Here in Chicagoland … a service would be $3-500 on this watch and I’d be happy to pay it. This is a fantastic piece. Original hobnail black dial, decent case. Family history. Just know that this watch will never be waterproof so be careful after service. New strap might be in order if this one is cracked or weak.
Edited:
 
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Thank you David et merci Mathieu!
I definitely don't want to bring it back to new, but maybe just taking it apart and cleaning/polishing everything. I also don't know if the insides have ever been serviced..
I was thinking of getting it sent to Omega and getting them to do everything (which surely will be a lot more expensive).
I'll look into alternative services closer to where I'm located (Pittsburgh) but I really don't know too much about the watch world so I'd rather stay on the safer side!
You re most welcome I m just trying to give you my point of view which might not be everyone pov but anyway you get all pov an draw yours this is how it works no ? 😉
Good luck
 
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Hi all.

The watch is finally back. I did what you all told me not to do... 😬
I was naive and scared, so I sent it with my local Omega AD, they sent it to Swatch watch group here in the US and then it quickly went to Switzerland after that. Overall took a little over 6 months, which was painful. The worst part is that I hardly got any information about the status throughout this whole ordeal. It cam back with a nice small Omega box, but unfortunately no information on serial #, year, and itemized list of exactly what was done. I did get all the components they replaced back, which is nice I guess.

That said, I am stunned at how nice it looks. I know that the crystal was replaced, seconds hand was replaced because it was bent apparently, and new crown. I was told the dial wasn't re-painted by the person at the AD here, but am not 100% sure and honestly don't really care because it looks amazing to me. And I must say, its comforting to get the stamp of approval from Omega on the quality of service done. It is now mine to proudly wear daily!

Just wanted to share the update with you all, and some photos. Apologies if the pictures aren't the best, I tried!


-Odoyle