The anger when I see them! WHY?! I guarantee whatever it looked like before is better than what it looks like after!

 

Looks like the „I“ in Automatic had a bit too much fun last night. The rest is just dreadfull.

 

Why? Because people buy them. People want "oooooo, shiny" and pay good money for them. Whackos like us are only a minuscule percentage of the watch buying public, and the sellers have to cater to the majority because that's where the money's at.

However, if you're a billionaire and want to start rescuing thousands of these soon-to-be-refinished dials then go for it!

 

Well said. Sadly, but well said. Definitely count me as one of the whackos. So much so I tried on a brand new, oooooo so shiny watch at an AD a little while back... and felt VERY LITTLE!

Also sadly I am not a billionaire. But I do plan to rescue at least a few more soon-to-be-refinished dials in my time!

 

What astounds me about redials is their sheer quantity. I don't remember if I even knew of their existence before I joined this forum, but if I did I would have assumed that maybe one watch in a hundred is redialled. After all, Omega made quality watches and when you buy a quality watch, you take care of it, don't you? Or is the average person just a lot more careless than I realised? It would certainly explain a lot about, well, everything.

 

Also more than likely your average Joe on the street probably wouldn't even know what a redial is and would look at the above as a good condition original vintage.

 

Sadly, I sometimes see redials in our very own private sales section

 

The quality & longevity of the paint and topcoat materials in the 40's and 50's was no where near as good as they are now. It seems most brands started using better stuff between the late 50's and early 60's, so there are more original dials to be had in good shape.

Also, waterproof cases got better over time, so less moisture intruded into watches. This helped immensely with dial condition.

 

Dial touch up was a common practice and often included in a watch service, particularly throughout the 70’s and 80’s.

Our love for dial damage and patina is a relatively modern phenomena... Wabisabi is definitely an acquired aesthetic.

 

I save as many as I can ... and just cos we love pictures ...

 

What do you think? Run it as it is or get it repaired & resprayed?

 

I like to see some aging / patina on the markers and hands but a rusty dial, badly scratched glass and bashed up bezel IMHO isn't a good look on a watch. Makes you look to tight to buy a new one (to the untrained eye).

 

Well that back window certainly wants a wipe down, otherwise it's good to go.

 

My major problem with redials is that the vast majority aren't disclosed in the listing. If people were just honest abiab whether dials were touched up or refinished, I think a lot of the hate would die down.

 

This
But I don’t think it’s hate for hate’s sake (or hate at all really - as there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with a redial)
The high value for vintage watches has been led by what collectors are willing to pay for original examples in good condition.
It’s painful to see when buyers (who are none the wiser) are charged premium prices for watches either in poor condition and/or redials and are disappointed as a result.
Then there is those who don’t care about originality and just want a nice vintage watch.
So buyers will keep buying and sellers will keep selling.

 

Agree, however sellers aren't necessarily knowledgeable and may not realize that their watch is a redial.

 

This watch was given to my father by my mother for his wedding present in 1959. I would have sworn that the dial was original given that I have had it my possession since the early seventies due to their divorce. I never had it redialed and I assumed neither did my father. I posted a picture of the watch early in my membership here and was immediately schooled on the watch's redial.
The thinking is that many watches got redialed as a normal part of a service. Keep in mind that these watches were not collectors items at this point, so the scrutiny of the layman was probably almost nonexistent. If it looks good, great.

 

I like the watch ...... and your post

 

This watch has a dented in bezel, plus a worn out dial and rusted second hand... So maybe throw it away and go by a brand new citizen ecodrive huh?