Grandpa's Constellation

O
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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.
IMG_4215.webp IMG_4213.webp IMG_4212.webp IMG_4211.webp IMG_4216.webp IMG_4217.webp IMG_4218.webp IMG_4219.webp

Thanks!
Odoyle
 
L
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O Odoyle
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.
IMG_4215.webp IMG_4213.webp IMG_4212.webp IMG_4211.webp IMG_4216.webp IMG_4217.webp IMG_4218.webp IMG_4219.webp

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
 
Davidt
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L LeMath24
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
 
L
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Davidt Davidt
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
 
O
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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!
 
SOG53
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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.
 
O
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SOG53 SOG53
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!!
 
Dan S
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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.
 
O
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Dan S Dan S
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!
 
HorsinTime
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O Odoyle
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.
 
Dan S
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O Odoyle
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:
 
O
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HorsinTime HorsinTime
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!!
 
O
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Dan S Dan S
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 :/
 
TimeODanaos
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SOG53 SOG53
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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