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A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL?
A dial is arguably the most important visual feature of a watch. Regardless of the excellence of the movement or its timekeeping qualities, if the dial is badly faded or chipped, it makes the watch look substandard, worn, or worn and certainly lowers its value.
Collectors are often put off by the chipped and faded dials of Omega Constellations, which are otherwise quite original. Many avoid these watches due to the general assumption that moisture is the primary cause of dial disintegration. The theory is that severely discolored dials provide a good external clue to a possibly rusty movement and are best avoided.
There is another possible cause of dial discoloration that behooves the astute shopper to take a closer look at watches with discolored dials.
Sun damage is another cause of paint failure, and in many cases the sun can mimic water damage to the dial’s paint.
Underneath there may be a beautiful movement with no water damage, and this type of paint failure, while not good for original watch collectors, is a wonderful candidate for restoration. However, even experienced buyers should be careful when buying watches with severely damaged faces: you should carefully determine if the watch face is damaged by sun or moisture.
So the first thing to do when you come across an Omega with a badly discolored dial is to look under the hood with a jeweler’s loupe. A clean, rust-free movement is easily identified, and if the case seals have been well maintained, there will be no telltale rust spots on the non-coppered parts of the movement and no corrosion on the case, particularly on the back seam.
If the movement has withstood the elements and history or wear well, you have a choice: buy and restore (or have restored) or continue your journey to find a vintage Omega with an original dial. If you go the restore route, you could send the watch to Omega in Biel, wait a while, and finally receive the watch with a new factory dial.
However, in the case of the Pie Pan Constellations, it is believed that Omega has run out of factory dials and will be replacing the old Pie Pans with convex Constellation dials from the same period. Given the ever-increasing probability of not being able to get your hands on an original Pie Pan dial, you may choose to re-dial.
So if you choose to redial, what are you getting yourself into? If you can find a great dialer (they are few and far between), then a dial refinished to look exactly like an original will make the watch look that much more attractive.
But, from the point of view of collecting original Omegas, it may not improve the value of the watch; there is one exception and we will review it later. From the point of view of vintage collectors, a restored dial diminishes the value of a watch compared to a watch with an intact original dial that may have a nice patina.
Why is this? Well, generally, refurbished dials are not of the same quality as factory originals. Many refurbished dials do not last as long and are not as durable as the original dials. Factory dials can have baked, anodized, and other manufacturing finishes, such as clear coatings that cover both the dial and markers to inhibit the aging process.
Refinished dials are often painted, have ink-stamped writing, and have a lower quality finish and durability. They can mark more easily and often do not contain the level of detail of the originals.
Also, many original dials have the markers welded to the dial, while on a large number of restored dials I’ve seen, the markers have been glued rather than welded (for the obvious reason that the welding process could damage the paint). on a re.-dial) Sometimes the glue is so thick on the back of the dial that it interferes with the operation of the watch, particularly with date models.
A bad redial with inaccurate details can cause the value of your watch to drop faster than a breather placed in a refrigerator! It’s fair to say that there are far more shoddy, incompetent, and inferior finishing houses than there are high-quality re-markers. So if you come across one, treat them like royalty.
Now to the exception mentioned above. Due to the globalization of the vintage watch market and the accessibility of stock, many more people have the opportunity to purchase Omega watches. A new niche has emerged in the vintage watch market for vintage watches that look almost new in the showroom. This market is largely driven by newcomers. I can attest to this from a continual stream of emails from such people and for them “look” is very important and “patina” and originality are often overlooked. These buyers will pay a lot of money for looks and ease of use, so you will sometimes see quite high prices being paid for watches with restyled faces.
However, I imagine that a good number of beginner collectors, if they are serious, will eventually develop a higher level of sophistication and become interested in the finer details, originality, richness of patina, and other collecting factors.
Due to the declining supply of new and old Omega dials, particularly the Pie Pan Constellation and other older models, re-dials will increasingly become a reality. However, from a long-term collectability standpoint, redialing should be an option when you have no other options.
(c) Desmond Guilfoyle 2006
