Reply With QuoteThat's fantastic - what a great job done. I want one now, in fact :)
Warning for modem users: very picture heavy thread.
Thought this might be interesting so people could see the difference a new crystal and a professional case and bracelet refurbishment can make to a watch.
Here's the subject in its before state, it was sold by Keith (keitht) to Terry (kfman) and sent to me to get it refinished. It's an Omega Constellation Megaquartz (cal.1310) but marked as Quartz on the dial. It probably dating from around 1973 and in a completely original and never been refurbished state. It obviously needs a new crystal but fortunately these are still available from Cousins. I'd call it a good honest example of a used watch from the period, yes it's been worn and taken a few knocks but it had the potential to be transformed.
Please bear in mind that the following are highly detailed macro shots, so it looks far worse than it actually was when worn. Plus I deliberately chose the worse angles and lighting to highlight 38 years of wear.
Before
And after
And finally a couple of Q&D P&S wrist pics. I find these give a better impression of a watch for some reason.
Hopefully this gives an good idea of what can be achieved cosmetically with a watch when it's in the right hands.
Many thanks to Terry (kfman), Keith (keitht) for consenting to this little picture project and Rocco at Watchworks for the highly skilled case work.
Cheers,
Gary
P.S. Terry the watch will be with you on Monday morning so not long now, I hope these pics ease the wait my friend.
Brilliant job! I love those old Omegas. :)
Fantastic result! Thanks for posting the photo's.
Amazing! Muchos kudos on the workmanship :o
Gary you're a skilled craftsman and an artist. Well done!
Vic I wish I had the patience and skill to take the credit for this but it was all done by my local watch guy, I was merely the go between.Originally Posted by bigvic
Cheers,
Gary
Looks a different watch, lovely finish on the case and bracelet.
Another to add to my ever expanding list of "will try at some point..." :D
Lovely result, looks great on the wrist :D
"I looked with pity not untinged with scorn upon these trivial-minded passers-by"
Absolutely stunning, what a cracker.
I'm always amazed what they can do to a damaged watch, real art IMHO :)
Cheers,
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
great work and a lovely watch
:D Looks amazing now.
+1 The pics almost killed my satellite link but it was worth it!
+1 The pics almost killed my satellite link but it was worth it!Sorry about that Ted.
Thanks for all the comments guys :)
Cheers,
Gary
Lovely, lovely, lovely. Well done that man!
A fantastic refurb job.Looks proper pukka now!!
Fantastic work!
Beautiful result and a very nice watch to have.
What a transformation!
Thats a good lesson to anyone who is put off by a watch having a few squirls and dings, its easy to make beautiful if you know the right people or procedure
RIAC
Absolutely, and I think the transformation is amazing, but then I'm not exactly unbiased as its my watch - or will be when the postie delivers it to me :D
Great transformation
Ivan
iwcforme
True to a degree but my watch guy has nearly 30 years of experience, so I wouldn't exactly call it easy.
As an aside it's interesting that I've had the same model watch refinished by Mike who's employed by Rocco. The results are excellent as you'd expect but there is a subtle difference in the re-graining. Essentially Rocco's work is more confident with slightly deeper graining, whilst Mike's is a little bit more tentative. It's only a very slight difference but it is there if you look closely enough. I'm guessing that that level of confidence only comes with experience.
At the end of the day though I'm more than happy for either to work on my watches and grateful that such good watchmakers are a stones throw from my home.
Cheers,
Gary
A remarkable transformation, which for me raises something of a dilemma. I have an Oysterquartz that after 30 years is showing similar signs of normal use. In my mind there is no doubt the refurbished watch looks better but to give mine the same treatment is to say a watch does not wear well the patina of age. That may indeed be the case but for an enduring object such as a watch that is perhaps to its detriment.
Looks great,
It is amazing what a bit of TLC can do to a vintage watch.
Cheers Chris
I understand your dilemna and ultimately, it is a matter of personal preference. I think for me, if I had owned the watch for a long time such that the wear and tear was mine, I would probably be happy to live with it. However, when making a 2nd hand purchase of a watch with significant wabi, I don't feel so inclined to live with it - it's so called 'history' is not mine. Don't know if that makes sense, but that's how I feel about it. I also suspect that I would be more willing to live with wabi on a tool/dive watch, as opposed to a dress watch. Significant signs of use detract less on a tool/dive watch IMO.
An interesting debate - worthy of a thread in its own right I suspect :D
Terry
Nicely put. The odd knock is fine on a vintage piece, but if it's a keeper and I hadn't caused the knocks, it would definitely be a refurb job for me. Mind you, if it's a really nice piece, I'd be tempted to get it refurbed even if I had caused the wear over the years.
A first class job, it looks fantastic :thumbright:
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