These Fake Constellation 14900 - 62 SC Cases are Staying Around Like a Bad Smell


Any 14900 Omega Constellation case needs careful scrutiny because it is one of the most ubiquitous of the faked dog-leg lugged cases around. There was a bit of a lull on eBay for a while but I notice them creeping back from time to time, and It's hard to say if another batch has been shipped from the Orient or it's just the earlier ones being recycled.   Never-the-less, extreme care should be exercised.

The latest fake to surface is shown in the capture of this current eBay listing. The seller watches-n-such is also selling an appalling "homage" to a black Constellation pie pan dial, probably from the same source. In this instance, the "n-such" being sold as NOS may come back to bite watches-n-such in the posterior.

While Constellations are not the most faked vintage pieces by a long shot (Rolex models from the 60s and 70s have that dubious honour), cases 14000, 14902, 167.005 and 168.005 in stainless steel have been targeted over time.  

If you're not aware of the checks to make when assessing one of the above models for purchase, please review this essay.

26 comments:

  1. Mark Fleminger7:44 am

    Hi Desmond, Toronto Connie man here.
    Recently I viewed Stainless Steel Constellation at a reputable dealer that I have bought several watches from. I scrutinized this watch for a very long time, using all your criteria and most things checked out. He said he had bought it at a watch fair in California. It had Cal. 564 movement. One detail concerned me. It had T Swiss T on the dial, but no Lume on hands or dial. This was a big no-no for me and I passed on it. I'm thinking this case and new dial. Maybe old gold case was smelted and movement reused? Unfortunately I did not get pictures. A week later the watch was sold.
    What do you think?

    Best Regards as always
    Mark Fleminger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond7:56 am

      Hi Mark,

      Forewarned definitely is forearmed eh? Yes, clearly at least the dial was refinished incorrectly, but it oculd well have been an Oriental fake, along with the case.

      One flag for movements that come out of gold gold watches is that the markers will also be gold. In a stainless steel case the gold markers can look out of place.

      Regards

      Desmond

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5:06 pm

    Hi Desmond,

    I have been lurking your blog for a while. Great body of knowledge!

    I have a question about the case of eBay number 261291973345: ST 168.017
    Both the Omega Vintage Database and your Fullcalibresdata.V8.pdf reserve this number for a "C" Constellation. The case is not a "C". Hmmm...

    What also strikes me is that the numbers are not stamped into the case, but are embossed on top of the case.

    The watch looks fantastic, but is it too good to be true?

    regards,
    peter

    the Netherlands

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond5:29 pm

      Hi Peter, You're right, too good to be true. From what I can see the case is genuine and the dial is genuine. The case back has been taken from a C-Shape model and is incorrect.

      I suspect, but only confirmation from the Omeha Museum through an extract would verify, that the case back was damaged when someone tried to open it, probably gouged, and some silly devil has thought to swap it with an incorrect case back number. The embossing may well be just a trick of the camera, but finding the correct 168.005 case back wouldnt be too difficult.

      You may pay up to 200 dollars for the case back, and in its present state I would say the watch has just about reached its value.

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:43 pm

      Sold for USD 1435.

      regards,

      peter
      the Netherlands

      Delete
    3. Desmond2:51 pm

      Wow, someone is in for a disappointment Peter when they start researching the watch.

      Thanks for the update.

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
  3. Anonymous12:55 am

    Anonymous said...
    Hello Desmond,
    I am new to the vintage watch and about to purchase this Pie Pan for around 1400 U$. Please give your opinion on the watch.

    http://forum.expert-watch.com/index.php?topic=35365.0

    Thank you and regard
    Ko

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond8:17 am

      Hi, Its a nice looking piece, however the dial has been refinished. The standard of refinishing isnt bad at all. The watch was originally exported to the USA, note the OXG stamp.

      Looks to me as though the rotor bridge has been replaced at some stage as there is a difference in colour of the copper/beryllium coating of the main plate of the watch and the rotor bridge.

      at 1400 USD you should be able to pick up a completely original gold cap pie pan with perhaps a much sharper case. The one has been polished and some of the sharpness has been lost.

      Regards

      Desmond

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:25 am

      Hi Desmond, thank you for your help. Will continue the search for my 1st Pan Pie. Hopefully I can find a good one soon.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:31 pm

      Hello again Desmond,
      Being very new to vintage watch I have a question hopefully you can help clarify. For this particular watch what indicated the refinished dial, please don't get me wrong I am not doubting your opinion at all, I just find it difficult to separate a good refinished and original dial, I tried comparing the watch with many pictures of the original watches and still couldn't tell :)

      Regards
      Ko

      Delete
    4. Desmond3:40 pm

      As I mentioned before before the refinishing job was a fairly good example. The key element with this dial is that the printing of the upper case lettering and the Constellation lettering is much less finer than the original printing.

      The Constellation lettering is far too thick, for example, and the upper case lettering also looks as though it is flat printing rather than embossed printing.

      A good resource is my essay on dials.

      Good luck in your search.

      Regards

      Desmond

      Delete
    5. Anonymous4:09 pm

      Thank you for your help

      Regards
      Ko

      Delete
  4. Unknown1:35 am

    Where I can find extra gold and silver links for my 1977 Omega 10k gold constellation, model1345 model.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond7:15 am

      Firstly, you could try an official Omega service agent to see if they can access any Omega stock. Otherwise try both Jules Borel and Frei & Borel websites (a quick Google will locate them)

      You other option is to trawl eBay regularly in the hope that someone is either selling links or a complete watch, from which you can take spares.

      Good luck in your quest.

      Regards

      Desmond

      Delete
  5. Anonymous6:34 am

    Desmond,

    Thank you for your great write-up. I'm new to the Connie world but have found one I'm very interested in. The essay you attached as me concerned though. This is the listing:
    http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-unmolested-historically-significant-omega-constellation-chronometer-168-005-a-2655129.html

    Only one picture remains, but the seller has sent me a few more. The things that stick out are the failed MOY-test, the faceted lugs, and the dial markers look odd for some reason. What do you think? Fake?

    Thanks for the help!

    Trey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond4:07 pm

      This one looks real to me, although these non-MOY dials usually are found on the cal 564 version.

      Case is fine, somewhat dinged in a minor way but looks honest to me.

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
  6. L//C9:09 pm

    Dear Desmond,

    First, I must confess that Im highly impressed by your knowledge and applaude your Omegas dedication. Im looking ton buy an Omega for my significant other and have been burn by an impulsive buy of a 1973 Omega Genève which turned out to be A disappointment.

    Im reaching out to you as I don't want to make the same mistake twice... I found a Constellation and its seems like a nice watch, no redflag so far but the price is good so I'm hesitant. Can you tell me what you think of this listing ?

    https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/122045889177

    Best regards,

    An omega rookie ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond10:20 am

      The Constellation looks okay, however the bracelert and case do not have their original finish. Price is way too high for a calibre 1011, even with box and papers.

      I would suggest you aim for a cal 564 version of this case shape. Better movement generally and keep an eye out for case finish.

      Suggest also you read the essay on the C shape

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
  7. yhong10:42 pm

    Hi master Desmond,
    This photo of constellation seem like redial?
    The word constellation of "ll" look very near to the ohm logo? This will be a bad example?

    http://m.ebay.com.my/itm/352060166272?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&_mwBanner=1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond10:08 am

      No, dial looks genuine for these calibre 10xx examples.

      Note that the rotor has scuffing, which probably means that the rotor bearing or post is worn/damaged. Check to see if the watch has been serviced recently

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
    2. yhong12:57 am

      Seller stated :Original Omega Restored Champagne Silver Dial. Mean repainted work had been taken. It will affect the collectibles for the watch?

      Delete
    3. Desmond11:22 am

      Yes, a refinished dial reduces the value of a Constellation by around 30% when compared to a genuine un-restored dial in the same model.

      Pics of that watch are not sharp so it is indeed difficult to tell just be looking at the printing.

      Delete
  8. Unknown12:29 am

    Hi desmond, just got this connie piepan from local antique shop

    14902 62 sc, dog leg lugs, arrow head markers, caliber 561, 19 series movement, non crosshair dial
    Does this combination exist?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Desmond10:09 am

      Hi Marcel,

      Yes indeed this combination does exist. Quite uncommon compared with the baguette and other types of marker.

      Is it gold cap or SS? Gold cap slightly more common.

      Cheers

      Desmond

      Delete
  9. andycarlson11:42 pm

    Hi Desmond,
    Waiting to get my first vintage watch and have fallen in love with 60’s Constellations. Can you tell me what you think of this one?
    https://www.chrono24.com/en/omega/constellation-1967-vintage-men-watch-original-bracelet--box--id7195848.htm?SETLANG=en_US&SETCURR=USD

    Thanks!

    Andy C

    ReplyDelete
  10. Desmond10:07 am

    Hi Andy,

    Not a bad example. However the gold platingv on the bracelet is fairly worn and there is a fair amount of stretch in the bracelet.

    Watch head is not bad and movement is clean. My only reservation is the price..... and possibly the metal. Stainless Steel is more sought-after than gold cap in these models and seems to hold its value better in the C Shape.

    I guess I would want to pay around 900 - 1000 pounds for a stainless example in very good condition, whereas the example you have highlighted would probably sell at auction for around 700 pounds.

    Hope that helps

    Cheers

    Desmond

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)