Vintage
Aroma's detailed analysis of a potential Omega Constellation Ref. 2652 with a Caliber 352 bumper movement offers a crucial lesson in vintage watch acquisition, particularly from online marketplaces. His candid assessment of the watch's condition and the seller's transparency issues provides invaluable guidance for collectors navigating the risks and rewards of buying rare, gold-cased Constellations.
As you may or may not know, I have a bit of a penchant for Omega Constellations and particularly gold ones. The latter have become very expensive of late as the value is linked to the (scrap) gold price which is a shame as it makes collecting these beautiful watches a major investment.
Recently, I’ve had my eye on this one which was progressing through the bay of thieves:
It is a ref 2652 with a 12.72million (~1952) cal 352 bumper which is rare enough but it is also 14kt gold and appears to have a lovely original dial. I watched this steadily increasing in price for several days and had in mind a maximum I would pay. - I didn’t bid as I think bidding in all but the last few minutes is a waste of time and just raises the price. However, at the last minute, I pulled out – why? Well, there were just so many things I wasn’t too happy about:
1 the case seemed to have been overpolished – the lugs should have a visible edge and they didn’t
2 the seller didn’t include a movement photo – I ask him to provide one and he said he didn’t have one. I would have thought that for such a rare beast as a cal 352, you’d want to show everything was in order – how can you tell if the movement is genuine without seeing it?
3 The bidding was being led by two individuals – when I looked into their history it appeared that the first one had made 104 bids on 28 items in the last 30 days and had a feedback of 5. The other had made 364 bids on 23 items in the last 30 days and had a feedback of 6. I’m no expert here but I was suspicious of shill bidding.
The watch eventually sold (not to one of the suspicious bidders though) for £1020 (~$1600). OK, on the one hand, I was unhappy to lose such a rare Connie and a gold one at that but on the other hand, I feel glad that I wasn’t sucked into this deal.
I’d love to know your opinions though as I'd like to put my mind at rest one way or the other - did I do the right thing or was I a fool to let this one past?.
Cheers
Andrew
. . . without images of the movement, Andrew. I wouldn't consider buying a watch without clear macros that showed the movement number unless I knew the seller personally. Cordially, Art
...as one who has bought and sold quite a few up there, it's very much a minefield for Constellations and you truly need to often rely on your gut instinct. I'm sure if Desmond were around, he could point out whether or not the watch had real issues, but with how the gold cases are being reproduced, and the fact that the seller would not show a movement picture would probably keep me away. I would also have needed to evaluate the seller's history and location. Does he specialize and what quality
. . . looks like a modern replacement, but the case, dial, and hands all look ok to my eyes - not that that's saying much !
... I was more speaking of a nasty trend that is occurring these days with some solid gold (usually 18kt) cases. Should have been clear.
...but a refusal to show movement or inside caseback pictures is a signal to run away. Someone who won't give basic and necessary information about a watch at that price level, isn't someone I would want to do business with. The shame is that the watch is probably worth more that what he got, if everything checked out correctly. By being uncooperative, this seller cost himself some money, IMO. Hope this helps, gatorcpa
I think it is reasonable to assume it is a 352 but some risk without picture. Case is polished but not as bad as you suspect - those lugs are shaped differently and are closer to centenary type lugs than the style you are referring to. Dial is nice and original as are the crown and hands. I would have purchased it at that price or something close to it (even without the movement picture - not too concerned it not being a 352 since everything else checks out) but have just laid out quite a bit of
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