| A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL?A dial is, arguably,
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| | an original intact dial that may have a
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| the most important visual feature of a
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| | nice patina.Why is this? Well, generally,
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| watch. Irrespective of the excellence of
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| | refinished dials are not of the same
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| the movement or its timekeeping
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| | quality as the factory originals. Many
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| qualities, if the dial is badly
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| | refinished dials don't last as long and
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| discoloured or flaking it makes the watch
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| | are not as durable as original dials.
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| look sub-standard, tired or worn out and
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| | Factory dials may have baked-on, anodised
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| certainly diminishes its value.Often
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| | and other manufacturing finishes such as
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| Collectors are put off by flaking and
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| | clear coatings covering both the dial and
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| badly discoloured dials on otherwise
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| | markers to inhibit the ageing
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| quite original Omega Constellations. Many
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| | process.Refinished dials are often
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| shy away from such watches because of the
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| | painted, have ink stamped script and are
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| general assumption that moisture is the
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| | finished to a lower level of quality and
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| primary cause of dial disintegration. The
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| | durability. They may mark more easily and
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| theory goes, that badly discoloured dials
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| | often do not contain the level of detail
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| provide a good outward clue of a possibly
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| | of the originals.Also, many original
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| rusty movement and are best avoided.There
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| | dials have the markers soldered to the
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| is another possible cause of dial
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| | dial, whereas in quite a number of
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| discolouration that behoves the canny
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| | refinished dials I have seen, the markers
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| buyer to look more closely at watches
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| | have been glued back rather than soldered
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| with discoloured dials.Sun damage is
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| | (for the obvious reason that the
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| another cause of paint failure and sun
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| | soldering process could damage the paint
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| can mimic water damage to the dial paint
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| | on a re-dial) On occasions the glue is so
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| in many cases.A beautiful movement with
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| | thick on the back of the dial that it
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| no water damage can lay below, and this
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| | interferes with the running of the watch,
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| type of paint failure, while not good for
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| | particularly with date models.A bad
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| collectors of original watches, is a
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| | re-dial with inaccurate detailing can
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| wonderful candidate for restoration.
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| | have the value of your watch dropping
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| However, even seasoned buyers need to be
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| | quicker than a souffle placed in a
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| careful when buying watches with badly
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| | refridgerator! It's fair to say that
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| deteriorated dials - you need to
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| | there are many more slap-dash,
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| determine very carefully whether the
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| | incompetent and inferior refinishing
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| watch dial is damaged from sun or
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| | houses than there are high quality
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| moisture.So, the first thing that needs
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| | re-dialers. So, if you chance upon one,
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| to be done when chancing upon an Omega
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| | treat him like royalty.Now, to the
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| with a badly discoloured dial is look
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| | exception mentioned earlier. Because of
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| under the bonnet with a jewellers loup. A
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| | the globalisation of the vintage watch
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| clean, rust free movement is easily
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| | market and accessibility of stock, many
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| identified, and if the seals on the case
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| | more people have the opportunity to buy
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| have held up well, there will be no
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| | Omega watches. A new niche has emerged in
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| tell-tale rust spotting on the
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| | the vintage watch market for vintage
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| non-copperised parts of the movement and
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| | watches that look almost showroom new.
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| no corrosion of the case, particularly at
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| | This market is driven, largely, by
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| the caseback seam.If the movement has
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| | newcomers. I can attest to that from a
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| stood up well to the elements and history
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| | continuous flow of emails from such
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| or use, you have a choice: Buy and
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| | individuals, and, to them, 'look' is very
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| restore (or have restored) or continue on
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| | important and 'patina' and originality is
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| your journey to find a vintage Omega with
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| | often overlooked. These buyers will pay
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| an original dial. If you take the
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| | big money for look and wearability, so
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| restoration route, you could have the
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| | you will see on occasions quite high
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| watch sent to Omega in Bienne, wait for
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| | prices being paid for watches with
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| quite a while, and ultimately receive the
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| | refinished dials.I imagine though that
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| watch back with a new factory dial.In the
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| | quite a number of newcomers to
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| case of Pie Pan Constellations, however,
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| | collecting, if they're serious, will
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| it's believed that Omega has run out of
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| | ultimately develop a greater level of
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| factory dials and will replace old Pie
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| | collecting sophistication and become
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| Pan dials with convex Constellation dials
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| | interested in the finer points of detail,
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| from the same period. Given the
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| | originality, richness of patina and other
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| increasing likelihood of not being able
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| | collectibility factors.Because of the
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| to source an original Pie Pan dial, you
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| | diminsihing supply of new-old-stock Omega
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| may choose to opt for a re-dial.So if you
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| | dials, particularly Pie Pan
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| choose to re-dial, what are you letting
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| | Constellations and other early models,
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| yourself in for? If you can source an
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| | re-dialing will increasingly become a
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| excellent re-dialler - they are few and
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| | fact of life. Never-the-less, from a
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| far between - then a dial refinished to
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| | long-term collectibility standpoint,
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| look exactly like an original will indeed
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| | re-dialling should be an option when you
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| make a watch look much more
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| | have no other options.(c) desmond
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| attractive.But, from the standpoint of
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| | Guilfoyle 2006Desmond Guilfoyle in an
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| collecting original Omegas it may not
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| | award winning commentator on influence,
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| improve the value of the watch - there is
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| | persuasion and charisma. He has written
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| an exception and we'll review that later.
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| | three books on those subjects and his
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| From a vintage collectors point of view,
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| | book 'The Charisma Effect' has been
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| a refinished dial diminishes the value of
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| | published in seven languages around the
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| a watch when compared with a watch with
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| | globe.
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