Opinions from the Vintage Peeps on Watchcrunch
Hello everyone! I have another vintage watch to ask for opinions from the good people of Watchcrunch. This is a vintage Omega Constellation F300Hz, that a good friend of mine wants to sell to me. Now, from my research, this is an Omega Cal 1250 made by ESA, not a Bulova movement. Are parts hard to come by? How's servicing such a movement gonna be like? I think this dates back to the early 1960s, ( Citizen Hisonic era ) but again, I'm speculating here. And from far as I can tell, everything looks original! Would love to hear your opinions as well, thanks! 🥳🙏🏼
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Ah, the f300Hz. One of my early watch mistakes. Its about part rarity and finding a specialist. I bought mine in 2011 for £300 at an antique fair from a watch guy. He claimed it had been serviced recently, but the list price was £650. Should have probably walked away, but I was younger and a lot less experienced, and had also lost a lot of watches recently. It’s very handsome, a 1972 diver with a lot of charm.
The strap exploded when I was “in da club”. I found a specialist in the UK and shipped it there. Turns out there was a lot missing inside - gaskets, mounts, some parts were corroded, so a full service and ultrasonic bath rushed me more than I paid for the watch.
However, I love this watch. I love the hum it makes, and the vibration as you catch it on your wrist from time to time. It feels like it is alive.
TLDR, these are fun but servicing might cost a lot in the long run.
I just purchased one from ebay and I'm waiting for it to arrive. Before I did any shopping, I went to my local Omega boutique to talk to their watchmaker about service. I asked what the price would be for complete service (restoration to origina working order) on a f300hz. He said around 700 USD. I asked him what the cost would be for the worst case scenario. He said around 2500 USD and being sent back to Switzerland for 6 to 8 months. I, being the watch fool that I am, still took a chance and purchased one anyway. These are probably the most expensive service cost I could find. I haven't found a local watchmaker who could service the watch. I hope this helps.
Ah, the f300Hz. One of my early watch mistakes. Its about part rarity and finding a specialist. I bought mine in 2011 for £300 at an antique fair from a watch guy. He claimed it had been serviced recently, but the list price was £650. Should have probably walked away, but I was younger and a lot less experienced, and had also lost a lot of watches recently. It’s very handsome, a 1972 diver with a lot of charm.
The strap exploded when I was “in da club”. I found a specialist in the UK and shipped it there. Turns out there was a lot missing inside - gaskets, mounts, some parts were corroded, so a full service and ultrasonic bath rushed me more than I paid for the watch.
However, I love this watch. I love the hum it makes, and the vibration as you catch it on your wrist from time to time. It feels like it is alive.
TLDR, these are fun but servicing might cost a lot in the long run.
Damn, that's a beauty! Funny enough, my story here sounds eerily similar to yours hahaha! Although he's a good friend of mine, he isn't too sure on the service history etc etc. Seeing as this beauty is going to be a money pit in the long run, I don't think I'll take the plunge just yet. Thank you for the greatly appreciated insight, my friend!
I just purchased one from ebay and I'm waiting for it to arrive. Before I did any shopping, I went to my local Omega boutique to talk to their watchmaker about service. I asked what the price would be for complete service (restoration to origina working order) on a f300hz. He said around 700 USD. I asked him what the cost would be for the worst case scenario. He said around 2500 USD and being sent back to Switzerland for 6 to 8 months. I, being the watch fool that I am, still took a chance and purchased one anyway. These are probably the most expensive service cost I could find. I haven't found a local watchmaker who could service the watch. I hope this helps.
Congratulations on your beautiful acquisition! You certainly have bigger cajones than me in taking custody of such a piece hahaha! 2500 USD for a worst case scenario is more than I'm willing to fork out potentially for this piece, so I might pass on this one. That being said, I hope you enjoy yours thoroughly. It definitely is a stunner, thank you for your comment good sir!