Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this thing called an “Omega Constellation Pie Pan”. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it kind of is, but it also drove me nuts for a while. It’s basically this vintage watch dial from Omega, and they’re pretty collectible. I stumbled upon one at an antique store a few weeks back, and I just couldn’t resist. It was a bit beat up, but I saw potential.
First things first, I had to figure out what I even had. I mean, I knew it was an Omega, and it had this cool pie pan shape – kind of like an upside-down pie, if you can picture that. After hours on my phone digging through forums, I finally nailed down the model and approximate year. That was a win!
Cleaning and Assessment
Next up, the cleaning. This thing had probably been sitting in a drawer for decades. I grabbed some gentle soap, warm water, and a really soft toothbrush, and I went to town. I was super careful not to scrub too hard, just loosening the grime and letting it rinse away. You wouldn’t believe the gunk that came off of it! After a gentle dry, I could finally see what I was dealing with.
- Initial Cleaning: Used mild soap and warm water with a soft toothbrush.
- Detailed Inspection: Identified scratches, discoloration, and missing lume.
Restoration Attempts
Now for the tricky part – trying to make it look a little less… ancient. There were some scratches on the crystal, so I got this polishing compound that’s specifically for watch crystals. I spent what felt like forever rubbing that stuff in tiny circles. It did improve things, but it wasn’t perfect. I also tried to deal with the faded hour markers, after hours of trial and error, I gave up and sent the watch to a professional. I realized some things are just beyond my skills.
- Crystal Polishing: Applied crystal polishing compound and buffed for a long time.
- Dial Restoration: Attempted to clean hour markers but ultimately failed.
Professional Help and Final Touches
So, I bit the bullet and took it to a watchmaker. I explained what I’d done and what I was hoping for. The watchmaker did a clean up of the dial and relumed the hands. After a few weeks the watch was ready for pickup. Once I got the watch back, I was amazed, the watchmaker did a pretty good job, and I slapped on a new leather strap, and boom – it was like a whole new watch.
- Professional Service: Sent the watch to a professional watchmaker for dial and hands restoration.
- Final Assembly: Attached a new leather strap to complete the restoration.
This whole process was way more involved than I thought it would be. There were moments I wanted to throw the thing across the room, but I stuck with it. And you know what? I’m pretty damn proud of how it turned out. It’s not just a watch anymore; it’s got a story. My story. And that’s pretty cool.
