Omega Constellation. Is it worth restoring?

[ro63rto]

My dad's old watch is in a right 2 & 8 as they say in the east end.
He never treated it well and stupidly continued to wear it when he cracked the acrylic crystal.
The dial is horrible and I can't get the case back screws out as they are either corroded and crumbling OR a previous hack chewed them up.
No doubt the movement has a lot of rusty parts too.

Before I send it to someone, any thoughts on if it is worth it?
No sentimental attachment as dad was never really close to us.

[skywatch]

Short answer: probably not worth it, if there isn't any sentiment attached. I have had Omega Constellations from the '60s and '70s in much better shape than this, and rarely would they get more than a few hundred USD on resale. A watch in this condition would need almost complete parts replacement, costing far more than it's worth, and will probably never look good nor run well with these original parts. The only reason to refurbish it would be if it held specific memories or emotions. That's my opinion, in any case. (Having said that, I have refurbished some of my fathers' watches that had less original value than this...)

[mlcor]

Agree with Robert, it would have little or no value to vintage collectors given that it would essentially be a new watch when you're done with it. I spent more on my father's and my brother's watches than they were worth to have them fixed for sentimental reasons only.

[Strela167]

Pretty sure you've answered your own question mate.
If it doesn't mean something , fond memories , no.

[Raza]

Yeah, if there’s no sentimental value, I say bin it.

[crownpuller]

Oh dear. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in this case I'm pretty sure you could...
...If the dial is that bad - What lies beneath ain't gonna be great ; especially if you can't get the case screws out.

In answer to the question "is it worth it?": That's a hard "No!".

[tribe125]

Agree with everyone else. It would probably need a new everything - which might not be available - and then it would be a different watch anyway.

[Raza]

Agree with everyone else. It would probably need a new everything - which might not be available - and then it would be a different watch anyway.

Would it be, Theseus? I think that’s up for debate.

[tribe125]

Would it be, Theseus? I think that’s up for debate.

Theseus? The bloke who killed the Minotaur?

You’ve lost me there, Raza…

[skywatch]

Theseus? The bloke who killed the Minotaur?
You’ve lost me there, Raza…

@tribe125: Brittanica says, "The ship of Theseus is a paradox regarding identity over time. One version, positing a scenario in which all the parts of a ship are replaced gradually and one at a time, poses this question: Is the vessel that exists after the replacements the same ship as the vessel that existed before the replacements?"