Help With Vintage Watches

[mattk]

I am new to watches and because my budget is limited (hundreds rather than thousands) I have started looking at vintage style watches and found some that I really like the look of.

Something like this particularly caught my eye for style and class, however I have two questions.

Firstly, should eBay immediately ring alarm bells?

Secondly, the particular seller above is also overseas - has anyone had any dealings with them or should I simple avoid? They have good feedback and seem well established though.

I would be very grateful for any helpful hints and tips!

[Neil.Ldn]

eBay shouldn't always ring alarm bells - armed with a bit of knowledge you can still get some good watches. You've picked a nice model there, but I wouldn't touch that particular watch with a barge-pole. A quick glance at the sellers pics shows that the dial is either non-original or a repaint job, the case has been refinished and the movement ( even if it is original ) looks like it's showing signs of wear and/or abuse. My advice would be to give that one a miss, research the model a bit more, wait for other auctions to come up ( or look privately / via dealers ) and see what's available. Once you have a better idea about what you are looking at, you can jump in armed with a bit of knowledge. Worth waiting though, I get a lot of pleasure out of some of my vintage watches - especially when I nab a good'n!

N

[tomsdad]

As above really. If you're new to vintage, I'd think very carefully before making your first purchase one from ebay, especially a foreign seller.

Really nice examples can be had from ebay, but they are few and far between, and when they do crop up, they certainly aren't a bargain. Best to educate yourself as much as possible first, and then keep an eye out for something either on here, or TRF, Watchuseek, or any recognised vintage specialist here in the UK.

And whether its a Rolex, Omega, PP etc the golen rule of vintage is 'buy the dial first'. If it doesn't already, it will very quickly become clear why that is so. Oh, and the case is a close second, in case you were wondering! So, your ebay example, with a refinished dial and over polished lugs wouldn't even make it on to my shortlist.

Here's a couple of pics of my 30T2, with a c.260 movement. It retains the original dial and appears unpolished. My grandfather bought it new in Worthing in the late 40's, and it was passed to me by my mother. The only non original parts are the crystal, crown and stem, strap obviously, and one or two minor movement parts replaced during the last service.

[RobinTR6]

Theres a vintage Omega on the SC which may suit

[o u t a t i m e]

You should also be careful when buying vintage watches that the size is not too small. By today's standards that one would be more suited as a woman's rather than a man's watch. It's really tiny.

[aldfort]

The watch is a fair price for what it is but it's either, at best, over restored or at worst a "bitza". I am leaning towards the latter. It's also more likely to be late 40's than 30's as has been mentioned. Possibly an Omega 140 movement but hard to say for sure from the poor picture.

If you want to collect vintage there are better examples out there. If you particularly want Omega you could try PoshTime.

[eagletower]

I would love a vintage watch but it's the size that puts me off. I don;t need all watches to be the size of a Panerai but the old vintage watches are just far too small.

[Neil.C]

OP

If you are really interested in a vintage Watch post pics up here (before buying) and we will look at it for you.

[mattk]

Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions.

I'm not too worried about the size. I was lucky enough to win a Tag Heuer F1 Chronograph, which was simply too big for my wrist, so a smaller sized watch would be ideal.

There are some very nice examples on the PoshTime site and if I see any others I like I will post here first.

Thanks!

[village]

As mentioned,do some research and stick pictures up here for second opinions if required.

And remember,as for so much in life,if it looks too good to be true (especially price wise) it usually is.

[jazzman]

If you look at 1970s and up, they will starts getting up in size around 36 - 38 mm.

[mattk]

I would be very grateful if anyone could comment on the following:


Vintage Rolex Tudor big rose Oysterdate 7962


Rolex Tudor c.1940/50's


Tudor Rolex Prince Oysterdate c.1968


RARE GENUINE VINTAGE MEN'S ROLEX TUDOR OYSTER PRINCE

[RobinTR6]

Like vintage and like the big rose, but cant otherwise comment. Guess the guys will need a price and a pic of the movement at a minimum before any real view can be taken. Good luck...

[Neil.C]

I would be very grateful if anyone could comment on the following:

What do you want to know?

[mikiejack]

I love Tudor, have a few myself, but ignore the "Rolex" part as they are not a Rolex, just related.
Many share parts with their Rolex equivalent, but with bought in movements.

If you see any on eBay with Rolex in the title, the bids tend to go higher due to the association. Any just listed as just Tudor can go for sensible money. I would recommend you factor in the cost of a service to your purchase price, as a lot on eBay have not been done for years.

[FrogmanFreak]

does anyone know why vintage 60s pieces were designed to be that small?
Those were the norms in those times, but why those dinky sizes?

FMF