Reply With QuoteThe simple dress watch manual wind Omegas usually go for about £300-500 on eBay. I think you can find nicer than that with a bit of digging though.
Just had a little browse at vintage dress watches on the bay, lots of stunning omeagas that are very cheap, is there a catch?
Your thoughts on this one please....
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/vie...d=151141531710
The simple dress watch manual wind Omegas usually go for about £300-500 on eBay. I think you can find nicer than that with a bit of digging though.
1) How do you know it's cheap? The auction hasn't finished yet.
2) The auction uses words like "stunning", "lightly NOS" (what on earth does that mean!?!?), "excellent pristine conditione" etc. Looking at that movement, I would strongly disagree.
Cheers
Foggy
'Serviced by a retired Omega employee to the highest standard'?
So why all the rust?
That will go for between £200-300, and is worth nearer the £200.Originally Posted by smalltime
There are loads like this about, and the value isn't high - particularly on a gold plated one.
So clever my foot fell off.
Cak IMO.
Shagged out looking movement and the seller rather disingenuously keeps referring to it as a gold watch when it fact it is plated.
Far better to be had.
Cheers,
Neil.
Very poor restoration job IMHO, seller says the watch is from 1977, and the serial on the movement confirms this, but the rest of the watch is from the 1960's.
Omega logo on the caseback has been removed, and the 'swiss made' at the bottom of the dial is obscured by the rehaut, so either its not seated correctly or its not the original dial.
Nice enough looking watch, but don't be fooled into believing its a collectors piece, there are much better watches out there for similar money.
Thanks guys, in no rush to buy one, just browsing for now.
Thanks again.
Dan.
I`m no expert so I can`t comment on the movement itself - but having spent too much time looking at watches on Ebay would agree with all or most of the other points. There are loads of similar style watches on Ebay - gold / gold plated ones normally appear cheaper than this. I suspect the guy is trading on his ex Omega employee reputation and as he has 100% positive feedback he can`t be all bad.
I would just add anything you like to a watch list and then transfer them to another list when finished so you can build up your own bank of knowledge on what the value appears.
Personally I would go for a old seamaster with beads of rice bracelet - classic combination
This guy sells a lot of vintage Omegas; some are better than others, some are 'bitsa' watches, and often there are minor details that aren`t right (wrong hands etc).
He's got a good selling reputation and consequently his watches fetch strong prices which in some cases aren`t justified in my opinion.
I disagree with some of the comments on here:
I haven`t checked the case reference vs records etc but I`m convince right for the watch. The dial and hands look right too given the age. In my opinion this watch has all the correct bits.
As for the movement condition, it clearly has some cosmetic marking which is probably down to water ingress at some point. As for the rotor, for some reason they have a tendancy to pit and corrode on these, even when kept fairly dry. It's an odd phenomena, and it doesn`t look pretty, but it doesn`t always signify a fault. I`d be far more concerned about the degree of freeplay in the rotor at the edges; I can`t see any signs of contact with the caseback so this one's probably OK. As for the rest of the movement, it's sometimes necessary to swap parts when restoring old watches. Provided the acting surfaces of a part (pinion leaves, pivots,) are OK the part is fit for further use, even if it may have some cosmetic staining or corrosion. The alternative is to throw a boat-load of money at the watch and replace everything needlessly. This watch has probably been serviced to a good standard and is running well; the cosmetic appearance of the movement doesn`t necessarily relate to how well it's performing. There's no easy way of cleaning corrosion off parts, and even if there was they would have to be replated to look smart again..........basically it isn`t going to happen unless the piece is extremely valuable.
A movement that cosmetically looks nice is always a point in favour, but appearances can be misleading. I`ve assembled several old movements that didn`t look pretty, but performed very well after straightforward cleaning/servicing. I`d reserve judgement on this one.
Another point is the black marking around the edge of the caseback. This isn't dirt, it's pitting of the metal. This is a phenomena known as crevice corrosion which affects stainless steel in certain environments, I see it a lot on old watches and it occurs where the metal is in contact with the gasket for many years. Can`t be certain, but I reckon the degradation of the gasket and subsequent chemical changes are responsible for starting this process. Once it's happened, the metal is pitted and blackened, and it doesn`t look nice. What's more of a concern is how it affects the water-resistance; the new gasket may struggle to seal effectively and in some cases it won`t seal....I`ve got one like this on my bench now!
This watch isn`t a poor restoration job, and the movement isn`t necessarily a bad one. I`ve no doubt, given the reputation of the seller, that it will fetch a strong price and for that reason I wouldn't entertain buying it. The deal-breaker for me is the gold plating; I wouldn`t want to pay a lot for a plated watch from this era. The 1010 family of movements are not as highly regarded as the earlier stuff although I believe they perform better when in good condition; overall, this'll sell for too much money and it isn`t one I`d go for.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 18th October 2013 at 13:48.
Presumably the vast majority of his buyers are non-WIS types, and even most WIS would not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of vintage Omega designs. Hence very few are going to pull him up if he's selling frankens.
I have till the end of march next year to choose my 30th birthday watch off the missus.
By that time I will have access to SC and willl more than likely buy a vintage Rolex or Omega off a fellow forum member, one or two have already been intouch with offerings.
Dan.
I picked up this example earlier in the year for around £150. It needed a new crystal so I treated it to a genuine Omega for about £20 (instead of ~£4 for a generic) but I've been delighted with it. No photos of the movement but it was very clean and is currently keeping time to around -2s per day so it's also my most accurate mechanical watch. As as been noted, there are plenty to choose from so it's worth hanging on for a good one at the right price.
That is gorgeous, can't beleive you only paid 150 quid for that.
What year is it from and what is the size of it?
£20 seems awfully cheap for an omega crystal?
I take it you bought this from eBay?
Congrats!
Dan.
I picked up this example earlier in the year for around £150. It needed a new crystal so I treated it to a genuine Omega for about £20 (instead of ~£4 for a generic) but I've been delighted with it. No photos of the movement but it was very clean and is currently keeping time to around -2s per day so it's also my most accurate mechanical watch. As as been noted, there are plenty to choose from so it's worth hanging on for a good one at the right price.
Agreed, but I wouldn't class a watch as a 'franken' and condemn it because it has the wrong hands on. Bear in mind that genuine Omega hands are NOT AVAILABLE for most models. With the best will in the world, folks like me can`t conjure up a set of new hands out of thin air. If the hands are scruffy and pitted, something has to be done, and in some cases it is appropriate to fit non-standard replacements. The result is a cosmetically pleasing watch that will satisfy most people. I`ve had watch hands replated with varying degrees of success and it isn`t a process I favour because it doesn`t always work. I always try to source hands that are similar to the originals, but an eagle eyed pundit would possibly spot that they're not original.
I get a bit frustrated with some of the comments made about vintage watches and restorations etc. It's easy to sit back and criticise minor details when you aren`t the one having to resolve issues during a restoration job. Whether it's a job for a customer, a watch being restored for resale.....or even a watch in your own collection, compromises HAVE to be made.
NLA means no longer available........there simply isn`t a supply of new watch hands out there! I`m currently sourcing generic hands from Ofrei in the States, which is a pain, but that's the only way forward in some cases.
I`m not defending some of the rubbish that comes up for sale, just trying to add a tinge of realism.
Paul
Fair point. I was thinking more along the lines of movement transplants, or movements/dials fitted to cases they were never sold with.
Not with me they don't.
I won't buy a watch without an excellent dial and hands so I don't need to compromise.
I have dozens of vintage Omegas and no old tat.
There is no need to buy the sort of overpriced rubbish you see on ebay.
Cheers,
Neil.
If you have "dozens" I for one would love to see a few more - and preferably some on SC ;-)
The first one on that brown/purple strap is absolutely stunning. Really gorgeous looking watch that.
Not with me they don't.
I won't buy a watch without an excellent dial and hands so I don't need to compromise.
I have dozens of vintage Omegas and no old tat.
There is no need to buy the sort of overpriced rubbish you see on ebay.
I won't sell any.
Here's some to be going on with that I have pictures for.
I usually only take pics to illustrate something and not for the fun of it as I find photography boring.
BTW You can see the chrono's on my website at the bottom of the page.
Cheers,
Neil.
Some nice ones there, Neil...........that steel C-case Constellation reminds me of one I very foolishly let go a few years back. I also let a really nice white dial Dynamic go too and I regret it.
I agree, it's far better to get watches with the original dial and hands in good condition, and they are the ones I`m tempted to buy for myself thesedays. Such watches are few and far between, and worth paying a premium for.
My point re compromises applies primarily to the watches I get sent to work on; I get asked to restore watches that do need dials refinishing and hands replacing to get them looking right. It's very rare that I buy a watch to restore and sell, I`m averaging one/year so I`m hardly likely to become a dealer......but I would always tell a potential buyer that the hands have been replaced and the dial restored.
A lot of the stuff on ebay isn`t worth a second look, and there is a lot of tat around. Buying to restore is a dead loss too, because the prices are usually too high to make it worthwhile. If I could source really good examples at the right prices I could be tempted to do more restorations for resale, but it isn`t going to happen because I don`t make the effort to find them.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 18th October 2013 at 20:49.
The serial number on mine would date it to around 1969. The case diameter is ~35mm (ex crown) and ~40mm lug to lug. Currently fitted on an 18mm Hircsh strap. Here's a quick phone shot of the movement....
Thanks for showing those. The Constellation day/date looks very nice and reminds me of my teens looking at adverts in Life Magazine and wishing I had more money. Funny, things don't change much :-)
I had a really nice one a few years back, with the correct bracelet. I very foolishly sold it because I`d temporarily lost interest in vintage Omegas and started gravitating towards modern Rolexes. Fortunately I saw sense before I`d sold all my collection.......I came close at one point. The Rolex thing was a blind alley for me and fortunately I realised this; I guess I`m not the only one to have made that journey and my interest now lies in the stuff I was buying 10 years ago.
I`ve owned some superb old Omegas over the years and I wish I`d kept more of them.
Paul
Paul,
Any pictures you cab share with us of you vintage pieces?
Dan.
I`m too busy working on watches to take photos and do the photobucket thing......life's too short.
Paul
Her is mine that cost me £180 off eBay.
All it needed was a strap.
Thanks.
Got a blue version too with white gold coin edge bezel...
Cheers,
Neil.
Here is a pic or two of my lovely Omega Constellation Megaquartz 32hz, Its really comfy to wear, easy to look at..plus for a vintage its (IMHO anyway!) a nice sized watch to wear....not to small at all!.
p.s. I didn't get it from e-bay..........................any excuse for me to post a pic of it though! lol.
Last edited by valleywatch; 20th October 2013 at 09:45. Reason: spelling!
Pity, just that bit too small for my 7.75" wrist.
Re-dialed but what the heck it's still very nice. Might try it on a decent brown croc soon.
Last edited by BrianT; 20th October 2013 at 12:00.
Love 'em. My first quality watch in the 70's was an Omega. I traded it a few years later for the first of several Rolex's. I need to own some classic watches of the 60's & 70's. I already have some KS and GS.
It's no good seeing all these. I'm just to have to up my game and start looking again. :-)
Posting Permissions
