Any watch you could of, should of, would of but dident buy ?

Over the years I have let quite a few slip through my hands for one reason or another (generally lack of pennies :) ) but the one that really bugs me is from a couple of years ago at Christmas when I received an email from Ernest Jones offering the Omega X33 Skywalker on a bracelet for less than £2800 and it just so happened that due to circumstances, stars aligning etc at that moment in time I had the cash available and my wife's blessing to treat myself to a nice watch (obviously she dident know how much the X33 was).

So the next day off I went to the local Ernest Jones to pick up the X33 with the cash secure in my man bag, quite excited if I was honest :)

I entered the shop 5 mins after they opened, as I say excited, approached the sales guy and told him I wanted to buy an X33 only to be told it was mail order only, bugger I left empty handed.

I went on line and put it in my basket but never ordered it because only ever having seen them on the net I had really wanted to see it in the flesh before I bought it, I realize I could of bought and returned if I wasent happy but I just dident fancy all the faffing about doing that.

Since then I have often thought that the sales guy missed a trick as if he had had anything about him he would of tried to order one in for me, oh well, life goes on.

Submariner 16610lv when it was ~£4k in a Grey dealer.

When Birmingham was my sales patch, ( late 2000s I guess? ) I used to visit Cousins quite often when I was in the area, in one of the second hand shops there was a late 80s loose Rolex GMT on bracelet for sale at £1800 , it was there for months and months and I eventually decided I would buy it, Sod’s law decreed that when I next went wedge in hand it had sold...

Sub LV at cost price.

Yep, not list price - cost price!

Worked at an AD in Manchester, owner was very keen for me to have a "wear watch" to represent the brand and offered me anything bar the Daytona, paid off monthly at cost price & 20% (staff rate). The green Milgauss was new out but mega delays on them coming through, so I narrowed down to a Sub LV or the Turnograph with white gold bezel. Would have come in a shade over £2000 but at the time that seemed a fortune, I was collecting vintage Omega then, and paying a couple of hundred quid tops.

I had a no date sub in my hand about 18 months ago brand new from an AD. It had sat in the window for weeks.
About the same time I saw a used explorer 2 in an ADs used section for £2700 I knocked him down to £2500
I bought a Seamaster 300 MC instead. I prefer the Seamaster to both watches and still own it but it was not the most financially astute choice.

" Some years ago" a fine gentleman dealer ( I believe it was the late Rodger Bartley) had a pitch in Portabello Road and had quite a few original Heuer Monarco but I thought they were a bit steep at £100 a pop!
I met him many years later at an AWCC fair in Charlotte and we had a good laugh about it. At that time he was importing Vollmer (Aristo) into the US and he virtually gave me a B-Uhr.

For me it is the Royal Oak perpetual calendar in the used market, some 6/7 years ago. A good condition one could be had for a decent price (under £30K) but now they start at £50/£60K.


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Almost bought a Silver Snoopy but just couldn’t stomach at the time paying 7k for it. It still makes me cry [emoji2361]


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I bought a secondhand JLC a few years ago. When I went to pick it up, the seller had a dead Breitling Aerospace which he offered me for £100. I have no idea why I didn't bite his hand off, but I've been regretting it ever since. It's not a watch I'd pay for, but I'd love to fiddle with it and feel pretty sure I could get it working.

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Originally Posted by Chiefs

Submariner 16610lv when it was ~£4k in a Grey dealer.

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Same but at an AD for £2650.

Instead thought opt for a Datejust at £1950~. Did not get that either.

Omega Snoopy at £1500. Omega Moon to Mars for £1100 also. Omega Alaska at RRP. Reasons: OCD for Snoopy and general hesitancy on all.

Special edition Speedmaster 40th Anniversary of Apollo 15 was offered at Prague airport for ca. £2,200 a few years back...

https://www.worldwatchreview.com/wp-...003-review.jpg

still kicking myself...

z

NOS dual time RO for around 7.5k like 2 years back, freshly AP serviced 36mm bicolor 14790 Royal Oak in top condition with box and papers for 4.5k like 5 years back, BLNR for less than retail because I am not going to pay almost retail when I could get it new for retail right?

Yeah a Speedmaster about 20 years ago when prices were not so stupid.

But i bet people will be thinking that in 20 years form now about the current price.

Got the chance to buy a new Submariner Date at the beginning of lockdown at RRP, but declined. Probably shouldn’t have done that.

A friend had a black PVD Autavia, IDF issued, numbered on the back, in good nick, with bracelet.
He knew I liked it, and was about to sell it, but his circumstances meant he couldn't offer me "mates rates" and he needed £1500 for it.
I declined as I somehow thought it was £200 too rich for me, although I knew it was the right price.
The next one I saw for sale on Chronotrader, not nearly as nice and only a month later, went for £2k. Now. I dread to think.
But it is not the potential rise in value that I regret at all, it is the fact that those matte black PVD Autavias are just one of the coolest looking watches that I have ever seen.
Dave

Ha great thread - a couple:

*New hublot Big Bang - heavily discounted
* Sub under 4K


Sold: Daytona before prices tripled [emoji2359]



S

Nautilus moonphase for me: was killing time in London and surprisingly was offered one off the bat on Bond Street. Couldn’t quite get my head round the ‘price of a car’ uplift from the SubC on my wrist so passed. If I’d known it would almost double within a couple years... oh well!

(New) Rolex Explorer 1016 in AD's window. I can't remember exactly when it was. Probably late 1980s. From memory the price was something like £680. I thought (still do) that it was such a great looking completely 'under the radar' Rolex.

Bugger!

2 real howlers!

First, a Daytona in the window in 1984 with a discount.

A few years ago a Richard Mille for less than £10k.

If only.

I sat in Watchfinder at the Royal Exchange 2 years ago trying on an Aquanaut GMT priced at £21k but couldn’t quite bring myself to commit to the spend.

Apart from the £40k uplift potential profit what also irks is the fact I really liked them and am now priced out of getting one at some point.

the Oris 65 Hodinkee L.E, the one that got away

An Explorer 1 which was in a jewellers for £2k ish for ages (not a bad price at the time but not a bargain). Decided shortly before my birthday that I would treat myself to it if I could get a bit off but it must have sold a few days before!

A white dial Daytona in the window in Charles Fox in Bournemouth (during the last recession IIRC) but I didn’t really have the funds at the time...

Kermit for 3k new at an AD in 2008.

I went for a moonwatch instead. Still happy with the omega but DAAAAMNNNN

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Originally Posted by pete-r

Kermit for 3k new at an AD in 2008.

I went for a moonwatch instead. Still happy with the omega but DAAAAMNNNN

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not to rub salt on the wound, but aren't they going for 40k now?

About 10 years ago Watchfinder offered to get me a PP Aquanaut with 20% off list to make up for supplying a cosmetically faulty watch which they’d described as immaculate (did refund fully) I declined because they’d left me with a bitter taste. Also, I turned down a private sale of a 5196p Calatrava on deployment which I could have had for £6k! Both would have been money in the bank with hindsight, but that wasn’t my motive. Would like to have both in my collection now, but probably never will.


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Originally Posted by sk2k

not to rub salt on the wound, but aren't they going for 40k now?

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No!

The way I look at it is that if I didn't buy it but could have then I didn't want the watch. I guess sometimes tastes change and it's feasible there's a watch I passed up that I'll regret in the future if the prices go stratospheric, but none spring to mind.

Platinum day date from new when Ernest Jones stopped being a Rolex AD. £18500 on a list price of £46k from memory. Chickened out after the cashier could only take £10k in one payment and I had time to sleep on it...

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Originally Posted by Thom4711

The way I look at it is that if I didn't buy it but could have then I didn't want the watch. I guess sometimes tastes change and it's feasible there's a watch I passed up that I'll regret in the future if the prices go stratospheric, but none spring to mind.

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Wise words.

Seems that a majority of people that have answered have spoken purely of value then and now. What happened to “I wish I’d bought one because I liked it but I can’t find a good condition one now”. Does every collection have to revolve around “worth”?
Just an observation.


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I see what NeilC and Stilton mean. In my case, I still want the RO perpetual. I think it is easily one of the most beautiful perpetual calendars out there. Back 7 years ago, the price required was achievable with a bit of hard work and sacrifice. Now, at almost double the price, it is no longer an option I am able to entertain. As in from from 2013 till now, the price has climbed so much that I can no longer afford to buy it anymore. If they were still available at the £30K mark, I would snap one up right now!


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I could HAVE bought a 36mm railmaster for 1000$ in costco, in fact I should HAVE, but I did'nt because I had other family priorities at the time.
I regret not having bought it, it would HAVE been most probably a little effort in getting by the 1000.bucks, but at the time it was the right thing to do. And I was pretty skint.

Please guys, grammar[emoji3577][emoji16]

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My parents bought me a watch I just didn’t bond with to mark a milestone. I didn’t have the heart to be ungrateful and ask for it to be returned, using the money for what I really wanted. So I never got the watch (which got discontinued in 2010 and is back in an updated version- heavy hint) and the gift was left for 15 years with stickers attached worn only once when I tried it. It still hurts just thinking about it

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Originally Posted by bubi

I could HAVE bought a 36mm railmaster for 1000$ in costco, in fact I should HAVE, but I did'nt because I had other family priorities at the time.
I regret not having bought it, it would HAVE been most probably a little effort in getting by the 1000.bucks, but at the time it was the right thing to do. And I was pretty skint.

Please guys, grammar[emoji3577][emoji16]

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You could HAVE put your apostrophes in the right place but you DIDN’T [emoji481]

Tap talk doesn’t allow apostrophes. That’s my excuse.
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Seamaster 2531. I could it get for half the market price, but chickened out because of seller didn't wanted go to watchmaker to have it authenticated. It was real, but I wanted to check it anyway.

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Originally Posted by Stilgoe1972

You could HAVE put your apostrophes in the right place but you DIDN’T [emoji481]

Tap talk doesn’t allow apostrophes. That’s my excuse.
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Damn my dislxeay!

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Yep a zenith Daytona for £6750, a 116600 in a shop window at RRP and a PP Aquanaut on bracelet also in the window of a jewellers in Canary Wharf new and at RRP. Still probably for the best they’ve risen in price so much I wouldn’t want to wear them now! I prefer my Fenix 6S these days.

Latest Omega Snoopy from Fraser Hart in Edinburgh at cost. Not a fan of this model but would have held on and flipped it now prices are daft.

Gave the heads up to someone on here iirc.

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Bizarrely nothing springs to mind. Over the years I have bought too many watches including many that I shouldn't have bought in the first place, but that's what we do. So my regrets are always focused on those that got away and now cannot be replaced for a verity of reasons.

As stated earlier, decisions are taken at the time and are the right decisions in that moment, it's only years later with the benefit of hindsight that you can look at something and think I wish I'd kept that.

It would be interesting to do a thread for people to list the bummers that they were glad to get shut of, either because they were just aweful or because the price bombed.

5 years ago I Ummed and arrghed over a Patek 5172r for £23k and didn’t buy a Journe chronometre blue for £15k. Obviously hindsight and all that.
I probably still think about watches I didn’t buy, possibly not regretting but more of pining for them still [emoji3]

https://i.postimg.cc/28zD82S5/15129-...883202-AD2.jpg


^

On the relatively more affordable end of the scale, I once hemmed and hawed too long over a Damasko DS30 that I've never seen at such a good price again after.

Wish I'd grabbed one of these when released (as a keeper, not for profit). At over a grand now, I'm not so sure.

https://i.postimg.cc/D0C14vbr/SZSB00...69713466-2.jpg

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Originally Posted by Mysqueek

My parents bought me a watch I just didn’t bond with to mark a milestone. I didn’t have the heart to be ungrateful and ask for it to be returned, using the money for what I really wanted. So I never got the watch (which got discontinued in 2010 and is back in an updated version- heavy hint) and the gift was left for 15 years with stickers attached worn only once when I tried it. It still hurts just thinking about it

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What watch was the one you got?


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Nothing major from me. Dithered over a moonwatch a couple of years ago and now I’m actually keen to get one will be paying an extra 600 or so on the price I could have got it for.

Also sort of wish I’d gone for a pelagos over my BB GMT when I got it last year. Selling the GMT now so maybe that can be fixed although will likely help fund the speedmaster


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That omega speedmaster Alaska Project. In Royal Exchange, London, I think around the year 2010? I asked if I could get a discount, answer was no, so I went on my way, deciding to think about it some more. Never saw a new one on sale again after that, and now the standard speedmaster is I guess almost twice the price that one was.

Haggled down a Rolex dealer in Dubai to just over £3k for a Yachtmaster , but hesitated and walked , kicked myself for ages.

When I bought my Sub non date 20 years ago , it was a choice of date , non date or Sea Dweller.

Should of bought all three .

Full set Kermit from a pawn shop in Southampton. 4.5K with a recent service! Must be 4 or 5 years ago. I couldn’t justify the money and got a mint full set explorer 2 polar dial 2009 instead. Now I’m trying to justify a 9k purchase! How has It come to this :stung:

Blancpain fifty fathoms no radiation re issue , purchased a SDC instead for some reason.
Red submariner before the prices went mental .

I was on holiday in 2010 having just retired, with a lump sum in the bank and popped into the watch shop in Raffles hotel courtyard and tried on a white dial SS Daytona. I could have bought it at RRP but this was before I joined here and thought my 116610 was enough for me. If only I knew then....