Buying a Smith W10

[gerrudd]

Looking to the collective wisdom. Any tips on finding a good Smith W10? Also what is a period appropriate strap?

[BillyCasper]

A WTB on MWR.

Maybe around £1100 +/- £200.

As with any type of vintage watch, there’s a wide range of conditions out there, heavily blemished dials, lightly blemished to near perfect. A largish batch came on to the market a number of years ago, sold via EBay, which looked pretty perfect as they had been refurbished by John Senior who was acknowledged for servicing British military watches and with a good inventory of original spares, so always a possibility one of these comes up.

A Phoenix type green/grey nylon NATO suits.

Ribbed or canvas NATOs would also work.

https://af0210strap.com/shop/

There are a couple from this seller. One army, one rarer RAF.

https://finest-hour.co.uk/product-category/watches/

Prices are very, very juicy, too rich for me, although a watchmaker did tell me that the examples offered appear to have been carefully selected and in very good knick which maybe the way for the cash rich, time poor.




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[gerrudd]

Hi Billy

Thanks for the information. I bought a Hamilton W10 from John Senior and he serviced a vintage Longines for me. If I could find a W10 he worked on I'd be very happy.

I'm watching a few on eBay and I'll post a WTB on MWR. The two examples you linked to are lovely but well outside my price range.

[Neil.Ldn]

Hi Billy

Thanks for the information. I bought a Hamilton W10 from John Senior and he serviced a vintage Longines for me. If I could find a W10 he worked on I'd be very happy.

I'm watching a few on eBay and I'll post a WTB on MWR. The two examples you linked to are lovely but well outside my price range.

I think those two are very overpriced. I didn’t look at the RAF version but the W10 case is not in great condition and has been ‘worked on’, the crystal is wrong, crown possibly suspect although tbf the dial and hands look OK at first glance.

I reckon £1200ish should get you a really nice unmolested W10 if you bide your time.

[gerrudd]

I just missed a civilian W10 on eBay, although the case looked a little ropey. I'll keep biding my time.

[Montello]

I sold a minter on here for £900. It took a long time to sell.

I think there is a big spread between asking prices and selling prices.

Take your time and make some low offers. They are widely appreciated but less popular to own.

[TheGent]

As others have said, take your time - there are still plenty of really good ones out there, and the prices that some of the dealers are quoting are optimistic at best.

[BillyCasper]

Also stick a WTB on this site. Just looked and there have been several sales in the last couple of years.

Love mine (and Hamilton 6B and IWC Mk 11). My favourite style of watch. Luckily I bought mine many years ago when they were going for around £250. Also serviced by John Senior, so happy with it.


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[daveeb]

I will probably upset a few here, but over 40 years ago, whilst doing my 23 years in the army, part of my trade job, was inspecting non working military watches, repairing what I could, and disposing of the rest.
I would issue a form to say destroyed, and a new one was issued to the unit, how do you destroy watches I hear you cry, WELL, line them up on a metal bench, and slowly run a gas welding torch over them, sign a from to say "destroyed".
Yes, I could cry about it now, some of the older, pre second world war classics, the only one that was beyond my price limit, and was returned for disposal, was a Rolex divers watch, and the princely sum that it was priced at, wait for it ------------ £55, I was tempted ?

[Eddiex]

line them up on a metal bench, and slowly run a gas welding torch over them, sign a from to say "destroyed".
Yes, I could cry about it now, some of the older, pre second world war classics, the only one that was beyond my price limit, and was returned for disposal, was a Rolex divers watch, and the princely sum that it was priced at, wait for it ------------ £55, I was tempted ?

Good story!
I think there was a thread a while ago how someone on the forum had a similar recollection of watches being binned in MOD stores.
I like to think that we have more of a 'repair' mindset these days rather than throwing things in the bin. Having said that, even today, much of what we still buy seems to be uneconomical to repair.

[EBB21]

PM sent

[Tom91]

Always fancied a w10 but price climbs each year and then other options emerge at the price point

[Quality Man]

Bit of a thread hijack, hope you don’t mind gerrudd. Been looking at the below, top price but looks good. Too good?




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[bwest76]

Its a lovely looking watch It makes you realise just how good a job Eddie did when you compare them side by side.

[Quality Man]

Owning one of Eddies has made me hanker after an original, trouble is I struggle with what some people call patina! This one looks to be in excellent nick, I’m not rushing into anything though.


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[BillyCasper]

Owning one of Eddies has made me hanker after an original, trouble is I struggle with what some people call patina! This one looks to be in excellent nick, I’m not rushing into anything though.


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Looks nice too me. I mentioned in an earlier post that a batch came on to the market not that many years ago that had been through the hands of John Senior and they looked pretty perfect. John had a good supply of spares. I have no way of knowing if this is one of these, just that there are some good looking ones out there.


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[Quality Man]

Thanks Billy, it did cross my mind that it could be one of those.


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[gerrudd]

Bit of a thread hijack, hope you don’t mind gerrudd. Been looking at the below, top price but looks good. Too good?



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I don’t mind at all. That is a lovely example.

[Urban_Gent]

Owning one of Eddies has made me hanker after an original, trouble is I struggle with what some people call patina! This one looks to be in excellent nick, I’m not rushing into anything though.


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Wow, that is a really nice example. As you say no rush but to the untrained eye that's a minter

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[trident-7]

Looks nice too me. I mentioned in an earlier post that a batch came on to the market not that many years ago that had been through the hands of John Senior and they looked pretty perfect. John had a good supply of spares. I have no way of knowing if this is one of these, just that there are some good looking ones out there.


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I bought one of those….they WERE pretty perfect