Gentlemen,
I've decided to ask all of you, the omniscient ones, for a bit of newbie advice.
Allow me to preface this by saying how much I appreciate what I hope will be your sound analysis and advice.
I was at an auction in NYC just recently and came upon an omega watch which was about to be sold for much less than the estimated value.
I thought that it would make a nice gift (starter watch) for my teenage son. I bought this Omega Seamaster Professional Mid-size for $850.
All said, with premiums and taxes, I am into this watch for a hair over $1000.

Lo and behold, he hates the watch, and now I am left to ponder my options.

I have been a seller on eBay for 15 years and have a stellar reputation. However, my area of expertise is high-end clothes and accessories, not watches. I can list this watch, but before I do, I am hoping that you call can advise me on how best to sell it and market it. The watch is in good shape except for some scratches and nicks on the blue part of the bezel. This appears to be an extremely common problem. Now, getting it done by Omega is cost prohibitive as I will never recover my investment. There appears to be some swiss-made bezels for sale (around $80), but if I go that route, where would I get it put in around NYC? Do you think I should sell as is or get a replacement bezel? As far as venue, would it be better for me to market the watch on enthusiast sites(like this one) or on ebay? For how much? Also, is there something about this watch that makes it special or unlike others that works to me advantage? It was bought in 2011 and I have everything that came with it. All books, warranty card, retail box with matching serial numbers, all screws, links, and spring bars, etc.

Please help!

Best Regards,
Greg

 

Few things - 2011 is the country code where the watch was sold, not the date this watch was originally sold. It is much older than 2011. The serial number of 49697997 would date the watch to approx. 1985 based on one serial number listing I see on the internet. The dial appears to have tritium markers based on their yellow colouring, and the bezel is far too faded for it to be a 2011 watch.

The bezel inserts you are referring to on eBay are fake, as Omega does not sell the inserts separately. To purchase the entire bezel will be in the $275 to $320 range - Omega just increased their prices for parts across the board, so you may find one at the old price somewhere.

Cheers, Al

 

Stick it on ebay, describe it clearly and load up a bunch of clear photos and it'll find its own value. Don't spend a penny on refurbishing it as you won't make that back....