Good evening to all, This is my first post on this forum so I hope I won't be missing anything in the etiquette. After months flirting with the idea of buying my first decent watch and extensively browsing this forum, I find myself regularly coming back to this watch listed by the Omega Enthusiast. I know he has a mixed reputation over here (high prices and some redials) but I can't figure out why this would be such a bad deal. I've done basic online research and the case, movement and crown look OK together. The case does not look polished to my noob eyes and I have to say I am still incapable of understanding whether a waffle is a redial or not. Am I missing something obvious (the bump in the hour hand?) or is it legit but grossly overpriced ? He is asking for 1150 USD, which does not sound scandalous for this condition. Overall I like how this watch looks. Also, I'm not specifically considering buying a watch for reselling it, more for wearing and enjoying it. Any advice from your expert eyes would be very much appreciated. I guess I'll soon be crudely disappointed by my naiveté, but that's part of the learning process Thanks a lot for reading my post and for maintaining this amazing forum !
I'll take the general lack of interest to my question as an answer : few people care about this watch so it's probably overpriced. So my next question would be : why is it so ? Not fashionable? Not rare enough? Thanks for reading !
I'd say that Omega Enthusiast caters for those with a fair bit of disposable income who are looking for one, nice looking vintage watch of a brand they know from adverts and the like. Something that might be remarked on in a social setting and could be a nice conversation starter. It is rather pricey to the tune of, what, $3-500 overpriced and I guess that a rather generic Omega isn't something that sets the hearts of most people on here ablaze with desire. Speaking on behalf of the rest of the forum (!), I think most of us tend to be a bit more patient in seeking out better/cheaper/rarer variants and go for those instead. I usually tell new collectors that they have to choose between spending a lot of money or a lot of time in this hobby and those who do the latter are probably the most numerous members here. Lets agree on that this is not a "bad" watch in any way, far from it. The movement is great when serviced properly, the design is classy and will look great on your wrist I am sure Note that this is about 33mm large, which is a fairly small size for this type of Omega. If you search for references such as 2791/2792 or 2639/2640 you will find a number of 36mm watches from the fifties with the same movement. Unserviced, decent specimens go for around $3-500 in my neck of the woods.
I think it's a nice watch. I like the dial and the condition. Too small and too expensive for me personally, but the first is highly subjective and the second is related to the way I generally hunt watches. When you are fairly new to the hobby, I think it can be a very good idea to pay a little extra and buy a watch from someone you trust. In the long run, if you love the watch, a few hundred $$ will be forgotten very easily. If you try to save money and buy something crappy, you'll never be happy with it.
At under 34mm it's on the small side and there just isn't anything particularly special about it. Even from a dealer I think it's overpriced by $400-500. If you haven't looked here you should: https://omegaforums.net/forums/private-watch-sales/ Just one example of a much better deal and a nicer watch too. https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-genève-14724-1-crosshair-dial-cal-610.109629/
Hello and welcome! Judging by your pics, this watch looks basically good to me. It looks like a decent and nice piece to start with. Buying watches from reputated sellers is always somewhat more expensive. But many of them find watches you would never find on your own and so it's maybe ok they have their profit. US $1,150 would be too much for me, though. I'd be thinking of a price of $700 - $800.
Thank you very much for your detailed answers ! And for reminding me about size, I had forgotten to pay attention to it in this particular case. I find it fascinating how, beyond authenticity and condition, I am still completely missing that "common sense" of taste about what is a "generic Omega" without "anything particularly special about it". Although it's indeed highly subjective, there seems to be a strong consensus about it. I guess I'll need a couple years reading this forum before it becomes second nature Thanks again for taking your time to share your thoughts !
X350 XJR, thank you for the advice. I've indeed been browsing the private sales forum quite obsessively for a month by now... and hesitating like an imbecile about your wonderful 2846 seamaster
If you like the waffle dial in an antique watch, look for a calendar model. These usually are received more enthusiastically, and you don’t see as many of them as you do the subject watch. I’ll show you my date at 6:00, waffle dial with crosshairs as an example.
I am always amazed on how much the watches look big on Omega enthusiast wirst , i don’t have à large wirst myself but this 33mm would be totaly lost on mine ... Some people just don’t really care about the price, if they are confident about the quality, OE provide watches for them, it is an honest job, I just would t be client.
I bought my first Omega from Omega Enthusiast and enjoy it. He's local to where I am and it was nice to ask him to bring a few watches to try in person and know it's serviced with a guarantee. It resulted in me spending lots of time enjoying this forum with an eventual waffle from seekingseaquest. You should message him, as his collection is quite nice and I recall he had some more waffles. ConElPueblo as usual provides spot on advice.
Just as everybody else stated, you can get a waffle dial in a better case for that kind of money. If you like the watch to be sporty you should check out those 50s fat lugged Seamasters with waffle dial. I have one waffle dialed 34mm, but there is also the jumbo at 36mm! (mine)
Try watchrecon. Lots more choice, and you can enter search terms for automated searches. This will predictably: a) expand your universe of choices b) slim down your wallet alarmingly quickly You've been warned...
nice! And @matthiafox , if you like waffle/honeycomb dials, besides Omega, there are many other vintage brands out there who also have waffle dials, at a much lower price point if you're willing to look at non-Omega brands.
I do like the Omega you posted, but unless you LOVE it for that price, I would keep looking. Here's an example of a 35mm waffle dial Universal Geneve that I picked up for under $400. Sorry about the poor pic with the iphone reflection, it's in for a service currently.
