A little more than a year ago I decided that I needed a nice vintage Seamaster to avoid having to look at my phone every time I wanted to know the time... Well, fast forward 12 months and I am now the proud owner of 9 vintage Omegas and I find myself spending most of my spare time engulfed in the world of horology. All thanks to you guys! Some might call it a curse, but I still see it as a blessing. As we turn the page on the first year, I just wanted to share my learnings and thank the people that have helped along the way. I’ve tried to be honest about my mistakes in the hope that others can learn from it. Sorry for the long post My collection as of today: 1: 2505-20 2: 1094s 30t2 3: Seamaster 120 166.027 4: Speedmaster 145.022-69 5: Seamster 176.007 6: Seamaster 145.006 Reverse Panda 7: Seamaster 600 135.011 Black Technical Dial 8: 174-3 (2451) 9: 2622-1 No 1: A 2505-20 I found this one on a local ‘craigslist’. It was stated as a 38mm watch and I’ve read here that those larger dress watches were not that common and potentially somewhat valuable. I posted it here confirm that it was original and @OMEGuy and @Petervl confirmed and helped determine the reference. The dial is not in the best condition and I would not have made this purchase today even though the price was low. I have since sourced an original crown and had it serviced. But especially the service meant that I now have put more money into the watch that It’s worth. But all-in-all a noob-tax in the lower end of the spectrum. My main learning here was that servicing a watch is expensive, especially if you haven’t found a good and reliable watchmaker. I was charged 400€ (the balance was broken) and it took 4 returns until it was working correctly. No 2: A 1940 30T2 Not long after the purchase of the 2505 I bought this one here on OF. The more I read about watches the more I got interested in the movements and their history. Seeing a reasonably priced 30t2, I jumped on it. Especially as it was sold as serviced, which I learned from the 2505 cost an arm and a leg (or so I thought) For this one I learned that people have different definitions of a serviced watch, and this statement should be taken with a grain of salt unless documented. No 3: Seamaster 120 166.027 By now I learned that getting a good example was important and worth paying a premium for. This reference had my interest since I started getting into Omegas and therefore when this popped up here on OF, I jumped on it pretty quickly. Thanks @gemini4 for teaching me how to tell the good ones from the bad ones. The price was high, but I calculated that the accompanying bracelet was probably also worth a couple hundred bucks. Unfortunately it turned out it was an aftermarked bracelet with an Omega clasp. The seller could not be blamed for this as he made it clear that the bracelet was a free addition. So yet another learning This one I also bought without seeing the movement. In this instance I was lucky, but I would never do that again. This is probably the watch I overpaid the most for, but I don’t regret it as I love wearing it. No 4: Speedmaster 145.022-69 By now the watch-bug had full control and I had promised myself that I would get a Speedmaster if I landed a specific contract. I did, and I reached out to @Spacefruit to see if he had a -69 or -71 that he wanted to part with. I choose those two refs. as I wanted a step dial in the ‘affordable’ range. Two days after I wrote him, he posted this watch on OF, and I jumped on it right away. No regrets on this one, and happy to have such a lovely example in the collection. I’ve since added the 1171 bracelet. No 5: Seamster 176.007 This I bought at a private auction (eBay style) from the first owner. A lovely 80-year-old man who had bought this but only used it sparingly. Just love this one. Thanks to AndyK for the first and second hand help. No 6: Seamaster 145.006 Reverse Panda This one I actually haven’t worn yet. It’s been with @ChrisN for 5 months as the pibe for the hand of the central chrono broke as it was disassembled. So it needed to go to a specialist in the States. When I bought this it also had a broken crystal and a wrong pusher. I managed to source both things NOS on eBay and I can’t wait to get the watch back. It will probably arrive next week. Thanks to @kov for helping out in the purchase of this With this one I really saw the importance of having a competent watchmaker! No 7: Seamaster 600 135.011 Black Technical Dial By now I found myself pretty capable of assessing the condition of a watch. This one was bought in person and I spent some time assessing the watch before purchase. At purchase I knew it had a polished case, but I didn’t see the small scratch on the dial between 10 and 11 until I got home and used my UV torch on it. It was still a reasonable purchase, but it confirmed that I am still a relative newbie. But all the mistakes listed here and above has definitely improved my ability to look at a watch. I now see things on watches I would never have noticed before. With practice, right... No 8: 174-3 (2451) This is a recent purchase and I ended up getting this at a reasonable price. Whether I’ll be happy with this purchase depends entirely on how it will look after some TLC It’s with my WM now and I hope that it will turn our positive. Thanks @cristos71 for the help with this one. No 9: 2622-1 This one was a spur of the moment purchase as a companion for the 174-3. It wears well and I find the patina very pleasing. So in conclusion, I have bought more than I ever imagined I would, and I have made a few mistakes a long the way. I haven’t been as patient as I should and some will probably see this as foolish rash purchasing spree by someone with more money than mind. But I love my collection and I love spending time handling watches and learning more and more about these little timekeepers. Thanks to the mods and all the contributors here, who have helped feed this addiction. /Onward and upward
Great stash. Congrats. But shouldn’t this be in the vintage sub-forum? So more people interested in vintage omegas can see these wonderful pieces.
Great post, thx for sharing. Great pieces, it seems like you found your style early on! But if not, dibs please on that gorgeous 1940 30T2
Thanks Andy Good point! Noted for next year’s review Thanks Shabbaz. Also for your help with the SM 120! I have found that I have a preference for the chronographs and the divers. So will keep you in mind if the 30T2 has to go. It’s coming back from ChrisN as well next week.
Impressive year and very nice collection. What are your next grails or Watches you think would fit? I think a Constellation would look great or a Chronometer Cal 30.
Thanks Zoohannover. To me the research and buying part is almost more fun than the owning part. Thanks for asking. I’ve been close to buying a 2852 a couple of times but I don’t feel fully comfortable with the Connies yet. More research is needed. Currently my goals are 1) A cosmic moonphase with a nice dial 2) A 60s Seamaster 321 3) A Seamaster 300 But for that to happen I would need to sell some of what I have, which I have a hard time reconciling with .
