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Davidt
·Thanks for your reply David - if we did go down the Seamaster route. I have noticed that the watches which have been serviced (and will therefore is likely to work for. while before needing to be serviced again) and offer more reassurance about the provenance of the item (ie mainly in its original state) are on the expensive side in the UK - typically in and around 1300-1500GBP. Private sellers are much cheaper (under 1000GBP) but it is a big risk. Any thoughts on this? Would, for example, a Seamaster from 1960s Chrono 24 for approx 600GBP be worth a punt? My grandfather loved watches and had one from around the 1960s/1970s which did look similar to a Seamaster (though it was a different make). My son likes traditional/ old things (unusual for an 18 year old maybe!) so I am leaning towards an antique watch which he would not wear everyday, but for smart events etc. My feeling is also that youngsters prefer a larger face (I know the seamasters from the 1960s are not large by the standards of today, but they do seem to be larger than the 1940s watches!) Many thanks for your help.
1. the watch has only had a very cheap, low quality service, replacing no parts and has simply been quickly and crudely oiled or
2. they haven’t been serviced at all and the seller offers a warranty knowing that on average only 1 in 10 watches will come back with issues, at which point the seller will have it serviced.
Personally I’d prefer to buy either unserviced and have it serviced myself (it still works out cheaper than buying from a dealer and I haven confidence in the quality of the service that was completed), or buy from collectors/dealers who have documented evidence of a good service from a trusted watchmaker. I guarantee you many of the dealers selling Seamasters at £1500 will not be able to provide this. The extra £500-700 isn’t buying you a service, it’s simply their profit.
Long story short, I’d still be looking at a vintage seamaster but I’d ask for recommend dealers in the UK or preferably, the sales forum here which is largely self policing
