Am I crazy?

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Funky Monkey

·Sep 25, 2024

Recently ran into this 1963 DeVille for $1700
Just professionally serviced (I trust the dealer a lot too), 1 year warranty added
Calibre 562, automatic
Original Dial, signed crown, hand, unpolished case
Crystal replaced

Am I crazy for wanting this at this price?
The dial has me hooked... I have fallen in love with the watch and plan to use it a couple times in the week. BUT the dents on the side kind of freak me out

 

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X350 XJR

·Sep 25, 2024·Vintage Omega Aficionado

$700 not $1700.

 

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Funky Monkey

·Sep 25, 2024

X350 XJR

$700 not $1700.

I wish... Some people have said that but I have not been able to find anything close to it for less than $1300. especially from a truster dealer that has serviced as well

 

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Davidt

·Sep 26, 2024

Yes. I sold the exact same dial a year or two ago for £550

 

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STANDY

·Sep 26, 2024·schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector

X350 XJR

$700 not $1700.

This ⬆️

$1700 will get you a flawless Speedmaster or Speedmaster De ville
Probably even a flawless dome dialed Constellation

 

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dsio

·Sep 26, 2024·Ash @ ΩF

F Funky Monkey

I wish... Some people have said that but I have not been able to find anything close to it for less than $1300. especially from a truster dealer that has serviced as well

You’d be surprised by how many people considered trusted dealers have been banned from here for dishonesty, ripping off customers or even fraud over the years, just because some dude had a $500 website and an instagram account doesn’t make them trustworthy.

 

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Davidt

·Sep 26, 2024

F Funky Monkey

I wish... Some people have said that but I have not been able to find anything close to it for less than $1300. especially from a truster dealer that has serviced as well

I’d much rather buy from a trusted collector than a trusted dealer. Some dealers are great, but a significant amount of ‘trusted’ dealers aren’t to be trusted at all. Especially with the finer details.

 

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padders

·Sep 26, 2024·Oooo subtitles!

Dealers gotta eat which means sometimes even a trusted dealer isn’t your friend.

 

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rexquando65

·Sep 26, 2024

Yes, but I expect you already know that.

 

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hen

·Sep 26, 2024

The dents are going too freak you even more out if you pay $1700 for it. Wait for a better deal or haggle. How much is one year warranty worth to you?

And yes anyone who wants an old mechanical watch is crazy, but there is good crazy and there is bad crazy. 😉

 

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seekingseaquest

·Sep 26, 2024

If you don’t want to wait, fork over the money. If you’re patient, buy one cheaper from a collector or via an auction (with advice from others here on the forum), and send it to a trusted watchmaker that offers a warranty.

 

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masteroftime

·Sep 26, 2024

If you hunt around, $1k can often get you a solid 14k example. I agree with others. You should stick around and check the forum marketplace.

 

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Dan S

·Sep 26, 2024

That is corrosion/pitting on the side of the case, not dents. For me, the price is silly, but newbies are often impatient and willing to pay a large premium to buy from someone they think they can trust. In general, there are few shortcuts to buying a good vintage watch.

IMO, few dealers truly have a comprehensive high-quality service done on a watch in this price range, it's not cost effective for them. They often have some sort of half-hearted work done, enough to get the watch running, and offer a warranty, hoping that the watch will run for a year. So paying a premium for a supposedly-serviced watch isn't necessarily a bargain. Personally, I would prefer to buy a great watch from a collector at a better price and then have it serviced by an excellent independent watchmaker of my choice.

 

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Pastorbottle

·Sep 26, 2024

Trusted dealer......surely the words are mutually exclusive a bit like political correctness something can either be political or it can be correct.....but not both!

 

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Deafboy

·Sep 26, 2024·His Holiness Puer Surdus

Dan S

Personally, I would prefer to buy a great watch from a collector at a better price and then have it serviced by an excellent independent watchmaker of my choice

Agree to a certain extent. Most of the time a buyer has no idea how well the watch was “serviced” by the dealer. OTOH, collectors often don’t service their watches (because it becomes expensive to service a bunch of watches), yet use them anyway. This makes the watch wear out quickly.

Edited: Sep 26, 2024

 

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Farrowla

·Sep 26, 2024

Try not to let the fear of missing out get the better of you. If you can pause to look around for other options, you may find that it’s not actually “the one” after all..

 

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Pixitfecit

·Sep 26, 2024

Dan S

That is corrosion/pitting on the side of the case, not dents. For me, the price is silly, but newbies are often impatient and willing to pay a large premium to buy from someone they think they can trust. In general, there are few shortcuts to buying a good vintage watch.

IMO, few dealers truly have a comprehensive high-quality service done on a watch in this price range, it's not cost effective for them. They often have some sort of half-hearted work done, enough to get the watch running, and offer a warranty, hoping that the watch will run for a year. So paying a premium for a supposedly-serviced watch isn't necessarily a bargain. Personally, I would prefer to buy a great watch from a collector at a better price and then have it serviced by an excellent independent watchmaker of my choice.

Sums it up!