I'm looking to Purchase an Omege F300, I think the tuning fork movement is pretty cool. Are these watches worth investing in?

I would like one just like in this Video

Any idea of the price of what I would have to pay for the condition and style of the one in the video?

Thanks

 

difficuly to say, as its not a good image

 

Hmmm. an interesting question to which my cryptic reply would be:

Honey is in the hives of the bee-holder.

If you go down this road it is for now quite a specialised niche and prices reflect that. Many vintage Omegoids seem to have a general aversion to this line. But perhaps they'll become tomorrow's hot item....the watches I mean, not the Omegoids.

 

The watch in the video is a reference 198.0006 - price might be anywhere from £200-£1200 depending on who's selling and who might be buying.

Now you have the model number, you can go hunting

These models have a following, but are not widely appreciated, and whilst very expensive new, have been out of fashion for a long time.

So buy it because you like it, not because you think it will make you rich - it won't

Lots of f300 info here: http://electric-watches.co.uk/makers/omega/omega-f300-tuning-fork/

 

If I'm not mistaken I believe the tuning fork watches can be extremely costly to repair. That may also affect collectibility...

 

There are members of the OB that collect these. Several of these folks have a lot of them, signs that some folks consider them collectible. If you follow this message board, you'll see lots of them. I have one, among about one dozen Omegas. It sat in a "to do" drawer for over five years, until I found a replacement part which enabled me to return it to operation. But by far the majority of Omega collectors avoid them, owing to the difficulty of obtaining parts, and the difficulty of finding people trained to service them. This probably doesn't help you decide to collect them, and you may get other opinions from those that have them for sale. It's pretty much your decision to make.

 

I think if you can get an F300 Cone in very good original condition, you will see the price gradually increase.

The problem is finding a good one now at the right price. I've been looking for a couple of yers now.

Good Speedsonics also seem to be on the up and up.

 

That's not showing the experience that I made with parts. You can buy every part you need at ebay. There are NOS movements, donor movements and NOS parts in big numbers available. I have a lot of them in my collection:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/f300hz-hummers.54758/page-3#post-712090

The thread I linked could be interesting for you. It is indeed not easy to find someone that is able and willing to service the tuning fork movements in every area. Sometimes you have to send the watches in for service. If you like it, go for it.

 

F300's are worth it for the logo alone. I've yet to see a dial I didn't like. Best of golden age 60's without the 70's funk.

 

There are cheap service options in the U.K. and also Romania so where you are located has a big bearing on whether or not these are sensible to collect. I have a few which I love but they are not a mainstream collecting piece for sure. My avatar is a f300 incidentally and some of the designs are unique and really evocative of the late 60s/early to mid 70s. Many are appreciating in value but that shouldn't be the main motivation as it is a bit of a minefield.

 

oh I don't know, some are pretty funky. In fact these are all pure 1970s manufacture if the production figures on electric-watches.co.uk is to be believed, starting in 1970. I have handled dozens and never seen an earlier one than this. Model gallery with production dates:

http://electric-watches.co.uk/makers/omega/omega-f300-tuning-fork/omega-f300-case-numbers-and-dates/

 

Anything is collectable - anything.

http://www.atchuup.com/weirdest-collection-of-things-ever/

 

I bought a cone in 2011 for £300, spent £175 servicing it in 2014, sold it (eventually) in 2016 for £275.

They're a pain to sell, and despite dealers asking big prices, I'd bet they never achieve them.

Speedsonic have been slowly climbing though...

 

Sensible advice above, overpaying when buying these is a bad idea. I was a bit luckier with my cone. Purchased in 2012 for £200, serviced at £90 by Paul at electric watches and finally sold last year for £340 when I realised that I was never wearing it as they are a bit too out there in design terms for me. My money would be on the 198.005 diver steadily gaining in value since that one is a more usable, conventional design following on directly from the SM300 divers. I sold my one of those too though as again it wasn't getting wear. Speedsonics do seem to be hot property, especially the lobster bracelet flavour but the repair bills can be nasty, I haven't ventured down that road personally.

 

I like my SMf300 as well. It's mounted to a Swiss Tropic, ideal for hot weather.

 

These two models appear to be the outliers... both steadily rising in value, and maintaining.

For anyone going down the lobster route, make sure it has the end links if a strap model... these are pretty much unobtanium.

Service costs on the Speedsonic can be high too - mine was bought non running, needed two date wheels and quite a lot of parts - the bill from electric watches was £350... the same job at STS is nearly £1000.

So go careful.

And again... buy what you like, and can afford... don't expect to make money.

 

True T, but that Speedsonic is the most complex of these hummers so more to go wrong. The time only ones are going to be much cheaper a service. Whole NOS movements often come up for less than 350 sterling(sometimes non "big name brand" whole watches can be had for that). Plus when we consider the ever rising prices of servicing mechanicals through the brands they're not that expensive by comparison. How much would a vintage mechanical Speedmaster with similar problems requiring parts cost? IIRC just a service on one of them through Omega starts at around 800 Swiss francs

+1000 Treat buying one the way you would buy a mechanical watch. Does it run, condition, did it get a recent service. Even rarity. Omega made a lot of these watches with the ESA movement, so they're generally speaking not that rare.

Very much this. Anyone getting into this hobby looking to make money is on a hiding to nothing IMHO. Especially nowadays. I've bought a few watches with these movements down the years. Omega, Longines, Tissot, but I bought them before this hobby went more mainstream when they were costing 50 to 100 quid for good ones. I could have made a few quid, but my crystal ball was on the blink.

 

This one did not sell for months now - 360 usd.-

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/v501015206
tamura

 

I happen to think that Omega were really on the ball with design in the 70s and F300 are a great way to buy into that without spending a fortune.

I have owned a cone for about 3 years which I love - when I'm wearing it I can virtually guarantee someone will comment on it at some point - and have just bought a Speedsonic. Remember that these F300 were cutting edge at the time and cost more than the mechanical equivalents - the quality of the build and dials reflect that in many cases.

But yes, go in with your eyes open - they're not going to appreciate significantly except for (maybe) the Speedsonic and diver models and there's only a couple of non-Omega places that can service them properly.

 

Wholeheartedly agree with that S. On the technology side too. Though they bought in this movement, Omega pushed the then emerging electronic/quartz tech like no other I can think of. Hugely innovative.