Later this year I hope to treat myself to a watch or two to mark a significant birthday milestone (half century, as you ask).

A vintage Seamaster and / or Constellation would fit the bill nice I am thinking and so I have been trying to do my research regarding which I might buy (and the sort I should steer clear of) and the forum is full of great advice.

All vintage.com have a selection for sale, one of the many, many places I have looked at and I would welcome some advice and comments please regarding:

Two Constellations are on offer - one said to be original, one "professionally restored." Would this be considered a good restoration as things go, allowing for the usual "don't restore advice?"

Allowing for the usual dealer premium, are these Constellations and the Seamasters on offer what I would typically expect to pay for watches in this condition? Are these at high end dealer prices, or reasonable given the mark up?

I am in no immediate rush and have stressed to myself the need to be patient and to just sit it out until I am as informed as possible. Many more hours I suspect....

Thanks again,

Mike.

 

Apologies, it is the 1952 Seamaster Bumper that is restored / refinished, but comments still welcomed as per original post.

Mike.

 

Hi Mike, you might want to check the FS section (especially the private watch sales), some nice vintage Omegas up on sale there.

 

It´s a good question, but very difficult to answer.

Personally I have never bought from a professional vintage watch dealer as I can find better watches at better watches elsewhere. I think I speak for a lot of the experienced guys here when I say that.

Where I am in Europe we have only very expensive vintage watch dealers who like to price everything as though it is some kind of ultra rare Swiss watch making artefact which actually belongs in a museum and I should feel very privileged indeed that they are deigning themselves to sell it to me at all.

Occasionally I may see an interesting or semi-rare/rare watch at a dealer which tickles my interest, but the premium until today has always been way too much for me to open my old moth eaten wallet.

It all comes down to buying experience, when you have looked at tens or hundreds of thousands of watches over many years it becomes much easier to spot overpriced, over restored, over polished and over rarefied dealer´s tat from a great distance.

I appreciate a good dealer who has a premises and who services the watches he sells and also offers a guarantee needs and deserves to make a decent margin. But that does not mean a knowledgeable and enthusiastic hobbyist should be buying his watches and paying a sometimes ridiculous premium there.

 

Brilliantly put. Applicable to most of Europe would be my feeling. Definitely applicable to Classis Cars as well.