Authenticity check for my vintage Omega. Is Omega enthusiast Ltd legit?

sunky0 · Feb 4, 2023

I'm new to watches and wanted to avoid getting scammed so I bought a watch from a site that is run by a watch review guy on Youtube.

His channel name is Omega Enthusiast. I bought it here: https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/

Can you guys check if this watch is legit? I included some pictures below.

I do not have the tools or the expertise to open the back unfortunately.

Scarecrow Boat · Feb 4, 2023

S sunky0
I'm new to watches and wanted to avoid getting scammed

If you do a google site search "site: omegaforums.net omega enthusiast" you will find a lot of results. He is legitimate; however, to say his prices are very steep is a bit of an understatement.

Davidt · Feb 4, 2023

If you bought it from Omega Enthusiast you’ll have paid a hefty premium. Personally I’d be asking these questions before spending that kind of money if I wasn’t sure.
thankfully he’s legit and his watches are genuine but expensive.

Dan S · Feb 4, 2023

Legit. Nice dial.

lightweight · Feb 4, 2023

+1 for legit, +1 for expensive, +1 for nice guy, and +1 for the fact that he will service these watches you buy from him and it can be hard to find a solid watchmaker in Canada (If you are Canadian).

You likely spent a lot but you should feel confident! Enjoy your new (old) watch!

Scarecrow Boat · Feb 4, 2023

lightweight
it can be hard to find a solid watchmaker in Canada (If you are Canadian).

There are quite a few of them… and they are regular contributors on this forum 😗

lightweight · Feb 4, 2023

Scarecrow Boat
There are quite a few of them… and they are regular contributors on this forum 😗

I have had less than stellar luck with all but one. If you are putting your hand up I would love to get in touch!

wagudc · Feb 4, 2023

If you want a nice vintage watch without months or years of hunting and have money to burn, the Omega Enthusiast is a reasonable option. If you can be patient and enjoy the hunt, there are better options IMO.

sathomasga · Feb 4, 2023

lightweight
+1 for legit, +1 for expensive, +1 for nice guy, and +1 for the fact that he will service these watches

All this. I would have no qualms whatsoever recommending him as a seller. In fact, I believe he services all his watches before selling them. That's effectively a $300-$400 discount since with most other sellers you'll need to get the watch serviced on your own.

Larry S · Feb 4, 2023

Gotta say, this guy knows his business. He’s got an eye for quality and some good connections. You are gonna pay for that. My view on dealing with guys like this, is be really sure what you are buying is a keeper because when/if you decide to sell, you will take a massive hit.

Davidt · Feb 5, 2023

Equally, if you value your time (who doesn’t?!), want one vintage Omega and don’t want to put any time into researching yourself but are simply happy to pay a premium to buy from a trusted seller, he’s a great option.
As @Larry S says, he has some great watches and usually is quite clear about any flaws. You just pay a premium for this.

cristos71 · Feb 5, 2023

I agree with the above, he puts the time in to find nice stuff, services them and sells at a profit. He produces nice You Tube content and is clearly passionate and informed regarding his niche of vintage Omega. If I was a noob on the hunt for a single good looking vintage Omega and had some money in my pocket, then why not?

Joe K. · Feb 5, 2023

There is no magic for how he sources his watches, a lot of his stuff is from eBAY.

Here is a watch that sold on his site recently - https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/product-page/1954-omega-seamaster-calendar-1

Here is the eBAY listing for the watch with the same serial number - https://www.ebay.com/itm/2660605040...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Another example - https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/product-page/1965-omega-railmaster-automatic

eBAY listing with same serial number - https://www.ebay.com/itm/3346388457...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

cristos71 · Feb 5, 2023

Joe K.
There is no magic for how he sources his watches, a lot of his stuff is from eBAY.

Here is a watch that sold on his site recently - https://www.omegaenthusiastltd.com/product-page/1954-omega-seamaster-calendar-1

Here is the eBAY listing for the watch with the same serial number - https://www.ebay.com/itm/266060504076?hash=item3df2711c0c:g:Tx4AAOSwwoxjrDVF&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsHwlIsGq/M0MRboIFNcPmQxIJy6Ci7+qf7rS8AxShA8BTdeeDuHBZ3iwl6TYiPZnr60tI7eaUJ40WmNDQlbIJyT+xh1KRsdu3zuilmFbgdM2zBoc2ruNGgC3mtXCn9Sy9dZFfrPYCcQQVHNkivX+5sLDIsWvRHFS/QKi4wRquGqvJR80C/aOA3BSvoYxPFJhhvve1S2uZPt0tEjayWnpljzZBcFAUwUdX4mazPkNBGHp|tkp:Bk9SR8LasaLEYQ&nma=true&si=XErMcRJvg1hI16dT2Oc2wBhqtYc%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

A great example as to the difference a good photo can make when it comes to selling watches:

Ebay:

OE:

Dan S · Feb 5, 2023

He is simply doing the same thing as many of the high end dealers, but with low end watches. By establishing a strong reputation, he is able to sell cleaned-up watches for twice their market value. If he is trying to make a living at it, I can't really see an alternative TBH. Selling a watch takes time and energy, and it's not worth it for a few hundred dollar profit if you're a professional. What annoys me more are the dealers selling $20k watches for $40k, or $50k watches for $90k, that's just greedy, and the buyers are stupid sheep IMO. Often these are relatively common Rolex models in mediocre condition, but buyers apparently can't be bothered to gather some knowledge and bid in auctions.

What I REALLY don't understand is why people like the OP don't just buy from established collectors on the forum who don't care about making a big profit.

Joe K. · Feb 5, 2023

I agree. But maybe for some people the effort that needs to be put into doing your own research is daunting? so they trust the seller and pay the premium for not having to study 😀 .

Dan S
He is simply doing the same thing as many of the high end dealers, but with low end watches. By establishing a strong reputation, he is able to sell cleaned-up watches for twice their market value. If he is trying to make a living at it, I can't really see an alternative TBH. Selling a watch takes time and energy, and it's not worth it for a few hundred dollar profit if you're a professional. What annoys me more are the dealers selling $50k watches for $90k, that's just greedy, and the buyers are stupid sheep IMO.

What I REALLY don't understand is why people like the OP don't just buy from established collectors on the forum who don't care about making a big profit.

Dan S · Feb 5, 2023

Joe K.
I agree. But maybe for some people the effort that needs to be put into doing your own research is daunting? so they trust the seller and pay the premium for not having to study 😀 .

That's exactly the situation. But as we have often seen, trusting the seller can be a risky proposition when a lot of money is involved. Most of the high end dealers are routinely swapping parts around to optimize their watches, and telling exaggerated stories about provenance with no documentation. Naive buyers don't realize this until they go to sell the watch a few years later and find they can't even get half the price they paid.

Bruce235 · Feb 5, 2023

I haven't bought from him. I do however see the value he adds.
He does a top notch service and backs it, so this removes all the risk of getting a dud. Unserviced watches are a risk. Then you have to find a watchmaker and possibly wait months to send it out and get it back.
He has great looking stock which would take a lot of hours to do on your own after spending hundreds of hours to become competent at evaluating prospects from a few mediocre pictures.
He removes the scam risk from the purchase.
Definitely worth it to a buyer who just wants a nice watch to enjoy right away and not a new hobby, time suck.

bikerfox · Mar 6, 2023

he has some very informative videos for us noobs 🤔

RoadRunner73 · Mar 6, 2023

Desmond said in one of his essays on Connie hunt something like : "you'll have to buy a watch and buy a seller"
I am a lover of vintage watches, and I have spent a lot of time recently in reading and checking and reading and checking... enough I believe to identify the criterion of what will be MY (probably only ) Constellation, but I will probably never reach the required level of expertise needed to avoid being crooked by a "smart" seller.
So I need some solid confidence in the guy I'll buy the watch from, and paying an extra 500 or 1000 on a 5-6,000 $ legit watch seems reasonable to me in compared with finding out a few years later eventually that the watch I had bought is in fact not worth more than 2,000 maybe...

Authenticity check for my vintage Omega. Is Omega enthusiast Ltd legit?

sunky0

Scarecrow Boat

Davidt

Dan S

lightweight

Scarecrow Boat

lightweight

wagudc

sathomasga

Larry S

Davidt

cristos71

Joe K.

cristos71

Dan S

Joe K.

Dan S

Bruce235

bikerfox

RoadRunner73

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