Buy cheap and service?

I’ve taken this approach before a few times and have rarely regretted it. I think it really only works for a modern piece—not a highly collectible or vintage one where refinishing is a naughty word. And it only makes sense if it’s a piece you plan to keep for a long time. Little sense in paying $$$ to service a watch (and for it to be out of your hands for months—Omega servicing isn’t fast, in case you didn’t know) just to flip it on to someone else right away. —You might recoup some of the service cost in a higher sale price, but probably not all of it.

The only time I’ve regretted this approach is when the service took over three months and I got impatient and ended up buying another watch in the meantime. 😀 The subsequent frenzy of selling once the watch came back from Omega did not favor me financially.

Otherwise, in my opinion. It’s quite smart. You get a piece (at an appropriate price where you’ve already mentally factored in the service cost) that’s a little beat up and due for a service and you immediately send it to Omega. A couple months later you have a watch that 1) looks brand new, 2) works within spec 3) is freshly warrantied for 2 years and 4) has been 100% authenticated by the manufacturer. That’s a lot of peace of mind for a preowned watch, and you shouldn’t need to send it off again for a decade or so.

Just be sure you’ve mentally prepared yourself to be without your new watch for a few months right after purchasing it. It can be a bummer if it’s a piece you’re excited about and if you have a wandering eye (or a wandering wrist).

Yes, this approach is viable. No matter the condition, just make sure the watch has a serial number present. Omega will not service a watch with a serial number missing, or polished off.

As mentioned, sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. A service is one thing, “not running” is usually a gamble not worth taking. Typically the seller has made some attempt to repair and is dumping it at that point. I’ve had ones that I thought would need a full service and it turns out the movement was water logged and needed to be replaced. So long as it’s running, I think you’re probably ok but I do wonder if a titanium case can be easily polished back to life

Depends on the watch and cost of service. Complications require higher service fee, and other parts might be costly as well such as dials, crystal...etc.

If the price is low enough, sure, why not?