I have an opportunity to buy a small collection of vintage Omegas, and the price is kind of OK but not earth shatteringly cheap. I think I'll probably get them, but would really appreciate any extra comments in case there's anything I've missed. The pictures are terrible but I don't see a way to get better. So, any obvious redials, anything obviously wrong, etc. Any gems in there ? My plan would be to keep a few, and shift a few to offset the cost. I have put them in some kind of order, first the potential keepers then last the ones most likely to get moved on. No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6
New crown on 1 and I think also 6. Back of 1 looks scraped. I'm sure 4 is a redial. 2 and 3 look nice to me, so does 1 from the front. That's all I can see.
Yes 4 is pretty much certain to be a redial. I couldn't figure out the caseback of 1; crappy photos, dirt, damaged, fake... who knows. The two Geneves would almost certainly get shifted straight away, and I'm a realist about how little they're worth. I'm tending to think I'll give it a go, given all the points mentioned the price is OK.
Can’t really judge 2 from the split/blur photos. 3’s subdial looks a little suspicious but it could also be the photo quality. 4 is a redial as stated. It will quite hard to move these. It’s quite common and not very collectible. Perhaps it will be easier to move them on the bay. I’m not sure if it’s worth the hassle.
Condition doesn't look the best but neither are the photos. Certainly a risk and not one I would be taking personally.
The markers in the subdial still looks fuzzy and coarse. Not sure if it’s the crazed crystal or a redial still. Unless it’s like 250-300 for the bunch, I’m not sure if you’ll be getting yourself a good deal.
You mean 50 euros each (?)... I wouldn't even be asking if they were that cheap ! They're a lot more than that, but by my reckoning they're still fairly priced. In the worst case scenario, where everything that could be wrong is wrong, I reckon I could get my money back. But for sure it would be a hassle.
True.. that sounds tooo cheap. Haha. I’ve not been following seamaster prices but I’ve had mine sitting in the sales section for a long while before it was sold. If 3/4 are redials, you’re left with 2 Geneves and 2 seamaster. How much do you reckon you can get out of them? Or which ones do you plan to keep? You might get bored of them fairly soon. Or at least I did for mine. Haha. Assuming worst case scenario, 2 geneves, $150-200 each. 2 seamasters $300-400 each. I guess you still stand to make some money if it’s $500-600. Just that it might take awhile.
I wouldn't want any hassle, so assuming everything that can be wrong is wrong, I'd value the Geneva's at 250 for the pair. The other stuff is a bit harder, but I can reach a worst case figure for the whole lot, and the asking price is a couple of hundred more. As long as all the movements aren't shot, and they aren't all redials, I'd be OK. I'll see if I can talk him down a little.
Dear w154. Great post and good debate. I'm no expect yet, so I can only offer an un-informed opinion. To me the condition of them all looks poor and potential profit looks tight. I think you do need to talk him down.
Well two un-informed opinions (mine and yours) is better than just one (mine). I see things a little differently. I'm generally an optimist, and for me there are some good clues here. All the watches have nice straps and none of them look particularly worn. Makes me think of a collector more than Grandpa. If someone bothered putting nice straps on them all, then they are probably all runners (albeit they may still need a service). So I'm guessing they're OK inside, and I think they're probably OK outside (accepting the redial on 4 and other mentioned problems with crowns, hands, etc). But it is a risk, so I'll sleep on it, decide what to do tomorrow, and then post here if I can strike a deal.
Where's all the Speedmasters? The subject said Speedmasters! Ugh. I see now. I like #3, though dial does look suspicious to me too. 2181? 2105?
I don't think this lot is worth getting. There are no "special" watches here. Obviously I understand the lure of something for nothing, but sometimes what looks like a bargain ends up as a whole lot of time and trouble for minimal - if any - gain. I think this is one of those times.
I agree with the comments here, this looks like a beginner's bag of bad luck to me, I don't see much if any value in taking them as a group. The only two which might be quite nice in reality are 1 and 2, the others, well the less said about them the better, just basic and somewhat boring examples in less than fantastic condition. I'd forget about a group buy and push for a good deal on 1 and 2 if you are so inclined. The others I fear will bring much negative energy whilst you try to sell them.
Which is still better than Uncle's old watches... Selling on eBay is a headache. Not much upside in the lot, given price is OK.
So in the end we talk about some vintage Omega watches not so expensive each so the price will make the deal..500-600 Euro all in my opinion to be a good deal..