Hi, as per title... I was looking to treat myself to a vintage watch(ideally Omega but I did look at Longines too) for my 50th and spent some time trawling the web at that time, 4 years ago, but other things (kids) swallowed up my treat money! Having started looking again the prices have jumped a fair bit! I’ve been looking at eBay auctions but I’m unsure of authenticity in my price range (£500 to £1k, I know it’s not a great deal in the collecting world but it’s a fair bit to me and I just want to be sure it’s spent on a genuine item). So I guess my question is, is ebay a good place for someone me like me to be looking? I’ve trawled through a fair few threads here so I know there’s a minefield of fakes, redials and Frankenwatches to navigate through. Any advice, tips would be gratefully received.
Hi! I started a very similar journey to yours about 18 months ago, and found the information here invaluable for a series of eBay purchases... most of which have been under your £500 level, and most of which have landed authentic watches. My #1 eBay rule is to avoid all listings with watches placed artfully in front of stones, driftwood, or tasteful antiques/booze... The natives here seem friendly and helpful, and if you ask questions about an eBay listing in a post with 1) Pictures not links, and 2) your assessment of what your looking at, then advice is plentiful, and detailed, and endless informative. I would second @Tiny Iota that there are loads of beautiful watches in your price range in the PWS forum: https://omegaforums.net/forums/private-watch-sales/ Good luck with the search!
Welcome to the forum, I, myself still very new to vintage watch too. Maybe you can start by telling us what are you looking for, example of style u r looking at, dress watch, diver, chrono, stainless steel, gold capped , etc etc. As suggested, private sales forum here is a good place to start. Happy hunting
eBay is a good place to buy if you know what you are doing, which can take some time and effort. There is also a thread where people recommend watches that are for sale on eBay.
Ebay is indeed a minefield but so is everywhere else other than as mentioned, the For Sale forum here and there is no guarantee of finding what you want there. Do you know what style you like? Spend some time studying first as this can change over time - I began by liking the chunky 70s look with day and date and ended up preferring no-date mid-50s to mid-60s models. It's not possible to research all the models in depth so a good idea is to focus on a narrow range, learn all you can about them and look at LOTS of pictures to get a feel for original / repainted dials. Good luck in your search! We were all new once. A tip: It isn't always true but a good rule of thumb is that the more watches a seller has and the slicker the photos, the less likely you are to get good value. And Chrono24 is not a good place for you at this level.
Just remember, as it is often a point of confusion. Even if you have fewer than 200 posts (the minimum for posting in the FS forum) you can private message the seller if you want more info or to make an offer on a watch you want to buy.
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I’m looking for something late ‘50s through the 60’s, ideally gold capped or filled, solid gold might be a bit out if my price range. Having said that I was watching an 18k fob watch which just sold for £250. I’m stalking a few on eBay currently to get idea of what they’re going for. Simomega, I think I’ve seen the ones you’re referring to I’m not drawn to one particular type although I do like dagger type hands, it’s one of those ‘I’ll know it when I see it’ type searches...not making it easier for anyone to help! I’ll travel through a few and post some pics to get a feel as to whether I’m watching wisely, I almost bid on an artfully posed one last week but it didn’t feel right, having looked on threads here I suspect the dial was repainted. I do really appreciate anyone taking the time to offer advice, it’s genuinely appreciated. I’ll look at the for sale stuff here too, but I think a lot of it may be outside my current budget, having said that if it’s the ‘right one’ the budget could be reviewed!
One thing to consider with your budget is to factor in the cost of a service into your purchase - it is likely that any vintage piece you buy will need this, especially if buying from eBay. As has been discussed here a few times, claims of being serviced aren’t always substantiated unless documentation can be provided. I’d factor in around £200 for this, and would consider this essential to both preserve the longevity of the watch and to ensure that you could wear it regularly. Good luck with your quest!