Found these two older Zenith watches on ebay, are either of them worth picking up?

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Hello everyone.
I am still pretty new to vintage watches, but I have been looking for a 60-70s style watch to add to my collection.

Originally, I was doing a bunch of research and wanted to get an older Seamaster, but today I was looking and these two older Zenith watches caught my eye. I don't know too much about older Zenith watches, but overall, these two looked pretty good to me.

I was wondering if either of these watches are a good deal/worth getting? I would really appreciate any help/advice.

Thank you

This is the gold-plated auto sport i found listed for around 750 USD (ref.2552 PC)

Then there is this other watch ref.2562 Pc (Listed for around 450 USD)


The seller of this second watch also states that it is running fast. I'm sure both watches will need a service, but this one for sure is running fast.

Again thanks for any help
 
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are either of these a good deal/worth picking up or just pass?
 
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What dos your research tell you?

What do comparables look like for previously sold zeniths of the same caliber/ model?

Can you spot any issues on either of them off of the bat? Is the plating good?

Do either of them have a rare zenith movement?

FYI we can easily find the eBay listings via a reverse image search…
 
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Neither appear to be US market… personally the second one is the more attractive. But I didn’t look for flaws.
 
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Neither appear to be US market… personally the second one is the more attractive. But I didn’t look for flaws.
I also like the second one a bit more. Overall i think it looks all original. I think it’s a decent price. I just wanted a second opinion. Thank you
 
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They look legit at first glance, but personally I don't think it's worth spending real money on gold plated watches. If you get a fun watch for $100 and you never plan to service it, then fine. That's just my opinion on it, I don't like them. You can get stainless or gold-capped watches for not much more.
 
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(FYI: "Ref" numbers you're referring to is the movement number, not the reference). The 2nd is a bit newer (1969-1972 vs 1972-1975), but they are effectively the same movements.

I'll say: Buy what you like. BOTH are nice watches, perhaps overpriced by a bit, but not a huge amount. The 1st seems more overpriced than the 2nd.

$450 is not bad for a nice looking watch. You'll be into it ~$750 all said and done (after a service) and will have a nice watch to wear around. Dan is right though, it'll probably look bad (the gold will wear off pretty quickly) before it needs a nice service. SO consider it consumable.

The first is less attractive to me, but it IS gold filled, so it'll wear at least a little better (it has a significantly thicker amount of gold). That said, $750 for that is quite a bit, and you'll be into it for more than $1000 after that... you can find some NICE watches in the private watches forum here for less than that, already serviced.

FOR EXAMPLE:
Different style, but the dynamics are amazingly cool: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-geneve-dynamic-cal-565-blue-silver-dial.180244/


Hant26 does servicing and sells for very reasonable prices, I am attracted to this one very much 😀

This guy needs a service (and crystal, but those are cheap), but are beauties. Frankly, if it lasts much longer, it is my next project: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-geneve-135-041-blue-sunburst.186718/

This bumper is pretty solid looking, though he seems to only sell in the EU? Might be worth asking (ALSO, MIGHT be a redial, but I've been VERY wrong about that on this age of omegas): https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-bumper-ref-2581-cal-342-price-reduced.186978/
 
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I love that 70s shape and luckily there are many brands that made similar cases which means a lot of choice. I’m not a fan of gold-plated/capped but that’s a personal choice. Just make sure that what you’re buying is original and working. There are some similar lovely JLC models from that era around but many have been redialled.
 
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The Autosports are nice watches but I’d follow the advice of the more seasoned collectors and stay away from gold plated pieces unless they are very cheap. Stainless is a far better option and there are plenty on the internet
 
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(FYI: "Ref" numbers you're referring to is the movement number, not the reference). The 2nd is a bit newer (1969-1972 vs 1972-1975), but they are effectively the same movements.

I'll say: Buy what you like. BOTH are nice watches, perhaps overpriced by a bit, but not a huge amount. The 1st seems more overpriced than the 2nd.

$450 is not bad for a nice looking watch. You'll be into it ~$750 all said and done (after a service) and will have a nice watch to wear around. Dan is right though, it'll probably look bad (the gold will wear off pretty quickly) before it needs a nice service. SO consider it consumable.

The first is less attractive to me, but it IS gold filled, so it'll wear at least a little better (it has a significantly thicker amount of gold). That said, $750 for that is quite a bit, and you'll be into it for more than $1000 after that... you can find some NICE watches in the private watches forum here for less than that, already serviced.

FOR EXAMPLE:
Different style, but the dynamics are amazingly cool: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-geneve-dynamic-cal-565-blue-silver-dial.180244/


Hant26 does servicing and sells for very reasonable prices, I am attracted to this one very much 😀

This guy needs a service (and crystal, but those are cheap), but are beauties. Frankly, if it lasts much longer, it is my next project: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-geneve-135-041-blue-sunburst.186718/

This bumper is pretty solid looking, though he seems to only sell in the EU? Might be worth asking (ALSO, MIGHT be a redial, but I've been VERY wrong about that on this age of omegas): https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-bumper-ref-2581-cal-342-price-reduced.186978/
Thank you so much for the response. I appreciate all the information you provided me. I am not dead set on a Zenith or an Omega, but I am partial to Omega. I am looking for an older watch between the 60s-70's but I have a larger wrist, so I am looking for something around 35mm or up, which I know can be hard for older watches.

That Bumper is beautiful, and it does look like a redial, but we both could be wrong. It is beautiful, but only 33 mm, that's my only problem.

I am just trying to learn all the ref numbers, so that I can narrow down exactly what I want.

However, I am taking everyone's advice, and I am going to wait a bit longer to find the right piece.
 
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Thank you so much for the response. I appreciate all the information you provided me. I am not dead set on a Zenith or an Omega, but I am partial to Omega. I am looking for an older watch between the 60s-70's but I have a larger wrist, so I am looking for something around 35mm or up, which I know can be hard for older watches.

That Bumper is beautiful, and it does look like a redial, but we both could be wrong. It is beautiful, but only 33 mm, that's my only problem.

I am just trying to learn all the ref numbers, so that I can narrow down exactly what I want.

However, I am taking everyone's advice, and I am going to wait a bit longer to find the right piece.
Keep an eye on the Private Watch Sales forum, IMO you get the best quality there over everywhere else I've looked.