Dear Members, I am trying to buy an omega seamaster circa 1960 - 1970 for my 50th birthday. I have never owned an omega before and have no experience in buying such and have read that there are a lot of fakes out there. I have found these two watches which are up for sale at an auction however i would really appreciate any advice you could provide as i dont want to buy a fake or get ripped off. I have asked for them to take the back of but they will not so the pictures i have are below, they are both marked as working. Thankyou for your time and assistance. Posted again as pictures did not load.
This is a front loading Sea master De-Ville and exposing the movement is best done by a competent jeweler or watchmaker. Others will give you a more comprehensive critique - but it looks OK to me - as to its market price I have no idea without testing a search on the Bay or Google.
The two Seamasters look OK at first glance, and as they are both very similar a lot boils down to price. Without knowing your location and the kind of price you are prepared to pay, it is very hard to advise you. You will have to factor in the cost of a service as well, of course. As this is your first purchase in the extremely murky and complex world of vintage watches, I would not recommend you to do it this way - at least not unless you have a savvy friend on hand to check the watches and guide you. Far better would be to purchase from a known and trusted dealer at a negotiable price who offers servicing and a warranty.
I don't like -the logo -the A in automatic. -the cross hair (not even) -the crown (new replacement) on the number one Buy the number 2
Fantastic advice thank you, would you have any idea what should be a fair and reasonable price for watch 2
You have more than enough there. It depends on the movement inside and it's condition which we don't know. 550 USD is fair for the number two.
By comparison, two De Villes identical to this have sold in the UK recently from the same trader for just over £600 GBP each. But both of these were serviced and with a 90 day warranty.
Thank you for the info. I only check ebay completed listings then give the price. In UK maybe a bit more expensive ?
As John says, Hoi certainly knows these watches. John always gives good advice as well, as do others. I am new to vintage Omegas and another buying option is to look in the watch sales area in this forum. I have bought two watches: one from MSNWatch (Mike) and another from Dablitzer (Alex). Both were gentlemen to deal with and I have been pleased with the watches. I am waiting for another from X350XJR but it is stuck in Spanish customs (!) however, I expect I will be equally happy. Alex is in UK and I bought this Seamaster from him for the sort of money you are thinking of spending: http://omegaforums.net/threads/1954-omega-seamaster-hooded-lugs-cal-354.7357/ Buying from outside of EU will mean that you pay import duty and VAT, so make sure that you factor about 25% extra in for that. Good luck and enjoy whatever you choose. Chris.
Hoi, it seems to me that the UK is more expensive - even for some eBay items. A lot of this is due to the upward pressure on prices from the London traders, which affects everyone else in a trickle-down process. And of course, there is simply a lot less choice compared with the USA, which also tends to drive prices up. It's not just the UK either, prices from Europe are also steep, especially from Germany, France and Switzerland.
Thank you to everyone that has posted advice, I am learning quick that it is not as simple as I thought but this forum has some excellent people who know there stuff and seem only too willing to provide good information, thanks again