Good afternoon everyone, I’m new to this forum, new to vintage watches and new to Omega. Please bear with me! I’d like some help, please. I am looking to buy a watch for my fiancé, and as his birth year is 1978 I thought it would be sentimental to buy something from that year. Having looked at various brands and models, many people are putting time and effort into restoring Omega Seamasters and Constellations, and I thought I might ask for some advice please. I read on here that the kind people in this forum are a great help, and much prefer to be asked for advice before the purchase - not after! So here we go. I have been looking at Chrono24, eBay and a few private dealers, and there are a few watches for sale for under AU$2,200 (the very upper end of my budget). Some sites classify sellers as “verified dealers” or “trusted sellers” (according to the site and customer feedback), and others may be risks. The following is a shortlist of Omegas that appear to the untrained eye to be refurbished Omega models that are described as “very good”, “excellent” or “New old stock” (in Australian Dollars for those playing at home): 1. Omega Seamaster Automatic AU$1,570 + shipping (& GST when shipped to Australia, I presume) https://www.chrono24.com.au/omega/seamaster--automatic--id10585445.htm Blurb is in German, but Google Translate does help. 2. Omega Seamaster AU$1,581 + shipping & GST https://www.chrono24.com.au/omega/1...rtz-date-watch-with-green-dia--id11191035.htm This one has a green dial, which I assume is not original. What ramifications does a new dial have on the value of the watch? If it were once again replaced with an original, could any loss be regained? 3. Omega Constellation AU$1,661 + shipping & GST https://www.chrono24.com.au/omega/1...-cool-vintage-accuset-mens-qua--id9829702.htm This is from the same USA dealer as the above #2 Seamaster. 4. Omega Seamaster 1978 AU$1,518 + shipping & GST https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE...086176?hash=item2ac6bfd160:g:8X4AAOSwhRlchJvRPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network This watch is an eBay listing and is located in Korea. The seller Haakwatch11 has sold some 1,100 watches and has 90 for sale, if anyone has dealt with them and has a recommendation. 5. Omega Seamaster 1979 AU$1,807 + shipping & GST https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NOS-CIR...895872?hash=item2aca136800:g:PKYAAOSwuXxct93DPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network Same lister as #4. Not 1978, but item is listed as NOS/unworn. 6. Omega Seamaster 1977 AU$1,373 + shipping & GST https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE...473121?hash=item2ac1592c21:g:jtIAAOSwCjpcOWPAPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network Same lister. 1977 with repainted dial. 7. Omega Constellation 1978 AU$1,511 + Shipping & GST https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1978-Om...550663?hash=item41fdb7ba47:g:xJ0AAOSwBkNcEnDnPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network Another eBay listing, from seller named connoisseur_of_time with 2,400+ sales and over 1,000 items for sale at the moment. I suppose my questions to you are: - Are these listings a “good deal” given that I am not able to do any restoration of my own? (If they are, please don’t beat me to the punch and purchase them first! This has been a long process!) - Do you believe they have been restored with genuine parts, and how can you tell if they do not declare it? - Am I being unwise by wanting to purchase one from 1978 in particular (sentiment aside, there are always years of production when a product is made well, or are duds. I know it’s not wine, but was 1978 a “good year”? Many of you make reference to “pre 1978” or “post 1978” Omegas in this forum, so it seems to be a turning point for some reason and I am curious as to why). - Should I instead be looking at purchasing an Omega that hasn’t been refurbished and commissioning someone locally in Australia to do the job? A lot of information, but I am really interested to hear your stories and make some connections here. Some of you may even have something similar for sale, or a non-refurbished item that you’d like to refurb and sell to me. Thank you for all of your help! Michaela Sydney, Australia
Hi Michaela, First up, trying to go through seven links to your selection, by the time I'm on the fourth one I've forgotten where I am. A quick assessment has me looking at the "ooooo shiny" examples of redialed watches (coniesewer of time is a prime example with their watches). Anything from South Korea has to be vetted very carefully, once again, it is a "Shiny perfectly restored (re-dialed) market in general. In addition, they are all overpriced (some horrendously so) and $146 for shipping is a rip off. If you have time, do some reading here: https://omegaforums.net/threads/learn-how-to-fish.52603/ If you're going to buy a half decent vintage Omega you need to know the basics of finding a good example and at the moment you are in kindergarten in your watch education. You could also check our sales forum to see if there are any examples that meet your needs. https://omegaforums.net/forums/private-watch-sales/ You don't need 200 posts to buy, just PM the seller by clicking on their avatar. Finally, congratulations for being smart enough to ask first before buying. Cheers Jim