How much a background engraving afflict the costs of a Watc?

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Good morning everyone and thank you for admitting me to this group that I have already followed all morning without stopping....

I have a question for you but first I would like to introduce myself.

I started to care about watches when my father gave me a Chrono Baume and Mercier watch in 1985 when I reached the age of majority. Black dial, golden hands and raised edge always golden on steel case and brown strap rather detected. Maybe nothing special even if expensive in those years....

I remember spending a lot of time listening to that perfect and elegant, light ticking.

I have always liked mechanics in all its expressions and wherever there is a sprocket and an engine there goes my interest, which has developed over the years first as a dental technician and then as a dentist.

Yes, even in the human body there is a motor or in the masticatory system or in different organs that make things work well. Energy is created, transformed and developed in various forms such as movement.

Yes, I'm also passionate about motorcycles that allow me to always move on wheels.

I started about 10 years ago to disassemble a pendulum clock, then the second, then I bought pocket watches to practice with them too. I disassembled, cleaned and reassembled a dozen watches out of pure curiosity and interest.

Then I became passionate about motorcycles again and I have always remained faithful to the 80s-90s.

At times these passions of his alternated with each other.

Currently I have developed an alchemical part and I have independently produced a mixture to clean the clock mechanisms on a "recipe" found in a book from the early 1900s. I have no idea what it will serve me for but I found the transformative aspect of the various components that improve the others very interesting....all without blowing up the house!

Well, now that you know something about me you should also know that I have a strong tension for diving watches and chronos. I do not dive or need a chrono to measure time during training….funny!

I have some small wristwatches that I still like to wear sporadically. Now, I think it's time to invest some money in a watch that I love from the bottom of my heart and that literally makes my heart beat.

I'm talking about a first or second series Omega Flightmaster (sorry if I use terms more suitable for motorcycles). I saw one at an interesting price but unfortunately it has an incision on the back of the watch that shows the name, surname and date of birth of the first owner. I like it that a watch brings up the story of a man who maybe one day got rid of it by leaving a trace. I also find it interesting.

Rather, I would like to understand how much this fact can affect an assessment of the object. If you've come to read this far, like me you love reading stories....thank you for your kind reply.

 
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Depends on the buyer. Some folks think that engravings add personality and flesh out the history of a vintage watch. Other folks view them as a defacement of the watch. To the former, a presentation engraving won't affect their perceived value much, if at all. For the latter, a presentation engraving can make the watch completely undesirable.
 
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It depends quite a bit on the engraving. I find military style engravings tend to bother people less, so doesn't reduce it all that much (though it does). The less 'interesting' the engraving (someone's work anniversary, unless a collectable company, for example, does worse), the more it affects it I think.

Though of course, quality of it is meaningful for value too, an ugly engraving harms more than a nice one.
 
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To me it depends on the engraving and who that owner was. If they are well known or traceable it can add to the value a little or a lot ie was the watch owned by Buzz Aldrin or at the other end Lance Armstrong lol.
Every engraved watch I own I do my damnedest to trace the owner and his history and I have found some quite notable figures and history in the process.
I will often go out of my way and pay more for an engraved watch.
 
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It's hard to define.

A $1000 watch with no engraving would cost $1000.

A $1000 watch with "Happy Birthday Bill" etc would cost $1000, but that would depend on the buyer. Some don't care, some do.

A $1000 watch with "Presented to Buzz Aldrin by his buddies" would fetch many times that base amount.
 
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In 4 responses you have the truth of the matter.