I’m new to the watch world and need advice

Hi everyone,
I’m new to the watch world but I have recently become obsessed with watches, specifically omega watches. I am looking to buy my first one! I am wanting to spend no more than $700 AUD, I know it’s not much but I would love any advice just the same. I have a few saved on eBay currently and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m female and I live in Australia for a little context. Really looking forward to hearing from anyone! Happy to post some of the ones I am currently watching if anyone can offer some suggestions.
Thanks
Katherine

Hi welcome and check out the sales section of this site. That's the safest way to begin 👍

++ the private sales thread here is good. most vintage dress watches are smaller and are fairly unisex. there should be stuff that pops up in the private sales section that is within your budget. goodluck

Welcome! you are in the correct place!... check out the WRUW thread...

Yep it's a good thing she found this forum before she made a purchase. That will take most of the risk away when she buys.
luckily there are loads of fellow Aussies on here so she should be able to snag something from them and avoid overseas shipping headaches 👍

Hi and Welcome,
Lots of good advice here already. Are you looking for a ladies watch or are you wanting something with a bigger dial? Do you want vintage or more modern? A wind up mechanical, an automatic, or perhaps even a quartz watch?. Have a look as many pics here as you can.Try and decide what kid of dials , cases ,and hands you find appealing. Gold, Steel or gold plated/rolled cases (gp/rolled is slightly less sought after as it wears off) round case or square TV dial. or whackier 70's designs. Are you looking for an all round tool watch to wear every day, or something blingy for nights out. stainless steel omega bracelet included or nice generic leather strap?
700 dollars is a fair bit of cash and you can definitely get yourself something nice for that. Omega made all sorts of designs. personally if i was going vintage I'd be looking at the late 50's to very early 70's era...I'm a fan of the 6xx and 5xx series of movements, and on your budget you could get a nice 1st generation Dynamic, or perhaps a mid 60's Seamaster cosmic, even a Stingray/cobra if you can find one. As long as you aren't hankering after a mechanical dive watch there should be something there for you.
As others have said there is a private sales section here. Whilst not exactly on the cheap side, it is carefully monitored by enthusiasts and it would be a brave soul that posted up something for sale with major defects or false claims. Who knows you might get pinged on IM with a few interesting offers..this place can be a bit of a boys club sometimes and we all love to see women taking an interest in watches and joining in.
Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions here.
Chips.

I remember when I bought my first omega, I had honed in on the model I wanted and waited months for one to come up for sale. Needless to say when I got it I was very happy and the wait and days of searching was worth it. Explore, have fun and find what catches your fancy but most importantly take your time, it’s easy to fall into traps, but I am sure there are plenty of people here that will help you from doing that! Good luck!

Jeez you're still sore about that? At least that watch I sold you had a period correct paper clip holding the movement. Besides, the OP is better looking than you so I wouldn't do that to her. I'd use proper baling wire. 😁

Great, thank you! Keen to take a deep dive and educate myself

Yes, I definitely need to identify my style, thanks for your advice, I will have a look