If this price is anywhere close to reality, I REALLY don't have a sense of the market. [I am not affiliated with the seller in any way, although I have shopped there before.]

https://www.wannabuyawatch.com/product/omega-seamaster-300-ref-166-024-67-big-triangle-circa-1968/

 

and if you add on another SS bracelet that will hit close to the $10k mark....hmmmm....should I? ......sell mine ?

 

I think that price is very ambitious. That being said I think the SM300's have been under valued for quite some time. It appears to be a nice example, but as mentioned previously it's essentially head only (no bracelet). I don't think a price in the 6.5k range would be unreasonable for this particular piece it appears all original.

 

It seems to me that the new moto ( for dealers and other unsavory types ) when selling a vintage Omega has become, "Think of a number, then double it"
It's hot, it's in, it's cool....it's too fg expensive..who cares...it's selling

 

@cristos71 Why do you keep calling people who ask more than the typical amount for their pieces "unsavory"? Obviously they are trying to maximize their profit which could be seen as greedy. But ultimately the market will decide the price. Let them ask what they want, doesn't mean that they are shady or unsavory.

When the UG Nina sold at Christies for what I thought was an astounding $47.5k did you have the same thoughts of unsavory towards the auction house or the seller?

 

Well consider the location of the dealer...I would assume they are selling at a 25% premium to begin with.
Then add the fact that this is a very nice and honest example and you have the recipe to ask double what something is worth.

Finding BT 300's that appear to be all original is very hard today. Most have hands that were replaced or have very ugly patina- or both. This is one of the better examples I have seen in awhile. Far from perfect, but looks very honest.

 

Supply for quality vintage pieces seems to be drying up, while demand is increasing as new collectors are entering this market. I think this is becoming the new norm.

 

I will admit, I always like to maximize my profits since I fund all future purchases by selling and profiting from previous ones.

That being said, I always offer whatever I am selling with a big "MAKE OFFERS". Yes, some of my numbers may seem silly, but if an interested party wants to submit a number of what they think it is worth, then please do so.

I was most likely a Turkish rug trader in a previous life, and I enjoy buying and selling as much as I do collecting.

 

Is that bezel correct? I get confused on the different bezel fonts used for SM300s.

 

yes it looks correct to me.

 

Well to start with I think it is the first time I have used that expression. I also said, "dealers and other unsavory types". I wasn't being specific, it was more a generalisation directed towards the new breed of .... well collectors is the wrong word, let's call them Newbie Players, who have discovered vintage watches just recently and will buy anything if ten minutes later they can make a quick buck on it. This type I hadn't encountered before a year or two ago in the vintage Omega scene yet they now seem two a penny.

I also think that the recent Omega hype is not particularly good for the Omega collecting community as a whole. When most of the talk at the moment seems to be based around $ and not so much about the beauty of period design it makes me a little sad. This design aspect of vintage Omega is what got me hooked in the first place and in my years of frequenting forums what kept me going back. I liked feeling that I was among like minded people where the emphasis was less on maximising profit and more about design appreciation.

 

WBAW are established retail vintage watch dealers. For Rolex they turnover a lot and prices, both buying and selling are ok.

They stock a lot of slower moving makes , including Omega, that while they clearly like, they do not move as fast.

They are straigh and while they are expensive for those non Rolex watches, they do have a good selection.

And who of us pays retail for a vintage piece?

 

@cristos71 it is possible to both maximize profit and appreciate design. Some collectors have bottomless pockets, and some have to hustle to fund their passion. It weren't for my hustling, and I know a lot of other non-newbie collectors out there in the same boat, I would not able to dip my toe in the pool, let alone take a swim!

I do agree, profits aren't everything, but the market is the market, like it or not.

 

"I liked feeling that I was among like minded people where the emphasis was less on maximising profit and more about design appreciation."

I think many, if not most, here would concur with that sentiment. I didn't make the post because I had any interest in a profit motive. I just found the price surprising. Now, Ken has rent and employees and inventory to pay so it makes sense that his prices are higher than some would post here for sale. I for one (and am guessing that many others would agree) would be thrilled if the vintage market tanked so that I could afford to buy some items that I would like to have. Prices are up but it seems like many of us are not jumping to sell and profit. Many are happier having the watches than the cash, unless the need for funds arises. JMHO.

 

Yes that´s absolutely right, and therein lies the problem for the collector, it is now becoming increasingly difficult to physically appreciate vintage Omega design without maximizing somebody else´s profit.

 

Why on earth do you care about the seller's profit? In the buyer/seller dynamic, the price the seller paid and the profit they stand to make is irrelevant in the transaction. What is important is that you are happy with the price that you agree upon.

The game has changed has for sure, and I am with you, I don't want to see the Omega market become like the Rolex market, but that is out of our control. The thing that we can do is still keep the camaraderie that we have all built on here, and not let the outside market influences change us and the way in which banter back and forth...and DO NOT take ourselves that seriously!

 

Setting price aside, I find these descriptions, given the badly scarred case back, to be ridiculous:

"especially beautiful condition example"

condition: "excellent"

 

I personally buy vintage pieces because I love them. Very rarely will I sell a piece and when I do it's to fund another purchase. That being said I find these types of questions about market value interesting and informative. Ultimately the market will dictate the price

 

Yes, in theory. But what watches are sold for, whether on eBay or through a dealer, may not necessarily reflect true market value, and for a number of possible reasons.

Also, markets don't remain static, so there is the additional, and potentially important question of where the current. arguably inflated market is heading.

 

I don´t, to be clear, what I was trying to say in a roundabout way was,``Nice stuff is becoming too expensive for me``