I found a great deal while browsing one day. I followed through with the lead and managed to get a PO 8500 for just under 1k. The case is in pretty good shape, but the sapphire crystal has a few scratches. I took it to an omega boutique and they confirmed it was authentic. This is my first Omega and real luxury watch. I used some money I made in high school to purchase it (in college at the moment). I really love this watch, but when I look at what these go for online, Im wondering whether I should sell it and and get an older SMP. Thats what I was looking for in the first place. I do really love the PO now, and it now also has a weird story to it that is unique to me. Should I keep it or sell it?

 

First rule of watch collecting: Do what YOU want. If you like the watch, keep it. If you want to sell it for another, then do it.

 

why not sit on it and see if it grows on you? You have a nice watch now. Your taste may change the more you acclimate yourself to what is out there. Maybe in 2 months you'll like a different model.

 

Pics? Pics? Pics?

 

as per request...

 

Hellava score for $1k. I'd try to flip it and put the "profits" toward some other piece that you might be interested in. Sláinte!

 

Congrats! Keep it and wear the hell out of it. You don't find this model at this price every day. If I were you, I'd just wear it without having to worry about dings and scratches since it was a bargain.

 

My vote is to keep it given the facts you’ve laid out.

Looking at watchrecon.com, and not following the market on these, what’s it worth? Somewhere in the $2,500-$3,200 range? In college, no question that’s a ton of $$$. But, you’re in college plugging a way so that, in a few years, that’s not as much money as it is for you now.

I would keep the watch, wear it and treat it as a semi-illiquid savings fund. Unless you’re absolutely desperate for money right now, than I would keep it until such time as you are absolutely desperate in the future, and/or your watch tastes change and you get sick of it and sell it for something else.

Only issue i can think of is insurance - I’m assuming you don’t have any tenant’s insurance, etc. Meaning losing this watch could be pretty devestating. I’d see if you could add it to your parents’ policy - nice things have a habit of going missing at college.

 

Big thumb up for the great catch!

a small piece of advice: trust your gut feelings.
Watches are something irrational, there are no rules, just you and your feelings.

If you feel to sell it to get some margin, do it.
Do you like a SMP? get one
etc etc etc.

Who is writing this is somebody who wanted to buy a DJ (and saved a lot for it), and in a moment of irrationality bought a SMP ceramic black. And I am extremely happy with it. Just trust your instinct, there are no rules when it comes to watches, and luxury in general!

Hope it helps

 

If you like it keep it and if not sell. Nice catch btw!

 

Great watch. There is a good chance you’ll flip it, and then miss it and try to buy another like it, for which you will have to pay double the price.

To me that is one of the better PO’s you can get, and at that price I would just enjoy it every day.

 

Thanks for all of the great responses!
I think I’m definitely going to keep it for a while now. I’m sure I would miss it if I sold it off, and I know I can make my money back at any point if I want to, which helps. Thanks again

 

+1
and also may I quote a line, written on another forum by @Seiji:
"The hobby is called "watch collecting" and not "watch selling""

 

It sounds like you've only recently gotten it. As a fellow collector who has bought watches "because it's a good deal" I've got a couple mentions of advice.

1. Make sure you like the watch first.
I can't tell you how many watches I bought because it was "a great deal" but it wasn't really the watch I was looking for. As I started getting exposed to a lot of different case/dial/bracelet variations I started getting a better idea of what I wanted in my time-pieces. My advice is to give it a week or two on the wrist. Then go out to the boutiques or watch meet-ups and try on other people's watches. See if it fits and matches what you're looking for in a time piece.

2. Price does not equal liquidity.
There are a lot of times when you'll find prices out there that seem really strong, but actually making the transaction happen can be difficult. If you're in a place where money matters (and maybe it isn't) then unwinding a watch you're unsure about now when you don't need the money is infinitely better than trying to sell it when you absolutely need the money. One situation gives you control, the other essentially forces you to take the lowest bidder.

Regardless, if you had the discipline to wait for a good deal I imagine you have the discipline to try this watch for a bit and then decide whether you need to sell it for financial reasons. Congrats again on a stellar find.

 

Thanks, I am really enjoying it so far. I agree that making a transaction work is really difficult. I ran into a lot of scams and other shady business while trying to sell a few phones on eBay. I hopefully won't need the money for other things, so I think I am going to keep it for a good amount of time. Besides, I doubt I'm going to find a deal like this ever again, so I really want to enjoy it.

 

What’s the serial number? 3 things look a bit off to me. These where faked to a high level.

It might just be the pictures.

 

86547xxx. Would you mind mentioning what looks off? Just curious, and terrified!

 

That looks OK to me. I too have seen some pretty high quality fakes but I don't think that is one. One thing pretty unusual about the 8500 and some 2500 variants is the 25200vph (5Hz) rate. If it looks like 5hz then it is almost certainly genuine. Compare it to a 6Hz movement like the 2824 or 2892 and you may see the differences, the 5hz is ever so slightly more jagged.

 

I have noticed the sweep is not too smooth, so that gives me hope. My only other auto watch is in for service, so I can’t compare right now. I was actually looking for that when I went to look at it for the first time. I remember reading it has something to do with the co axial movement and longevity...

 

Slight correction to the above for those who care about such things, 28,000 is actually 4Hz (8 ticks) and 25,200 is 3.5Hz (7 ticks). My bad!