I can't find the forum post but I remember reading about a recent change to the case design with the straight crown guards and also changes to the teeth of the bezel and different font. Of someone could find it....not even sure if I read it on this forum.

 

Are watchcos typically less expensive than a real omega? I’ve only heard of them since I’ve been here. I don’t think I’d hunt one down due to the little knowledge I have in them.

 

They are made from real Omega parts, so in the respect they are real Omegas (note that there are fake parts out there also) and Omega does allow for conversions from one watch to another if the movements are the same.

As for pricing, the people who ran Watchco seemed to have slowed down, if not completely stopped, making these, so as a result the prices have gone up. Not sure what the current values are, but you can search for them to find that out.

 

Where is watchco located. So they order, acquire, omega parts, assemble them with omegas permission. I only said real on omega meaning not made by omega itself. I would have no issue obtaining one, the op’s looks very nice. I just find it interesting it can be a genuine omega not made by omega.

 

They were in Australia, but have moved to NZ. Again they really don’t make these anymore, at least not at the rate they once did.

 

There is no more "Watchco".

https://omegaforums.net/threads/what-happened-to-watchco.33861/page-4#post-1273254

 

LewiswatchCo has, for all intents & purposes, taken over the mantle of Watchco in Australia with some very recent iconic Omega builds.

 

It wouldn't be a Watchco though, that'd be Lewco!

 

What are the timekeeping specs for these?
Does anyone know?

 

It depends on the age and condition of the donor movement and the skills of your watchmaker.

My caliber 552 will give up to a 38 hour power reserve at full wind and if worn regularly keeps time to about +5 to +8 s/d.

 

The specs from Omega for all 55X and 56X movements that would be used in these are as follows:

Number of positions measured - 3

Average daily rate over positions measured to fall between -1 and +16 seconds per day

Delta (difference between fastest and slowest positions measured) at full wind to be no more than 25 seconds

Delta at 24 hours after full wind to be no more than 35 seconds

These are the official specs from Omega, but of course they are fairly loose. The final result any individual movement will have will depend on the condition of the movement, skill of the watchmaker, and how much you want to spend on the repairs.

Cheers, Al

 

I would personally be extremely wary if I were considering buying one of these. The SM300 and its modern recreations has to be one of the most faked Omegas out there, if not in fact the most faked, and if I were buying I would want to see invoices from a reputable parts supplier like Ofrei, Cousins etc for the parts and/or paperwork supporting assembly from a reputable outfit like Watchco, Lewis, STS etc. There are countless fake parts out there, enough to build whole watches and plenty of owners who have spent thousands on 'Watchcos' that are in fact no such thing, and cost a few hundred bucks to assemble. Here are a couple of examples of poor fakes*, but there are also flawless ones too:





* I believe it is forum policy to not discuss or condone fakes. I show them as an illustration. If I have contravened that here I will of course happily take these down.

 

Do these watchco things retain value? If not this seems shortsighted ... the delta between watchco and original is not that big a deal when you think about it from a value retention stantdpoint

 

Luckily I bought my 552 SM300 from Watchco way back in 2012 before they became so popular. I paid AUD $2300 at that time (complete with Omega mesh) but if I'd bought a vintage SM300 instead it would be worth a lot more now. Anyway I'm happy with my SM300 and thats the most important thing, they are such a great watch

 

Nice! Congrats.

 

They are often considerably cheaper than a vintage original watch.

 

The prices on these have gone up over the years, primarily because Watchco is not making them anymore. I don't think these are really a replacement for a vintage version. I personally don't have any interest in owning a vintage SM300 that looks like these, so for me my own Watchco (bought from them on a sale that I think meant it was under $2k, but it clearly needed servicing) was more about having a watch that I liked the looks of and didn't have to worry about. It's my beater watch...

 

Most new Omegas take a big hit, while Watchco have actually been appreciating, but If I was really interested in value retention I would get a Rolex.
But the point is mute, I got a Watchco because I love the design more than any modern Omega.. and I'm also very ALLERGIC to crusty old patina ;-)

 

I love the look of this model but I'm definitely not a vintage, faded lume, kinda guy. A watchco or similar is right up my alley. That's why I chose a 2264.50 due to the dial being very similar (and cost affective haha) Just wish I could swap the bezel for something similar to a watchco. Oh well, this will hold me over till I can pull the trigger.

 

They do seem to hold value, though obviously far less than an all original vintage SM300. I bought my watchco here years ago for $1,700. Going price today appears to be around $3,000.

With omega shutting down the ability to easily secure parts to build these, they have become more scarce, even though the parts needed are technically readily available.

Would I rather have a true vintage SM300? Absolutely. But finding one it nice condition that’s not a Franken (which is all a watchco really is), is very difficult these days, and far more expensive.