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Incoming "Watchco" Seamaster 300

blubarb
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Poday Poday
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.


So some Frankens hold or can even gain value over time - that's good isn't it? Doesn't this mean you can buy a watch you like the look of when the cost of the original is out of reach and not lose too much (maybe even get a small win) if you sell in a decade or so?
 
Poday
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bikehomero bikehomero
In gereral, no! The Watchco is a special exception.

I think in general a franken will hold and gain value over time, just like any other vintage watch (though at a lower level, obviously). The problem comes when you buy something that you think is all original for $XX, and learn down the road that it's made up of parts, thus dropping the resale value. Had it been priced as a franken when you bought it, the value would likely have maintained or even risen (depending on what it was). I'm sure we can all agree that an Ed White franken is worth more today than it would have been in 2005.

That being said, buy what you like, and you can never go wrong (as long as you know what you're buying). I bought my watchco because I wanted an SM300 that was in good shape and that I wouldn't have to worry about. Whether or not I'd be able to sell it at a profit never crossed my mind. I have a small collection of 9 pieces that I've acquired over the past decade. Some have risen to (in my opinion) absurd levels (Rolex 1680), while others have remained relatively flat (Omega 176.0014). And it doesn't matter. I bought what I wanted and enjoyed looking at, and that's what I have.
 
bikehomero
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I usually think Franken are offered as originals and priced accordingly. With that you have a very good value loss as soon as you realize you have bought a Franken. Of course, the original parts contained retain or increase their value.

Of course, it looks quite different if you know in advance and the price was correspondingly low.

A Watchco is still much cheaper than an old original and so must be.
 
xantiagib
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'watchco' are like if you stupidly sent an old patina'd SM300 to omega and got them to change the 'serviceable' parts - i.e. case, dial, bezel, bezel insert, crystal, hands and crown - the movement will be on the archives saying it was from an sm300 but then again a subset of the 'watchco' ones will be too.

they have keot good value and are priced at what you can make one up yourself if you buy the parts off cousins or ebay.

Watchco down under were doing watchco speedmaster pros too from parts at one time too.
 
Davidt
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xantiagib xantiagib
'watchco' are like if you stupidly sent an old patina'd SM300 to omega and got them to change the 'serviceable' parts - i.e. case, dial, bezel, bezel insert, crystal, hands and crown - the movement will be on the archives saying it was from an sm300 but then again a subset of the 'watchco' ones will be too.

they have keot good value and are priced at what you can make one up yourself if you buy the parts off cousins or ebay.

Watchco down under were doing watchco speedmaster pros too from parts at one time too.

I can’t imagine many or even any of the ‘WatchCo’ type Seamaster 300’s started off life as a 300.
 
BlackTulip
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xantiagib xantiagib
'watchco' are like if you stupidly sent an old patina'd SM300 to omega and got them to change the 'serviceable' parts - i.e. case, dial, bezel, bezel insert, crystal, hands and crown - the movement will be on the archives saying

they have keot good value and are priced at what you can make one up yourself if you buy the parts off cousins or ebay.

Watchco down under were doing watchco speedmaster pros too from parts at one time too.


Watcho are a great alternative to stupidly paying 10x for old crusty radiation burned dial and hands. There I fixed it for you.
 
R
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Watchco was a Franken, is a Franken , and will always be a Franken!

If you purchased an original classic, and had Omega service with NOS then this is not a Franken.

Any watch that cannot be authorised by Omega should be considered a REPLICA . Got rid of mine a long time ago. The fake watch market killed off the nostalgia for me.
 
JimInOz
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R rhodes_96
Watchco was a Franken, is a Franken , and will always be a Franken!

If you purchased an original classic, and had Omega service with NOS then this is not a Franken.

Any watch that cannot be authorised by Omega should be considered a REPLICA . Got rid of mine a long time ago. The fake watch market killed off the nostalgia for me.

I don't consider Watchco SM300s to be frankens.

There, another POV.

Should we conduct a poll?
 
R
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JimInOz JimInOz
I don't consider Watchco SM300s to be frankens.

There, another POV.

Should we conduct a poll?

Why not.😀
 
BradleyJ.
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R rhodes_96
Watchco was a Franken, is a Franken , and will always be a Franken!

If you purchased an original classic, and had Omega service with NOS then this is not a Franken.

Any watch that cannot be authorised by Omega should be considered a REPLICA . Got rid of mine a long time ago. The fake watch market killed off the nostalgia for me.

According to Forbes....

Frankenwatch is the poetic term watch industry insiders use to describe a vintage watch that is sold as authentic in mint condition, but has been “pepped up” by replacing a part or two from another watch or even faked components.

I'm not saying this is set in stone but it has always been my understanding that franken means parts from one model watch being used on a other model. I'd argue that a watchco style watch does not use improper parts and especially not faked components (If it's a well built piece) I understand how some people may not care for a watchco build, but I wouldn't consider one a Franken just because it didnt come from omega that way.

JimInOz JimInOz
Should we conduct a poll?

I'd love to see the results of a poll lol.
 
Poday
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R rhodes_96
Watchco was a Franken, is a Franken , and will always be a Franken!

I’ll join the chorus that disagrees with you on this one. A lot of it has to do with intent. A franken is a watch made up of various bits and parts with the intent to deceive and be passed off as original. A watchco, assuming it is disclosed as such is nothing of the kind.

R rhodes_96
Any watch that cannot be authorised by Omega should be considered a REPLICA . Got rid of mine a long time ago. The fake watch market killed off the nostalgia for me.

Again, no. A replica isn’t made from correct and genuine parts. If I had an original 300 that was thrashed, and omega replaced everything with service parts, would that be a replica? The only difference here is WHO assembled it, not what it’s assembled from.
 
BradleyJ.
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Poday Poday
If I had an original 300 that was thrashed, and omega replaced everything with service parts, would that be a replica?

This is the point I would use to say the term Franken does not apply. A "watchco" is not an original 300 and I would say most people are not trying to pass one off as such.... but it's not a Franken.
 
N
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I got one and really enjoy it. I personally wouldn’t spend a dime on a vintage/thrashed one. I’d rather get mine beat up on my own adventures. Hey if Omega will service it, then it’s good in my book.
Edited:
 
BlackTulip
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R rhodes_96
Watchco was a Franken, is a Franken , and will always be a Franken!

If you purchased an original classic, and had Omega service with NOS then this is not a Franken.

Any watch that cannot be authorised by Omega should be considered a REPLICA . Got rid of mine a long time ago. The fake watch market killed off the nostalgia for me.

So what happens when a "real" SM 300 gets serviced by an independent watchmaker ? Does it automatically become a Franken because it wasn't reassembled by Omega ?
 
padders
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BlackTulip BlackTulip
So what happens when a "real" SM 300 gets serviced by an independent watchmaker ? Does it automatically become a Franken because it wasn't reassembled by Omega ?
Nope because it would still presumably get an extract as an SM300. A Watchco will not. Why is it so hard to accept that a watch thrown together from random spare or replacement parts isn’t the same thing as something original and repaired or updated. It seems pretty clear to me. It’s funny how you only see these discussions on Watchco SM300s. Any other watch made wholly of replaced or remanufactured parts would be called out without reservation on the calling a spade a spade principle.

These things are like Trigger’s broom.
 
BlackTulip
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padders padders
Nope because it would still presumably get an extract as an SM300. A Watchco will not. Why is it so hard to accept that a watch thrown together from random spare or replacement parts isn’t the same thing as something original and repaired or updated. It seems pretty clear to me. It’s funny how you only see these discussions on Watchco SM300s. Any other watch made wholly of replaced or remanufactured parts would be called out without reservation on the calling a spade a spade principle.

These things are like Trigger’s broom.

Not necessarily. Omega allows you to convert any Omega model that came with a 552 caliber into a SM 300.

They're not random spare parts. They're authentic SM 300 factory service parts. Exactly the same parts if you were to completely overhaul an old SM. The only difference is who put it together.
 
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