Hi Omegoids,

I've been scouring online sales closely for about 2 years now. Recently, (the last 3 months or so) I think I've noticed what appears to be a subtle but definite overall hike in prices, particularly in the lower end vintage Omegas . By this I mean ones that aren't close to collector condition, maybe not working, need parts/overhauls or have dials and cases that many might pass on. This trend isn't just limited to the US but most of mainland Europe and the UK.
It seems to me, that what was a bog standard 200 ish Dollar watch last year ,is fetching closer to 300 now. And staples like say vintage dynamic bracelets seem to have gone from 60- 75 dollars to closer to 100. 1st gen Omega Dynamics themselves are all over the place in terms of sales prices and the reasons aren't as readily apparent as a knackered dial or a tired movement.
Is this a Christmas thing or are the blazing hot temperatures at the top end of the Speedy market causing inclement weather patterns at the lower end? I didn't notice much of a change last year, except for the increase in the Christmas present non collectors buying the usual redials from the usual suspect places : India, S Korea, Argentina, Chile, Philippines, Ukraine. Their prices seem to be steady.

Yes of course there are still deals and bargains to be tracked down and monitored, but seemingly significantly fewer.

Perhaps more folk than I realise are trying to get into vintage watches. Perhaps this trend at the lower levels has been going on for some time and it's just my relative newbie status that doesn't allow me to fully appreciate the hidden economics of vintage watches and Omegas in particular. I know many of you are really happy and relieved you bought your 60's Speedy way back when as the market has become prohibitively expensive for all but the most experienced, hardened and affluent of collectors. Is this high pressure front meeting a low pressure front from below and creating a sales storm?
Or is it all just in my head?

 

I think everything vintage has been on a slow(or fast with certain brands /models) and steady rise for a few years now and see no signs of that stopping.

I used to buy loads of cheaper end bargains on ebay, these days I hardly ever find anything worth buying. I miss the fun of getting bargain cheapies through the post.

 

I agree. Vintage is the new popular trend in general, from clothing to accessories, from motor vehicles to objects. From home electronics to toys, you name it.

 

Hey, Mr. O’Toole! If you see an original, steel Dynamic bracelet for sale, please give me a holler! I’m in the market. Again.

 

When boutique fashion retailers like Tod Snyder add a vintage watch department on their website. When a lot of new designs are retro cool. Yea vintage is a thing.

 

This time last year I was picking up nice vintage Omega watches for about $200 each. All the places I go to this year dealers are asking hundreds for watches that don't justify the price.

A guy I know who's been selling antiques for decades says most likely supply is scare and a lot of dealers figure they can ask the stars and the moon because of that scarcity.

When I asked why supply is scare he said old people aren't dying like they used to. An elderly person dies, their family sells their belongings and dealers buy them. Since older people are living longer there isn't as much on the market.

I don't know if I can accept that explanation but needless to say, asking prices have become absurd here in south-western Ontario.

 

Old person dies, family looks up watch on internet, sells it on e-bay. Dealer never gets to take advantage of them.

 

Wow. This turned dark in a hurry!

 

they do make a valid point. door to door house clearing dealers aren't sniffing out the bargains and exploiting the folk as some of them once did.. the internet whilst full of false info and diagnoses at least gives folk an inkling of what an item could be worth.
..on your other point..
This guy has, ahem ,NOS, 6 vintage Dynamic bracelets @ 75 UK pounds each....maybe you can get a job lot
eBay-Artikelnummer:
152540285078

 

In the future everything will be old.

Phillip K. Dick.

 

I feel old now.

 

Watch season's starting.

More than that, this is antiques season.

There's a real lull over the summer in stock coming through; static prices; and, low retail sales. People are more concerned with holidays and sun. Once the sun starts to go; the leaves start to turn; shopping picks up.

When it comes to watches, you can add the increase in collectors. True collector watches have always been scarce and while a few keep coming through it seems that now they enter the black hole of collections, not to return to market for a very long time. That's enough to make the prices on lesser pieces rise, but throw in the start of watch season and you're going to see a slightly bigger rise. People are already thinking about gifts for Christmas. Channukah, or anything else. It all adds up.

As for the Dynamic prices ... Dynamics have always puzzled me. There's long been a constant buzz for 70's funk and Dynamics should fit perfectly into that slot but don't really seem to have become desirable. They don't really tick the right boxes for me so I can only assume that others feel the same. They're always going to have their fans but I don't see them becoming mass market any time soon.

 

@chipsotoole
Personally I don't think seasonality has much to do with it. For several years now the highly collectible models across all the top brands have seen significant price increases. We're at a stage now where many would-be buyers are priced out of the market (and have been for quite sometime). In this scenario vintage buyers look to "lesser" references that haven't seen huge $ upswings, relatively speaking. The result is akin to this well known aphorism:
"A rising tide lifts all boats"

 

Thanks for the tip! I’m on it!

 

Hey, Mr. O’Toole! Is that seller “LPsale”? Have you ever bought anything from him? I’ve heard murmurs on here that were not flattering.

Are you in Germany? Holland? I had this idea you were British or even possibly Americano? Just curious!

 

You make a very good point. Of course there are many examples of this but I think this is most evident in the rise of the "poor man's Heuers". Watches that were a dime a dozen a few years ago, but now that vintage Heuer has taken off and most people can no longer afford a Carrera or an Autavia, demand for them has skyrocketed and brought higher and higher prices with it.

 

I'm a Scot living in Germany. I scour all the surrounding eBay sites. The German one is my default and mostly overpriced! I don't know anything about the seller. If there's a flag on him , I expect we'll hear it soon.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OMEGA-BR...460559?hash=item1a3234a4cf:g:0U4AAOSwrSdZheofPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Thanks for the lead. The last time I ran this race, I ended up buying the cheapest Dynamic I could find just to strip off its bracelet. When the price of the bracelet is getting in the $200 range, it becomes worth it to consider again. Here I go again!

 

I'm not due to get my first one back from the watchmaker till next Thursday and I'm already eyeing another gen 1. There are 2 other bracelets for 120 140 euros I've recently come across..I bought mine 3 weeks ago from a seller in south Africa for 60 Euros plus postage! ..lets hope you don't need the ring part as well!