Hello all, I hope you have had great weeks and are looking forward to the weekend! It is my partners birthday soon and want to get her something special. She’s not hugely into watches but had a Longines when I met her (part of what drew me in) and she currently wears a lovely Tudor Claire de Rose. Recently, she’s been pointing out small gold watches (your standard Cartier tanks etc). And although we may build up to one of those one day I was thinking something a bit more affordable for now. I was on the hunt recently and came across this rather stunning vintage Ladymatic. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30556233...HnoQuYoS2O&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPYPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network 1) i wanted to ask if anyone else had any suggestions for solid gold watches under 2K for women 2) if I am correct in assuming that this is essentially a women’s version of the men’s 14393 as I would be tempted to get his and hers equivalents (wishful thinking) 3) I also wanted to ask if anyone knows if this ladymatic will have onyx markers like the 14393? Thanks again for all your help!
With womens watches they are pretty much the scrap melt value plus movment value which is probably say 70 bucks for serviced and working. Ca 671 is the most common in these. Ca 681 is with date. Ca 684 also shows up a lot. The main difference is the Jewel count. Some are adjusted to 5 positions and had chrono ratings. There is an article on this in the stories section. Watch out for rotor wear. The base caliber is 620. Usually used in dress watches without seconds hands. Ca 630 is the rareset. non automatic sweep second. These are all 18mm movements. Sometimes found in gents watches. Same build quality. I think these are underrated. There are smaller movements what are automatic. IMHO they are not as nice. I think these are 660 caliber and 16mm. Do not know much about the dial quality. The 18mm movements have larger dials. The smaller movements seem to have simple dials.
Personally I would pick a vintage 485/620 cal based 20 mm circular watch(btw I've read that in Asia many women prefer rectangular ones). Obviously a minty one with no scratches or dents and a perfect unblemished dial, because I doubt a lady would appreciate patina or so on. A lady not interested in watches, can get more interested if you get her a hand-wound watch, after all it's like interacting with your watch. Whereas an auto will probably feel like a quartz to her.
Welcome to the forum, this is a great idea but it takes a few weeks or months to find a vintage watch with the right specs at the right price point. In this instance you’d be paying about 1000 more than you should IMHO, I may be off by a couple hundreds but if you’re saving for a Cartier that’s not a negligible amount. For a price only slightly higher as this you might have bought a spectacular watch such as the one below, now sold: https://omegaforums.net/threads/one...g-omega-constellation-with-green-dial.159934/ My best advice would be, either you give yourself more time for this purchase, or you go for a good quality watch that’s available now from a better source but it may not be exactly what you were looking for -the dealership below always has a good selection and currently has a steel cased constellation for what seems to be a decent price. You’d have to factor in import taxes from Japan, which may be steep (20%) if you’re based in the EU - other countries may be much lower. https://www.antiquewatch-carese.com/ladies-watch Their Instagram account also has a gold C cased constellation but it’s not listed on their website.
If you’re really after a tiny high quality automatic watch, you should also look into the Eterna Golden Heart (not Omega) or Eterna Sahida and in general all of the Eterna automatic ladies watches from 1940 to 1960.
When you’ve been looking at watches, what is the general size she has been looking at? Most modern ladies watches are in the 32-34mm range- tanks excluded as their length tends to be more prominent than their width. Vintage ladies watches are very small in comparison- generally 26-29mm. If she wants small then these can be had for a steal but they always require service which is generally more than the cost of the watch (if she loves it- then it’s worth it). But vintage men’s dress watches tended to be around 32-34mm, so if she has been looking at that size, your options open up dramatically- some excellent solid gold pieces in your price range. Just make sure anything you buy has been serviced or get it serviced as there is nothing that will turn a new-comer to vintage off than a problematic watch.
Hi all, Thank you for all your very helpful responses. I think my partner would go up to 34mm as an absolute maximum but she tends to prefer smaller watches. I am very open to all suggestions but personally I would like to buy her something 18K solid and Omega. I don’t mind paying slightly more or even putting some money into it to have it serviced. I might be looking in the wrong places but I can’t find many solid 18K women’s vintage omegas for sale online? Any other recommendations for sites would be great. I will look up carese now, thanks @Syrte !!
That’s just because you’re looking for instant gratification - the first thing we recommend for vintage watch purchases is patience. Vintage watches are in finite supply but ladies watches are cheaper and less competitive than men’s watches, you should just read the thread « learn how to fish » if you haven’t, and take the time. Since you have identified a style you want, you’re restricting options and this requires more time. It took me 8 months to search for my first serious vintage watch.
Most of this sort of item is sold for scrap through coin and estate sellers. I see them on shop goodwill from time to time. Chances are the bulk of them were scrapped back in the 1970s/1980s when ever the price of gold was high. I think it is high at the moment so more are being scrapped as well. I also second to what @Syrte said. Instant gratification is almost the opposite of vintage watch collecting. I self service my own watches. The small ladies movements take a different skill set. They are more jewelry than not. I have been at this 30 years. Spending months if not years of my life taking jewelry classes and whatnot. It is really easy to get distracted with the next shinny.
Just to give an example of vintage mens watches that would be equally smart on a woman https://omegaforums.net/threads/vin...ed-to-1-850-now-1695-free-us-shipping.171068/ Already sold but this would be a stunner regardless of gender- and you can have fun with straps to give it whatever personality you want- @Syrte had has a few threads on that topic.
In the private sale section there are also two nice ladies gold watches for sale from our C-Case collector @kaplan. Of course, one has to like the case design - i personally love it. https://omegaforums.net/threads/del...n-with-diamonds-at-3-6-9-12-1490-euro.171885/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/179...hite-gold-c-case-ladies-constellation.171610/
Agree with @MrFriday*, the yellow gold one would be a great option, I had missed it. Not sure whether the white gold one would still be within the budget if it needs a service, but it’s also really nice.
Thank you all for your help. I’m going to keep an eye on the classifieds here and on eBay to see what pops up. thanks again!
I add a picture of 6 Omega Ladymatics cal 682 with bracelets in 18k, yes on a man's wrist. I like them as an add to the corresponding men's watch. Konrad
Hallo Syrte, yes they are mine, a sidestep or a completion to my bunch of golden Constellations. I think, they will not gain value, as long as the ladies do not wake up for this type of image pushup. Konrad
