Learn How To Fish - A Guide - Not For Enquiries

I’m only a little further down this road.
Ideally, buy from someone you know who’ll let you try it on, give you a receipt and a guarantee, information about the watch, a sight of or photos of the movement.
Second option would be to buy from a store or dealer, with the above.
Third option (IMO) is to go on a reputable website which gives some financial guarantees. Check that the watch is advertised as 'running well', ‘accurate’, ‘good condition’ (this list is not exhaustive) so that you can return it if faulty or inaccurately described. I’m not keen on 'no returns'.
For the last reason, I prefer to buy from/bid for in the UK, where I live and on the premise that if it goes wrong and the website can’t or won’t help, I can think about turning up and returning it personally.
I also prefer to buy when I have seen a photo of the movement although at the price levels I’ve set myself, this isn’t a deal breaker.
Above all, I only buy to wear so I always ask myself, will I wear it?
I hope this helps.

If you see a watch on eBay that might be what you’re looking for, and at a price within your budget, my practice is to spend a little bit of time looking at the strap, particularly if it’s leather (which is my preferred choice).

In my limited experience, the 'professional' eBay seller often puts on a new strap, and frequently adds a faux (Omega) buckle. This, I’ve assumed, is intended to entice the prospective purchaser to look to buy a ready to wear nice looking watch, with a nice strap and buckle and, possibly pay a little less attention to the watch face, case, movement and hands.

Apart from the fact that I like to choose my own strap, nearly all my 'finds', and I only venture into the sub-£400 market on eBay, have come with used (in some cases very worn) old straps.

In fact, the older and more disreputable the strap, I’ve surmised that it’s more likely that the watch hasn’t been the subject of the doubtful cosmetic practices that we read about and may well have been in someone’s sock drawer for the last twenty years.

In both the attached photos (attached to the seller’s particulars) the watches were significantly better than the straps.

Just a further two cents worth after reading many threads in which new collectors seeking guidance are sometimes advised to look at the 'Private Sales' section of this Forum.

All well and good but It’s not entirely straightforward, even there. Posters/sellers on OF always give good descriptions and excellent photos, particularly of the face, case and movement. You can probably rule out the risk of frankenwatches, redials (unless stated) or worse.

As a lower end (financially) collector with a liking for 50s & 60s watches I’ve never spent a great deal but even buying here, adopt the same mindset as you might when you buy on eBay or elsewhere.

In recent years, I’ve bought twice. The first was a 65 year old bumper. It looked as good when I got it as it had in the photos, it ran well and was just what I’d hoped it would be. I had it serviced and cleaned and my repairer confirmed everything that the seller had asserted. It is still running well and I remain a very satisfied customer.

The second purchase was comparatively inexpensive. The seller advertised that the watch hadn’t been serviced recently and that a hand had been changed. He sent the original removed hand with the watch.

It ran beautifully initially but then stopped. My watch repairer advised on parts that were need for this 63 year old timepiece. I sourced original spares from Finland, Poland and Holland. My repairer repaired, restored and serviced it and it now runs perfectly.

I have absolutely no criticism of the seller and I’m certainly not complaining. It is just what can happen when one buys an old watch either on OF or elsewhere. But I spent more on the parts and servicing than I spent on the original purchase. The upside is that I found the parts and that the watch could be, and was, repaired.

I’ve posted about straps previously. Recently I saw this stainless steel/gold indices and hands Seamaster 165.003 as a BIN or offer on eBay. I like this version but wasn’t entirely sure it was genuine. I posted the seller’s poor photos on OF seeking reassurance, which I didn’t get.

So, entirely down to me. Two things persuaded me to take a chance. First, the seller also lives in the UK and offered a 14 day return. Second, one of the photos showed the face of what I hoped was an original strap buckle.



So, I made an offer and was right about both the watch and the buckle but, if I hadn’t been, I could have returned it.

Hope this helps.

Some watchmakers mark and some don’t and there’s no way of telling. The best practice is to ask the seller and if he says it has been ask who by and for proof by receipt. Some sellers just get their nephews (😉) to waft a can of WD40 near the watch, polish the case and fit a new cheap strap.

If the answer is no, perfectly proper to ask for an additional discount. Be suspicious of ‘no returns’.

And finally …. AFTER you’ve done your own due diligence and think the watch and the price might be okay, but BEFORE you buy post here on OF, with good photos, your assessment and details of the price and some or all of OF will chip in to with views.

Also, as posted earlier, check out the OF Private Sales thread. Good luck.