As a newbie, this was very informative, so thank you. I started to look at eBay for my first vintage watch, but everything I see looks sketchy. Now I have turned to estate sales, but that seems to be hit and miss. Any recommendations on where to buy authentic vintage watches?
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.
