Missed out on a 33.3

[jantjewgm]

Good morning!
Yesterday I was the underbidder of this 40s Omega Chronograph in 18k gold. I especially liked the sharp case for a watch of gold that old. The dial had patina but was still quite nice in my opinion. Movement was running and all looked original. I stopped bidding at 2500$, and it got sold for 2600$. In my research I couldn't find comparable examples and so I didn't know what was the right price. Did I made a mistake by missing this one?

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/omega-tachymetre-watch-74e4afe97c

 

[cristos71]

I'd say if the movement was complete and running then you certainly missed out on this one at that price. Certainly not a pristine example but as you say the case and particularly the lugs are in good shape.

 

[jantjewgm]

Movement is complete. I should have bid

 

[mac_omega]

Well, some thoughts:

The upper right lug is bent and you can clearly see the deformation of the case on the movement photo.
The movement´s condition does not look great
The case size is smaller at 36 mm than the more sought after "common size" at 37 mm
It is a rather late version as can be seen by the shock protection and high serial number
These late examples mostly show "humble" dial designs compared to the multi-coloured earlier versions.
Hence the prices for these are modest.
The gold case is a plus - once repaired you could pair the watch with a better and more interesting dial but it will not be original then any more...
And not to forget: a better multi-colour dial in good original condition will cost you a kidney in case you are lucky enough to find such a dial (might take years of wait).
I assume the price of $2600 was the hammer price, how much must we add for the auction house commission?
Considering all of the above I would say don´t worry that you backed out. Add a bit more and buy a better example without the headache about a difficult and most probably costly case repair.

Edited: Aug 31, 2023

 

[watchyouwant]

Short answer: Yes. You made a mistake not bidding higher for an 18kt. Case and complete mvmt.

 

[Mark020]

Price excl 22% fee. Add 21% VAT plus 5%(?) import tax plus USD 100+ shipping and the deal is not that great anymore imho

 

[watchyouwant]

Vat payable? That kills it.....

 

[iamvr]

I was following it as well and decided not to bid given the dial condition. Didn't even notice the bent lug.

 

[Vanallard]

I was also following this auction. The picture in the listing was somewhat misleading as the chrono hand does not reset to zero. I had requested a video and this is how the second hand looks when reset. Not much of a bargain IMO when you factor in the commission fee, likely duties/customs and the $280 brokerage fee charged by the “customer broker” according the auction terms.

 

[Mark020]

Customer broker fee? Never heard of that one but indeed it is there.

 

[jantjewgm]

Thanks for all the insights I did not even notice myself. After all I am glad I decided not to bid higher, especially with that brokers fee of which I never heard of and did not notice.