Hi,
I am posting after reading your post for 'newbies' and am not after 'a quick buck', although I would like some advice after hearing my tale of woes if you would be so kind please. I also thought you may be interested on my dilemmas as a new vintage, albeit clueless watch owner.

My dad passed away last year and he left me two watches. For years he used to joke with me about 'they will be yours when I snuff it son' and it became a bit of a standing joke.

I know both watches are original because I was with him when he bought them whilst on holiday in Jersey. The Tudor was bought around 1964/65 and the Omega around 1969. No box or papers with these as he only took the watches from the jewellers due to the unorthodox way he brought them back into the UK....(stitched in underpants).

He hardly ever wore either (he was a diver as am I) and never in the water. They were purely 'for best' but never worn on a day to day basis. The watches have been stored in a drawer for years therefore and are both in immaculate condition and both run well.

Him being old school though, I am pretty sure neither have been touched or had a service. I have been told not to run the watches though as the old oil in them could damage the mechanism??

So, when I inherited these I thought I would sell both as I would not wear them and put the proceeds to the new Omega Seamaster Deep Black edition. I also have my own 2007 Seamaster but it is the quartz model (sorry guys)!

I have had both watches valued at various places though at anything from £500 each to £5000-£6000 apiece which I find a remarkable range.

I am finding it is really difficult to get any objective advice on the watches (servicing prices, parts availability, value etc), but the more I study and research them, the more interested I am becoming. Can't say I am an avid enthusiast now, but the whole subject is fascinating.

As this is an Omega forum, the watch I have got is the big triangle version, with apparently, the 'cheap' stainless steel bracelet.

Sort of advice I am after then if I could humbly request is, any idea of value of each (appreciate it is an Omega forum and not Tudor)? Also, would you recommend getting them serviced and do you think they are a good investments to hang on to?

I still do not think I would actually wear them but the history and the sentimental value are making me have 2nd thoughts. It does seem a bit of a shame just to leave them stuck in a drawer though when someone would better enjoy owning them, so I am a bit torn.

Sorry for going on guys but the whole episode has been very confusing up to now.

Thank you for any replies in advance .

Regards.

Barry.

 

Welcome, and you have two very fine watches.

Looks like replacement hands on the 300, not a big deal, and the Tudor may have a newer bezel insert.

Either way, still very valuable.

 

Your Big Triangle is worth, with not so cheap bracelet, more than 6,000£, is rising in value and it definitely worth holding on to. Regarding service, I believe STS in Kent is the place of choose in the U.K.......never Omega btw

Good luck!

 

Strange, I could have sworn I saw exactly that SM300 listed and then removed from Ebay only a few days ago....

 

hard question..... if you can, keep both. the Tudor has the original gilt hands and the big bubble hand, very sought after. depending on more and better pictures, both will need a service by an older watchmaker, who knows the mvmts. easy movements to work on. US$ 150 each should be a service fee without parts. make sure, that he only does the service; nothing else. no " but it would look better if polished...." nonsense. the tudor should be around US$ 5000 with the original band. the Omega big triangle around the same . I`d keep at least one in memory of your father and which one is your choice. both are lovely. if you want to sell one, you can always contact me. kind regards. achim

 

Thanks for the replies guys and hi Cristos, yes!! The very same.
I honestly had no idea what I had and within an hour I must have had 50 e-mails. I really lost my bottle and withdrew it for further info.
I have learnt a lot in those few days and am currently reconsidering my position.
Sorry if this inconvenienced anyone but I am not selling at the moment.
All tit bits are fascinating though, like not sending back to Omega, that would have been my first choice.
Just been looking at the bracelet post, it has a 1035 dated 1/69. It's all new to me but fascinating.
Thanks once again.
P.S I really do bow to all your knowledge on here but I am certain my dad didn't have any work done on either of the watches. I just think it is the light on the photo and the fact that they are both in such good condition.
I'll take some more photos if people are interested though?
Regards.
Barry.

 

Nice pair Barry. Following.

 

Nice watches, I believe if you sell any one of those watches you can afford a new omega that you wanted.



But Tudor's dial looks relumed...may hurt the value a bit..


Jeff

 

The Omega hands and the Tudor dial have both been relumed. The Tudor bezel insert has issues. But those are both keepers in my view, particularly because they were from your father. You can always make other money to buy a different watch but you can never get another heirloom.

 

I vote for no relume on the 300 hands. We've seen multiple times that they degrade differently from the dial and poor lighting in pictures accentuates the difference. I see the same effect on mine. The dial lume is fine, so why relume the hands.

Keep them both unless you need the money. Get them serviced and start using them.

 

I doubt that, but it does not detract from my view that the OP should keep and enjoy the watches.

 

Please keep both. Due to a theft while moving, I lost my fathers Seiko Sport Divers which he bought during my parents' honeymoon. Hurts so bad, keep everything that your father has left behind.

 

Really appreciate your replies guys both the professional and the personal. If I was to keep them, how would I store them to maintain their condition? Just in a standard watch box or should they be sealed somehow? I don't really want to take the backs off either if it was going to let moisture in to degrade the watch faces etc.
I fully appreciate comments on family heirlooms though and yes, a very powerful argument to keep at least one.
I think a good compromise as 'watchyouwant' suggested is to sell one and keep the other purely for sentimental reasons.
Question now is......which one???
I've attached some better quality photos for info.
Interesting about the hands on the Omega and yes, they are definitely 'brighter' than the markers around the watch face (sorry don't know the correct term for these) but the brightness of the hands are exactly the same as the numbers 3,6 & 9 and all the writing on the watch face.
I don't know if this is significant or not, but I can only reiterate that I am 99% confident he didn't ever have any work done on either watch. He wouldn't even pay to have his car serviced so he certainly wouldn't have spent any money on his watches! I cannot be certain though as obviously I wasn't with him all of the time, but I reckon if he wore each watch more than 20 or 30 times over the years, I would be surprised. He had other cheaper watches for day to day.
I'm rambling now, to be sure, but it does help to clear the thoughts.
On the one to sell, it would have to be the Omega (sorry once again chaps), but the Tudor (which he always called his 'Rolex') was the one he was always talking about to leave me so from a heirloom perspective, I cannot really sell that one.
With a brand new watch therefore, say an Omega Planet Ocean (around £3.5k) or a new Rolex Submariner (around £5k), how do you consider these as investments and would I take a big financial hit with either of these? I have my own son who likes his watches so would be nice to leave one of mine to him.
Really excellent source of information on here guys and am truly impressed by your depth of knowledge and kind assistance. The post on the different Omega straps is mightily impressive!
Kind regards.
Barry.

 

It does not make much sense to me to get either a new Rolex Sub or Planet Ocean - as the 2 watches you have are much better versions of what you're planning to buy. Hand over your heirloom watches to your son when you are done with them.

Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk

 

100% agree... If we make a short count on the last SM300 shown of the forum, all were hands relumed... So maybe we could consider the fact that for SM300, hands and dial aged differently...
(Few year ago I have seen a 1967 new old stock, never open, with creamy hands and orange dial lume)

 

Absolutely agree, take them to STS for a service, then wear them, and eventually pass them on...

They will both probably be far better places for your ££££ than new watches..

And the sentimental value and history makes them doubly valuable for your Son etc...

 

The original question was, are they good investments to hang onto? The answer is a definite Yes.

My Dad also died last year and I get the point about wanting to keep some memories without being overburdened by possessions. However it does sound as if you're still undecided about what you want to do. If you are not short of money, I would suggest keeping both until either you need the money or you have sorted out your thoughts beyond all doubt. Because once you sell either watch, it's gone and you can't get it back.

 

Both from sentimental and financial perspectives, keeping these is a better option than buying any new watch. It's been said before, but unless you need the money for anything more important than watches, I wouldn't sell if I were you. And that's coming from someone who would gladly take it off your hands.

 

Yes. Fully take on board what you are all saying and agree really. I do have the cash to buy another watch so don't have to sell them. Probably better than money in the bank with the present poor interest rates in the UK!!
How do I store them please when not wearing though? Any particular method?
I'll certainly be following your forum from now on though.
Fascinating.
I'm having trouble uploading my pictures though. Is there a file size maximum or anything?
Cheers.

 

there is an incredible amount of wisdom in 2 lines here ...

why get rid of 2 unique watches with your father's story still attached to them .... to take the money and buy generic watches ...

I find your story really heartwarming (and way longer than the typ. hit-and-run newbie posts) ... I hope you stick around long enough here to "see the light".

do yourself a favor and don't take any decisions for the next 3-6 months ... a sale of those can not be undone

best of luck
al