Hey all,

I was in my local coin shop selling some silver eagles, when I noticed (for the first time) that their sign said they bought watches. I asked about that, and they said they either (1) bought watches for the case melt value or (2) acquired watches incidentally as part of larger estate purchases.

Well, I asked if I could see what watches they had, and they brought out a big box which, literally, just had watches in it. Mostly older Waltham and Elgin pocket watches. Some early Bulovas, etc. I did, however, see these two Omegas. I didn't have the tools to open them, but one of them started running just by me picking it up. I know these aren't "dog leg Connie" levels of collectible, but I think I could get them cheaply. What do you guys think these would be worth (assuming the movements are in decent, serviceable shape -- the store has no problem with me getting those checked out before i buy them).

Condition wise, I note one is missing a crown. Also, they both say "T Swiss Made T" but on one of them (the De Ville), I don't see lume plots. So I am not sure if it is a redial or fake or what.

No word yet on what they would ask for them; the guy who deals with the non-coin items wasn't in today. The guy there did say that if the watches have solid gold or silver content, they get melted down and those that don't usually just get tossed. So, needless to say I think I am in a decent bargaining position...

Thanks for any input!

 

You need to take pics of the backs to know if they are 14k or not, but if they are only gold capped and they will let you have them for cheap (less than $150/ea) it’s worth it for sure. If they are 14k, offer them the scrap value and walk with the watches entirely. You won’t have an issue selling them if that’s what you choose to do.

 

So the assumption is that these are gold plated/filled since they haven't been scrapped. I think the SDM is in better condition, complete, and therefore more interesting. To make it worthwhile, you would have to get it pretty cheap and you would also need to have a watchmaker that doesn't charge very much. For example, if you paid $100 and then invested $200 in service/repair, you would probably be ok. Barely. I would pass on the other one. The case doesn't look so great, and it's just not worth the effort.

 

Oh, and as for the other watches, some of those older Elgin’s, Bulovas and pocket watches can be worth a bit of money- you should look at what they have and cross check against market value (completed listings on eBay). You can offer to buy the entirety of what they would scrap for a few bucks and sort it out later- sometimes they parts are worth more than the entire watch. But you need to get educated on the minutia of what worth keeping and what’s not.
If you build a relationship with this place, you can be privy to some real gems.

 

Agree with this, but If they are going to throw it away- offer them $25 each in good faith and give them your phone number. The movements have more value than that

 

Ya I am going to. I have some knowledge re: old pocket watches. A couple of them I am interested in because the dials are uncracked and the movements look good. The cases, however, are extremely worn.

Attached is a picture of a Bulova they have that I liked. Also a brand I am not familiar with (Paul Reynard) I am doing some research into it to see if it is worth anything (but I love the black dial).

 

Those Starburst dialed Bulova’s are among my favorites. The case on that one is trashed but but the dial and hands look great. If they would sell it to you for $10, it’s worth taking it so when you do find one (they are abundant on eBay) with clean case but water damaged dial, you can have your watchmaker do the swap.

 

Dealing with these places, if you try to get it for free they won’t bother with you again. But if they can get a few bucks out of what they consider trash, it makes it worth their while to call you when their bin fills up. Just tell them to throw everything they don’t want in a bin and you can swing by every week/month and check it out.
As for the solid gold peices- not much you can do unless you have deep enough pockets to save the good ones from the smelt.

 

I have been to this place repeatedly before buying and selling coins, so they know me. They had no idea I had an interest in watches, so they said they will call me whenever something comes in. Anything I think the forum might be interested in I will post about (especially Omegas). That way anything that may be nice can find a good home.

Re: the Bulova. The case is in rough shape. A lot of it is just that it is *dirty* but there is also that weird repair on the bottom right lug.

 

I'll keep my eye open for a good case for that one if I get it. But I'll have to do some research to make sure there aren't fine distinctions that would make the movement not fit in a case that looks similar.

 

That would be pretty much everything watch related- we have a diverse group here that love everything horological.
As for posting watches that are for sale, beware veiled FS threads- they are frowned upon. You will reach 200 posts organically and at that point you can sell freely in the classified’s.
If you are just showing us the goodies you retrieve from this places trash, that’s perfectly acceptable and if someone wants to PM you that us their prerogative.

 

Oh, I was thinking more that if I thought someone was interested in something, I could tell them the name of the place and have them get it from them (not me buying it and then selling it here). But you're right that might be a grey area that I should avoid.

 

Just in case you don't know this already, there's a big market for certain older stainless steel Seiko divers & chronos and Bulova 666 divers, etc., so be sure to look for pretty much any brand that you know is "good" even if not generally considered expensive. Old military time-only pieces often don't look like much due to wear and their smaller size, but carry a big demand in the market. Since the shop seems ok letting you snap some pics, take a shot of anything you're been a little unsure of and I bet somebody here will know if it's a good one to grab or not. Cool finds tho, this is what makes watch collecting fun, the unexpected treasures.

 

That makes sense. I definitely know that any military or diver-type watches should be investigated (I have some interest in the former). Maybe I will go back and just take a picture of everything they had and just show everyone, haha. Then I can periodically update the thread whenever they get something new in.

I must say, though, seeing these watches also made me a little sad. For example, the pocket watches. The dials and movements looked really good, but the cases were completely worn. Like someone used them A LOT. Others had engravings from wives or parents. It was a little sad to think that something that was so important to someone has been resigned to being unceremoniously kept in a small cheap cardboard box like trash.

 

I used to deal heavily in antiques, and still do for fun here and there, so I've also experienced this. All possessions leave their owners at some point for one reason or another, and these just happen to have little indicators of who owned them or when they were cherished, but still it can stir emotions. The worst thing for me was a trading partner who would buy old family & travel photo albums, carefully collected images with captions describing the scenes, sometimes spanning several years, and then to see them removed and sold individually was a little heartbreaking. Still I realize that nobody is buying old photo albums, and this is the best way to repurpose these items and give them a new life. At least those watches may have a chance to adorn wrists again.

 

I went back and snapped pictures of all the other watches. None of the other wristwatches seemed exciting. As mentioned before, the pocket watch movements and dials seem nice though the cases appear slightly worn on many of them. The Gruen pocket watches though are in pretty nice shape. The guy estimated that this collection of watches they probably acquired over the past 2 months, so they get watches in fairly regularly. They are going to let me know about any watches they get in going forward.

Note: There is a US branded Waltham compass included in the pictures. I know that's not a watch, but it was just in with them so I included it.

Note x2: The watch with the broken crystal is a Girard-Perregaux of some kind.

 

Jackpot.
The Benrus. As worn by a certain Mr McQueen in Bullet.

 

How much is the breguet Gruen pocket watch?

 

Good lord... I had no idea... Well now its a bit of an ethical quandary for me... Do I tell them what it is or get it as cheaply as I can...