Plated watches aren’t something that is really sought after at all, that happens to be one of the benefits in them. The more experienced collectors are often fighting for the same sought after pieces, all in preferable materials (18k > 14k > Steel > Gold cap > Gold filled > Gold plate) typically. That leads to the pricing on those preferred materials like gold and steel being higher and preferred models like Piepans and 321 Speedmasters being unsuitable for most beginners as there are too many pitfalls and too much money.
The nice thing about a lot of the ignored watches like a cal 752 Cosmic in gold plate is that you’re getting one of Omegas best vintage movements, in a decent water resistant (for the era) case, with a nice original dial and hands, and a steep discount over say a 751 Seamaster Sparkle chronometer in steel just because the gold plate and eccentric case turns many collectors off.
The watches I tend to post here I try to make a first good vintage watch, to service and wear daily to work. A $300 Geneve 601 in gold plate is the type of watch a young man or woman can afford straight out of university and pair with a well fitted suit to look respectable for the same money as a cheap Seiko or Apple Watch, and it’s a real Omega with a genuinely good movement that you can wear for 30 years with regular servicing, as long as you don’t go swimming with it.
So that’s the real target I try to keep for this thread, while there are some more expensive pieces if they’re interesting, the majority are cheap but good quality and worthy starting points for a collector to actually wear.
