Hi

I'd be happy to get some opinions on the following watch. Don't have any information on the caliber yet (maybe not available), so if anybody can give an input what he thinks only based on the pictures.

Thanks

 

I am super new on OF, but don't one need to remove the caseback to help identify the caliber? If you buying it online, ask them to send you a picture with the caseback removed...my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

Looks like a genuine DeVille with a front loading case so there is no caseback to remove.

 

Right. Regardless of how this opens, it should open somehow to show a beautiful or not so much working mechanism. If I were an OP, I would need to see that before pulling the trigger.

 

For front loaders like this one, especially from private sellers, I'm generally more than happy to pass on a movement shot (if there are no other flags warranting closer inspection) rather than risk someone inexperienced damaging the case, dial, or movement.

 

Opening is a bit of a hassle. Most SMDV's which are sold by private sellers dont have movement shots because of the unishell case. For opening you need to remove the plexi, etc. If the price is right I would buy it without movement and caseback shots... Watch looks nice... I dont see any red flags. Good luck!

 

Right, good to know. I am also wondering how much would a typical watchmaker charge just to open the case to take a shot. Probably, 20-30 dollars. If I want to sell an item for ~ 1K, would make sense to give it a try? OP, please post pictures and let us know if you decide to buy. Best of luck!

 

If your local watchmaker charges you $20-30 just for opening the caseback (or casefront on this case ), you should probably respectfully leave

 

Too much? Too little? Should be free?

 

Watch look good to me, I guess has caliber 562
A great watch

 

According to my standards of customer attention, it should be free as it's no challenge for a reputable watchmaker. But hey, I'll give them 5€ anytime just for taking the time to do it. I think 5€ for 5 minutes (at maximum) of work is a good wage! 60€/h... Not every household earns that! haha

 

How about that split stem stuck or broken and I will be held responsible. 5 bucks? No thanks.

 

How about warning your customer of possible consequences and letting him decide whether to take a risk or not? The amount of money a seller is going to get from selling this watch pales in comparison to having to go to a watchmaker. My opinion, anyways. Would never buy a watch without seeing that the inside is ok.

 

Then you miss out on some great watches. These are just a couple I bought without movement shots. I'm glad I took a (small) risk.

 

I've bought the majority of my watches without seeing the insides first. Then again, I would never consider a Seamaster DeVille a $1k watch and would rather risk an unpleasant surprise than paying top money for a very common watch
Apart from rotor wear (uncommon one these, IMO) and obviously missing parts/heavily worn movement, what would you expect to learn from seeing the movement? Even if there had been a partial or full movement swap, the value hit would be minimal as these are not really collectors' watches and there will always be a market for a well-running Seamaster DeVille.

It should be noted that - from my observations - the case construction of these is very solid and moisture ingress and the like is fairly uncommon.

I wouldn't bet on that holding true everywhere. For instance, watchguy.co.uk has a £40 extra charge for working on monocoque cases.

 

Meaning that he charges £40 just for opening the watch? I find that really excessive. The story is different if you bring the watch to get some work done, in that case, those prices are understandable.

 

Hey, I'd do it for €5.00!

And if the aged crystal cracked, even tough I was using the correct Tool 107, I'd just hand it back and say "Oh well, can't win em all".

 

To be fair, it is on top of the service price. No listed extra charge for, say, an inspection of the watch (which is £30 to begin with ). It still does offer some idea of the extra hassle with working on these.

That's the rub, isn't it? On an ordinary watch you risk scratching the caseback (!) when opening the case, but on a monocoque you risk breaking parts. Granted, these might have broken during the first service the buyer sent it to...

 

Five minutes?

So he's just sitting there with a clear bench waiting for you to come in?

A real watchmaker will more likely be halfway through a job, and have equipment and tools at hand for that part of the job he's working on.
You come in with an urgent "movement shot request" and because he's a nice guy, he stops what he's doing.
Secures the current job, shuts down machines, cleans way his bench, goes to get crown extractor and crystal remover and appropriate screwdrivers, sets up a case jig, and then externally inspects and photographs the watch.
He then removes the strap using correct spring bar tools and sets them aside, removes the crown and places it in a safe container, removes the bezel/crystal assembly, rotates and lifts the dial/movement assembly and puts them into a movement holder which he then covers with a dust cover. Then he sets up a camera and lighting to take pics of the caseback. Once that's done he places the case in a covered container and takes the movement, reverses it in the movement holder so movement shots can be taken.
Then all the re-assembly takes place, including removal of any debris from the case/movement/dial, using special expensive presses to install the crystal/bezel assembly, fit the crown/stem assembly. Tests the watch for correct manual winding, time setting and auto winding operation.
Checks the watch to see that he hasn't caused any damage, gives the watch a clean up with the correct cloth, re-fits the strap with fresh spring bars and hands you the watch.

Five minutes?

 

Ok ok. Point taken. Make it EUR 6,00. I'm in a generous mood today....