First of all, I am glad to join this forum. So, a bit about myself, before I am already asking for your help.

I just turned 26 and recently finished my studies. I live in Switzerland, and have always loved nice watches. I have been very lucky to have received an IWC Mark XV about 6 years ago and just last week a Jaeger LeCoultre Master Control Triple Date Moonphase, which I both absolutely love! I have been eyeing around to add some other watches to my collection for quite some time, but I cannot afford such expensive watches quite yet, which is why I am looking at vintage watches. In particular Omegas, as there seems to be quite some on the market and I really like a lot of their vintage designs.

I have recently stumbled upon those two examples and I am asking you to help me a bit with estimating what a good price to offer would be and whether they look original to you.

So first is a Vintage Seamaster. It looks in very good condition which I assume might be a heavy indication that the dial has been replaced?


With the second example I am more clueless. It looks definitely older in design (1910s?), but also there seems to be too little patina for it being so old? Also, what does the W.W.1 stand for on the back of the case? Right now, I do not have pictures of the movement, but I would request them as well before.



Anyways, I already want to thank all of you who can help me a bit with my decision!

 

I think you should ignore both of these, too many issues.

I have to get dinner ready but I'm sure others can help with comments.

 

Welcome to the forum

A fair few vintage watches are in outstanding condition for their age, but in this instance you are on the right track - the dial has most likely been repainted. A minor issue is the wrong crown.

The second example is a complete fabrication - not worth spending a second on.

I am sure you will find something soon, but it will help you if you narrow down your search to a certain style or era. Best of luck!

 

Thanks for your opinions.

Okay, so that would definitely lower its value for collectors. Now assuming it doesn't bother me too much and I buy it to be worn, what do you think might be a fair price?

Regarding the second watch, thanks for your confirmation, I already had the feeling that this might be a complete miss.

At the moment I am mostly interested in a 60s seamaster, I also quite like the looks of the Longines dress watches of that era and the Omega piepan constellations, even though the latter might be a bit harder and too pricey to find right now.

 

Are you able to provide some close-up, well-focused pictures of the dial of the Seamaster? Although white dials with black printing have often been repainted, it is hard for us to judge anything based on the one photograph.

If you are interested in learning about vintage watches, I would encourage you to slow down and take time to learn about what collectors value, before deciding to make a purchase. A repainted watch might not bother you now, but it will very soon after you buy it. All of the information you need to know to judge a good watch from bad is contained on this forum, and is available for free. All you have to do is invest the time. Think of it as a continuation of your studies.

There are plenty of good examples of these watches shown on this forum, and few might even be available for sale.

 

Thanks, I have requested some better pictures.

You might be right about that, I have already invested quite some time the last few weeks into delving deeper into the whole topic of vintage watches, but there is just so much to learn that it is quite overwhelming in the beginning. Also, I understand the appeal of patina on the dial, but I am still having some troubles really liking the look of it. So my initial hope was, that even if it is a repaint and I can buy it for a decent price, I might be able to unload it should it really bother me and should I get to love the look of patina at some point without too much loss. ;-)

Thanks for the tip, I will have a look around here as well then besides the obvious ebay and local online auction houses.

 

Welcome to the forum! What is your budget for a vintage watch?

 

I would say about 500$ right now, might stretch it to 1000$ if it's a watch I really like.

 

That money can buy you a nice steel case Constellation.

 

FIFY

 

Of course depending on HOW nice.... I saw some pretty nice examples in the local danish "craigslist".

 

You’ll have to send me the links.
I’m sure you and @ConElPueblo wont mind me fishing in your pond.
(BTW SS Connies tend to command higher prices than gold cap)

 

Thanks for the input. I'll see whether I can find any that I like as most constellations I've stumbled upon until now weren't really my piece of cake.

 

Try to describe what you would like to wear

 

I think you are right concerning SS/GC prices! I hadn't thought of that.
This one is over the 1000 $ limit, alas: https://www.dba.dk/herreur-omega-et-vintage/id-1042017726/
But try www.dba.dk and punch in "Omega Constellation" - sometimes good stuff turns up, and you can easily configure a search agent. Feel free to ask a native dane

 

Hard to say, but let me try. Generally I prefer round cases, so anything rectangular is not really my thing. I do like pilot watches, but my Mark XV already got me covered there for a start. Also, the JLC works very well as a SS dress watch for now.
I do really like Seamasters (old and new) and Speedmasters, but I might have to wait a few months to make a bigger purchase as they are out of the league for now.

I love your constellation posted, but that's a bit too pricey for now. But I guess it would come down to a seamaster or constellation from roughly that period, I might just have to lift my budget a bit and wait until a good deal pops up?

 

@sprantl
There are quite a few variations in Seamaster and Constellation case and dial styles.
Have a look through the threads on OF.
(There is a specific show your Constellation thread)
Seamasters are generally more affordable and many well within your top budget.
You can get lucky and find a nice Connie for less than 1k still but they’re becoming fewer and farther between nowadays.
Just remember to get advice before you buy as both of these watch types are infamous for the amount of redials on the market.

 

Okay thanks for the heads-up. So I assume that if I were to be lucky and buy a nice Constellation for less than 1k it would keep its value or even rise?

 

Not watch advice, but a little life advice: if it doesn’t appeal to you now, don’t waste your money. When something you really want to have comes along, you’ll know it.

 

Agree. My guess is that there's less hype around Seamasters, and you may still be able to get a great watch.