A few months ago, having been asked to be the best man at my brothers wedding, I got the crazy idea in my head that I would get him a vintage Omega watch as a gift to wear on the day and so began my joining the Omega Forum. Just for context, my brother is quite modern and retro, apple watch etc but has never owned a 'proper' watch. What I really wanted to get him was a beautiful mechanical piece, manual wind or automatic that would last and most importantly he would wear. I have always been an Omega fan having owned a few, so off I began I joined the OF to get feedback and guide me in the right direction having not been the most familiar with vintage watches. Immediately the Cosmic and the Dynamic stood out for me - vintage, retro style and modern, perfect, what could go wrong The first watch I bought was a lovely example of a Seamaster Cosmic 166.035 cal. 752. I asked the opinions of the OF and everyone was fantastic with their responses, so I pulled the trigger and bought the watch from the Netherlands, delighted!! Shipping was to be 3-5days which was four weeks before the wedding, plenty of time.... Never arrived. The seller sent me shipping details, tracking number and receipts and apologised and in fairness to him, it was not his fault. It simply never left the Netherlands and was gobbled up in the ether and disappeared never to be seen again. Of course I had been holding out hope and waited and waited until the week of the wedding, assuring myself it will turn up only to be disappointed. In my last dash efforts of trying to source a watch that would be here in time I was doing last minute chores for the big day and came across a vintage watch shop who dealt in all the major brands. Panicking and desperate, two days to go, (Never, EVER buy a watch in this state) I bought a Seamaster 600, all original from 1964. "I'll take it" and was again delighted with myself, I would have a vintage Omega watch for my brother for his wedding day. Well, upon arriving home that evening, I examined the watch a bit closer . The dial was not in the best condition with evidence of water damage and in my heart of hearts knew that he would not wear such a watch, it was the Cosmic that I wished I had. The condition of the dial on the 600 was just too bad The day arrived and I never gave it to him. I explained my plan on the day to him and promised him something special. Of course he was delighted and said he didn't need anything, blah blah blah but I was bummed. Wedding over, on with the search and eventually found a stunning Cosmic 166.022 with a cal. 565 and turned indices. Thrilled, just what I was after and of course having consulted the great members of this forum, pulled the trigger and bought it. Watch number 3 down!! The watch arrived promptly from Norway and I was delighted with it. Much nicer than I had expected and perfect for what I was looking for (I really wanted to keep it). Now I have the watch and the time, I had always envisioned getting it engraved with the wedding date and a little message on the reverse (You can see it coming can't you!!!) I brought the watch to my trusted jewellers who do a lot of work for me and they would sent it out to the top guy in town for engraving. 10 days later I got a call to say it is ready. I collected the watch and in the shop, having picked up the watch it began to rattle with what appeared to be the movement moving around inside the case. My friend in the jewellers looked at the watch and when trying to wind it, it would not wind. ANOTHER trip around to the watch store to the man I bought the Seamster 600 from and as he is looking at it the crown comes off in his hand with no stem on the end of it. Well, when I say I was unhappy ... Another two weeks later and finally with Omega crown and stem and the screw re-fixed which had caused the movement to become loose, finally I had a vintage Omega watch for my brother. This is how my foray into vintage watch collecting began, having been a modern Omega customer for many years, it has really taught me to appreciate that these watches truly are special and unique and sometimes it is the journey and the story they take you on that can be just as exciting and infuriating. Sorry to take up your time but hopefully you can pass away a few minutes with a read while you are waiting for your own next adventure Many thanks to all the OF members for there advice and help (except for the 600 which I bought blind and stupidly, thats on me) These are the watches in question.
W-O-W!!!! Jim Lovell n Fred Haise just might think their Apollo 13 fiasco was a cakewalk compared to what you went thru with your watches!!!
Thanks for that story, and I'm sure your brother will treasure your gift forever. Vintage watches are definitely not for the impatient or the faint of heart.
